His face hardened again. ‘Even if you didn’t outright lie, you dodged and ducked and contorted your answers to make me believe a lie, so that’s okay?’
‘I know it’s not okay!’ My hands were shaking. This conversation would have been hard enough back at the house, or while walking through the peace of the forest. Here, with Hattie on the other side of the hospital door, it was hideous. ‘But what else could I do? I signed a business contract. You know I tried to keep things casual between us. I told you so many times that I couldn’t commit. I dreaded my loyalty ending up torn like this.’
‘I just…’ Gideon rubbed a hand over his face. ‘It’s a lot.’
‘I know. And I’m so, so sorry.’
He gave a small nod to acknowledge that truth, at least. ‘I need some time, to process all this.’
‘Of course. I’ll see if I can find us a coffee or something.’
* * *
When I arrived back in the waiting room, having found the small café closed but vending machines serving hot chocolates and cereal bars, Gideon wasn’t alone.
It wasn’t a shock to see Lizzie huddled in the chair beside him, but I stopped dead when I saw the letter in her hand.
Gideon looked at me, his face concrete. ‘Did you know about this, too?’
My expression must have said it all.
‘That letter was meant for after Hattie died,’ I stammered at Lizzie, my voice rising in distress. ‘You had no right to take it. Or read it!’
‘For all we know, Hattie is dying right now!’ Lizzie cried, tipping her chin up in defiance. ‘You had no right to keep Gideon from knowing who his real mother is! He’s already lost months of whatever precious time they’ve got left together, and you could have done something about that. You’ve known Hattie a few weeks; you have no idea what she’d want in this situation.’
‘I have more than an idea because she spoke to me about it. At length.’
‘Hattie doesn’t know what she wants!’ Lizzie bit back. ‘She’s not been thinking straight for ages, acting strange, making erratic decisions, and now we know why. She’s not of sound mind.’
‘That’s not true.’
‘Hello? Her account manager showed me the Christmas crow designs. The woodlice! You are clearly enabling this breakdown she’s going through, using her illness to manipulate and control her. Is that what you do? Exploit vulnerable people for money and a place to live and call it a business?’
‘What?’ I was too appalled to defend myself.
‘Deceiving, concealing. Who knows how much money you’ve siphoned off from the stuff in the attic while Hattie’s been too tired and distracted to notice?’
I looked at Gideon, silently begging the man who’d declared his love for me mere hours ago to stand up for me, but he was a statue of devastation, head in his hands, shoulders slumped in shock.
‘You’re the one who’s rifled through her things and stolen a highly confidential letter.’
‘I was doing it to protect her from you! I’m the only one who really understands and cares about her, apart from Gideon.’
‘Well, clearly you don’t understand her that well, because you didn’t know she was dying and you didn’t know Gideon was her son!’
Gideon lifted his head. ‘I think you’d better go.’
‘What?’
Before I could protest, a door opened and Dr Ambrose walked in. ‘Ah, hello. Gideon? Would you come with me, please?’
Gideon shot to his feet.
‘Would you prefer Sophie to come with you? Or… I’m afraid I don’t know this young woman’s name.’
‘No. They’re both leaving.’
I was still looking for a suitable place to dump the hot chocolate as the doctor ushered Gideon towards the internal door.
