Chapter 42

The band had struck up into a  waltz in the ballroom, the deep bass notes of the cellos reverberated throughout. Craig held Lily’s hand tightly as they quickly wove their way unseen through the corridors to the library. The ballroom was located on the other side of the manor, its views did not look out onto the lake but instead the paddocks and surrounding valleys.

In the late dusk only a dying fire illuminated the room. Craig led Lily in by the hand and then shut the door after them. Taking a deep breath he launched into the best explanation he could give. 

“Octavia Lupton and I, last year, had an affair,” he began, pacing the room like a trapped animal. His boots echoed loudly on the floor, adding to the sense of darkness.

“I did not pursue her, though I found her attractive, she actively encouraged me and we had several months of rendezvous and intimacy. I u