A Trick of the Light (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #7)

by Louise Penny

“But there was a price for being Lillian’s friend,” said Clara at last. “It was a wonderful world she created. Fun and safe. But she always had to be right, and she always had to be first. That was the price. It seemed fair at first. She set the rules and I followed. I was pretty pathetic anyway, so it was never an issue. It never seemed to matter.” Clara took a deep breath. And exhaled. “And then, it did seem to matter. In high school things began to change. I didn’t see it at first, but I’d call Lillian on Saturday night to see if she’d like to go out, to a movie or something, and she’d say she’d get back to me, but didn’t. I’d call again, to find she’d gone out.” Clara looked at the three men. She could see that while they were following the words they weren’t necessarily following the emotions. How it felt. Especially that first time. To be left behind. It sounded so small, so petty. But it was the first hairline fracture. Clara hadn’t realized it at the time. She thought maybe Lillian’d forgotten. And besides, she had a right to go out with other friends. Then, one weekend, Clara had arranged to go out with a new friend herself. And Lillian had gone ballistic. “It took months for her to forgive me.” Now she saw it in Jean-Guy’s face. A look of revulsion. For the way Lillian had treated her, or the way she’d taken it? How to explain it to him? How did she explain it to herself? At the time it had seemed normal. She loved Lillian. Lillian loved her. Had saved her from t...