The Perfect Stepmother

by Karen King

Genres: Family Life; Noir; Thrillers; Crime Fiction; Psychological Thrillers

Synopsis

‘I just want to be your friend.’ She smiled at Lily, her dark brown eyes impossibly sincere. ‘And to be a mother to Emma too, of course.’ Her gaze flickered to Lily’s sister, but only Lily saw her expression momentarily change – from warm and loving to something else. Something Lily didn’t trust… Lily has always had a simple dream: to be happy like her parents were. Content in their sweet suburban home, nothing in life had phased her mother and father, not even when they’d had a ‘surprise’ second child, Emma, nearly twenty years after Lily. But their love story was cut tragically short when – after a devastating battle with cancer – Lily’s mother died. Lily was heartbroken, but also desperately worried about her grieving dad, not to mention five-year-old Emma. So Lily is shocked and concerned when he suddenly decides to remarry, less than a year after her mother’s death. It feels far too soon, and Lily finds herself furious with him – and his new wife, Maria, who can apparently do no wrong. She seems madly in love with Lily’s dad and instantly bonds with Emma. It’s only Lily who can’t trust her. Who won’t trust her. And when Emma goes missing – could Lily be right? What if the greatest danger to them all is the woman now living in their family home? A totally gripping and unmissable psychological suspense novel about dark family secrets, perfect for fans of Shalini Boland, Claire McGowan and Gone Girl . Readers are loving The Perfect Stepmother : ‘I was hooked from the first page. It was full of twists and turns and I was kept on the edge of my seat throughout!! That ending… Wow.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars ‘A true thriller!… All of the secrets. All of the unknown. When you finally think you know, what is going on, there is a major plot twist! It is perfect! This is a psychological thriller. And if I could, I would highlight the "psychological" and make it big!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars ‘This is a real rollercoaster of a ride that grabs you from the first page. I loved it, full of twists and turns, I didn’t want it to end! ’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars ‘ Impossible to put down from the first page until the very last sentence… I was instantly captivated by this story and the characters. This book is packed with everything from grief, emotion, deceit, and surprise… A great suspenseful read.’ Goodreads reviewer ‘ A really enjoyable read!… Kept me turning the pages to see what was going to happen!… The author kept me on the edge.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars ‘Ticked all of the boxes for me as a fast-paced, gripping read that kept me captivated until the very end… This one kept me guessing until the very end… highly enjoyable.’ Goodreads reviewer ‘Gripping … Takes us on a jaw-dropping journey and revelations… Gripping… I could not put the book down and picked it up at every opportunity I got and finished it within a couple of days. I just had to find out what happened.’ Goodreads reviewer ‘WOW! I love a good quick thriller/suspense novel! And this was a great one! I enjoyed these characters way too much… Looking for a good suspense book!? Read this one! ’ Goodreads reviewer ‘This is a fantastic read! I could NOT stop reading it! Just when I thought I had figured it all out, twists and turns caught me by total surprise! Honestly, it’s one of the best thrillers I’ve read!’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars

Release date: June 17, 2021

Publisher: Bookouture

Print pages: 350

Sample

June

Ringing the doorbell of her childhood home still felt strange, Lily thought. She’d always had a key to let herself in, even so many years after moving out. But everything was different now. And she was here to make amends.

Maria, her new stepmother, opened the door. ‘Hello, Lily. I wasn’t expecting to see you today.’

‘I came to see how you are after yesterday,’ Lily said, stepping into the hall.

‘That’s very kind of you. I’m fine. I’m sure I fainted because of the heat.’ Maria led the way into the kitchen. ‘Would you like a coffee? Your dad’s out at a meeting with clients but Emma’s here – she’s playing on the swing in the garden.’

‘I’d love one, thanks. And I wanted to talk to you… but I’ll go and say hello to Emma first.’ Lily stepped out of the back door and looked around for her little sister. The garden was empty. How strange.

Maybe Emma was hiding.

‘Emma!’ she shouted, walking over to the shed and trying the door handle. It was locked. She peered behind it. No Emma.

