The Maxwell Sisters

by Loretta Hill

  ‘And so generous of Anita and John,’ Athena continued. And then, to Tash’s extreme discomfort, she leaned in discreetly. ‘I did wonder why their names weren’t mentioned first on the invitation.’

  Tash blinked. ‘I beg your pardon?’

  Athena pressed her hand sympathetically. ‘It seemed a little odd, you know, after their contribution.’ She opened her eyes wide and leaned in even closer, as though expecting some sort of confession from Tash.

  Suddenly a female voice shrieked from across the room, ‘Well, who have we here?’

  And to Tash’s horror all the Greek women by the window immediately spun around.

  ‘But it’s Anita’s eldest girl!’

  ‘The one in finance, or was it marketing? Anita was so proud when she graduated.’

  ‘Didn’t we go to her wedding a few years ago?’

  ‘Yes, but no children yet.’

  There was a groan. ‘What a shame! They have such a big house in Sydney, don’t they?’

  ‘Her husband is a builder,’ announced the only male in the group and the women seemed to hush at the sound of his voice. ‘He’s very good with houses.’

  This last pronouncement seemed to calm them somewhat and they all turned to her with expectant smiles on their faces, making her feel like a mouse in a trap.

  ‘Dear,’ Athena pressed her gently, ‘where is your husband?’

  And then, as if on cue, Heath walked into the room. His head was down, absorbed in the camera he’d just bought. Fortunately for Tash, he wasn’t aware of the mousetrap he’d walked into until it was far too late.

  ‘Heath!’ she cried as though a lifeline had just been thrown to her.

  ‘Tash?’ He looked up in surprise.

  With brute force, she wrenched her hand free from Athena. ‘Just in time for a photo!’ She snatched the camera out of his hands and pushed him towards her mother’s cousins. They immediately all attached themselves to him. She snapped a photo, laughing at his shocked expression, and then lay the camera on the coffee table. ‘Heath, these are my mother’s family from Greece. I really must get back to getting ready.’

  ‘Tash –’ Heath called out desperately.

  ‘You said you’d do anything for me.’ She winked at him and then with a quick intake of breath, stepped out into the foyer again. The doorbell rang at that moment and with a sigh she quickly bustled over and opened it.

  A small man with wizard-white hair, a priest collar and a black prayer book clutched to his chest beamed back at her.

  ‘Father Christos,’ she blinked, not recalling her mother winning The Battle of the Celebrants.

  ‘Hello, dear, I know I’m a little early.’

  ‘Okay,’ she nodded, quickly standing aside so that he might pass over the threshold. ‘I’ll get my mother to help you. Could you just wait in the si– actually,’ she changed tack quickly, ‘would you mind waiting in my father’s study?’

  ‘Not at all.’

  Shutting the front door, she swiftly ushered him further down the hall and into another room so that she could find her parents. After all, someone had to rescue poor Heath from the Greeks.

  Luckily her mother was already in the hallway, with the hairdresser in tow.

  ‘Tash, I’ve been looking everywhere for you and your sisters!’ she exclaimed. She was dressed in green lace and white pearls, her hair pinned back with a tasteful fascinator.

  ‘Mum, you look amazing!’ Tash smiled. And she did. You could definitely see the beauty of her youth in her flushed cheeks and carefully lined dark eyes. ‘Dad is going to be blown away.’

  ‘Never mind that.’ Her mother swatted her hand, though Tash could tell she was pleased. ‘The hairdresser is ready to do Phee’s hair.’

  ‘I’ve been sitting around waiting for half an hour,’ the woman by her mother’s side said crossly. ‘I won’t have enough time to do a good job if we don’t get started right away. Where is she?’

  ‘Er … that’s a very good question.’ Tash was racking her brain for a stalling tactic.

  ‘What do you mean, it’s a good question?’ Her mother’s voice heightened in pitch.

  ‘I hope it’s not a case of a runaway bride,’ the hairdresser said sternly. ‘I do have another wedding this afternoon, so I can’t stay much longer.’

  Anita snorted. ‘Runaway bride, indeed. That’s ridiculous.’

  ‘Too funny,’ Tash agreed with a twinge.

  ‘Where are your sisters?’ Her mother turned back to her with a stern look in her eye. It was the same one from her teenage years when she got home from a party in the wee hours of the morning.

  ‘I think they’re at the restaurant,’ she quickly blurted, which wasn’t a complete lie.

