‘The first time I saw you, coming out of the surgery, my heart almost stopped,’ she said. I thought about the day I’d first walked across the road to speak to her, and the way she’d stared at me.
‘I could still see the little girl I left behind, and for a while I was content just to see you, to talk to you, to see how happy you were. And then you told me your mother had turned up, and I was stunned. I couldn’t understand it. I knew someone was trying to con you – they had to be – but I just didn’t know who or why …’
I remembered then the day I’d told her about Alison and her bewildered expression.
If only she’d told me who she was then, I thought. All the trouble it would have saved …
I had, it seemed, inadvertently left an old envelope inside one of the books I lent her, an envelope I’d been using as bookmark, and on it was my home address.
‘Fate, maybe?’ she said, and I had to agree.
And so it had been her, that face appearing outside my living room window, peering in, trying to get a glimpse of my ‘mother’, wondering if she was somebody she knew and trying to see if I was OK. She’d grown increasingly worried about me, she said, and when she saw the newspaper article about me which mentioned my link to a school suicide, she began to wonder. But when she saw me crying that day outside the surgery, the day I was suspended from work, she said she finally knew she needed to confront Alison.
‘Ruth mentioned your party when she came over to see me the day before,’ she said. ‘She said your ‘mother’ was going to make some kind of announcement and I just got a bad feeling. I hid behind a bush across the road and when I saw you go off in your car I knocked on the door. She recognised me; she’d seen me by the surgery, of course. She was pretty surprised but she let me in, and then, well …’
Alison had been in a state of high excitement, apparently, and had suddenly started talking, telling my mother that her friend Beth was not what she seemed, that I was a nasty, evil person. She told her what I’d done as a child, and what she had come to Cheltenham to do to me.
‘I told her then that I was your mother,’ she said. ‘She was shocked, but only for a minute. She was sneering at me, laughing. She said it didn’t matter anymore. She told me it didn’t matter who knew she’d been faking it because it would all be over in a few hours, that she was planning to tell everyone the truth. And that was it, I’m afraid. I’m not a violent woman, Beth, but I saw red. I’m sorry. I’m not proud of attacking her like that.’
I was proud though, and I told her so. Proud too, and so, so grateful, that she confessed what she’d done to the police without telling them about my past, trying to ensure it wouldn’t get into the newspapers. Trying to protect me, again.
‘I just said I was angry at her for impersonating me,’ she said.
It means I haven’t had to tell Eloise and Finley about Lucy – not right now. I’ll tell them one day, when I’m ready. When I think they’ll understand. They’re happy now; we all are, weirdly. All of my little group, my family and friends. Our lives are back on track.
Ruth, Deborah, and I see more of each other than ever these days. Our Cleeve Hill walks are now a Saturday morning must and our cocktail evenings are a regular fixture – often with Brenda and Barbara too. Deborah’s stopped gambling, although she’s still going to her GA meetings, and she and Gavin are back together. Robin’s back in the fold too, of course, and we’re closer these days – more friends than employer-employee, although I still secretly think she’s a bit bonkers, with all her running. And as for Jacob and Crystal, we’re getting on so well we’ve even talked about taking a joint trip with the kids somewhere at Easter, which would be a first.
And – and this is one of the smallest things, really, but it’s given me such peace of mind – the porn website has taken down the footage of me. I’m still not quite sure whether it was my heartfelt email or Anna Reid’s gentle threats that did it, but they’ve gone, and that’s all that matters really.
Alison Allen died last month. I found out in a most unexpected voice message from Liv.
‘Thank you, Beth,’ she said. ‘For not telling the police about all the things she … we … did to you. It meant we could spend her final days together. You won’t hear from me again. Goodbye.’
And so now I’m looking forwards. I don’t know yet where my mother will live when she comes out of prison; she says she wants somewhere small and snug of her own – maybe a bedsit somewhere close to me and the children. The streets have lost their appeal now. She gave me a letter for Dad and he cried. Maybe she’ll even move in there, to Holly Tree, if we can make the finances work. Maybe they can be friends again. Maybe.
Dad took it amazingly well when I told him the remarkable story of Nadia and who she really was. He was astounded of course, as everyone was, but they’ve all taken their turn at visiting her in prison, and I’ve never felt more blessed, more grateful. Never felt happier, really. And so one long chapter of my life ends, and a new one begins.
I think about that now, as I finish the last of the Christmas cards and put my pen down. I’ll never forget Lucy; her face still haunts my dreams sometimes. But I’ll always be so thankful that I’ve been given this second chance, and I’m going to use it wisely – as wisely as I can.
I stand up slowly, turning to look out of the window, and my eyes widen. It rained heavily earlier, but now there’s watery sunshine and, suddenly, a rainbow splitting the steel-grey sky with its arc of glorious colour. I stand there for a minute, drinking it in, all its impossibly brilliant, shimmering glory. In a minute I’ll call Finley and Eloise and tell them to look outside so they don’t miss this.
Because it’s important isn’t it, I think, to know that there’ll always be rainbows? There will be more rain, more darkness, of course there will. But there will always be rainbows. You just have to weather the storm, and then lift your face up and look for them.
