by Lisa Stone
He looked back, unsure.
‘Yes, of course,’ Anne replied, and touched his arm. ‘This way.’
Still in a daze, Chris handed over his baby and went with Anne to reception.
‘Jan Hamlin and baby Owen,’ Anne said to the receptionist, then gave their details. Anne had taken charge and Chris was grateful.
‘Thank you,’ the receptionist said once the registration was complete. ‘You can go to see them now. Straight down that corridor.’ She pointed in the direction they were to go, although Anne knew the way.
They took a few steps away from reception and Anne drew Chris to one side. ‘Before you see Jan, I need to tell you something.’
Chris stared back, petrified. ‘Why? What’s wrong?’
‘The baby is all right. Normal,’ Anne said, her voice low. ‘I’ve checked him over, so be careful what you say to the staff here.’
‘You mean he doesn’t have the condition?’ Chris asked in disbelief.
‘That’s right. He’s premature, but you’ve been lucky this time. He will need corrective surgery on his feet, but as far as I can tell that’s all that’s wrong.’
‘I can’t believe it,’ Chris said, his eyes filling. ‘I really can’t. Did you know while Jan was pregnant?’
‘I dared to hope. I thought we were in with a chance, but I couldn’t be certain until he was born. Which is why I didn’t say anything to you in case I was wrong. And of course Jan never knew about any of it.’
‘Thank goodness she was saved from all these months of worry,’ Chris sighed with relief.
‘But she needs to know about the email,’ Anne said, her face serious. ‘I kept quiet as you asked, but it’s not right, Chris. You may not be so lucky next time. Apart from that, there’s the moral issue of you two being related. You can’t ignore it. Technically you are half brother and sister. Most couples parted once they knew. Ian and Emma did. Jan needs to be told.’
‘But I couldn’t bear to lose her,’ Chris said. ‘That’s why I haven’t told her. She’s my life. It feels so right being with her. I can’t tell her now and risk losing her. We have a child.’
‘You must,’ Anne said. ‘She has to know. It’s not right to keep it from her. Supposing you have another child and it has the condition?’
‘We won’t have any more children.’
‘Chris, I won’t be part of your deception any longer. If you don’t tell Jan, I will.’
SEVENTY-FOUR
Chris gazed lovingly at Owen, now awake in his crib. He was happy and contented, even though both his legs were in plaster. Jan was sitting on the sofa, talking to him as he grinned and gurgled. At eight weeks old, he was steadily putting on weight and meeting all the developmental milestones. The consultant paediatrician had said that surgery probably wouldn’t be necessary and Owen’s legs could be straightened using manipulation and plaster casts, which was a huge relief.
Chris knew how lucky they’d been, but Anne’s words were constantly in his thoughts. He hadn’t told Jan yet and he needed to. Anne had given him an ultimatum: tell Jan by the end of the weekend or I will. It was Sunday evening now and he was running out of time.
He didn’t blame Anne. She was doing what she thought was right. If Jan wasn’t told and they had another baby, as she wanted, it could have the condition. But he dreaded losing her, which he feared would happen when she found out they were related.
Aware that he couldn’t put it off any longer, Chris steeled himself and went over and sat on the sofa beside Jan. She turned to look at him and smiled.
Chris took her hand. ‘You know how much you both mean to me? How much I love you?’
‘Yes, of course,’ she laughed. ‘I love you too.’
He hesitated and took a deep breath, summoning his courage. ‘Jan, there’s something I have to tell you, something that I should have told you much sooner.’
Her face immediately grew serious. ‘What is it, Chris?’ She took her hand away. ‘You’re not having an affair?’
‘No, of course not. Nothing like that.’ He hesitated again. ‘You remember I told you about Ian Jennings, in connection with the Moller Clinic? He emailed all those on Moller’s list to warn them they could be affected, and tell them to get their DNA checked.’
‘Yes, vaguely, but what’s that got to do with us?’
