Tags:
Fiction,
General,
Suspense,
Mystery & Detective,
Suspense fiction,
Journalists,
Widows,
South Africa,
Sudden Death,
Safaris,
Safaris - South Africa
seem any different to her family? she wondered. Could they sense she was keeping a secret? Watching them all as Jonathan took out the vacuum cleaner and the girls began stacking the dishwasher, she wondered a little wildly how theyâd react if she suddenly announced that while she was away, sheâd met another man and gone to bed with him. Furthermore, she was meeting him in London next week, when she would doubtless do so again.
Would they be appalled? Shocked, even disgusted? Or glad for her? She doubted the latter â not so soon after Milesâs death.
âAnna?â Angus repeated, raising his voice slightly and bringing her back from her reverie. âWould you like another cup?â
âOh sorry â I was miles away. Yes, please, but is there nothing I can do to help?â
âEverythingâs under control,â Jonathan assured her. âThank God for paper plates and cups! Itâs only the serving dishes that need seeing to, and most of them go in the dishwasher. If youâd like to relax somewhere more comfortable, Vickyâs restored order in the sitting room.â
Anna shook her head. âI want to be in the thick of it, even if I am only an observer.â
âThatâll be the day!â Jonathan teased, and, as he passed, dropped a kiss on the top of her head. He had brought her here, but Sophie and Angus would drive her home, since, as of today, he was moving back with his family.
Sophie, having finished at the sink, brought her mug of tea over and sat across from her mother. âThereâs one sad bit of news you mightnât have heard,â she said. âImogenâs Aunt Em has died. Itâs her funeral on Monday.â
âOh, no!â Anna exclaimed. âI am sorry. She was younger than I am, surely? What happened?â
âNo one seems to know. She was fine the previous week at her birthday dinner, then Uncle Ted found her dead in bed. There was a post-mortem, but I donât know the result. I havenât liked to ask Imo. She was very upset.â
âIâm sure she was. I must write to her and her mother.â Anna had met Emily Broadbent on only a few occasions, but sheâd been very good to Sophie when she was younger, including her in treats with Imogen and referring to her as her adopted niece.
âWhat time is the funeral?â she added.
Sophie laid a quick hand on her arm. âYou donât have to go, Ma â itâs too soon. Iâll represent the family.â
Yes, Anna thought, full of guilt, it was too soon for her to attend a funeral â for that matter, it always would be â but it was also too soon to have slept with someone else. She knew her daughterâs sympathy would have been tempered, had she known about that .
The clearing up was completed, the boys were eventually packed off to bed, the adults settled down to supper, and the questions about South Africa began.
âYouâve hardly told us anything,â Vicky chided gently. âAll you said in your texts was that you were enjoying yourself and were in a good group.â
âI know, Iâm sorry. But when youâre travelling hundreds of miles, and seldom spend more than one night in the same bed, thereâs no time to go into detail. Iâll talk you through the photos when weâve finished eating.â
âBut it really wasnât the disaster we feared, Beatrice dropping out like that?â
Anna shook her head. âPoor love, she was so disappointed, but Iâm ashamed to say I barely missed her. Iâm going round next week, armed with the photos and the notes she asked me to make for her.â
âDid you bring the notes with you?â Jonathan asked.
âIt never occurred to me, but in any case theyâre still on scrappy bits of paper; Iâll have to type them up and print them before next week.â
âWhat was the best part of the holiday?â Sophie
Melissa Foster
David Guenther
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Paul Theroux
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John Temple
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