twice about continuing with the relationship. At the very least, the relationship would have felt very different than it had otherwise done. ‘I can understand why you didn’t tell me.’
‘I nearly told you a few times after that, but the longer it went on, the harder it seemed to get. I just felt that if I came out after months, years, saying this, it might wreck what we had – what we still have. Can you understand that?’
‘Yes, I can.’ Suddenly a thought occurred to her. ‘Stuart must have known. After you were kidnapped by Peter Myers, and I met up with Stuart again, he must have known that it was you – that you were the Dan Carlton he’d been mates with.’
Stuart had reappeared on the scene shortly after Dan had disappeared. It was then that Emma had discovered that Stuart had recommended her for the part in the film that she had landed at that time, as he knew its casting director, Guy Roberts. Stuart had also declared to Emma that he still loved her, and had wanted to rekindle their relationship.
‘I assume so, yes.’
‘But he didn’t say anything. He never said a word.’
Dan shrugged. ‘I guess he was just concentrating on winning you back. He had no reason to tell you that we’d known one another.’
‘No, I suppose not.’ But Emma still felt uneasy. ‘Would you have ever told me about you and Stuart?’ she asked.
‘To be honest, not now, no.’
Emma appreciated the straight answer. It would have been easy for him to say yes, but this answer was much more believable. ‘So why are you telling me now?’
‘I panicked in the café, and lied. But straight afterwards I spoke to Richard, and he made me see sense.’
Richard knows? ‘So your brother knows?’
‘Yes, he’s always known.’
There was a pause. ‘Are there any more secrets?’
‘No, I promise, there are no more secrets.’
‘Good.’ Emma reached out and took Dan’s hand.
He smiled. ‘We’re going to be all right, then?’
‘Yes. Now let’s eat. I’ve just got my appetite back.’
Emma waited on the sofa, listening to the radio, while Dan finished the washing up. It was his turn to do it, as she had prepared the meal.
‘Finished,’ Dan said, sitting down next to her. ‘Thanks for dinner, it was lovely. Pity you couldn’t finish yours.’
‘It’s okay, I wasn’t that hungry after all.’ Quite a bit of her meal had gone to waste, as her appetite hadn’t returned in the way she had thought.
‘I’m so sorry,’ Dan said again. ‘About everything.’
‘I know.’
‘Not just about the Stuart thing. I’m still really sorry I left you on your own today. You’d just told me that there was someone else out there, bothering us, and I ran out on you.’
‘You were upset. You weren’t thinking straight.’
‘Yes, but I shouldn’t have done it. What if something had happened to you? What if this person had been watching, and chose to take advantage of what went on?’
‘Now that’s scary.’ Unconsciously, Emma picked up a sofa cushion and hugged it to her chest.
‘Sorry, I don’t want to scare you, but what I’m saying is that my priority should have been protecting you, not myself.’ Dan shook his head with disgust.
‘You’re a human being,’ Emma said. ‘None of us is perfect, are we? We all do things we regret. The important thing is that we recognise what we’ve done, and we make amends.’
‘I will, Em, I’ll make amends. And it won’t happen again.’
‘I don’t want you to beat yourself up about this. I just want things to be normal.’
Dan nodded. ‘So, what next?’
Emma shrugged. ‘We hope that this person gets bored and leaves us alone, or the police catch them.’
‘Of course!’ Dan smacked his forehead with the heel of his hand. ‘I’m sorry, Em – I didn’t even ask if Lizzy had been in touch with the police.’
‘She hadn’t up until this morning, but she said she might give them a call later. You know Lizzy, though. She doesn’t think
‘I nearly told you a few times after that, but the longer it went on, the harder it seemed to get. I just felt that if I came out after months, years, saying this, it might wreck what we had – what we still have. Can you understand that?’
‘Yes, I can.’ Suddenly a thought occurred to her. ‘Stuart must have known. After you were kidnapped by Peter Myers, and I met up with Stuart again, he must have known that it was you – that you were the Dan Carlton he’d been mates with.’
Stuart had reappeared on the scene shortly after Dan had disappeared. It was then that Emma had discovered that Stuart had recommended her for the part in the film that she had landed at that time, as he knew its casting director, Guy Roberts. Stuart had also declared to Emma that he still loved her, and had wanted to rekindle their relationship.
‘I assume so, yes.’
‘But he didn’t say anything. He never said a word.’
Dan shrugged. ‘I guess he was just concentrating on winning you back. He had no reason to tell you that we’d known one another.’
‘No, I suppose not.’ But Emma still felt uneasy. ‘Would you have ever told me about you and Stuart?’ she asked.
‘To be honest, not now, no.’
Emma appreciated the straight answer. It would have been easy for him to say yes, but this answer was much more believable. ‘So why are you telling me now?’
‘I panicked in the café, and lied. But straight afterwards I spoke to Richard, and he made me see sense.’
Richard knows? ‘So your brother knows?’
‘Yes, he’s always known.’
There was a pause. ‘Are there any more secrets?’
‘No, I promise, there are no more secrets.’
‘Good.’ Emma reached out and took Dan’s hand.
He smiled. ‘We’re going to be all right, then?’
‘Yes. Now let’s eat. I’ve just got my appetite back.’
Emma waited on the sofa, listening to the radio, while Dan finished the washing up. It was his turn to do it, as she had prepared the meal.
‘Finished,’ Dan said, sitting down next to her. ‘Thanks for dinner, it was lovely. Pity you couldn’t finish yours.’
‘It’s okay, I wasn’t that hungry after all.’ Quite a bit of her meal had gone to waste, as her appetite hadn’t returned in the way she had thought.
‘I’m so sorry,’ Dan said again. ‘About everything.’
‘I know.’
‘Not just about the Stuart thing. I’m still really sorry I left you on your own today. You’d just told me that there was someone else out there, bothering us, and I ran out on you.’
‘You were upset. You weren’t thinking straight.’
‘Yes, but I shouldn’t have done it. What if something had happened to you? What if this person had been watching, and chose to take advantage of what went on?’
‘Now that’s scary.’ Unconsciously, Emma picked up a sofa cushion and hugged it to her chest.
‘Sorry, I don’t want to scare you, but what I’m saying is that my priority should have been protecting you, not myself.’ Dan shook his head with disgust.
‘You’re a human being,’ Emma said. ‘None of us is perfect, are we? We all do things we regret. The important thing is that we recognise what we’ve done, and we make amends.’
‘I will, Em, I’ll make amends. And it won’t happen again.’
‘I don’t want you to beat yourself up about this. I just want things to be normal.’
Dan nodded. ‘So, what next?’
Emma shrugged. ‘We hope that this person gets bored and leaves us alone, or the police catch them.’
‘Of course!’ Dan smacked his forehead with the heel of his hand. ‘I’m sorry, Em – I didn’t even ask if Lizzy had been in touch with the police.’
‘She hadn’t up until this morning, but she said she might give them a call later. You know Lizzy, though. She doesn’t think
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