‘Emma! Are you hiding from me? I’ll find you!’ She went over to the big bush and looked behind that. No Emma.

‘Emma!’ She tried to still her panic as she ran over to the side of the house and looked behind the bins. Where was her little sister?

She walked over to the gate and checked that it was still locked. Then turned and walked back over to the swing. ‘Emma! Come out from wherever you are, darling.’

Silence.

Lily’s gaze frantically scanned the garden, the silence and emptiness of it scaring her now. It was as if Emma had vanished into thin air. Then she spotted a rag doll lying on the grass by the high wall that ran along the side of the garden. She froze as she looked at it, then at the two garden chairs placed with their backs against the wall.

An icy hand of fear clutched at her heart as she walked over to the wall. Had Emma stood on the chairs and climbed over it? She couldn’t have. Even with the help of a chair the wall was too high for her. She was only five. Lily had tried to scale it a few times when she was little and had never managed it.

Unless someone had helped her.

Lily picked up the rag doll, terror gripping her like a vice. Where was her little sister? Had someone taken her?

Turning towards the house, her face stricken, she could see Maria watching her through the kitchen window. Their eyes met, and the hairs pricked on the back of Lily’s neck when she saw the fear in Maria’s eyes. Had her suspicions about her stepmother been right?

Lily Metcalfe hitched the shopping bag back onto her shoulder. She hadn’t meant to buy quite so much but she was so excited about actually going abroad again. Her last holiday – and her only holiday with Seb – had been almost three years ago, the year before her mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer. It had spread so rapidly she had died within twelve months, leaving them all distraught and both Lily and her little sister, Emma, motherless.

Lily and her boyfriend Seb had only been living together a few months when her mother had taken ill but he had readily agreed to them moving from their flat in a busy suburb of Birmingham to a house just around the corner from Lily’s parents, who lived in a village on the outskirts of Solihull, so that they could help look after her mum and Emma. When her mum had died last year, Lily had been heartbroken but had stepped in to help out with Emma as much as she could, and tried to be there for her father too. He had struggled with his grief, and coping with Emma wasn’t always easy; the five-year-old was adorable but could be such a handful at times and was missing her mother terribly.

The last couple of months though, Lily had felt that her father had turned a corner. He looked happier and more relaxed, Emma had just started school, and her childminder, Hazel, collected her and looked after her when he and Lily were working. Hazel was a kind, motherly figure who Emma adored. Seeing her father and Emma so settled, Lily finally felt at ease about going away on holiday, and her father had been delighted when she’d mentioned it to him, telling her she must start to live her own life again, to have time to grieve herself rather than looking after him and Emma, and that she had to put her relationship with Seb first. She knew he was right. Seb was good-natured and incredibly supportive but he’d very much had to take a back seat the last couple of years and she wanted to spoil him a bit. It would be so good for them both to have a holiday and take a break from the busyness of their daily lives. Lily worked in a gift shop in the local town centre, selling unusual and quirky gifts. She’d been working there for a few years now and really enjoyed it. Seb was a plumber, employed by a nationwide firm. Both their jobs were pretty hectic and it would be good for them to have a break and get away from it all for a while.

Lily had spotted the last-minute deal for ten days in the Dominican Republic, leaving next Tuesday, and they were both really looking forward to going. She’d googled the weather, delighted to see that the temperature was forecasted to be in the mid-twenties, so she’d treated herself to some new bikinis and picked up a couple of items for Seb too. Luckily they both had plenty of summer clothes because the shops were now mainly full of winter coats and woollies. It would be heaven to feel the sun on her skin again and to have a chance to relax with Seb, go on walks, lie on the beach, have romantic meals and late-night drinks. She couldn’t wait.

Right now, though, she needed a cup of coffee and a sandwich. She was flagging. The shops were so busy and she’d only had a bowl of granola and yoghurt for breakfast. She headed for the café, pushed the door open and looked around. It was pretty full but there was a free table over at the back so she made her way over to it. As she got nearer her eyes caught a couple sitting at a table in the corner. It was her dad, she realised. He was deep in conversation with a dark-haired woman. Thinking she must be one of his clients, Lily was about to turn away and choose another table so they could talk in peace, but her eyes widened as she saw her dad reach over and clasp the woman’s hand. He was looking at her as if… as if he loved her. Lily froze, rooted to the spot, her eyes fixed on her dad as he leant forward and kissed the woman.

