It was official. He was a mug.
And Lily…? Well, she was a brazen liar.
He guessed he should feel aggrieved, wounded by the discovery, hurt that she’d misled him. But in truth? He was relieved.
Why?
Because he no longer had to feel guilty for having lied to her about Poppy.
He no longer had to regret yelling at her and pointing out her mistakes and failings while working on the project. And he no longer had to question his decision not to pursue a relationship with her.
She wasn’t who he thought she was. She wasn’t the enigmatic confident and accomplished Lily he’d met on holiday. She was… actually, he had no idea who she was.
And he didn’t care.
Well, he did.
But he was going to do everything in his power to get over that and reassure himself that far from her being ‘the one’ he’d just experienced a lucky escape.
Ignoring the knot in the pit of his stomach and the ache in his chest, he crossed the road, and flashed his pass to the security guard manning the gate.
The Long Walk was filling up with spectators eager to secure their place at the front of the crowds. Barriers had been erected along the sides, ensuring everyone’s safety.
Will headed past the fast-food vans and first aid tents and reached The Copper Horse, where he encountered more chaos. Hordes of participants were in costume milling about waiting to take part in the parade. There were fourteen floats in total. Two for each century, decorated to represent the relevant eras. Various groups had been invited to participate, from the Scouts to the Women’s Institute. The Household Cavalry would lead the parade, complete with gun carriages and mounted rides, and the parade would conclude with Queen Victoria in her horse-drawn carriage, waving at the crowds.
He scanned the area and spotted Gemma approaching. ‘Where’s Poppy?’ she said, shielding her eyes from the sun.
‘With Mum and Dad. Where’s Zac?’
‘Where he should be I guess, working.’
‘Don’t count on it,’ he snapped and walked off, searching out the actors.
Gemma followed him. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘Let’s just say, I’m not very happy with him.’
‘Why, what’s he done?’
He stopped and turned. ‘Did you know he’s been leaving Poppy with Lily when he was supposed to be minding her himself?’
Gemma’s eyes grew wide. ‘No, I didn’t.’
‘Right. Well, he has been.’ He walked off again, too mad to stay still for any length of time.
Gemma jogged after him, slaloming her way around various groups of people seated on the grass. ‘But then, I wasn’t happy about you dumping Poppy on him in the first place when he should be working. I’m not surprised he needed help looking after her.’
Will raised his hand. ‘Trust me, he didn’t dump Poppy with Lily because of work.’
‘What then?’
They reached the other side of the statue.
The extras were congregated in a group by the refreshment tent. The main actors were standing by the carriage under large umbrellas, their assistants lumbered with the thankless task of keeping them cool.
Zac was a few feet away, rolling up his brushes bag.
Will marched over.
Gemma was hot on his heels.
Zac glanced up as they approached, smiling with all the carefree abandon of someone who didn’t know they’d been busted. ‘The actors are ready for the parade. They’re looking good.’
Will didn’t return his nephew’s smile. ‘Megan included?’
Zac’s eyes automatically searched out the actress, who was surreptitiously looking over. ‘Megan, too. She looks amazing in the dress Lily made.’
But Will wasn’t in the mood to allow thoughts of Lily into his head.
Not in the mood at all.
What did it matter if she’d made a few nice dresses? She’d lied about being a seasoned designer.
He pinned Zac with a stare. ‘Any problems looking after Poppy yesterday?’
Zac’s eyes darted about. ‘Err… no. She was fine. As always.’
Will folded his arms. ‘As always?’
When he’d texted Zac to tell him Poppy was with him at the castle, he hadn’t mentioned it was Lily who had dropped her off. He wanted to see if his nephew would confess. He hadn’t.
Zac looked wary. ‘I don’t get what you mean.’
‘Quit with the cryptic remarks,’ Gemma said, nudging Will’s arm. ‘Just tell him you know Lily’s been helping him look after Poppy and get it over with.’
Zac closed his eyes. ‘Shit. You know about that?’
