‘You going off to Cambridge terrified her,’ Martha said, ‘but she managed to cling onto you, to stay in your life. Until New York and Ben took the threat to a whole other level.’
‘But why did she invite Kate to the party?’ I asked.
‘She didn’t. Kate followed the crowd from the office in and she told Steph she was with some guy she was seeing in Accounts. Why wouldn’t Steph believe her – quite a few people brought partners she hadn’t met before. It was actually Pete who invited her.’
‘Pete?’
‘Kate made it her business to get to know him. She seduced him and persuaded him to give you a hard time at work. It was all part of her campaign of revenge.’
‘That’s so twisted,’ I said, shock reverberating through me.
‘Her sister’s death had been eating her up for years. She planned all this carefully. It suited her that Lena was so attached to you. The party was Lena’s last way of holding onto you. She’d tricked Ben into thinking it was the following weekend and hidden your phone; she wanted you to believe he couldn’t be bothered to come. She had no idea Kate would turn up; she swears she didn’t know she meant to harm you. Then me showing up fed into her rage, and finding out that you were engaged and planned to go abroad for good sent her over the edge. I think that’s why she grabbed the knife. That wasn’t planned; I saw it happen.’
Martha shrugged. ‘We wind each other up, always have done, probably always will. The woman’s a mess; she needs professional help. Kate trying to kill you was never in her plan, though, I believe that.’ She let out a groan. ‘It was awful. She thought you were dead, Ava, we all did.’ She sat down on the edge of the bed suddenly, as if she’d run out of breath. ‘I’m so glad you’re still alive.’ She laughed nervously.
‘Did you realise who Kate was?’ I asked.
‘It dawned on me just after she’d left. It had been bugging me – obviously she looked very different to when I’d last seen her, but she was often there when I was round at Tess’s house. She was always badgering Tess to let her join in with us. It’s sad really, she idolised her sister and it used to drive Tess mad. Not that it excuses what she did; nothing ever could. But Tess dying hit her hard – hit us all hard. And it had nothing to do with you.’
A flash of red against the white background jolts me out of my reverie. Martha strides towards me, elegant in a long red coat, beret placed at a jaunty angle on her head. Chic even in the snow, making me feel like an explorer in comparison. I get up to embrace her, and she hugs me tightly before stepping back and appraising my face.
‘You look so much better, despite the arctic conditions.’ We sit down on the bench. ‘Jeez, it’s cold. Hot chocolate will be needed after this. How are you getting on here in the Big Apple? Glad you made the move?’
I look around me at the park that has become so familiar over the past few weeks.
‘Oh yes, I feel settled.’ Unlike the snow, which covers the grass in a dazzling white blanket for a finite time, I plan on staying here, putting down roots. I love the whirl of the city, where I am anonymous. ‘I’m grateful to be making a fresh start.’
‘Have you heard about Kate? Or would you rather not know the verdict?’
‘Yes, my police contact from the case got in touch.’
‘Dangerous driving was all she got, a two-year sentence, can you believe; she’ll be out in a few months. The jury found her not guilty of grievous bodily harm – there wasn’t enough evidence to convince them. We did our best; I’m only sorry we couldn’t get a better result for you. Though I’ve heard through her barrister that she is repentant and has agreed to undergo psychiatric treatment, something that should have happened years ago.’
Kate’s getting the help she needs, but what about Lena? I won’t contact her again, but I can’t help wondering.
‘Are you worrying about Lena?’ It’s as if Martha can read my mind. ‘There’s no need to, she didn’t get bail. She can’t get to you any more.’
‘Why is it taking so long to go to trial?’
Martha shrugs. ‘That’s the British justice system for you. At least she’s pleading guilty to Tess’s manslaughter.’
‘Yes, that makes me feel better. I’m completely exonerated. Have you heard from her?’ I ask.
Martha looks aghast. ‘No, why would I? I never want to see her again and I hope you don’t either.’ She raises an eyebrow in question.
I shrug. Martha stamps her feet.
‘It’s freezing. Shall we walk a bit? You can show me around this fabulous park. Do you know, I’ve been to New York on so many business trips and never had time to come here.’ She links her arm with mine. ‘I want to hear all about your wedding preparations.’
As we walk, I mull over the conversation I had with Ben last night. He was all for my suggestion and I smile at the thought. Small steps are taking me along the path in the right direction. Keep on going, and I’ll get there. I know that now. I believe in myself and the choices I’m making. And this is definitely my choice.
‘Funny you should mention the wedding,’ I say. ‘Ben and I were just discussing it last night. We’d like you to be my chief bridesmaid.’
