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All the voices
171
aren’t a good mix and
the singles get ground
under. As for Steven, I’d
put money on it he was
a guy who knew when
he saw a good thing, and
that sooner or later he’d
try to take control of the
house. But I also noticed
how Glea, after her initial
displeasure, had got used
to the idea pretty quickly
and somehow I felt this
had something to do
with her and Flake and
I wouldn’t have been a
bit surprised to discover
it kind of fitted in with
her
own
intentions.
She’d been married once
and it hadn’t worked
out but who was to say
she wouldn’t be up for
it again? A house of
couples. It would have
been infinitely worse
for me than it had been
up till then. Although
Steven acted as though
he genuinely liked me I
felt sure it was basically
that I had been useful
as a pawn in his game
and that what he’d really
wanted was to get a
foothold in the house.
Thankfully, I had my own
plans and I saw this was
the exact right moment
to put them into effect.
When I went up to bed that
night I looked around the
room and felt surprised
somehow that it was so
empty. Why, I don’t know,
seeing as I was the one
who had been assiduously
emptying the place for the
last few weeks. So I asked
myself if I was feeling
frightened at the prospect
now so clearly before me.
I had worked myself up
to the moment of leaving
but I had to look at the
possibility I didn’t want to
go after all. Most of that