Anne Mather

Morgan's Child


Скачать книгу

words to describe his return that might more accurately be used to describe his death.

      “I think you’d better go,’ he said, keeping his tone flat. If he allowed his real feelings to show, she’d run from here to next week. Pressing his hands down on the back of the chair, he pushed himself to his feet. ‘Templar—the psycho—will be coming soon, and he doesn’t like an audience.’

      ‘Oh, but—’ Suddenly, she was reluctant to leave. The doctor said you might like to—to talk.’

      ‘We’ve talked,’ said Morgan tightly, swinging his leg across the chair, but he misjudged its height and the heavy article went over. It cracked like a bullet as it landed on the floor.

      Fliss jumped to her feet then and, almost simultaneously, the door opened and Sean Templar burst into the room. It made Morgan wonder if the psychologist had been standing with his ear glued to the panels all the time they were talking, ready to intervene if anything untoward occurred.

      For a moment, they were all frozen in a ridiculous tableau, and then Templar bent to pick up the chair. ‘Is everything all right?’ he asked pleasantly, and Morgan heard Fliss muffle a sob.

      ‘What could be wrong?’ he demanded harshly. ‘My wife was just leaving. that’s all.’

      And Fliss pressed a hand to her mouth as if he’d struck her, before rushing tearfully out of the room.

       CHAPTER FOUR

      ‘SO ARE you going to tell me what happened?’

      Graham was trying to be patient, but it was obviously difficult for him. In the week since Fliss had returned from Craythorpe, they had had no chance to discuss the repercussions of what had happened, and she suspected he was only here now because she’d practically begged him to come.

      Graham was so conscious of his position as the vicar of St Margaret’s, and he had no desire to set tongues wagging any more than they already were. But Fliss needed his support; she needed his guidance; and if she didn’t talk about what had happened soon she thought she’d go mad.

      ‘It’s not easy,’ she said now, and Graham gave her a troubled look. ‘I don’t know what I’m going to do,’ she added softly. ‘What do people do in circumstances like this?’

      ‘If you don’t want to talk about it, then I shan’t press you,’ Graham ventured quietly, but she wasn’t sure whether that was for her benefit or his. It was apparent that he considered this conversation premature. He’d said as much when she’d told him she’d like to keep his ring.

      ‘I want to tell you,’ she said now, fidgeting with the glass beside her plate. She’d invited Graham for supper, although neither of them had done much justice to the meal, and she wondered if it would be easier if she was making coffee as she spoke.

      Graham seemed to consider for a moment, and then he leaned across the table and took her hand. ‘I can see you’re upset,’ he said gently. ‘And if there’s anything I can do you only have to tell me. But, Fliss, my dear, I have to be seen to be objective. However much I love you, we can’t continue as before.’

      ‘I know that.’ Fliss sniffed. ‘But you do still love me, don’t you?’

      Graham stared at her. ‘How could you doubt it?’

      ‘Well, I’ve hardly seen you since—since I got the news about Morgan.’ She bit her lip. ‘If only Aunt Sophie were here, I wouldn’t feel so horribly isolated. As it is, I feel as if I’m living in some kind of vacuum.’

      ‘Oh, Fliss!’

      ‘I do love you, Graham.’ She paused. ‘You know that, don’t you?’

      ‘Well, I hoped so,’ he admitted rather ruefully. Then he heaved a heavy sigh. ‘Oh, Fliss, it’s been hard for me, too. I’ve been trying to do my job when all the time I’ve been wondering how you were.’

      ‘I’ve been better.’ Fliss expelled a breath. ‘He—Morgan, that is—he was so aggressive. We were like strangers with one another, Graham. I knew it would be hard seeing him again, but I had no idea how difficult it was going to be.’

      Graham squeezed her fingers. ‘I shouldn’t say it, I know, but I am relieved.’ He grimaced. ‘I was sure you were going to tell me that you’d realised how much you loved your husband, after all. That was why I was so reluctant to come here. I was putting off what I saw as the evil day.’