‘Your uncle just told me.’ Gemma went over to her son. ‘He’s not happy. And neither am I.’
Zac looked at Will. ‘I was going to tell you.’
‘Oh, you were going to tell me, were you? Not ask me? Or get my consent before handing over my daughter to a stranger? You were going to tell me?’
Zac cowered. ‘It wasn’t like that.’
‘No?’ Will moved closer, his anger making him almost vibrate. ‘What was it like then? Because all I know is that for weeks I’ve been trusting you with my daughter, and last night I discovered she hasn’t been with you at all.’
‘She has been with me,’ Zac said on a rush. ‘Just… not all the time. Poppy really likes Lily… and Lily was teaching her to sew, so it seemed harmless to leave them together.’
‘Harmless?’
Zac looked at his mum, hoping for an ally. ‘Err… I didn’t think you’d mind.’
‘Oh, you didn’t think I’d mind?’ Will was struggling to keep his voice down. A few people looked over, including Megan. Tough. ‘Then why didn’t you tell me? If you thought I’d be so okay with it, why not mention it?’
Gemma intervened. ‘He probably didn’t want to admit looking after Poppy was an inconvenience, Will.’
Will turned to face her. ‘An inconvenience?’
Gemma’s hands went to her hips. ‘He was supposed to be working, or have you forgotten that?’
‘I haven’t forgotten anything. But Zac wasn’t using Lily to childmind so he could work.’
‘Well, why else would he leave Poppy with her?’
Will glared at his sister. ‘Why don’t you ask him.’
Gemma turned to Zac. ‘What’s he on about?’
Zac stared at his feet, looking much younger than his twenty-one years. ‘I may have met up with a girl a few times.’
‘A girl?’ Gemma looked shocked. ‘What girl?’
Will raised an eyebrow. ‘I’d hardly call her a girl.’
Zac lifted his hands. ‘Okay, woman, then.’
‘Woman?’ Gemma looked even more stunned. ‘What woman?’
‘It wasn’t like Poppy saw anything,’ Zac said, trying to backtrack. ‘I made sure she didn’t know anything.’
‘But she cottoned on anyway,’ Will barked, pointing a finger at Zac. ‘Do you know where she told me you were yesterday?’
Zac shook his head.
‘On a playdate with Megan.’
Zac groaned.
Gemma gasped. ‘Megan?’ Her hand went to her chest. ‘As in, Megan Lawrence? You’ve been seeing Megan Lawrence?’
‘Calm down, Mum. It’s just casual.’ Zac glanced around, fearful of people overhearing.
‘I don’t care what it is… the woman’s ten years older than you.’
‘Keep your voice down.’ Zac looked over at Megan. ‘And so what if there’s an age gap?’
Gemma frowned. ‘Well… she’s clearly not a good influence, is she?’
‘How d’you figure that?’
‘If she’s happy to sneak around when you’re supposed to be working, then I’d say that’s not being a good influence.’
Zac looked affronted. ‘It was never when I was supposed to be working.’
‘No, it was when you were supposed to be looking after Poppy,’ barked Will, advancing on Zac.
/> Gemma blocked his path. ‘Something he shouldn’t have been doing in the first place,’ she snapped back.
‘So now you’re on his side?’
‘I’m not on anyone’s side. But this would never have been an issue if you’d just organised proper childcare like we’ve been asking you to do for months.’
‘That’s irrelevant – this is about Zac letting me down.’
Zac cringed.
‘And you think you haven’t let him down? Using him to look after Poppy? Treating him like a babysitter, rather than a valued employee?’
‘Fine.’ Will felt the lid on his temper lifting. ‘Maybe I shouldn’t have done that. But it doesn’t alter the fact that he shouldn’t have left Poppy with an unsuitable childminder.’
‘Lily isn’t unsuitable,’ Zac said, jumping in. ‘Honestly, she’s not. She’s great. And Poppy adores her. She’s completely trustworthy.’
‘Trustworthy?’
Lily was a lot of things, trustworthy wasn’t one them.
