Page 96 of The Devil's Torment

Still cradling the puppy, I get to my feet. Making sure not to squish her, I stand on tiptoes, pull Nicholas’s head down to mine, and kiss him.

“Thank you. I will treasure her.” She’s fallen asleep already, so I carefully put her back in the cage. “I should go to see my parents and Beth. Will you watch her while I’m gone?”

His lips thin. “You’re not doing this alone.”

“I am. Please, I need to. I know you’re not happy about this entire situation, and you’ve hardly hidden your anger at what Beth did. I don’t want any more conflict, Nicholas. I’m tired of it.”

“I can keep my temper under control.”

I cradle his face. “It’s better if I go by myself. Trust me.”

He scissors his jaw from side to side. “As Andrew is on holiday, I’ll have Sol and Barron accompany you.”

“Okay.” I look over at Penny sleeping peacefully without a care in the world. Lucky Penny. “I guess I’d better call and let them know I’m on my way.”

Fifteen minutes later, I’m sitting in the back of an armored car and on my way to my parents’ house. I thought they might have asked me on the phone what I’ve decided to do, but they didn’t. They just said they’d call Beth and ask her to come over.

When I arrive, Beth isn’t there yet. Mum hugs me as soon as I enter the house, and she clings on for far longer than she ever has. It’s uncomfortable, especially as she’s been frugal with her affections for my entire life, but I don’t pull away.

“Merry Christmas, darling. Come inside. It’s bitter out. Nicholas not with you?” She looks relieved when I shake my head.

“I thought it best he didn’t come.”

Barron and Sol step inside, but they remain in the hallway. Normally they’d wait in the car, but they’d either have to leave the engine running (not great for the environment) or freeze, and as I’ve no idea how long this will take, I insist they accompany me into the house.

Dad gets up when I walk into the living room, and he hugs me, too. I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to this sudden burst of affection. When you’ve been denied something your entire life, to suddenly be effused with it is kind of weird.

“Merry Christmas, Vicky.” He lets me go and crouches in front of the same imitation Christmas tree we’ve had since we were kids. When he stands, he’s holding out a present. “We weren’t sure what to get you, but we hope you like it.”

Since my parents stopped buying us Christmas gifts when we turned eighteen, I wasn’t expecting anything.

“I didn’t get you a gift. Sorry.”

“You being here is gift enough,” Mum says. “Here, sit. Open it.”

“Is Beth on her way?”

“Yes, she and Joel will be here in about thirty minutes.”

Joel. Right. That’ll be interesting. “Okay.” I pull at the ribbon and unwrap the gift. Inside is a rose gold bangle engraved with:We love you, always. I know they’re trying to make it up to me, and I want to be gracious, but it isn’t easy.

I manage a wavering smile and immediately slip the bracelet over my wrist. “It’s lovely, Mum, Dad. Truly. I’ll treasure it.”

“Vicky.” Mum sits beside me and gathers up my hand. She rubs her thumb over the bracelet. “I want to follow on from our conversation the other day. While we are ecstatic that Beth didn’t die in that bomb blast, what she did was dreadful. To let us all think she’d passed, and in such violent circumstances. Please don’t think we are underplaying that because we aren’t.”

She glances across at Dad, then back at me. “But your father and I take some of the blame for forcing her into such drastic action. If we’d been more open, more understanding, then maybe she could have told us she’d fallen in love with someone else.”

Her chest rises and falls as she sighs. “You didn’t know my parents, but they were… stingy with their affection. My mother never once told me she loved me, and as far as my father was concerned, I was more of an irritation than anything. I learned how to be a parent from them, and, well, let’s face it, they weren’t the best example.” Her smile is wry and fraught with pain. “We’ve made lots of mistakes with both you and Beth, but we love you so much. I’m sorry we made you marry Nicholas to save your father’s firm. It was wrong, and I hope you can forgive us one day.”

My heart aches, and I feel as though I could sleep for a week. She’s trying, therefore, I want to try, too. Maybe we can fix our relationship and move forward a healthier version of ourselves.

“I’m not sorry I married Nicholas, Mum. He’s good to me.”And I love him dearly.“He bought me a puppy for Christmas.”

Her eyes widen. “He didn’t?”

“Yeah. A little Bichon Frisé. She’s cute as a button. You’ll have to come see her. Maybe later this week.”

“Has Nicholas lifted his ban on us visiting Oakfield, then?” Dad asks.

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