Shadow of Suspicion (Haunted by the Past) Read Free

usually is,” Jason said
wryly. He arched a brow at her, conveying silently for her to tell him the
truth. Fay threw her hands up.
    “It’s not me this time. Dad’s the one
who’s blundered.” She clapped a hand over her mouth, but her giggles still
spilled out. “Although, I am enjoying the results immensely.”
    “Fay!” Jason fought to keep a
straight face, but his sister’s laughter was very infectious. He coughed to
cover his own amusement. “So, what’s he done?”
    Fay held her sides and let her mirth
tumble out for several minutes. She sucked in a breath and blew it out before
she could speak. “You remember I told you Dad found a letter stuffed into that
box he dropped when Sandra moved in with us?”
    “The one from Sandra’s daughter?”
Jason quirked a brow at her.
    “That’s the one. Dad got it into his
head that if she kept the letter all this time, she must secretly want to get
in touch with her long lost little girl.” She started giggling again. “He only
went and wrote to the woman, inviting her to come down and visit in order to
meet her mother. When he broke the news that she has written back to say she’s
coming, I thought Sandra was going to explode. They are having an almighty blow
up even as we speak. I reckon they’ll be over before morning.”
    He half expected Fay to rub her hands
together. “And you had nothing whatsoever to do with this?” He sat forward and
gripped her chin so she couldn’t evade his scrutiny. Her lip poked out
mutinously, the small gold stud gracing her mouth winked in the lamplight. She
pulled her face out of his grip and dropped her gaze.
    “Okay, fine.” She shifted about on
the seat and pulled her short black skirt further down her legs. “I may have
planted the idea in Dad’s head about contacting Sandra’s daughter as a
surprise.”
    “Why, shrimp?” He kept his tone
light. He didn’t want to discourage her from opening up to him.
    “Why do you think? While Dad is with
Sandra, he and Mum will never work things out.” Her voice broke slightly with
her confession.
    Jason sighed, his heart heavy. He
wasn’t surprised at her reason. He just didn’t know what to do about it.
    “Even if Sandra and Dad broke up, he
wouldn’t get back with Mum. Surely you know that, Fay.”
    He hated having to be the one to
always deal with the tough stuff where his sister was concerned. Fay had been
an unexpected pregnancy at a time when his parents hadn’t wanted any more
children. His mother had thought she was going through the change. It had been
a nasty shock when she’d realised she was having a baby and it was too late to
do anything about it. As a result, Fay had been more or less left to her own
devices. At fifteen, she needed guidance and a strong hand and he was the only
one willing to do it.
    Fay sprang out of her seat and paced
the room. She wrung her hands, her eyes firmly clamped to the floor. “You don’t
know that things are completely over with them. People do make a second go of
relationships, you know. Lots of couples get back together all the time!”
    Jason climbed to his feet and pulled
her resisting body into his embrace. He hugged her close and tucked her head
under his chin. Their parent’s break up had hit Fay a lot harder than she was
willing to admit. She still needed her mother, even if she pretended she
didn’t.
    Jason cursed silently. What was he
supposed to do with a young girl on the brink of becoming a woman? Why his
mother had to up sticks and head to France, leaving them all behind, he just
couldn’t imagine. There had only ever been one child in her life and when he’d
died, the rest of them had ceased to exist.
    “I hate Jenna Mansfield!” Jason
wasn’t really surprised at Fay’s vehement declaration. Every time the subject
of their parents’ separation rose up, Jenna’s name did too.
    Jason sighed. It was time to talk
frankly with Fay. He couldn’t let this carry on. He pulled back and gazed into
her deep