Suddenly, his eyes met Lily’s and, horrified, he pulled back and stood up, muttering something to the woman, who immediately looked over her shoulder. Lily gasped as she recognised her. Maria. Her mother’s cancer support beauty specialist. The woman who had come to her parent’s house during her mother’s last months to give her beauty treatments. Someone her mother had adored and considered a friend. Her dad had always said how much Maria’s visits lifted up her mother’s spirits. And it was true, Mum was always brighter after Maria had worked her magic, bringing with her a new lipstick or foundation, styling her mother’s hair or bringing a selection of wigs for her to try when there was too little hair to style. ‘A saint.’ That’s how Mum had described her, telling Lily how Maria had her own beauty salon but gave up hours of her time for free to treat cancer patients.

And now Maria was apparently working her magic on her dad. How long had this been going on? Had they been seeing each other while her mother had been dying? Had popping into the house to style Mum’s hair, give her a facial or a pedicure just been a cover so Maria could see her dad?

Her father was walking over to her now, looking agitated. Lily refused to obey her instincts to turn and run. She was going to stand her ground. Let them try and explain themselves. She raised her head resolutely, stared him straight in the eye as he stopped in front of her, getting ready to scoff at his explanation that ‘it wasn’t how it seemed’. However, the words that came out of his mouth weren’t an explanation or an excuse but, ‘I’m sorry you found out this way. I was going to tell you at the weekend.’

She glared at him. ‘Tell me what? How long has this been going on, Dad? Mum’s barely cold in her grave and you’ve already taken up with someone else. Unless you two were seeing each other while Mum was alive?’

He flinched as if she had slapped him across the face. ‘Please don’t cause a scene, Lily. Come and sit down, let’s talk about this calmly.’

‘I don’t want to sit down with you and her! How could you, Dad?’

She could feel everyone staring at them and knew her dad would hate that she was indeed causing a scene. Well, what did he expect?

Maria had got up from her seat and was standing behind her father now, looking concerned but not the slightest bit guilty. Lily felt the rage inside her grow as Maria, cool, composed as if she had done nothing wrong, placed her hand on Lily’s father’s arm, her brown eyes anxiously resting on his face. ‘It’s better if I’m not here, Gareth. I’ll go and leave you two to talk,’ she said softly. She looked sympathetically at Lily. ‘I am sorry you had to find out this way. It must be a shock to you.’ She squeezed Lily’s father’s arm reassuringly then let go of it. ‘I’ll call you later, Gareth.’

Gareth watched Maria walk out of the café but Lily didn’t even turn her head. Maria was nothing to her. She had sneaked her way into their life, pretending to be some kind of Good Samaritan, wheedling into their family, and now she was trampling on Lily’s mother’s memory by dating her dad just a year after her mum had died.

Lily could see the furtive glances from the other customers, hear the whispers, and fought down the urge to scream at her father and storm out. She shouldn’t have accused him of seeing Maria while her mother was still alive. He would never do that. Her parents had been madly in love; her father would never cheat. He might have fancied Maria then though, a little voice whispered. She brushed it away. This was all down to Maria. She would clearly have done all the running. Gareth was still a good-looking man, and as a well-respected financial advisor, he wasn’t short of money. He was quite a catch. Maria was about forty and Lily remembered her mother saying that she was surprised that someone so beautiful and kind was still single. Her father had been grieving, lonely, and Maria had taken advantage of him. She probably thought this was her last chance of settling down and having a family and she’d grab it. Yes, that would be it. Lily would keep calm and talk to her dad, she decided, make him see that Maria was manipulating him.

So, when Gareth said, ‘Can we please sit down and talk this over?’ she nodded, allowing him to clasp her arm and lead her gently to the table he and Maria had been sharing.

‘I understand what a shock this must be for you, Lily, but please, before you say anything, let me explain,’ Gareth said as she sat down opposite him.

