The Attic Room: A psychological thriller Read Online Free Page A

people. It was horrible.
    Robert stamped downstairs to speak to the plumber, and
Claire took Nina’s hand and went up to the attic room. Wow, she thought,
staring round. A huge floor space, lovely sloping ceiling, cute little windows
– this would be a fantastic room for Nina in a few years. The little girl was
running up and down, her face one big beam, and Claire laughed too, pretending
to chase her. Nina shrieked, and Claire scooped her up and hugged her, looking
round with sudden determination. The way forward was clear in her mind now.
    With a lick of paint and some nice modern furniture, this
house would be an amazing home for the three of them. It was time to do
something about her marriage. She had a child. A happy family life was worth
fighting for.

 
     
    Chapter Four
     
     
    Friday 14th - Saturday 15th July
     
    A search round the first floor of the house revealed a
good-sized bathroom with an electric shower, an airing cupboard with all the
bed things she would need, and a couple more wooden chairs. Nina settled into
the downstairs bedroom quite comfortably. The upstairs rooms, though larger,
didn’t appeal to her. Apart from John Moore’s own room – and no way could she
sleep there – they were poorly lit and smelled musty. Nina spread her things
about the little ‘maid’s room’, then grimaced. Quarter past six, oh, golly –
Naomi would be back at the farmhouse by now, chattering away to Beth about the
day’s ride, or maybe having a bath to get rid of the aches and pains after four
hours in the saddle… if only she were there to see the pleasure and excitement
on her child’s face. Unhappiness washed over Nina. It was years since she’d
been away by herself like this. She wasn’t used to her own company, that was
the problem, and this wasn’t a good time to phone home, either. They’d be busy
with the guests’ evening meal in the farmhouse.
    Stop being a wimp, woman, she thought, grabbing her handbag.
Go for dinner, you’re hungry. Things’ll look different when you have a good
meal inside you.
    Half an hour later she was sitting at a single table by the
fireplace in an elegant Georgian dining room, a very nice salmon steak in front
of her and thinking that having a solo dinner in a posh hotel was something
else she wasn’t used to. The other diners were all couples or family groups,
but the waitress made her feel at home and Nina arranged to have breakfast
there too. For a few moments she regretted her decision to stay in John Moore’s
uncomfortable house, but then – what would she do stuck in a hotel all evening?
What a weird situation this was. This time last week she’d been on the laptop,
helping Bethany get them started again after the break caused by Claire’s
death. Little had she known then that in a week’s time she’d have inherited a
fortune from a man she’d never heard of and be dining all alone in a Bedford
hotel.
    It was still light when she walked back to John Moore’s
house, and the contrast of the pleasant river bank to the dinginess inside hit
Nina like something physical as soon as she opened the front door. She shook
off the feeling of depression. There was a job to be started here. To work,
woman. You can do this.
    At the desk she sat staring at the pile of papers Sam had
found, apprehension rising in spite of the brave thoughts. God, it was creepy
here… and if John Moore was her uncle it was entirely possible that she would
come face to face with a photo of Robert Moore, or Claire – or, heaven forbid,
her own younger self. Quickly, Nina pushed the pile away. Something about this
place was giving her the jitters big-style, and faces from the past would be
easier to cope with after a good – she hoped – night’s sleep. She pulled out
her phone.
    A long conversation with Beth reassured her that she wasn’t
alone in the world, and one with Naomi made her laugh. The little girl was
bubbling over about her pony ride, in tones of childlike happiness that