“Well, for your information, I’m glad I’m not your biological daughter,” Grace said in a calm voice.

There was just no way she was going to let on to him how his words had affected her. “Who is my father then?” she asked.

He smirked. “You were spawned from the devil.”

She lost it then. She ran towards him and poked her finger in his face.

“If you’ve got something to tell me, just say it. I’m not going to take this from you the way Mum did!”

“Oh yes you will – if you want to carry on living here!”

“Who says I want to live with you? If you threaten me physically again I’m going straight to the police station.”

He was caught off guard by her threat. For a fleeting moment he looked worried.

“This situation is a family matter. There is no need to involve the police.”

“I spoke to Mum before she passed away. I think the police might be very interested in what she had to say.”

“What did she say?” he asked, forcing himself to be calm. Grace didn’t answer. She wanted him to worry and sweat for a while longer.

It would also give her time to figure out what she was going to do.

“I have a right to know what she said to you.” The sharpness was creeping back into his voice.

Grace shivered as she recalled the sight of her mother curled up like a ball on the floor, by the side of the bed. She’d never get the image of the deep gash on her face, and the sight of all that blood, out of her mind.

She hadn’t begun to grieve properly for her mum yet – she was sure of that. There was too much repressed rage and anger building up inside her.

She knew now she was ready to get the box from the cupboard and find out her Mum’s secrets. She wouldn’t be able to move on until she found out what Angela wanted her to know.

She realised she’d been afraid to discover anything unpleasant about her mother. She wanted to remember Mum as the loving, sweet, kind parent she had been.

Grace had loved her with all her heart.

“Are you going to tell me?” Leonard asked.

Grace made an on-the-spot decision. “Actually, she never said anything about you. She just said I must look after Marcus,” she lied.

Leonard took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “I’ll never forgive myself for being away in Johannesburg. The police said that the intruder got in through the kitchen door.”

Grace nodded her head.

“I’ve looked through your mum’s jewellery box, and all the good pieces are missing. This was a burglary gone wrong.”

It was the first time Grace had heard this bit of news.

She said nothing, knowing her silence would make her father reveal more.