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If these first few chapters seem a little short, I apologise, later chapters will be much longer, more intense and hopefully explain everything (I did say hopefully)
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"Will you stop fussing!"
Grace turned sharply, arching one eyebrow in the direction of her daughter, her expression slightly bemused. "I thought this was supposed to be my big night."
Sarah took a sharp intake of breath, counting to ten before she spoke, ever mindful of how easily she could rile her mother. "I mean please relax. You can do this."
Her fingers stroked the giant aubergine pendant at her neck as she tried to calm her inner turmoil. Maybe it had been a big mistake listening to her publisher, maybe she wasn't ready to have nearly ten years work scrutinised by her peers. Of course, if she was being honest that wasn't what she feared most. "What if no one comes?"
Her daughter rolled her eyes dramatically, more like her mother than either was willing to admit. "Then we can go to the pub and get blathered."
"Nice, Sarah. Very Supportive. Remind me to never end up as a patient on your ward."
"The room is full, mum. Not a single empty seat." The first time she had ventured out of the small side room the room had been empty, the second time when she went in search of a glass of wine for each of them it had been filling up nicely. When she went a third time to look for the publisher she had been a little awed; her mother had managed to write yet another book on the psychology of murder and fill a room with people who were desperate for her insight. "And I saw Eve and Spence. They said good luck and are going to make sure they are in the front row where you can see them," she said, her tone becoming more forced as she added, "But who knows whether he's granted you an audience."
"Please don't, not tonight," Grace chided wearily. Her daughter despised Boyd. She had her reasons, not all of them without merit, but she didn't want to rehash old arguments, mainly because she didn't have the patience for it but more so because if anyone had the right to hate him it was her, and she couldn't muster an emotion that intense. "I invited them all, Felix and Frankie too. There wouldn't be a book without them."
Sarah took a length sip of wine, pondering arguing that without them the book might not have taken quite so long to make it onto the page. Taking a sideways glance at her mother who was in the process of biting the skin off of her bottom lip, she thought better of it. Lightly she squeezed her arm, offering a small smile. "I'm really proud of you, mum. Dan is too, even if he can't be here."
"Thanks love." She took another lengthy sip of wine before delving into her oversized bag and locating her lipstick. While the book had initially been her way of dealing with the horrors she had seen, harnessing her theories to the cases she had worked, when the unit had been disbanded it had instead become her way of dealing with the emptiness. The problem was now that it was finished she felt more lonely than she had since her husband had walked out the door.
Sensing that her mothers thoughts were drifting away, touching on painful memories that she would never discuss, Sarah placed her glass on the table and opened the door. "Are you ready?"
"As I'll ever be," Grace acknowledged taking a deep fortifying breath. One hour and it would all be over and she could return to the house that had become her fortress.
"I'll go tell him to introduce you."
"And take your seat."
Her daughter squeezed her arm as she brushed past her. "Good Luck, mum."
Left alone finally, Grace leaned back against the table and closed her eyes. She had sat in tiny rooms across from murders and rapists but the thought of standing at the front of a room justifying her work petrified her. Who was she kidding, she laughed hollowly, it was the anticipation of seeing him again after a year that had her stomach in knots, that and the prospect that he wouldn't show up at all.
"Mum?"
Taking calming breaths, she rose to her feet and made her way towards the desk, either way it would bring what the Americans called closure and maybe she was finally ready for that.
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