Martha stops and looks at me. ‘Oh Ava, I’d love to. Are you sure?’
‘Of course.’ I laugh and we hug each other again. ‘We need to make up for lost time. You can come for longer then, stay in our apartment while we’re on honeymoon if you like.’
‘You’re on – as long as it’s a bit warmer when you get married.’ She links her arm in mine again. ‘Come on, this definitely calls for a hot chocolate – followed by cocktails.’
Forty-Eight
Lena
They all think they understand, that they’ve got me sussed, understand my psychological motivation, whatever fancy words they want to dress it up in. I would never have tried to hurt Ava a second time. I just wanted to stop her leaving. But thanks to Kate, I failed, and now we’re both locked up, paying for it. Life has never been fair and I was stupid to think I deserved a second chance.
Like she killed mine. Little Kate Davies, all grown up, solemn eyes replaced by a hard expression, a determination to do right by the sister she loved. We’re very alike. Both of us wanting to punish Ava.
I shoved her so hard that night, a lifetime of rage and envy coursing through my veins and bursting out in a bolt of energy into my hands, propelling Ava into the road and in front of the car. They say you hurt those you love; well, in that moment I wanted to hurt Ava. But hurting so many others besides her, that wasn’t expected. The person I hurt most was myself, and living with the knowledge of what I did and keeping Ava from ever finding out has shaped my life.
Tess didn’t stand a chance. Her driving test fresh in her mind, she attempted to stop the swerve with an emergency stop, practised so carefully, but in real time the car veered out of control, no match for a slight teenager. All this I found out later, from the police, or was it the hospital staff – everything that happened afterwards is a blur – who were nothing but kind to me because all they saw was me saving Ava’s life. And I did save her life. Nobody can take that away from me. The minute I saw her like a broken doll on the ground, my hate snapped back into love and I did everything I could to revive her.
As for recent events, in the whirl of emotions in the immediate aftermath, Martha and I were both raw and the truth was exposed. She saw my tattoo and it all came tumbling out. Everything she’d ever thought about me was true. But in that moment of rare togetherness, when we both feared the worst, it felt right to bare myself to her, because she loved Ava too and we could see that about each other.
Speaking to Martha was unexpectedly cathartic, although I’m not sure she understood about the tattoo. Warped maybe, but it made perfect sense to me. Knowing it was happening, that Ava was leaving me, despite the roses, despite the plan I’d conjured up with Kate, I had the tattoo imprinted into my shoulder at the exact spot where she had her scar; the only visible legacy of the accident. That scar
gave her so much pain, and I welcomed the torturous drilling of the tattooist. It was a permanent reminder to me of what I’d done.
Being locked up gives me too much time to think. I still don’t know whether Ben has told her; maybe I’ll never know. It happened last Christmas, when Ava was doing some last-minute shopping. He came downstairs in his dressing gown, and I couldn’t help myself. Never could resist a good-looking man, me. It was only the once, and I could tell immediately that he regretted it; he wouldn’t look me in the eye. It didn’t mean anything to me and it certainly didn’t to him; he made that clear when he threatened me on his last trip over, warning me to stay away from Ava. Big mistake. I wouldn’t have stopped him from coming to the party if he hadn’t done that.
I love Ava, you see, and he isn’t good enough for her. Everything I did I did for love. By the time I get out, she’ll be back. She’ll have found out what he’s really like and I’ll be here for her. I’ll still be waiting.
If you loved the dark secrets and obsessive friendships at the heart of The Leaving Party, then you need to check out Lesley’s first thrilling and twisty psychological thriller, The Orchid Girls, where a childhood friendship takes a dark, shocking turn.
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The Orchid Girls
‘Now we are bound forever,’ she says, her eyes determined. ‘I will never tell anyone, I swear. This is between you and me. Now you swear too.’
When Grace Sutherland’s phone rings in the middle of the night, she hangs up with a trembling hand as soon as she hears the voice at the end of the line. Because the familiar whisper belongs to the person she has been running from for the last fifteen years…
Up until now, Grace’s life has been perfect. She adores her beautiful canal-side apartment, her glittering career in the world of food, her doting, influential husband – a life she has always dreamed of.
But the phone call changes everything. Because Grace has a secret – a dark, tragic secret that she has kept buried since she was a teenage girl on a jagged Dorset cliff, wind whipping her hair, waves crashing on the rocks below. And the voice on the phone belongs to the one person who knows what Grace is hiding…
The Orchid Girls is a breathless, gripping and twisty story of love, obsession and dark, shocking secrets. Fans of K.L. Slater, The Wife Between Us and The Girl on the Train – read this one with the lights on…
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Hear more from Lesley
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Books by Lesley Sanderson
What We Hide
The Leaving Party
The Woman at 46 Heath Street
The Orchid Girls
A Letter from Lesley
Thank you so much for reading The Leaving Party. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you did enjoy it, and want to keep up to date with all my latest releases, just sign up here. Your email address will never be shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.
