“Yes.”
“And—you’ve been seeing someone?”
Hannah turned her head to look at her sister. “Did no one ever tell you the facts of life?”
“Sorry. Of course you’ve been seeing someone. Got a little carried away there with the whole donkey-in-a-stable, Christmas theme.” Posy turned the car round and headed back in the direction they’d come from. “There’s a pharmacy not far from here. Do you want me to go in for you?”
Hannah was touched by the offer. “Thanks, but I’ll do it. At least that way if we bump into someone we know, it won’t start a rumor you’re pregnant.” All the same, she felt awkward and conspicuous as she picked up the test and paid for it.
If she did this, there would be no more denial.
She’d know, and she’d have to decide what to do.
She kept her sunglasses on and felt faintly ridiculous.
As she slipped the test into her bag, she felt sick for the first time.
Posy drove back toward the village, but now the atmosphere in the car had changed. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“No.”
“Okay.” There was a pause. “I mean, you don’t look exactly happy, so I just wanted you to know that you can always—”
“I’m fine, but thanks.”
“Right.”
Posy turned off the main road onto the narrow lane that led to Glensay Lodge. They bumped their way over ruts and potholes and finally pulled up in the yard.
The house was exactly as Hannah remembered it, framed by dramatic peaks and forest. Originally a Victorian hunting lodge, it had been refurbished by the family who had owned it before Suzanne and Stewart. Everything had been updated and modernized, apart from the wireless broadband and phone signal, which, because of the surrounding topography, appeared as randomly as the sun.
In summer, the slopes behind the house were a sea of purple heather, but winter had coated them with deep layers of snow. There was both a beauty and a bleakness to the landscape. Hannah knew that was part of the attraction for many people. If you wanted to escape from the modern world, this was the place to come.
She slid her sunglasses into her bag and stepped out of the car, gasping as an icy wind punched her. The cold found the cracks in her clothing and took advantage of her wet feet. The ground was frozen and she felt her boots slide. It was almost as if the place was sending a warning. You don’t belong here.
“Let’s get you inside. You’re not dressed for the weather. And don’t slip on the ice, just in case you are...you know...” Posy dumped a suitcase by her feet and then paused. “What happened to your face?”
“My face?” Her sister looked so shocked Hannah almost reached for a mirror to check for herself.
“Have you been crying? Is that why you were wearing sunglasses?”
“What? No, of course not.”
“Your eyes are red.”
She had been crying, but it had been hours ago, when she’d hidden her face under the thin, scratchy airline blanket. “It was a long flight. I’ve been working hard. It could be allergies. And I’ve had a cold.” She shouldn’t have offered up so many explanations. One would have been enough. Four smacked of desperate. It seemed Posy thought so, too, because she studied her for a long minute.
“If you’re upset—”
“I’m not.”
Posy hesitated, as if she wanted to say something more. “Okay, well, let’s get these cases indoors. I’ll carry them. You shouldn’t be lifting, just in case—and I’m sorry I can’t hang around, but I need to
get back to the café.”
Hannah was relieved to have time to herself. The first thing she intended to do was apply layers of makeup. Just because she was falling apart on the inside, didn’t mean it had to show on the outside. Camouflaging her real self was a big part of her life.
“There’s soup in the fridge if you’re hungry, and cake in the tin.”