Free The Lie by Linda Sole Page A

got home.
    Alice was waiting in the front hall to take hats and coats and hang them away in the cloakroom. Emily gave her a special smile, determined to slip into the kitchen and have a word with her before she left. But then everything started to happen at once, and she forgot about Alice as the speeches got under way.
    Simon was very funny, teasing both bride and groom with wicked hints about the groom’s reputation, and Henry made a short speech about Marcus being a lucky man. Marcus replied in kind. And then they were having the toasts, everyone tucking into the sandwiches, little pastry cases filled with chicken and a creamy sauce, and sausage rolls that made up the bulk of the buffet meal. It wasn’t as lavish as Frances would have had in normal times, but they had managed very well. Someone had found some tinned fruit and jelly, and Emily noticed that Connor was helping himself for a second time, smiling to herself. If she knew anything, the extra portion was for his friend Peter. She went over to him and asked if he was enjoying himself.
    â€˜Yeah, it’s all right,’ he said. ‘Frances looks pretty and so do you, Emily. I shall miss you when you go away.’
    â€˜I’ll miss you too,’ Emily said. ‘But you’ll be all right with Daniel and Margaret, won’t you?’
    â€˜Dunno,’ he said, and scowled. ‘I could go and stay with Henry if I want, when Dan goes back to his unit anyway. He told me that just now.’
    â€˜Well, I suppose you might,’ Emily said, feeling a bit guilty. She hadn’t considered Connor when she’d been asked if she would transfer somewhere else. ‘It would mean you had a bit further to come to school, of course.’
    â€˜It’s better than being with her on my own.’
    Emily nodded, ruffled his hair and walked off to speak to Henry. He seemed to be having a bit of an argument with Clay, but they broke off as she approached and Clay went to join his wife, who had her eldest child on her lap and was feeding her a piece of cold chicken with her fingers.
    â€˜Connor was telling me you have asked him to stay with you?’
    â€˜Well, he may not be able to stay here much longer anyway. It depends on Margaret  . . .’
    â€˜What do you mean?’
    â€˜The house is half hers if she wants to sell,’ Henry said. ‘And it seems she does, sooner than we can manage it. We may have to put it on the market.’
    â€˜Sell the house? But where shall we live?’ Emily was stunned by his announcement. ‘You can’t, Henry. It’s our home.’
    â€˜It was when Dad was around,’ he said gruffly. ‘Now it’s just a house. I don’t want it and nor does Clay – I couldn’t afford it, not at her price anyway. Besides, you will be away most of the time, and you’ll probably get married soon. You can stay with one of us if you need to, Emily. We’ll manage somehow, I suppose.’
    â€˜Manage somehow?’ Emily felt as if the ground had fallen away from beneath her feet. She hadn’t expected this – to lose the home she’d known all her life. It made everything that much worse. ‘Do we have to sell, Henry? What about Daniel and Connor? It’s their home too. Surely we can keep it?’
    â€˜We’re having a meeting soon,’ Henry said. ‘We’ll know better then – but Connor will be all right with me. You and Daniel will find something, I expect.’
    â€˜Yes, if we have to,’ she agreed, and walked away feeling pretty miserable. What was she going to do if there was no home to come back to? It had always been there, just as her father had been there for her, and now everything was different. She felt lost and lonely.
    â€˜Marcus says they are off in a few minutes,’ Simon said. ‘Your sister is going up to change out of her dress. We could leave as soon as they’ve gone –