Page 31 of Trust in Truth
“Oh,” Margaret said, moving closer to Katherine.
Her heart pounded at the betrayal. Knowing how important it was to extract what she could from Margaret, she pushed on.
Katherine prepared her most sensual tone before replying. “I would have liked to have thanked the person who informed the General Medical Council about me and Anna over the summer. It changed my life in a way I would never have expected. It brought me closer to the abbey, and to you, and I will be forever grateful to them.” Katherine allowed her hand to stroke Margaret’s and the deep breath that Margaret took told her it was having the intended effect.
“Thank them? You wouldn’t be… angry?”
Katherine softened her face and widened her lips as authentically as she could. “No, of course not, who could blame them, we were in the wrong after-all. I would just like the chance to show them my appreciation for changing my life for the better.”
Margaret giggled and then covered her mouth, leaning a little too close to Katherine for her liking. She reeked of Prosecco; the vapours so strong they were heady.
Katherine resisted the urge to back away.
Margaret thought for a moment before speaking. “I have a little confession… it was me.” Margaret plunged forward and kissed Katherine.
She had meant to push her back if Margaret tried anything like that but was distracted by Anna delivering some more bottles of Prosecco at the bar. By the time she’d realised Margaret was attached to her face and pulled away, Anna had disappeared. She would reluctantly have to wait to talk to her; Margaret was ripe for further confession, and Katherine was getting every minute of it recorded on her phone. It hadn’t occurred to her that Margaret would be so forthcoming with the truth, she had planned other lines of questioning and was now a little off guard. Perhaps Margaret had been desperate to get her feelings off her chest.
Katherine stepped back a little and continued her gentle coercion with a light brushing up and down Margaret’s arm. “And the ring in my drawer, did you take it? Would you prefer it on your finger?” She took Margaret’s hand, hoping to entice her further towards the truth.
“I might have had something to do with it. You must admit; we are better suited than you and Anna. She’s a little immature for a woman like you,” Margaret replied, swaying a little as she spoke.
Katherine could feel her blood boiling at Margaret’s comment. She pushed her back with her finger. “She’s ten times the woman you could ever be,” Katherine replied through gritted teeth. She’d already noticed a few people look in their direction and she didn’t need an audience.
Margaret pulled herself upright at Katherine’s change of tone. Katherine moved closer to her and whispered in her ear.
“You listen up and listen carefully. I’ve just recorded your little confession. I wonder what the other trustees would say if I played it to them.”
Margaret blinked rapidly, trying to catch up to the conversation. “But… I put it back. Kat, I love you, I thought you felt—”
“You thought wrong, and you can take this.” Katherine took Margaret’s hand and placed the jewellery box firmly into it.
Margaret’s face dropped at the realisation that she had been tricked. “You two won’t last,” she sneered.
“You won’t last. Either you quit or become a silent trustee. It’s your choice. To be honest I’d be happy to never see you again. You’ve betrayed my trust and that’s unforgivable.”
“I think I’d better leave,” Margaret said, with more control over herself. There was nothing better to sober someone up than reality crashing them back down to earth.
“Not until after the fireworks. You'll put your game face back on and do what is needed to make this night a success for Anna. It’s the least you can do for us, and Margaret, one last thing, only my friends can call me Kat!”
Katherine strode away from Margaret as her mouth dropped open. She only had one thing on her mind: she needed to find Anna and explain what she had seen in the gazebo. She headed back to the visitor centre, assuming Anna would be there. Carrie was directing some stragglers to the far end of the site to watch the firework display.
“Carrie, have you seen Anna?”
“Yes, she was heading up to the top of the site with the fireworks chap. It’s nearly midnight. Is everything okay?”
“I hope so. Thank you.”
Katherine headed back the way she came, frantically looking for any sign of Anna. She knew Anna had seen Margaret kiss her, and she would have to hope that Anna understood it wasn’t her kissing Margaret. If she ever needed Anna to show that trust she said she had in her, it was now. At least she had the recording on her phone to prove what she’d done and why, if needed.
A check of her watch told her it was three minutes until midnight. The fireworks were planned to be set off on the hour. What Anna must be thinking played on her mind as she scoured the crowd. She’d witnessed everything playing out as she had predicted, and more importantly, she had been right all along.
The site filled with the voices of the crowd as they counted down the last ten seconds of the year. Silence then fell momentarily as the first fireworks shot up into the sky. A bang echoed around the site and large shower of light fell, illuminating the abbey to the cheers of the crowd. Katherine took the opportunity to scan the site. She spotted Anna alone in the chapel window where they had once sat just after they met. She pushed her way through the crowds unnoticed, their attention focused on the sky.
Chapter 15
Anna leaned back against the side of the window ledge and hugged her tucked-up legs. This spot in the chapel had become her favourite place in the abbey, a place she could think and relax. Not only was it one of the furthest points away from the visitor centre, making it the quietest place on the site, four walls remained of the room, giving it some shelter. It always reminded her of the time she and Katherine finally landed on the same wavelength.
She needed a few moments away from the visitors. She was exhausted and hadn’t had five minutes to take in the evening’s events, let alone sit down.