As with my first two books, The Orchid Girls and The Woman at 46 Heath Street, I hoped to create an evocative novel about obsession, secrets and the blurred lines between love and lies. In this book, having the action unfold within one evening added an extra level of intrigue. Once again, female relationships lie at the heart of my novel, enhanced by the suppression of secrets.
If you enjoyed The Leaving Party, I would love it if you could write a short review. Getting reviews from readers who have enjoyed my writing is my favourite way to persuade other readers to pick up one of my books for the first time.
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The Woman at 46 Heath Street
The last letter is addressed to me. No stamp, swirly handwriting in black ink. I pull out a piece of paper, stiffening when I read the message. Hands trembling, the note slides to the floor.
Your husband is having an affair.
Six words written in neat block letters.
Six words slipped through her letterbox, destroying her marriage, exposing Ella’s perfect life as perfect lies.
But Ella has a plan: Alice is the answer to her problems. A lodger, to help keep her afloat, a friend, to keep the loneliness at bay.
Only Alice has her own reasons for wanting to live at 46 Heath Street…
If you loved The Wife Between Us, The Girl on The Train and The Secret Mother, you will be totally hooked by this twisty and gripping read about family secrets, marriage betrayal and the dark side of love.
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What We Hide
The news of her mother’s death hits Nell as if she’s been shot. The letter has to be some kind of prank, but who could be so cruel? After all, Nell’s mother died nearly thirty years ago.
Nell’s parents died when she was a baby, leaving her to be raised by her grandmother, Lilian. So when the lawyer’s letter arrives, informing her of her mother Sarah’s death just the previous month, it destroys everything she thought she knew. Her grandmother loved her, so why did she lie? And why did her mother abandon her?
Returning to the town where she grew up in search of answers, what Nell finds instead only raises more questions. Lilian, now frail and living in sheltered accommodation, refuses to see her, and a hostile cousin she has never heard of is occupying the family home.
Then Nell starts receiving anonymous threats.
Leave here, or you won’t leave alive.
Going back to the family home was meant to help her find the truth. But it’s clear someone has a secret they’ll do anything to keep hidden. Is Nell prepared for what is hiding behind closed doors – or the cost of finding out?
If you loved The Silent Patient,The Secret Mother and The Wife Between Us, then this addictive thriller about dark family secrets and obsession will have you on the edge of your seat.
Get it here!
Acknowledgements
So many people have helped me along the way with The Leaving Party.
I’d like to share my appreciation of my fellow Curtis Brown Creative classmate Neil McLennan, who sadly passed away this year. Neil gave me huge support with his feedback and witty observations and I will forever miss his encouragement and lovely personality.
Thanks to the wonderful people of the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize for short-listing me for the 2017 prize, for the kindness of everyone involved with the event and their continued support.
To my lovely agent and Bookseller Rising Star of 2019, Hayley Steed, and to everyone else at the fabulous Madeleine Milburn agency. Hayley, your continued belief in me means the world, and I love your energy and enthusiasm.
To the Next Chapter Girls – Louise Beere, Clêr Lewis and Katie Godman – you know how much you and this writing group mean to me; I couldn’t have done it without your belief in me and my writing.
To my lovely editor Christina Demosthenous – working with you is a joy. To everyone at Bookouture – especially Kim, who does my fabulous publicity – and Alex – you all work tirelessly and with infectious enthusiasm for your authors, and I’m so proud to be one of them.
And to everyone else – all the other writers I’ve met along the way, too many to name but nonetheless important – I’m so happy to be one of such a friendly group of people.
To my family, to my friends old and new for believing in me, I daren’t name you in case I miss anyone out, but thank you.
And most of all, to Paul. I couldn’t do it without you.
We – both author and publisher – hope you enjoyed this book. We believe that you can become a reader at any time in your life, but we’d love your help to give the next generation a head start.
Did you know that 9% of children don’t have a book of their own in their home, rising to 13% in disadvantaged families*? We’d l
ike to try to change that by asking you to consider the role you could play in helping to build readers of the future.
We’d love you to get involved by sharing, borrowing, reading, buying or talking about a book with a child in your life and spreading the love of reading. We want to make sure the next generation continues to have access to books, wherever they come from.
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*As reported by the National Literacy Trust
Published by Bookouture in 2020
The Leaving Party: An absolutely gripping and addictive psychological thriller Page 20