  ‘What are they doing there?’ Anita demanded, but then spoke again before Tash had a chance to respond. ‘Never mind, just go get them and bring them back to the bedroom.’

  ‘Yes, I’ll do that,’ Tash nodded and then said to the hairdresser, ‘Would you mind waiting a few minutes longer?’

  The hairdresser glanced rather impatiently at her watch. ‘I guess so. But please hurry.’

  ‘Of course,’ Tash agreed and grabbed her mum’s arm before she could walk off. ‘Mum, your cousins are here. Heath needs you in the sitting room.’

  ‘All right, I’ll just find your father first.’

  On this assurance Natasha quickly trotted back to the front door to make her exit. But when she pulled it open there was someone standing on the other side, her hand poised to knock.

  ‘Er … hi,’ said the officious-looking lady in a white pants suit, her hair styled like Princess Diana, a pink carnation in the lapel of her jacket. ‘I’m Susan Cornish. I’m here to perform the ceremony.’

  Tash cringed. So her mother hadn’t won The Battle of the Celebrants, after all.

  ‘Er …’ She chewed nervously on her lower lip. Phoebe, why aren’t you here when I need you?

  ‘Do I have the right house?’ Susan tried to look behind Tash.

  ‘Yeah, you do. Come in.’ Tash stepped back, trying to think of a quick way to deal with her. ‘Would you mind waiting in the … the …’ She went down the list.

  The sitting room: the Greeks.

  The bedroom: impatient hairdresser.

  The study: the priest.

  ‘How about the dining room?’ Tash suggested with a hand in the small of Susan’s back. ‘That appears to be safe, I mean, free at the moment.’ She gave her a gentle shove. ‘Right down the hall,’ she called out. ‘Last door on your left. Someone will be with you shortly.’

  I hope.

  Right now she had more pressing matters to deal with. Such as where the hell her sisters had disappeared to. There seemed to be no doubt in her mind that foul play was afoot. What with the decoy note and Eve’s unanswered phone, she was starting to get rather worried. It was already half past twelve. Only one and a half hours before Phoebe was due down the aisle.

  Okay, you can do this. You can find them.

  She raced down the steps of the front porch, scanning her surroundings. All the cars were in the car park with an addition of a few extras so it didn’t look like they’d driven off anywhere. She hurried down the driveway, her phone pressed to her ear with Eve’s number on redial. She had already decided to search the entire estate, including the winery. But first she wanted to check the restaurant. The quickest way was through the garden. It was also less conspicuous for a woman in a dressing gown and curlers.

  Ferns brushed her bare legs as she scampered past, nearly sliding on the gravel at one point. The scent of flowers filled the air and insects clicked at her as she began to sweat.

  At this rate, I’m going to need another shower.

  It was hot and sticky in the garden even under the shade of the overhanging branches of a giant red gum. And then she heard a phone ringing. Two phones ringing, in fact – one in her ear and one not too far from where she was. Her feet skidded to a halt and she dropped her hand from her ear so she coul
d hear the other phone more clearly. She backtracked slightly until she saw a wheelbarrow in a small clearing, some gloves and a packet of manure on the ground. As she approached it, the sound of the phone got louder and louder, until she was standing over the wheelbarrow. There it was, lying on the dirt inside, the crumpled decoy note beside it.

  There was a sigh behind her. ‘Not you as well.’ She was seized from behind, one hand over her mouth. ‘All right,’ he said in her ear, in a resigned voice. ‘You’d better come with me.’

  Chapter 34

  The door to the shed flung open and Eric pushed Tash in, hands already bound behind her back.

  Phoebe’s heart plummeted.

  You’ve got to be kidding me.

  She raised her head from Eve’s shoulder. ‘Tash! Not you too.’

  ‘Are you all right?’ Eve asked, sitting up straighter.

  ‘Fine.’ Tash winced as Eric pushed her down to the floor with a hand on her shoulder. ‘Oh, except for the whole kidnapping thing. Why didn’t you call me and tell me Eric had turned into a psycho?’

  ‘He took my phone off me before I could,’ Eve protested. ‘Does anyone know where you are?’

  ‘Unfortunately not.’

  ‘How’s Mum?’ Phoebe asked. ‘She’s not going crazy with worry, is she?’