Lily nodded, biting back the questions that sprang to her throat. Let him speak, then you can tell him how Maria is manipulating him.

‘I know it looks bad – your mother has only been dead just over a year. But the truth is that Maria and I, we love each other and we want to be together.’

Love? Maria really has worked her charm on him.

‘How long have you been seeing each other?’ Lily demanded.

Something flickered in his eyes and then it was gone. He swallowed. ‘Quite a few months. I bumped into Maria not long after your mum died when I popped into the hospice to thank them for caring for Ruth in her final days, and to give them a donation. Maria was just leaving – she’d been giving a facial to one of the patients. I asked her to join me for a coffee because I wanted to thank her for what she’d done for Ruth. She made your mother’s last months a lot easier, Lily, and I’m grateful for that. So should you be.’

‘Of course I am. But I didn’t expect you to take up with her! I can’t believe that you’ve been meeting all this time, that you actually think you’re in love with her, and you didn’t bother to mention this to me!’

Gareth rubbed his hand across his forehead. ‘Lily, honey, I didn’t mean for this to happen. Neither of us did. We just chatted at first. Maria listened while I talked about Ruth, and my struggle to cope without her, and with Emma. It was so good to have someone to talk to, someone who understood what I was going through…’

‘I would have listened. You could have talked to me! I was going through it too. It was my mother who died!’ The words came out louder than she meant them to and silence fell over the café. She could feel people staring at them again. Her dad would hate that. Well, she hated what he was doing.

‘I know, honey, but I didn’t want to be a burden to you. You have your own life to live. And your own relationship. You give too much of your time to us as it is.’

‘I don’t mind. I want to help you and I love looking after Emma. She’s my little sister.’ It was true that she spent every spare moment she could looking after Emma and doing some of the household chores, so much that she was often exhausted and wished that she and Seb had more time together. Which was why this holiday meant so much to them. She didn’t mind though, she wanted to help – Emma was so young to lose her mother and needed her big sister. Dad had needed her too. He and Mum had been together twenty-eight years and he had struggled to cope without his soulmate.

‘I know you’re lonely and you miss Mum, but you didn’t have to take up with the first woman you met to fill the gap she left.’ As soon as the words left her mouth she wished she could take them back. They were nasty and hurtful, but she was angry. Not so much because he had found a replacement for Mum but because that replacement was someone her mother had adored and confided in. Emma had adored Maria too; she had often styled the little girl’s hair or painted her nails in the sparkly glitter she always kept for the daughters of her patients. Dad had sung Maria’s praises, said she was a miracle-worker. It was a betrayal. It felt as if they had both been waiting for her mum to die so that they could be together.

‘We can’t help our feelings, love. I might be your father but I have feelings the same as you. Maria and I, we connected. We grew closer and realised that we loved each other.’

She wished he would stop saying that, that he loved Maria. Lily felt like screaming. She could see how this had happened. Maria was a good few years younger than her father. She was beautiful, immaculately dressed, soft-spoken, the sort of woman that it was easy to talk to and confide in. It was part of her job to be like that: she was a calm, reassuring presence for the women that she cared for, women who were fighting cancer, losing their bodies, their hair, their femininity. Maria came along like an angel, waving her cosmetic wand and making them all feel like women again, and they adored her for it. Now she had cast her spell on her lonely, grieving father. Somehow Lily had to make her dad see that this woman had played on his vulnerability to trap him. That he was infatuated with her, not in love with her.

She leant forward, keeping her voice low. ‘I know it’s been hard for you, Dad, and that it’s probably been good to have someone like Maria, who’s familiar to you, to chat to, but please… don’t rush things. Just because you find her easy to talk to and you get on, it doesn’t mean that you love her. You’re missing Mum and looking for something to fill the hole she’s left. That’s natural. Give yourself time to grieve and get over Mum’s death before you move on.’

He shook his head. ‘I know my own mind, Lily. I realise it’s happened quickly, and that you probably don’t approve, but I do love Maria and she loves me.’ He paused. ‘Your mother told me that if I ever found anyone else to love, I had her blessing to move on. I think she would be happy for me. And I was hoping you would be too.’

