The Liar’s Daughter. Claire Allan

The Liar’s Daughter - Claire Allan


Скачать книгу
sorry if I came across as clinical and cold last night,’ I say, trying my best to maintain eye contact even though it is almost physically painful to do so. ‘This is difficult. For us all. I was feeling stressed and I didn’t mean to upset anyone.’

      They nod and we sit in uncomfortable silence until we hear the tinkle of the bell Kathleen gave Joe to summon us when he needs anything.

      Ciara is first to her feet. I take the break in the awkwardness as a chance to move myself.

      ‘I’ll peel some potatoes for dinner. There’s chicken and veg there, too,’ I say, getting up and going to the kitchen, where I pull the bag of spuds from the vegetable rack and look for the peeler.

      Kathleen is behind me before I’ve had the chance to shed even one slice of skin from the mud-covered potato in my hand.

      ‘Can I ask you something, Heidi?’ she says, and I turn to watch her sit down, wincing as she does so, on one of the kitchen chairs. ‘My knees,’ she says, rolling her eyes. ‘Seems all that road-running has left them in a bad way.’

      I mumble something sympathetic and wait for the big ‘something’ she wants to talk to me about.

      ‘Why do you hate him?’ she says eventually, her eyes sad. ‘You always did. All those years when he just tried to look after you. You made it so hard for him, you know, but he never gave up on you. You never give him credit for that. I know he’s not perfect. Believe me. But does he really deserve to be hated?’

      I blink at her. I don’t know what to say. Can she really not know?

      I shrug, feeling a tingle of nervousness start at the top of my spine, enough to send little shockwaves through my head.

      ‘That’s it?’ she says with a strange laugh. ‘A shrug to explain it all.’

      I shrug again, scraping at the potato with the peeler, not realising that my finger has moved perilously close to the blade. One strike and I take a layer of skin with it, yelping as I do so.

      The sight of blood, which comes before the sting of the cut, makes me feel woozy.

      Kathleen, sore knees and all, jumps to her feet, forces my bleeding finger under the running tap, and I watch the water turn pink, mingling with the soil from the potatoes as it hits the steel surface of the sink. I watch it. I feel the pain bite. I’m reminded of a release. Of a coping mechanism. Kathleen pulls my hand from the water, wraps a clean piece of kitchen towel around it, squeezing tight. So tight it’s painful.

      ‘Hold that for a bit,’ she says. ‘We’ll get a proper look at it in a minute. Does Joe have plasters?’

      I nod to the thin cupboard beside the cooker, where Joe stores an old tin first-aid box.

      ‘I … I’m sure it’s just a scratch,’ I stutter. ‘I was … I was distracted.’ I can see the crisp white kitchen towel start to colour with my blood. I need to sit down.

      ‘You certainly were,’ Kathleen says, pausing for a moment, looking at me intently.

      She hands me some more kitchen paper, then sets about fishing in the first-aid tin for a suitable dressing.

