He nodded.
“Today.”
“If Tessa is exploiting her, we need to protect her. But if there’s something else happening, we’re going to find out.”
Roy arranged to visit Margaret that evening.
Neither of us knew that we were about to walk into the most revealing conversation of our marriage.
Margaret’s house smelled of lemon polish and the peppermint tea she served to every visitor.
She hugged Roy for a long time when we arrived.
Then she turned to me and gave me a brief nod.
“Vanessa.”
“Margaret.”
We sat in the front room.
Roy explained that Tessa had been making false accusations and that we were concerned about the relationship between them.
Margaret waved away his concerns.
“She has been wonderful to me. She helps with my groceries, takes care of little things around the house, and listens when I need somebody to talk to.”
“Mom,” Roy said, “that’s kind of her, but we need to understand what’s going on.”