Lily stared at him, wondering if her mother had said that because she had seen how close her dad and Maria were, if in her dying months she had watched her beloved husband fall in love with another woman. A woman she’d considered a friend. Lily couldn’t bear to think about it.

Gareth raised his hand. ‘Before you say anything more, there’s something else I need to tell you.’

Don’t say you’ve asked her to move in already, Lily thought as she anxiously raised her eyes to his.

‘I’ve asked Maria to marry me and she’s agreed.’

Lily stared at her dad in astonishment, barely able to take in his words. He couldn’t be serious.

Gareth reached out and placed his hand on hers. ‘I know this must come as a shock to you, love. I wanted to talk to you about it earlier but, well, I couldn’t find the words. I guess I was embarrassed. Your old dad falling in love again so quickly. But Maria, she’s wonderful and sweet and kind. She adores Emma. And she’s made me feel alive again.’

His eyes were sparkling, a smile playing on his lips. He sounds like a teenager, Lily thought resentfully. It was almost as if he had forgotten how much he loved her mother. Her parents had been so tactile and devoted to each other. Childhood memories flashed across her mind: her parents walking along the street holding hands, giving each other a kiss on the cheek, putting their arms around each other’s shoulders. They’d adored each other; you could feel the strength of their love. And now, he had transferred all that love to Maria, as if her mother had never existed. She thought of her old school friend Paula, whose father had died suddenly, and within six months her mother had moved her new boyfriend in, desperate to fill the deep void left by her husband. It hadn’t worked out. They had split within a year. It had been the wrong person, too soon. Paula had said her mother had been lonely and grieving, hadn’t been thinking straight. That’s what must be happening to Dad. She had to try to persuade him to take it slowly. There was Emma to consider too. She needed time to get used to the idea of her dad being with someone else, of having a stepmother. Lily swallowed, trying to choose her words carefully.

‘It’s so soon though, Dad. There’s no rush to get married, is there? Why don’t you carry on dating, enjoy each other’s company for a while, give yourself time to make sure you’re doing the right thing?’

‘I know I’m doing the right thing.’ There was no mistaking the determination in her father’s voice. ‘I love Maria and she loves me, and we are getting married. Look, darling, I really want you to be pleased for us and for you to be there and celebrate the wedding with us. I know this is right for me and Emma, but… Well, if I have to get married without your blessing, I will.’

So that was it. Cards on the table. She knew from experience how stubborn her dad was; when his mind was made up, nothing or no one would change it. If she was to argue with him on this, she could end up distancing herself from him and from Emma. And her little sister needed her more than ever if her father was going to bring a stepmother into her life. She had to be careful how she played this.

‘Of course I will give you my blessing, if that’s what you really want. But promise me you won’t rush this, Dad. Promise me that you’ll take your time, give Emma a chance to get used to Maria. It’s a big thing for her to have a stepmother and she’s gone through such a lot. Please don’t rush into it.’

‘Of course, Emma is my priority. I’d never do anything that would hurt her, you know that.’ Gareth fidgeted with his collar, his gaze still on Lily’s face, as if trying to assess how she was feeling.

She tried hard to keep her face impassive.

‘Look, I understand this is a shock to you, and that you don’t really know Maria. To you, I’m marrying a stranger. So, let’s all got out for a meal on Friday evening, Seb too, before you leave for your hols. I’ve got no appointments booked for then. Emma can come along too, if we’re not too late, as there’s no school the next day. You can get to know Maria a bit better, and see how good she is with Emma, how well they get on. And what a lovely person she is. It will put your mind at rest.’

It was the last thing she wanted to do but she nodded. She wasn’t going to let Maria drive a wedge between her and her family. And she might get a chance to warn the scheming woman off, tell her not to take advantage of her dad, remind her that her dad was still grieving. ‘That sounds good, thanks, Dad.’

He smiled. ‘Good, that’s settled then.’ Picking up his cup, he swigged his coffee down. ‘Now I’d better go and let Maria know it’s all out in the open. And I have to collect Em. . .