in the firing line.’
‘That’s terrible. How is he?’
‘You know Will. He’s not the strongest of individuals. He seems convinced he’s going to be made redundant, and he doesn’t feel very hopeful about getting another job.’
Edward watched Miranda as she took in the news, and felt genuine remorse for the lies. But this time he wasn’t just doing it for himself: he wanted to protect her from the truth. And, in some ways, it was a half-truth: William probably would lose his job if this problem wasn’t solved.
Miranda moved out of her chair and lowered herself down next to Edward. ‘You shouldn’t keep these things to yourself,’ she said, nestling into his side. He rested a hand on her substantial bump, and felt a movement. ‘The baby knows its daddy,’ she said.
He felt a swell of emotion. ‘I’ll never let anything bad happen to either of you,’ he said. ‘I’ll always be there.’
‘I know you will.’
He brushed back some stray strands of hair and kissed her forehead. ‘Just like I’ll always be there for Emma and William.’
He had decided what he would do.
Chapter 15
Even though Emma had tried to ready herself for the possibility that Dan had known Stuart before they had met, the admission was still a shock.
‘I’m so sorry, Em, for lying to you.’
The smell of the meal from the oven was making her feel nauseous. ‘But you’re going to tell me the truth now, aren’t you?’
‘Yes, of course.’
‘Then that’s what matters.’ She wasn’t sure she meant it, but it felt like the right thing to say. Things might never be the same after this . She desperately hoped not – she wanted to give them the best possible chance of getting through this, and that meant supporting Dan through his confession as much as she could manage.
Dan smiled, looking hopeful. ‘I don’t deserve you.’
Emma just waited for the explanation, hoping that it wasn’t something that would test their relationship in the way that Dan had suggested.
‘I met Stuart Harris through a mutual friend,’ he said, finally. ‘He started dating my housemate, Kelly. Do you remember her?’
Emma nodded. She did remember Kelly. She’d only met her a couple of times, as she’d moved out pretty soon after Emma and Dan had started dating. Kelly had worked in the City, in PR, for a major accountancy firm. She had seemed pretty quiet, and appeared to like to keep herself to herself, but she hadn’t been unfriendly.
‘They only went out for about six months,’ Dan continued. ‘I don’t think she was ever that serious about him, but Stuart and I became quite good friends. Sometimes we’d go out without Kelly, just a few of the lads, for a pint or two. There was a nice pub just around the corner from where he was living. That’s where that photo was taken. I remember it, because Stuart gave his camera to a Spanish girl I’d been chatting to during the evening to take the picture.’
Dan searched Emma’s face for a reaction, but she just wanted to listen. She didn’t want to say much, in case she said something that she might regret.
‘It was only a few months later, just before he and Kelly split, that I realised Stuart had a drink problem. I’d noticed he was drinking more and more on our nights out, and then he seemed to be already drunk by the time we met up with him. One night I was out with just him, and he was on his tenth or eleventh pint. He was really out of it – couldn’t stand up on his own. I had to carry him out of the pub and back home. That’s when he told me about you.’
Emma hadn’t wanted to hear that. She’d hoped that Dan knowing Stuart, and Dan meeting her, had been a coincidence – that Dan had met her not knowing of the link with Stuart.
But he had known.
Dan could sense Emma’s discomfort, but she nodded as a cue for him to go on, and he continued. ‘He told me about what had happened. About how Stephen Myers had stalked you, and how you’d come down from
‘That’s terrible. How is he?’
‘You know Will. He’s not the strongest of individuals. He seems convinced he’s going to be made redundant, and he doesn’t feel very hopeful about getting another job.’
Edward watched Miranda as she took in the news, and felt genuine remorse for the lies. But this time he wasn’t just doing it for himself: he wanted to protect her from the truth. And, in some ways, it was a half-truth: William probably would lose his job if this problem wasn’t solved.
Miranda moved out of her chair and lowered herself down next to Edward. ‘You shouldn’t keep these things to yourself,’ she said, nestling into his side. He rested a hand on her substantial bump, and felt a movement. ‘The baby knows its daddy,’ she said.
He felt a swell of emotion. ‘I’ll never let anything bad happen to either of you,’ he said. ‘I’ll always be there.’
‘I know you will.’
He brushed back some stray strands of hair and kissed her forehead. ‘Just like I’ll always be there for Emma and William.’
He had decided what he would do.
Chapter 15
Even though Emma had tried to ready herself for the possibility that Dan had known Stuart before they had met, the admission was still a shock.
‘I’m so sorry, Em, for lying to you.’
The smell of the meal from the oven was making her feel nauseous. ‘But you’re going to tell me the truth now, aren’t you?’
‘Yes, of course.’
‘Then that’s what matters.’ She wasn’t sure she meant it, but it felt like the right thing to say. Things might never be the same after this . She desperately hoped not – she wanted to give them the best possible chance of getting through this, and that meant supporting Dan through his confession as much as she could manage.
Dan smiled, looking hopeful. ‘I don’t deserve you.’
Emma just waited for the explanation, hoping that it wasn’t something that would test their relationship in the way that Dan had suggested.
‘I met Stuart Harris through a mutual friend,’ he said, finally. ‘He started dating my housemate, Kelly. Do you remember her?’
Emma nodded. She did remember Kelly. She’d only met her a couple of times, as she’d moved out pretty soon after Emma and Dan had started dating. Kelly had worked in the City, in PR, for a major accountancy firm. She had seemed pretty quiet, and appeared to like to keep herself to herself, but she hadn’t been unfriendly.
‘They only went out for about six months,’ Dan continued. ‘I don’t think she was ever that serious about him, but Stuart and I became quite good friends. Sometimes we’d go out without Kelly, just a few of the lads, for a pint or two. There was a nice pub just around the corner from where he was living. That’s where that photo was taken. I remember it, because Stuart gave his camera to a Spanish girl I’d been chatting to during the evening to take the picture.’
Dan searched Emma’s face for a reaction, but she just wanted to listen. She didn’t want to say much, in case she said something that she might regret.
‘It was only a few months later, just before he and Kelly split, that I realised Stuart had a drink problem. I’d noticed he was drinking more and more on our nights out, and then he seemed to be already drunk by the time we met up with him. One night I was out with just him, and he was on his tenth or eleventh pint. He was really out of it – couldn’t stand up on his own. I had to carry him out of the pub and back home. That’s when he told me about you.’
Emma hadn’t wanted to hear that. She’d hoped that Dan knowing Stuart, and Dan meeting her, had been a coincidence – that Dan had met her not knowing of the link with Stuart.
But he had known.
Dan could sense Emma’s discomfort, but she nodded as a cue for him to go on, and he continued. ‘He told me about what had happened. About how Stephen Myers had stalked you, and how you’d come down from
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