Read Vision In Love (Legends of The North Book 1) for Free Online Page B

look at her. Their eyes widened before they turned away from her, heads bent together as they started whispering. She gave a little shrug. Just one of the downsides of living in a village. Everything's up for discussion, no matter how trivial it might be. What if they were talking about her and Matt? She shook her head, so what if they were? They were both adults entitled to spend an evening together talking and drinking wine.  
    Emma picked up a newspaper and her favourite magazine along with a pint of milk. As she walked towards the cashier, the ladies descended on her, their faces like storm clouds about to cover her sun. She placed her items on the counter and glanced sideways when she noticed one lady staring at her. The others looked amongst themselves, nudging each other or shaking their heads. She handed over her money and left as quickly as she could. Who knew what she had done to be on their radar, but she did know denying it would be no use. The truth was usually much less entertaining, so why let the truth get in the way of a good story?
    As she walked back down her street, she waved to Doris, her next-door neighbour. Doris hurried down the garden path and gripped the top of her gate. She sounded out of breath, her chest rapidly rising and falling, and her breath blowing forcefully out through her mouth.
    "Are you okay, Doris?" Please, don't pass out or have a heart attack. Emma had never given CPR before, and she wasn't sure she knew how to do it.
    "I was going to ask you the same, love. I'm so sorry. I just heard, Betty at the cafe told me. I heard the ambulance woke up most of Stydon, not that they minded, of course. Not really important, is it, not after that."
    "After what, Doris?" This was probably the longest conversation she'd had with Doris, and the one that made the least sense.
    "You don't know? I just assumed you would."
    Emma was starting to lose her patience–or her mind, she wasn't sure which yet. "Know what, Doris?"
    "It's your mum, love. They said she wouldn't have felt a thing, and your dad was with her, of course."
    Emma leaned against the gate. She felt lightheaded, could hear the blood rushing through her ears, as the world seemed to fall away from her.
    "Emma, love, are you okay? Emma?"
    She felt a cool, papery hand cover hers and looked up into Doris's concerned face. "I'm fine," she said, trying to smile, but it felt more like a grimace. "Just a shock. I mean, we knew it was coming, just not this soon."
    "I know, but you're never ready for it, no matter how much you prepare."
    "Thanks, Doris. Sorry, but I have to go. My dad ..." Her dad what? Didn't think she needed to know? Couldn't be bothered to tell her?
    Letting herself into her house, Emma sank onto the sofa. Resting her elbows on her knees, she held her head in her hands. Mum is gone? They had known it was coming, but Emma thought it would be months yet, years even.  
    Barney's wet snout nudged her hand and she lifted her head. Giving him a quick scratch, she stood, glancing around the room. Picking up her bag from where she had dropped it, she grabbed her keys off the table and looked around once more. Not sure what she was looking for, she left the house and climbed into her car.
      Pulling up outside her parents' place, she slouched in the seat, waiting for her sister to get into her own car and drive off. Emma wasn't up to facing both of them together. She walked slowly down the path and glanced at the window, expecting to see her mum or the sway of the net curtain falling back into place.  
    Raising her fist towards the door, she hesitated before knocking. It would be just her dad, and she had no idea how he would be coping. How do you cope after losing someone? Whatever he hadn't done, he had just lost his wife of how many years? She wasn't even sure how long they had been married–twenty-five years at least. Lifting her hand again, she knocked twice on the door and could hear him moving around inside. Finally, she heard