‘So you know for a fact she hasn’t got a criminal record, do you? That she’s not on the child sex offender register? You did a background check on her, did you?’ His accusations were overboard and completely unwarranted, but he needed to make a point.
‘Well… no.’
Gemma tapped his shoulder. ‘Will.’
‘Exactly. So without asking me, or telling anyone else what you were doing, you left my eleven-year-old daughter unsupervised with a woman who couldn’t organise a piss-up in a brewery let alone look after a child.’ Using Lily as a vent for his anger was cruel, but Will was too mad to be rational. He’d always suspected she was hiding something. And it turned out he was right. Humiliation was preventing him from acting reasonably.
Gemma tugged his arm. ‘Will.’
‘A woman who’s unprofessional… unorganised… completely inept—’
‘Will!’ Gemma tugged harder.
‘—and who it turns out is nothing but a liar… a fraud… and isn’t even who she bloody says she is!’
‘Will!’ Gemma yanked on his arm.
He spun around. ‘What!?’
She pointed behind him.
Standing just a few feet away was Lily.
Shit!
Chapter Twenty-two
Saturday, 31 July
On any other occasion, Lily would be enjoying the opportunity to attend a choral music recital at a stunning venue with amazing acoustics. But try as she might, she couldn’t focus on the haunting melodies or dramatic organ music filling St. George’s Chapel. Her mind was too absorbed by anger and resentment.
She watched the choir belt out Handel’s ‘Messiah’, desperate to appreciate the magical surroundings. But the constant ache in her chest prevented her from savouring the moment, or relishing the way the early evening sunlight lit up the stained-glass windows hanging above the altar.
All she could do was stare at the carved ceiling and try to make sense of her messy and twisted life.
A year ago everything had been so simple. Painful, but simple. She’d been a carer. She’d had a steady job. And although her life was mundane, and sad, and limiting, she’d known who she was, what she was doing, and how she fitted into the world.
Fast forward twelve months, and her life was a chaotic shambles.
She had no family. Only a few close friends. She’d blown her one chance to create a meaningful career, and the only man she’d ever loved… hated her.
Why else would he have said those things about her?
He’d called her a liar and a fraud… which she accepted was true… but the implication that she couldn’t be trusted around children was grossly unfair. And cruel. And incredibly damaging.
Who would trust her now?
It wasn’t like he was without fault. She might have lied about being a costume designer, but he’d kept hidden the fact that he had a child. His crime was way worse than hers. Yet somehow she’d been the one whose character had been completely and utterly annihilated. Publicly, too!
Tears slid down her cheeks. Lily had never missed her grandparents more. She missed having someone in her corner. Someone to defend her and comfort her and assure her she wasn’t a bad person. Someone to put their arm around her and promise her that the pain would fade, the humiliation would subside, and that she would move on from this. Stronger, wiser. More resilient.
Because right at that moment, she felt so useless and insignificant, that all she wanted to do was curl up in a ball and sob.
Maybe that’s what she needed to do. It wasn’t like she had to be here any more. Her job was done… such as it was. No one would miss her. Maybe the best thing for everyone would be to return to the guesthouse, pack up her bags and leave tonight.
With any luck, Taye would let her crash on his sofa for an extra couple of nights. She was due to arrive back there on Monday anyway. He’d forgiven her for the whole reference debacle and offered to put her up until she could work out her next move. Not that she had any idea what that might be. Her future looked bleak. An endless black hole, waiting to suck her into the abyss.
Her grandma’s voice popped into her head, reminding her that feeling sorry for herself wasn’t going to achieve anything. Maybe not, but feeling positive and motivated about her future wasn’t within her abilities right at that moment.
Lily waited for the famous oratorio to conclude and the chapel to erupt with applause before she escaped the packed pew and made her way to the exit.
It was time to leave Windsor. To escape the disaster of her own making and work out what the hell she was going to do next.
She drew in the warm evening air as she skipped down the steps onto the grass, knowing she wasn’t in the right frame of mind to solve any conundrums tonight. Tomorrow was a new day. She might feel better after a good night’s sleep. Problems always seem less drastic in the morning, right?