  ‘I’ve managed to stall her but once she notices I’m missing –’

  ‘Enough talking,’ Eric barked. He knelt down in front of Tash and bound her feet with another plastic zip tie. ‘You bloody Maxwell women. Can’t you just stay out of each other’s lives?’

  ‘The Maxwell sisters stick together no matter what,’ Phoebe informed him firmly, with a quick bolstering look at her siblings. ‘Don’t we, girls?’

  Tash bumped Eve’s shoulder as she tried to move her feet into a more comfortable position. ‘Yes, we do.’

  ‘Ow.’

  ‘Sorry.’

  Eric glared at them. His cheeks were pink and he was clearly feeling outnumbered. ‘You guys aren’t taking this seriously enough.’ He put his hands on Phoebe’s shoulder. ‘I know you hate me right now, Phoebe.’ His voice was low and measured. ‘But one day you’ll thank me for stopping you from making the biggest mistake of your life. He’s not worthy of you. He doesn’t appreciate you the way I do.’

  As Phoebe looked into his desperate blue eyes, she couldn’t help but pity him. She’d known this kid since he was twelve. He wasn’t a bad guy, just a tad delusional. Perhaps if she hadn’t been so preoccupied with everything else, she might have realised what a crush he had on her. Her regret, however, didn’t mean she was going to allow him to ruin the happiest day of her life.

  ‘Eric,’ she said, ‘I’m sorry if I’ve led you to believe something that’s not true, but you have to face reality. The two of us will never be a couple, even with Spider out of the picture. I just don’t see you that way.’

  ‘I know.’ He stood up, shaking his head. ‘You see me as a silly teenage boy.’

  ‘Well, not silly precisely.’ Phoebe tried to get a certain brightness into her voice. The kind she always found herself using with him, and indeed every other child in her primary school class. ‘I just think you’ve been a little confused this past year. And you’re not really thinking straight now either.’

  He frowned and she tried again.

  ‘Do you honestly think I’m going to fall in love with you after Spider leaves town?’

  ‘Spider’s leaving town?’ Tash asked in surprise.

  ‘No, no,’ Phoebe quickly reassured her. ‘He’s hoping Spider will do what Adonis did.’

  ‘You mean Adam?’ Tash asked, with a smirk at Eve.

  ‘Yes, all right.’ Eve said. ‘Sometimes I may accidentally call him Adonis. It’s a very similar name to Adam. So shoot me. Anyone could make that mistake.’

  ‘Uh-huh,’ Tash snorted.

  ‘Quiet!’ Eric snapped and they all turned to him expectantly.

  He looked from one to the other and she could see he was starting to lose the thread of his plan. Beads of sweat were popping up on his forehead and a muscle in his upper lip twitched nervously.

  ‘Come on, Eric,’ Tash added for good measure, ‘cut us loose. We promise we won’t tell anyone how much you’ve stuffed up.’

  ‘I haven’t stuffed up,’ he growled.

  ‘I’m thirsty,’ said Eve. ‘Can we at least have some water? It’s so hot in here.’

  ‘And what about lunch?’ Phoebe added. ‘I’m starving. You’re not going to torture us, are you, Eric?’

  ‘Torture you?’ Eric seemed horrified. ‘You know I’m not that sort of person, Phoebe.’ He wiped the back of his hand across his mouth. ‘Look, I’ll go get you girls some water and sandwiches.’

  ‘Sandwiches,’ Tash pulled a face. ‘What about some fruit?’

  ‘I’ll bring everything,’ Eric promised. ‘And be back in twenty minutes.’

  ‘Thanks, Eric,’ Phoebe called as he backed out of the shed and closed the door behind him, bolting it once again.

  ‘Okay, Tash,’ Phoebe turned to her eagerly, ‘what’s the plan?’

  ‘Why do you assume I’ve got a plan? I’m just as tied up as you are.’

  ‘Really? No plan?’ Phoebe glared at them both. ‘Do you girls know what a rescue mission is or were you just bumbling along hoping for the best?’

  Eve stuck out her tongue at her. ‘Well, how were we supposed to know you were being held captive by a lovesick teen? I thought we were done with secrets around here.’

  ‘Hey,’ Phoebe retorted, ‘I didn’t know he had a crush on me. He’s too bloody shy.’

  ‘He is, you know,’ Tash agreed with this. ‘Doesn’t ever speak to me unless I speak to him. So I guess it’s reasonable to see how his kidnapping tendencies might have slipped under the radar.’