‘You were on that list, Jan. You received an email, but it went to your old email address.’
‘What! How do you know?’
‘I looked on your laptop. I’m sorry, but I needed to check. Your parents must have used the Moller Clinic. I’ve been worried sick all these months. Owen is going to be OK, but any future children we have could be affected. Also – and this is the most difficult part – it means that biologically we are half brother and sister. I’m so sorry, Jan. I should have told you sooner, but I couldn’t risk losing you.’ He looked at her with pain and misery, expecting the worst – tears, cries of anguish and utter rejection.
Yet she remained calm, composed and cool, which seemed even worse. What was she thinking? What would she say and do?
‘That’s a lot to take in,’ she finally said. ‘Did Anne know all this time? I guess she did.’
‘Yes. I’m sorry. She wanted me to tell you straight away. I made her promise not to. But she says she can’t live with the lie any longer and you must know. I’m scared of losing you, Jan. I love you so much. I couldn’t face life without you.’
He tried to read her expression, but it was impossible.
‘It was very wrong of you not to tell me,’ she said at last.
‘Yes, I know. I’m so sorry.’
‘It was also wrong of you to look at my emails without me knowing. I trusted you.’
‘Yes. But you can see why I did it, can’t you?’ he asked in desperation.
‘A little, I suppose. Even so …’
‘You won’t leave me, will you?’ he cried. He took her hand again. ‘Not all couples like us have separated. We can stay together, but we won’t have any more children. I know we share the same biological father, but it’s not like we were brought up as brother and sister, so it’s not immoral. You won’t leave me, will you?’ he said again.
‘No,’ Jan said. ‘I won’t leave you.’
He hardly dared to believe. ‘Thank you. Thank you so much. I’ll make it up to you, I promise. I won’t ever hide anything from you again.’
‘Good. But if you and Anne had told me sooner, I could have saved you both a lot of worry. There is something you don’t know.’
‘What do you mean?’ he asked apprehensively.
‘That email was only partially correct. My parents did use the Moller Clinic. But I’ve checked, and it was definitely to conceive my older brother, not me. Mum miscarried that baby at sixteen weeks and then they had me naturally. Moller must have assumed I was his, or Ian made a mistake. We’re not related, Chris.’
He stared at her, astounded. ‘Are you sure?’
‘Yes.’
‘Why didn’t you tell me?’
‘I didn’t want to worry you unnecessarily with talk of the clinic after all you’ve been through. So we can stay together and have another child. But if you snoop in my emails again, I won’t forgive you.’ She kissed his cheek. ‘Now you’d better tell Anne and put her out of her misery.’
‘I will.’
Although this book is fiction, atavism exists and this story was inspired by true events. A number of clinics offering donor insemination have been discovered to be using only one donor – that of the founder of the clinic.
Suggested topics for reading-group discussion
Describe Ivy Cottage and the village of Merryless.
The author builds suspense from different viewpoints. As a writing technique, what advantage does this have?
How does Tinder add to the atmosphere and suspense of the plot?
Which characters in the book do you have most sympathy with, and why?
All the main characters are faced with
moral dilemmas – for example, should Ian tell Emma that David survived? Discuss these dilemmas. Are their decisions correct given the circumstances?
Why might parents not tell their child they were conceived by donor sperm? Would you?
Ian and Emma, Chelsea and Grant, Chris and Camile and other couples are biologically half brother and sister. Should they separate? What would you do?
Secrecy is maintained to protect the outsiders. What would be the likely outcome if their existence became known?
Could DC Beth Mayes and DC Matt Davis have done more to investigate the concerns raised by Mrs Slater and Ian? If so, how might their actions have changed the course of the novel?
Keep Reading …
Enjoyed The Cottage? Make sure you’ve read Lisa Stone’s other thrillers:
Have you seen Leila?
8-year-old Leila Smith has seen and heard things that no child should ever have to. On the Hawthorn Estate, where she lives, she often stays out after dark to avoid going home.