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAgEBLAEsAAD/4Rb9RXhpZgAATU0AKgAAAAgABwESAAMAAAABAAEAAAEaAAUA AAABAAAAYgEbAAUAAAABAAAAagEoAAMAAAABAAIAAAExAAIAAAAcAAAAcgEyAAIAAAAUAAAAjodp AAQAAAABAAAApAAAANAALcbAAAAnEAAtxsAAACcQQWRvYmUgUGhvdG9zaG9wIENTMiBXaW5kb3dz ADIwMTQ6MDY6MDQgMTQ6NDA6NTYAAAAAA6ABAAMAAAABAAEAAKACAAQAAAABAAAGS6ADAAQAAAAB AAAKAAAAAAAAAAAGAQMAAwAAAAEABgAAARoABQAAAAEAAAEeARsABQAAAAEAAAEmASgAAwAAAAEA AgAAAgEABAAAAAEAAAEuAgIABAAAAAEAABXHAAAAAAAAAEgAAAABAAAASAAAAAH/2P/gABBKRklG AAECAABIAEgAAP/tAAxBZG9iZV9DTQAB/+4ADkFkb2JlAGSAAAAAAf/bAIQADAgICAkIDAkJDBEL CgsRFQ8MDA8VGBMTFRMTGBEMDAwMDAwRDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAENCwsN Dg0QDg4QFA4ODhQUDg4ODhQRDAwMDAwREQwMDAwMDBEMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwM DAwM/8AAEQgAoABlAwEiAAIRAQMRAf/dAAQAB//EAT8AAAEFAQEBAQEBAAAAAAAAAAMAAQIEBQYH CAkKCwEAAQUBAQEBAQEAAAAAAAAAAQACAwQFBgcICQoLEAABBAEDAgQCBQcGCAUDDDMBAAIRAwQh EjEFQVFhEyJxgTIGFJGhsUIjJBVSwWIzNHKC0UMHJZJT8OHxY3M1FqKygyZEk1RkRcKjdDYX0lXi ZfKzhMPTdePzRieUpIW0lcTU5PSltcXV5fVWZnaGlqa2xtbm9jdHV2d3h5ent8fX5/cRAAICAQIE BAMEBQYHBwYFNQEAAhEDITESBEFRYXEiEwUygZEUobFCI8FS0fAzJGLhcoKSQ1MVY3M08SUGFqKy gwcmNcLSRJNUoxdkRVU2dGXi8rOEw9N14/NGlKSFtJXE1OT0pbXF1eX1VmZ2hpamtsbW5vYnN0dX Z3eHl6e3x//aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8AyjoDqoNpve1zmVvc2uDY5rSQ2dG+o4D2bv5Sdtha4u/c9wJ1 GmqtdMs1Ltz7XWH1TSDDXvAu+zNe1xax9jn/AMyx/wD58UvxOHEYHsD+ba+Gc+eWE4iAlxkGya+U NSui+4ONNVloYdrjWxzod+4/YHbX/wAhEGB1A8YmQfhTZ/5BbP1Ky6z1fruFU5obY5mVWGO3NLmk 05Ox/wCe3faxdi3IewTuP3lUBhHd0/8AS8+mIf43/oL5qcDqA5xMgf8AWbP/ACCQwOoHjDyD8KbP /IL0PI6mWNJJM/FLpGdbk3Pc9zm1NEM1IBPdH2RfzKPxjIB/NR/xv/QXzx+FnVtLrMW9jRy59T2j /Oc1VjZUOXtH9oL1D6wvLulWAv7aiV4zn0WMydrQCHuJ01SOEXVoHxidX7Q/xv8A0F197P3m/eEi 9g1LmgeZCzK2bQJQ80uLGE6N3aA6TH0j/Ur/AD0PZHdP+mJ1ftD/ABv/AEF1hdS4w21jj4BzT/FO HNJgOBPMAgrncJu25xDR3gx4+C1sA/rNo8K2j8Up4RGJley/lfiss2aGI4xHjvXi7R4m6kkkoXWf /9DFtO2qxw5DXH7gsRmXZYyyl7ianw7Z2Lm8Od+9t3O2rafrTYD+46fuKwGVObc6dA0CQrPxDeHk VvLdfNv9A6uOjdbxs86Y1ZNWS1v+hsGy6B/wf8//ANaXrdkEaODmnVrgZBB1a5v8ly8S9RjbPeQA ZiYE/wCcu7+pHXb34Z6ZmTsxtrcPIJn2unbh2kS1r6/8B/wX6P8A0Sok0G0Dq9FdjuvtFQO1p+k4 9gtvHw20UBrWRWBHu4P3rKdh1ZHtyGCxk6sdwfiqHVuk9KZS9zDbU6PYBY87SPzWtc47q/8AqEYA Hc0uAE5CJlw/TiY/WA22i/HxGmqulpJMe07RuftXAtrcbd5JcQVZy6S+t4OTd7NW1HUFVMRltNjX WPc8j81x0H9ke1KUa6r8uLgoXaW4NE9li5LzY/cNAXaD4fRWvly8FjB9L6R8v3Vn245BboeRxz/Z Qj3Yp7UhrqsNhbqCIPmtXpldjbLXWGdzW6nnQoNONsy42uAI03d9T7gtg0iutrh+cY/BNmbgWf4a P6Vi85f9CTBJJJVnp3//0cipgse1hkB5DSRz7jt0W9idI6Q+65j8Gm01BnpyGkjVw/P+ksLF1yKv Deyf84LsOm5OBivzbchwaNrI/wA56uc8BQLHy59dJcXE6XjgGvBxK3jWX47Nw/64A5W7M2wgD0Kn 0mQ51JboP6kNVVnWMPJq9bFY+yqdotDHFm6du3fGz6S5bqvW8yvPuZWBWx7S6I1BaBws4mg3RHV7 DGzKG1mxrvUx28nl9cfvj86tv+epZl2I6qTteCJBEEEHhcpgG3FxK+sUFz67XludWCTDh9GxrP6j q960sa+oMNNobdjWOJx5H0Q73+ju/c+n6X/bSAP0SQNw4nWRWXl9YDfhoqWH02yw+rYCG/mtPJ/l LprMXE3bmVNaexj+9Oyhvgkiw87b0/aOFRuwwXNBGhIkeS6q/HnSFRycUVtBJDSeN3GnKbI0CUHZ x8fFa7JeQ3aGw3mePzlcy27aqx/KP5Fe6f05wYDH0tT80uuY3oY+Oe7rHD7moS+Qtr4eK5rF5y/6 EnHSSSUD0j//0sjHIa9ruzXAk/Ays3rXVrsrIspocRW6C+PAHTVXSS2iwjsx