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

/9j/4QAYRXhpZgAASUkqAAgAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP/sABFEdWNreQABAAQAAABQAAD/4QQnaHR0cDov L25zLmFkb2JlLmNvbS94YXAvMS4wLwA8P3hwYWNrZXQgYmVnaW49Iu+7vyIgaWQ9Ilc1TTBNcENl aGlIenJlU3pOVGN6a2M5ZCI/PiA8eDp4bXBtZXRhIHhtbG5zOng9ImFkb2JlOm5zOm1ldGEvIiB4 OnhtcHRrPSJBZG9iZSBYTVAgQ29yZSA1LjAtYzA2MSA2NC4xNDA5NDksIDIwMTAvMTIvMDctMTA6 NTc6MDEgICAgICAgICI+IDxyZGY6UkRGIHhtbG5zOnJkZj0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMTk5 OS8wMi8yMi1yZGYtc3ludGF4LW5zIyI+IDxyZGY6RGVzY3JpcHRpb24gcmRmOmFib3V0PSIiIHht bG5zOnhtcE1NPSJodHRwOi8vbnMuYWRvYmUuY29tL3hhcC8xLjAvbW0vIiB4bWxuczpzdFJlZj0i aHR0cDovL25zLmFkb2JlLmNvbS94YXAvMS4wL3NUeXBlL1Jlc291cmNlUmVmIyIgeG1sbnM6eG1w PSJodHRwOi8vbnMuYWRvYmUuY29tL3hhcC8xLjAvIiB4bWxuczpkYz0iaHR0cDovL3B1cmwub3Jn L2RjL2VsZW1lbnRzLzEuMS8iIHhtcE1NOk9yaWdpbmFsRG9jdW1lbnRJRD0iYWRvYmU6ZG9jaWQ6 aW5kZDo0MTRlZDNlNS1jODQ0LTExZGQtYWFiNy04Mzc5MTAzMmM1ZTUiIHhtcE1NOkRvY3VtZW50 SUQ9InhtcC5kaWQ6QkI5ODJBMTRGOEQwMTFFOUFEMkJDMEY1RTcxQkJFN0IiIHhtcE1NOkluc3Rh bmNlSUQ9InhtcC5paWQ6QkI5ODJBMTNGOEQwMTFFOUFEMkJDMEY1RTcxQkJFN0IiIHhtcDpDcmVh dG9yVG9vbD0iQWRvYmUgUGhvdG9zaG9wIENTNS4xIE1hY2ludG9zaCI+IDx4bXBNTTpEZXJpdmVk RnJvbSBzdFJlZjppbnN0YW5jZUlEPSJ4bXAuaWlkOjlFQUU4NUYyMTEyMDY4MTFCQTNCQjRCQzg2 NTlFM0E4IiBzdFJlZjpkb2N1bWVudElEPSJhZG9iZTpkb2NpZDpwaG90b3Nob3A6ZDE1OTJjZTgt MTRkMC1iNjQ0LWIxNGQtMWJkYWZmODk1NWFhIi8+IDxkYzp0aXRsZT4gPHJkZjpBbHQ+IDxyZGY6 bGkgeG1sOmxhbmc9IngtZGVmYXVsdCI+TElBUidTIERBVUdIVEVSX1RQQi5pbmRkPC9yZGY6bGk+ IDwvcmRmOkFsdD4gPC9kYzp0aXRsZT4gPC9yZGY6RGVzY3JpcHRpb24+IDwvcmRmOlJERj4gPC94 OnhtcG1ldGE+IDw/eHBhY2tldCBlbmQ9InIiPz7/7QBIUGhvdG9zaG9wIDMuMAA4QklNBAQAAAAA AA8cAVoAAxslRxwCAAACAAIAOEJJTQQlAAAAAAAQ/OEfici3yXgvNGI0B1h36//iDFhJQ0NfUFJP RklMRQABAQAADEhMaW5vAhAAAG1udHJSR0IgWFlaIAfOAAIACQAGADEAAGFjc3BNU0ZUAAAAAElF QyBzUkdCAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAAD21gABAAAAANMtSFAgIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEWNwcnQAAAFQAAAAM2Rlc2MAAAGEAAAAbHd0cHQAAAHw AAAAFGJrcHQAAAIEAAAAFHJYWVoAAAIYAAAAFGdYWVoAAAIsAAAAFGJYWVoAAAJAAAAAFGRtbmQA AAJUAAAAcGRtZGQAAALEAAAAiHZ1ZWQAAANMAAAAhnZpZXcAAAPUAAAAJGx1bWkAAAP4AAAAFG1l YXMAAAQMAAAAJHRlY2gAAAQwAAAADHJUUkMAAAQ8AAAIDGdUUkMAAAQ8AAAIDGJUUkMAAAQ8AAAI DHRleHQAAAAAQ29weXJpZ2h0IChjKSAxOTk4IEhld2xldHQtUGFja2FyZCBDb21wYW55AABkZXNj AAAAAAAAABJzUkdCIElFQzYxOTY2LTIuMQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEnNSR0IgSUVDNjE5NjYtMi4xAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABYWVogAAAAAAAA 81EAAQAAAAEWzFhZWiAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWFlaIAAAAAAAAG+iAAA49QAAA5BYWVogAAAA AAAAYpkAALeFAAAY2lhZWiAAAAAAAAAkoAAAD4QAALbPZGVzYwAAAAAAAAAWSUVDIGh0dHA6Ly93 d3cuaWVjLmNoAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWSUVDIGh0dHA6Ly93d3cuaWVjLmNoAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGRlc2MAAAAAAAAALklFQyA2MTk2Ni0yLjEg RGVmYXVsdCBSR0IgY29sb3VyIHNwYWNlIC0gc1JHQgAAAAAAAAAAAAAALklFQyA2MTk2Ni0yLjEg RGVmYXVsdCBSR0IgY29sb3VyIHNwYWNlIC0gc1JHQgAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABkZXNj AAAAAAAAACxSZWZlcmVuY2UgVmlld2luZyBDb25kaXRpb24gaW4gSUVDNjE5NjYtMi4xAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAsUmVmZXJlbmNlIFZpZXdpbmcgQ29uZGl0aW9uIGluIElFQzYxOTY2LTIuMQAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAdmlldwAAAAAAE6T+ABRfLgAQzxQAA+3MAAQTCwADXJ4AAAABWFla IAAAAAAATAlWAFAAAABXH+dtZWFzAAAAAAAAAAEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACjwAAAAJzaWcg AAAAAENSVCBjdXJ2AAAAAAAABAAAAAAFAAoADwAUABkAHgAjACgALQAyADcAOwBAAEUASgBPAFQA WQBeAGMAaABtAHIAdwB8AIEAhgCLAJAAlQCaAJ8ApACpAK4AsgC3ALwAwQDGAMsA0ADVANsA4ADl AOsA8AD2APsBAQEHAQ0BEwEZAR8BJQErATIBOAE+AUUBTAFSAVkBYAFnAW4BdQF8AYMBiwGSAZoB oQGpAbEBuQHBAckB0QHZAeEB6QHyAfoCAwIMAhQCHQImAi8COAJBAksCVAJdAmcCcQJ6AoQCjgKY AqICrAK2AsECy

Скачать книгу