But as she turned the corner, she smacked into a man’s chest. Her forehead connected with his chin, and they both groaned as they bounced apart.
The man rubbed his chin and glared at her. ‘Seriously?’
Of course it was Will.
The way her luck was panning out, it couldn’t have been anyone else.
She glared back, not in the mood to accept responsibility for their collision. She wasn’t always the one in the wrong. ‘Oh, so this is my fault, is it?’
‘You were the one not looking where you were going.’
‘And you were the one running.’
‘I wasn’t expecting anyone to be leaving the chapel mid-concert.’
‘And I wasn’t expecting a character assassination this afternoon, so I guess we both get to be aggrieved.’
He stilled. ‘I didn’t say anything that wasn’t true.’
She pointed a finger at him. ‘You implied I might be a child molester.’
He flinched. ‘No, I reprimanded Zac for not checking you weren’t a child molester.’
‘Which implies that I might be one!’ She lifted her hands, enraged by the assumption. How dare he. ‘And on the subject of telling the truth,’ she said, advancing on him. ‘May I remind you, it was you who kept hidden the fact that you had a daughter.’
‘A daughter whose head you filled with inappropriate ideas.’
Was he for real? ‘I did no such thing. And I had no idea who she was, did I?’ Her hands laced into her hair, and gripped hold, until the pain of her gash throbbed so hard she was in danger of removing the glue. ‘At no point did anyone… including you… tell me Poppy was your daughter.’
He adopted a righteous expression. ‘But she was someone’s daughter, wasn’t she?’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘It wasn’t your place to look after her, or teach her to sew, or… or do whatever it is you did with her, without gaining parental consent. Any parent knows that. It’s the basic rule of parenting.’
‘Well, I’m not a parent, am I?’ she said, folding her arms, trying to dispel the crippling
urge to thump him. ‘Unlike you, Will Taylor. Who seems to think he’s parent of the year and can lecture me on the etiquette of raising a child, when for the last five months he’s been hiding the fact that he has one! Hardly model parenting, is it?’
He glanced away. ‘I had my reasons for not telling you.’
‘And I had my reasons for not telling you I was looking after her. Namely, that I had no idea she was yours. I was simply doing Zac a favour, minding his charge for a few hours, and foolishly thinking I was helping. Keeping the girl entertained, keeping her amused, and trying to be a responsible adult. Pardon me for trying to do the right thing.’ She shoved him in the chest. She couldn’t help it. He was pushing her buttons.
‘The right thing? Like lying about being a costume designer?’
Ah, so he had found out.
It was inevitable, really. But the shock still knocked some of the fight out of her. She felt her lungs contract, like a sail denied of wind.
He on the other hand hadn’t lost any of his anger. He was on the offensive, as he took the moral high ground, happy to shove it down her throat. ‘Imagine my surprise,’ he said. ‘When I received an email from the recruitment agency this afternoon telling me that far from being an experienced costume designer, you’ve been working in a clothing factory for the past decade!’
There was no point denying it. It still stung though. She’d hoped it wouldn’t matter now the job was done. How naive was that?
‘You’re right. I lied,’ she said, her voice tight from the effort of not crying. ‘I fabricated my career history. But instead of confronting me about it in private, you chose to announce the fact to half of Windsor and publicly humiliate me.’
If she expected him to feel remorse, she was wrong. He looked incredulous. ‘And you think you haven’t publicly humiliated me? I took a chance on you. I overrode my professional instincts and hired you, believing all that crap you gave me on holiday about being an experienced designer.’
‘The same holiday whereby you omitted to mention the fact that you had a daughter.’
‘The same holiday where you pretended to be…’
‘To be… what?’
His hand came up to rub the back of his neck.
‘Go on, say it. I pretended to be what? A nice person? Confident? Happy? Not— how did you phrase it?— incompetent… inept… and a complete fraud!’
Someone Like You: Escape with this perfect uplifting romance Page 28
