Save Her by Abigail Osborne (novel books to read .txt) 📗

She placed a placatory hand on Flora’s arm. ‘I know you want to tell him. But think about it: we don’t know who is doing this and finding out is the most important thing. It could be Sam for all we know.’

Flora laughed derisively. ‘Don’t be so ridiculous, Sophie.’

‘I said it could be, not that it was. Look, even if it isn’t him, he could tell someone else about the cameras and then they would know what we were doing.’

Flora nodded grudgingly. ‘I suppose.’

‘It will be fine. It’s only temporary and then we can take them down.’ Sophie took Flora’s hands. She tucked a disobedient lock of Flora’s hair back behind her ears. ‘I love you and I’ll do whatever it takes to protect you and sort this mess out.’

Sophie turned to the box and began to open it. ‘Right, where shall we put them?’

It turned out to be a fun morning. Flora held the ladders whilst Sophie got up close and personal with the ceilings and shelving in the house. ‘What would Cecelia say, dearest Flora,’ choked Sophie when she inhaled yet another gulp of dust. It took them ages to hook up the cameras to the app. But by the time they were done Flora had a broad smile on her face, just as Sophie had intended. She didn’t want the day to end, but they both had to go to work. She couldn’t avoid Greg forever. Not for the last time, she wished she could close her eyes and rewind time to the days before her marriage had disintegrated. When the world around her glowed and everything was exciting because she was in love and had finally found a home. But there was no going back. Happiness in the Cavendish family was just an illusion.

Sophie rubbed at her temples, feeling a migraine brewing. It made the journey to work even harder, blurring her vision as the pain in her head became insistent. It was so draining, trying to put a brave face on for Flora. All she wanted to do was just grab her and run. She could explain everything once they had escaped somewhere safe. But she had to be cleverer than that. She had to duck and dive and gradually edge her way out of the tangled web that belonged to the Cavendish family. If she moved too quickly or made too much noise, she would be entangled for ever, a victim for the Cavendish family to devour at their leisure.

35

It was turning into an obsession. Every few minutes she tapped her phone to life and opened up the camera app. She toggled through the different views, her nerves settling with each swipe of her finger. There was no one in the house.

It had taken all her willpower not to mention the cameras to Sam. So many times, it had been on the tip of her tongue to tell him. Deception did not come naturally to her. The lie was filling her up until she was bursting from the seams. She prided herself on never having lied to Sam their entire relationship. It hurt that that would no longer be the case.

She was lying in their spare room. Flora couldn’t face their own bed unless Sam was there. It was only his presence that could stop her thinking about the worms in their bed. When he was there, she could wrap her arms around his chest so that she felt only soft, warm skin and this would stop her imagining the cold, wet bodies of the squirming creatures. Without him, she was unable to sleep, plagued by the smell of dirt and convinced if she closed her eyes, someone would come back and put worms in her bed once more. He had said he wasn’t going to go anywhere again but she had overheard Sam on the phone to a client, trying to explain why he couldn’t be there for the launch. She felt so bad that it was her fear stopping him from being there. Flora had laid a hand on his arm and he’d turned to look at her. ‘Just go, honey. I promise. I’ll be fine.’

Covering his phone with his hand, he looked unsure. ‘I don’t think I should. It’s not safe.’

‘I’ll be fine. I’ll have Sophie. We can’t just put our lives on hold.’

‘Only if you are sure. I am only going for one night though.’

Starting to drift to sleep, Flora heard the front door open. She knew it was the front door as she could hear the familiar dragging as it crossed the welcome mat she had bought. Friends welcome, relatives by appointment. She had only bought it because she knew ‘tacky’ things like that drove Cecelia mad.

Was Sam back? Surely, he’d have told her if he was going to be back early. He’d have shouted out, wouldn’t he? Maybe he had but she could not hear him over her heartbeat racing frantically in her ear. Flora wanted to call out, to check if it was him, but her fear silenced her.

Slam.

The front door slammed shut and she jumped, her phone falling from her hand. Grabbing it off the floor, she lunged toward the bathroom, locking the door behind her. For the first time, she was grateful that all the bedrooms had en suite bathrooms. Turning on the mirror light, she winced as her eyes adjusted to the brightness. Unlocking her iPhone, she stabbed at the camera app. The first picture was of the front door from the inside. There was no one there. She was about to switch to the next camera when the light went out, plunging the room into darkness. The only light was from the glow of her phone. Looking down at the screen, the app showed an error message where there had previously been a live feed of the front door.

Cameras disconnected, please check your wifi.

Her phone was no longer connected to the wifi either. Someone has cut the power to the