Free The Lie of You: I Will Have What Is Mine by Jane Lythell

that on average a woman will speak 7,000 words over the course of a day, while a man will only speak 2,000 words. Stop worrying. You have a gorgeous husband and son. Be happy and all will be well.
Much love, Jennie xx
     
    Jennie is such a warm and grounded person and when my parents retired to Lisbon she started to keep a protective eye on me. It’s a good feeling to know she is there, rooting for me.
     
    It was lovely, being at home with Billy all day, although hard to focus on the proofreading I’d set for myself. We sat on the rug in the kitchen and I went through picture books with him, pointing at the animals and making their noises, and he loved this. Then Aisha came over for three hours and we did get some work done. I have worked with Aisha for years, although it’s only since I became editor that she has worked exclusively for me. She’s the person I most trust at work. We went through my mail and recent invoices. I told her I would need her help on my forthcoming board presentation on the guide. I wanted to present facts and figures about where our readers travelled in Europe. Aisha is really good with figures, which are not my strong point.
    ‘Was Philip OK about my working from home?’
    ‘He didn’t say much. You know him. I’m sure it’s OK. He asked where Heja was.’
    ‘Did you tell him she’s got a day’s leave?’
    ‘Yeah, I think he fancies her.’
    ‘Really? I thought he fancied Victoria?’
    ‘He’s a letch! He often lurks around Heja’s desk. She’s got a boyfriend; I’ve seen him.’
    ‘What’s he like?’
    ‘Tall, dark, smartly dressed, looks like a doctor or lawyer or something. I saw them walking in the Barbican last Sunday.’
    After Aisha had gone Billy and I both had a nap curled up together in our big bed. I got up an hour later and decided to make roast chicken and ratatouille. While it was roasting and the kitchen was filling with lovely fragrant smells, I ran a bath and poured some bubble bath in. Then I carried Billy in and we sat in the bath, with Billy between my legs. He has this yellow bucket that has a hole in its side and the water spurts out in a stream. Billy finds this very entertaining so I had to fill the bucket again and again and hold it up while he tried to catch the water in his hands. I heard footsteps in the hall and Markus walked in.
    ‘That looks like fun.’
    ‘It is.’
    He knelt down by the side of the bath and kissed the top of Billy’s moist head. Then he rolled up his sleeves and said, ‘I’m going to wash you Mrs. Hartman.’
    He squeezed some bath gel onto his palms and started to caress my breasts with his soapy hands. My breasts are larger than they used to be because of the breastfeeding and I rather like them being bigger. I leant my head back against the edge of the bath, still balancing Billy between my knees, and closed my eyes for a few moments. Markus moved his fingers over and under my breasts with a firm, massaging movement. My skin felt nice and slippery and my breasts started to tingle. Then he burst out laughing. I opened my eyes.
    ‘You’re squirting milk,’ he said.
    He leant over the bath, put my right breast into his mouth and licked around my nipple.

Heja
     
    JUNE
     
    Yesterday I went for a consultation with a Mr Banerjee in Kentish Town. He practises Ayurvedic medicine and was recommended to me as an extraordinary physician and healer. He was a small wrinkled man with large sympathetic eyes and he spoke with a bit of a lisp. He did not carry out any formal examination as such. He looked into my eyes, felt my pulse, examined my hands and told me to stick my tongue out. He asked me about my eating habits.
    Then he said that he believed that Panchakarma therapy could help me. It is a form of detoxification, which has been practised in India for centuries. It involves steam baths, herbal-oil enemas and herbal inhalation. The Panchakarma system cleanses the body. He has put me onto a rigorous regime. The plan is for