But what Leila doesn’t know is that someone has been watching her in the playground. One day, she disappears without a trace …
The police start a nationwide search but it’s as if Leila has vanished into thin air. Who kidnapped her? What do they want? Will she return home safely or is she lost forever?
Click here to order a copy of Taken
How much do you know about the couple next door?
When Emily and Ben move in next door to Dr Burman and his wife Alisha, they are keen to get to know their new neighbours. Outgoing and sociable, Emily tries to befriend the doctor’s wife, but Alisha is strangely subdued, barely leaving the house, and terrified of answering the phone.
When Emily goes missing a few weeks later, Ben is plunged into a panic. His wife has left him a note, but can she really have abandoned him for another man? Or has Emily’s curiosity about the couple next door led her straight into danger?
Click here to order a copy of The Doctor
Someone is always watching …
Derek Flint is a loner. He lives with his mother and spends his evenings watching his clients on the CCTV cameras he has installed inside their homes. He likes their companionship – even if it’s through a screen.
When a series of crimes hits Derek’s neighbourhood, DC Beth Mayes begins to suspect he’s involved. How does he know so much about the victims’ lives? Why won’t he let anyone into his office? And what is his mother hiding in that strange, lonely house?
As the crimes become more violent, Beth must race against the clock to find out who is behind the attacks. Will she uncover the truth in time? And is Derek more dangerous than even she has guessed?
Click here to order a copy of Stalker
You know your son better than anyone. Don’t you?
When critically ill Jacob Wilson is given a life-saving heart transplant, his parents are relieved that their loving son has been saved.
However, before long, his family are forced to accept that something has changed in Jacob. Their once loving son is slowly being replaced by a violent man whose mood swings leave them terrified – but is it their fault?
Jacob’s girlfriend, Rosie, is convinced the man she loves is suffering from stress. But when his moods turn on her, she begins to doubt herself – and she can only hide the bruises for so long.
When a terrible crime is committed, Jacob’s family are forced to confront their darkest fears. Has the boy they raised become a monster? Or is someone else to blame?
Click here to order a copy of The Darkness Within
Lisa Stone also writes under the name of Cathy Glass.
Don’t miss her latest book …
Jackson is aggressive, confrontational and often volatile. His mother, Kayla, is crippled with grief after tragically losing her husband and eldest son. Struggling to cope, she puts Jackson into foster care.
Cathy, his carer, encourages Jackson to talk about what has happened to his family, but he just won’t engage. His actions continue to test and worry everyone.
Then, in a dramatic turn of events, the true reason for Jackson’s behaviour comes to light …
Click here to order a copy of A Life Lost
About the Author
Lisa Stone lives in England, has 3 children, and has several books published under the pseudonym Cathy Glass, many of which have become best-sellers. This is her fifth Lisa Stone thriller.
Website: lisastonebooks.co.uk
Email: [email protected]
/lisastonebooks.co.uk
@LisaStoneBooks
Books by Lisa Stone
The Darkness Within
Stalker
The Doctor
Taken
Books by Cathy Glass
True stories
Cut
The Silent Cry
Daddy’s Little Princess
Nobody’s Son
Cruel to Be Kind
The Night the Angels Came
A Long Way from Home
A Baby’s Cry
The Saddest Girl in the World
Please Don’t Take My Baby
Will You Love Me?
I Miss Mummy
Saving Danny
Girl Alone
Where Has Mummy Gone?
Damaged
Hidden
Mummy Told Me Not to Tell
Another Forgotten Child
The Child Bride
Can I Let You Go?
Finding Stevie
Innocent
Too Scared to Tell
A Terrible Secret
A Life Lost
Novels based on true stories
The Girl in the Mirror
My Dad’s a Policeman
Run, Mummy, Run
Self-help guides
About Writing
Happy Kids
Happy Adults
Happy Mealtimes for Kids
About the Publisher
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