Chapter 7: The Man at the Door

Alistair was standing on the pavement outside Gethin's house on Sunday evening, holding a bunch of white lilies.

I saw him through the window of the upstairs room, under the streetlamp, in his charcoal overcoat.

He had never been to Kentish Town before, and he stood very straight, as if the pavement might be dirty.

I went down the stairs and opened the door, and I did not ask him in.

"Verity." He held out the flowers. "I've been trying to reach you for four days."

"You blocked my number."

"I unblocked it on Wednesday."

"Did you? You didn't ring."

He lowered the lilies.

"How did you find me?"

"We have someone at the firm who finds people. It took a day."

"A day," I said. "You couldn't find me in three years, and you found me in a day."

He winced at that, and I saw it, and it didn't help him.

"Can I say something?" he said. "I didn't know it was that."

"That?"

"I thought it was one of your scares. I thought you'd be fine once I'd got through the lunch.

"Nobody told me it was a miscarriage."

"I told you. I said I was bleeding."

"You said you thought you were losing something. You didn't say the baby."

"I said the baby."

"Verity, the line was terrible."

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