Page 86 of The Secret Mistletoe Promise
Edmund made another noise of protest, but she kept going.
‘I took far too long to realize how wrong we are together.I got swept up in it because it was neat, and it was what Mum and Dad wanted, and because going to glamorous parties and lavish dinners and having nice things distracted me from the fact that we don’t care about each other enough to have any sort of future.’ She swallowed. ‘It was terrible of me to leave you at the altar, and Iamsorry about that, but this is still the right outcome. You can find someone you really love, who makes you happy, and I—’
‘Youmake me happy, when you’re not running off and being reckless.’
‘What if I want to be reckless? What if I want to get into acting again, and help people set up Facebook pages and untangle balls of wool, and read out stories to children and pensioners in a dusty village hall? How about if I wear trainers to parties because heels are too painful, or send silly Christmas cards? What if I said that I wanted to stay in on Christmas Eve in my pyjamas eating cheese, and not spend fifty quid on a box of crackers?’
‘God, Imogen—’
‘I know it’s not all you. I know it’s Mum and Dad too, but we arenota match made in heaven. We cared for each other, but there are women out there who are so much better for you than me, who want the same things as you: posh dinners and law firm bashes and weekends in the Cotswolds.’
‘There’s only you.’ Edmund moved closer.
‘There just isn’t. You know that, really.’
‘Imogen.’
‘We both deserve to be happy, and I …’ she looked him in the eye. ‘I won’t be happy, if I go back with you.’
There was a long, heavy silence. She held her breath,braced herself for his anger, but then Edmund said, ‘You meant it?’ He sounded more flummoxed than anything. Maybe he’d realized,finally, that she was serious.
‘I meant it. I’m sorry it’s happened this way, that I wasn’t braver, sooner. But this is for the best.’
‘I battled through the snow.’
‘In your Range Rover, on roads that were salted overnight. When there wasn’t any snow until you got to East Anglia?’
‘It’s pretty bloody cold out there.’
‘The Range Rover’s heating is broken?’
He frowned down at her, but his lip twitched. ‘It’s working fine,’ he admitted. ‘It really is over?’
‘It is,’ she said. ‘And look, you might find someone you’re absolutely obsessed with and can get married to next October. There’s nearly a whole year between now and then.’
‘What about your job? Your parents?’
‘I’ve spoken to Mum already, but I will need to do that again. There are some things I need to tell her.’
‘You could do it now.’ Edmund glanced around the kitchen, a furrow between his brows.
‘Sorry,what?’
‘I dropped her off at a cottage behind the green. She wanted to see her mum.’
Imogen stared. ‘Mum’s here? She’s talking to Birdie?’
Edmund nodded. ‘Should we go and find her?’
‘We have to.’ Imogen needed to speak to Dexter. She’d walked out on their rehearsal, gone to Edmund despite him honouring their promise. She’d asked him to protect her from her London life, and the moment it had encroached, she’d gone running. But it was for a good reason, to give Edmund closure, and to allow her to move on, finally andproperly. She hoped Dexter would understand. ‘Can you give me two seconds?’
‘Of course.’ Edmund sounded weary, but he didn’t seem inconsolable, and Imogen knew he would bounce back. ‘Imogen?’ he called, and she stopped in the doorway. ‘There’s a goat in a Christmas jumper snoozing under the table.’
‘That’s Felix. He lives here.’
‘Of course he does. Maybe I’ll wait in the car.’
‘I’ll be five minutes.’ She hurried through the manor hall, hoping the rehearsal hadn’t finished. But when she got back to the lounge, people were milling about, chatting and eating mince pies, and there was nobody on the stage. She tried to ignore the ripple of interest that ran through the room when she walked in.
