Page 39

CHAPTER 39

AS THE LIGHTS of London faded beneath me, the flutters didn’t leave, no matter how much I willed them away. I’d tried to kid myself the feeling was due to my lack of flying practice, but now we were airborne, I had to admit to the possibility of another cause.

“Do you want your salad?” Bradley asked.

I shook my head. My appetite had deserted me, left behind somewhere in the vicinity of Lower Foxford.

Along with a small piece of heart and a lightness I hadn’t felt in years. Maybe ever. Had I made the right decision to leave? Had I really? When I thought of Luke and Tia, I almost turned the plane around once, twice, three times, but head overruled heart, and I continued on my course. They were better off without me. What did I have to offer apart from hassle and heartache?

Not a lot on current form.

I let out a thin breath. No, I needed to go home. That chapter of my life was closed, my one attempt at normality, and it was time for a new book to begin. The tatters of my life awaited me, scattered in the wind. I could spend a lifetime gathering the pieces together, but the biggest one would always be missing.

My husband. What would my future hold without my husband?

I gripped the control yoke as another mile zipped past, England dark below us apart from the glowing lines of streetlights. It wouldn’t be long before I found out…