I smile, and head downstairs to find my children.
Keep Reading …
Enjoyed The Happy Family? Make sure you’ve read Jackie Kabler’s previous psychological thrillers!
A devoted wife …
A year ago, Gemma met the love of her life, Danny. Since then, their relationship has been perfect. But one evening, Danny doesn’t return home.
A missing husband …
Gemma turns to the police. She is horrified by what she discovers – a serial killer is on the loose in Bristol. When she sees photos of the victims she is even more stunned … they all look just like Danny.
Who would you believe?
But the police are suspicious. Why has no one apart from Gemma heard from Danny in weeks? Why is there barely a trace of him in their flat? Is she telling them the truth, or is this marriage hiding some very dark secrets?
Click here to order a copy of The Perfect Couple
I never thought it would happen to me …
One moment I had it all – a gorgeous husband, a beautiful home, a fulfilling career and two adorable children. The next, everything came crashing down around me.
They said it was my fault. They said I’m the worst mother in the world. And even though I can’t remember what happened that day, they wouldn’t lie to me. These are my friends, my family, people I trust.
But then why do I have this creeping sensation that something is wrong? Why do I feel like people are keeping secrets? Am I really as guilty as they say? And if I’m not, what will happen when the truth comes out …?
Click here to order a copy of Am I Guilty?
Acknowledgements
There are, as always, so many people to thank when you finally reach the point of releasing another novel into the world. This time, I’ll begin with my friend and colleague Anne Dawson, one of the funniest women I know, who provided me with the “cheese in the dishwasher” story in Chapter 1. She didn’t know I was going to put it in a book, so I hope she doesn’t mind; and yes, it really happened to her, and it still makes me laugh so much every time I think
about it. Thank you, Anne!
So many dreams came true for me in the year I spent writing The Happy Family. My 2020 novel (my fifth book overall) The Perfect Couple somehow became an international bestseller, something I’m still trying to process with joy and amazement. All the people who contributed to that success are still with me for The Happy Family, so here is a list of just some of them.
My incredible agent, Clare Hulton – you have genuinely changed my life, and I will be forever grateful. The lovely, committed, hard-working, super-talented bunch at HarperCollins One More Chapter, especially my wonderful editor Kathryn Cheshire (I could NOT write my books without you!), marketing geniuses Melanie Price and Claire Fenby, and Lucy Bennett who designs my gorgeous covers. Ladies – what a team. You ROCK, as do Kimberley Young, Charlotte Ledger, Fionnuala Barrett, Kelly Webster and my copy editor Lydia Mason. Huge thanks also to the HarperCollins teams in the USA, Canada and Australia. You’re all amazing, as are Nicki Kennedy, Jenny Robson, Katherine West, May Wall and all of the team at ILA, who handle my foreign rights – I’m so excited to see the translated versions of my novels popping up around the world! And as always, so much love and gratitude to everyone who buys, reads and listens to my books, and to all the bloggers and reviewers who spend so much of their time supporting authors. We appreciate you more than we can ever say – thank you so much.
Beth in The Happy Family is a GP practice manager, so I want to thank my GP husband JJ, for everything always of course, but here for his insight into the world of general practice (and for reminding me to eat when I got so engrossed in writing this book I frequently forgot to come down for lunch). Huge thanks too to Dr Christine Thompson, who was also so very helpful.
Thank you to my beautiful hometown Cheltenham and specifically to Prestbury, where The Happy Family is largely set, for the inspiration. And to my friend Susan Blair, who has recommended my books to so many people, and who lives in Prestbury and asked me if I could write her into this story. (Susan, I did, but the book got too long and I had to cut some scenes, so I had to lose you again. I’m putting you here instead – hope this will do for now!) A massive thank you to the incredibly supportive author community, especially the lovely group I’m honoured to be a part of in Gloucestershire; and a special mention to author Karin Slaughter, who chose The Perfect Couple as one of her 2020 Asda “Killer Reads”. And to all of my family, friends and colleagues, who continue to support me and cheer me on as I continue on this crazy writing journey – I love you all.
And finally, a big thanks to all those who join in with my monthly book club on Instagram. I started it as a little distraction during the first Covid-19 UK lockdown, never dreaming that more than a year later it would still be going strong with thousands of us sharing our love of books. Keep on reading!
Thank you, all of you, so very much.
About the Author
Jackie Kabler was born in Coventry but spent much of her childhood in Ireland. She worked as a newspaper reporter and then a television news correspondent for twenty years, spending nearly a decade on GMTV followed by stints with ITN and BBC News. During that time, she covered major stories around the world including the Kosovo crisis, the impeachment of President Clinton, the Asian tsunami, famine in Ethiopia, the Soham murders and the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. Jackie now divides her time between crime writing and her job as a presenter on shopping channel QVC. She has a degree in zoology, runs long distances for fun and lives in Gloucestershire with her husband.
www.jackiekabler.com
@jackiekabler
@officialjackiekabler
Also by Jackie Kabler
Am I Guilty?
The Perfect Couple
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