  ‘Thank you!’ Phoebe acknowledged her support. ‘I had no idea when he approached me behind the restaurant that he was going to lock me up here. He said he had a wedding gift he wanted to give me.’

  ‘When did he plant the note in your room?’ Tash asked.

  ‘While we were all having breakfast,’ Phoebe explained.

  ‘Well, I, for one, am over this.’ Eve wriggled in her bonds, only wincing in pain for her efforts. ‘And this can’t be good for Tash, being in a hot shed, pregnant and everything.’

  ‘Tash is pregnant!’ Phoebe squealed, bum-shuffling across the floor to press her lips to her sister’s cheek. ‘Does this mean you and Heath are back together? We can go shopping for baby clothes! I know this great store where –’ She stopped. ‘What are you two laughing at?’

  Eve choked. ‘Nothing.’

  ‘And no, Heath and I are not back together. Anyway, how is that even relevant when we’re all stuck in here?’

  ‘Of course it’s relevant. It’s always relevant.’ Phoebe tossed her head. ‘I’m so happy for you. And whatever you decide with Heath, you know I’ll support you one hundred per cent.’

  ‘I know you will.’ Tash’s face softened.

  ‘And so will Eve.’ Phoebe bumped her. ‘Won’t you, Eve?’

  ‘Will you guys stop bumping me? These ties are really chafing my wrists.’

  ‘Sorry,’ Phoebe quickly apologised.

  Eve rolled her eyes. ‘And of course we’ll help Tash take care of the baby. How could we not?’

  Phoebe grinned excitedly. ‘Oh … he’s going to be so cute. Or she … whatever, we’ll love her. But you’ll have to move to Tawny Brooks, Tash, because Eve’s going to start working at the restaurant again.’

  Tash looked across at Eve with interest, wincing as she strained against her bonds. ‘Are you?’

  Eve raised her eyes from contemplation of her bound feet and Phoebe held her breath, hoping her prediction wasn’t going to fall short.

  ‘Yeah,’ she said shyly. ‘Why not?’

  ‘Woohoo!’ Phoebe’s smile got bigger. ‘You see, this is what I’m talking about!’

  ‘Why is she so happy?’ Tash looked heavenwa
rds. ‘Doesn’t she know we’re locked in a frickin’ forty-degree-temperature shed and we have no means of getting out?’

  Phoebe shrugged. ‘I’m getting married today and I’ve just found out I’m going to be an aunty as well. Not to mention my sister’s moving back to Tawny Brooks. It’s good news all round.’

  ‘The wedding might not be happening,’ Tash reminded her softly.

  Phoebe stiffened. ‘Now that isn’t an option.’

  All those months of planning and organising – it wasn’t going to be for nothing. She wasn’t going to jilt Spider. Not because he wouldn’t forgive her, but because she wasn’t going to let some out-of-control teenage boy get the better of her.

  They had all waited too long for this moment and so had their father. For the first time in a long time, she and her sisters were getting along again. The family was together. They needed to pull this off just as much for him as for her and Spider.

  ‘Aren’t you guys sick of bad news?’ she demanded. ‘We can’t let this beat us. We’re the Maxwell sisters, we just have to work together.’

  Eve edged closer to her. ‘I don’t want you to miss your wedding, Phee.’

  ‘I won’t,’ Phee said firmly. ‘Think, guys, think! Come on, we can do this.’

  ‘Have we got anything sharp?’ Tash asked, perking up.

  ‘Dead end already.’ Eve jerked her head around the room. ‘There’s nothing in here but us.’

  ‘Have you got anything sharp with you?’ Phoebe asked Tash.

  She started to shake her head and then paused. ‘Wait, I put the nail scissors in my robe pocket.’

  ‘Are they still there?’

  ‘I assume so,’ Tash said, brightening, before her face fell. ‘Of course, I have no way of getting to them with my hands tied behind my back.’

  ‘Well, I could try getting to them,’ Phoebe suggested.

  ‘Not if you can’t see what you’re doing,’ Tash groaned. ‘Your hands are tied behind your back too.’

  ‘Yeah, but I can see what’s going on,’ Eve suggested.

  Phoebe and Tash glanced at her. ‘Come again?’

  ‘We’re really going to have to work as a team on this. I’ll be the eyes. Phee, you be the hands and, Tash, you just try to make the pocket as accessible as you can.’