by Megan Cole
Her thoughts drifted to her mamma. What would she be doing now? Probably preparing yet another meal for her brothers and sisters in the narrow kitchen of their poky little house. Simonetta couldn’t understand why none of her siblings, who were all younger than her, had expressed any desire to leave their boring village in search of fame and fortune. Of course, none of them were as blessed as her looks-wise, but still. Her sister Vera had a big sweet habit and even bigger thighs, but you’d have thought she could get a job as a secretary or something.
Simonetta thought more about her mother. Mamma would have a heart attack if she could see her daughter now, perched atop a luxury yacht in a thong bikini. She had been ignoring her mother’s calls since she got to Capri, but she could imagine what the voice-mails would be.
‘Why are you such a bad girl, Simonetta? Why do you do this to me?’
Her mother had always been harder on her than her brothers and sisters and Simonetta had never known why. Still, it didn’t bother her now. She was free to do whatever she wanted.
‘Simonetta.’ Sapphire was standing over her, smiling. ‘Lunch is ready.’
Simonetta watched the English girl walk away. Such an odd creature! She was quite pretty, but she had clearly never heard of couture. And those eyebrows! If she weren’t such a lost cause, Simonetta would sit her down and give her the wisdom of her beauty tips. She was embarrassed to be seen out in public with her.
And yet Sapphire had a secret pass to Brad Masters’ world, just like her and that bimbo Madison. Something linked all three of them and Simonetta couldn’t for the life of her work out what it was.
‘Is this how you spend your time off, Brad?’ Sapphire asked, forking a mouthful of spaghetti alla carbonara. Although she had initially been intimidated, Brad was surprisingly easy to be around and Sapphire was feeling more relaxed by the minute.
Brad smiled ruefully. ‘Days like this are few and far between unfortunately. My work seems to have a habit of taking precedence.’
‘Yeah, but you don’t have to work, do you?’ asked Madison. ‘I wouldn’t if I had all this.’
‘I do it because I enjoy it,’ he said, smiling. ‘Music is my passion. I’d work even if I wasn’t getting paid.’
Madison looked puzzled at this revelation. ‘Oh.’
‘What about you, Sapphire?’ Brad said, turning to her. ‘You work in a music shop, don’t you? It must be pretty interesting.’
‘Yeah, Jerry, the guy who owns it, is really nice. He helps me out a lot with my own music.’ Sapphire went red as both Simonetta and Madison looked at her contemptuously.
‘I’m looking forward to hearing some of your stuff,’ said Brad. ‘Your mum said it had kind of an Amy Winehouse-vibe.’
Sapphire’s heart skipped a beat. ‘Er… I’m all right with lyrics, it’s just the melodies.’
Brad smiled understandingly. ‘That old chestnut, eh? It’ll come.’
‘Do you really think so?’ she asked eagerly.
He shrugged. ‘Sure. Anything’s possible if you work hard enough. I started out in life with an overnight bag and a couple of quid to my name.’ It was well known that Brad had arrived in London from a sleepy town in Devon and worked his way up to the big time.
‘Quid?’ asked Madison, looking puzzled.
He chuckled. ‘Quid, dosh, wonger, however you want to say it.’
‘Brad means money,’ Sapphire said, smiling at Madison.
Madison returned the smile, happy they were back on familiar ground. ‘Money makes the world go round, right?’
Brad studied her. ‘Do you really think that?’
‘Uh? Yeah!’
Brad said nothing as he stared out to sea.
Sapphire smoothed down her dress, checking herself for the umpteenth time in the mirror. The short, strapless number from Miss Selfridge was a bit daring for her, but her mum had encouraged her to buy it on one of their rare shopping trips. ‘You’ve got such a lovely figure, darling!’ Leonie had told her. ‘You should show it off more.’
Showing it off is what I am doing tonight, Sapphire thought. She had to admit the dress looked pretty good, and even better with the black heels her mother had insisted on buying her as well. Shaking her blow-dried hair over her shoulders, Sapphire applied a coat of lip-gloss, took a deep breath and walked out.
The house was strangely silent for a party and Sapphire had heard no guests arriving. Maybe they’re all being brought in on Brad’s yacht, she thought. As she reached the staircase, she saw Maggie standing at the bottom. On catching sight of Sapphire, the friendly housekeeper let out a happy gasp.
‘Don’t you look like a princess! Come down here so I can have a proper look at you.’
Careful not to trip up, Sapphire slowly made her way down the stairs.
Maggie’s eyes lit up in approval. ‘Such a darling dress. Don’t you think so, Raphael?’
Sapphire jumped. She hadn’t realised the rude boy from yesterday was standing in the hallway. His green eyes seemed to burn into her as he gave her a contemptuous look.
‘I will see you later, Maggie.’
‘Don’t mind him,’ Maggie said as Raphael stalked off. ‘That’s just Raphael’s way.’
Well, I don’t like his way, Sapphire thought. It’s rude. ‘Why is he here, Maggie? He doesn’t seem to fit in.’
Maggie chuckled. ‘Brad found him on the street in Rome, busking. He’s a music student, a rare talent, Brad says. They got talking and when Brad found out Raphael was busking to pay his way through college, he invited him to be his chauffeur for the summer instead. Brad likes nurturing young protégés.’
‘I don’t think Raphael likes me very much,’ Sapphire ventured.
Maggie smiled. ‘Don’t take it personally. Raphael’s… complicated. He doesn’t find it easy to relate to people.’
‘Right,’ said Sapphire. Like that explained anything. Maybe he just didn’t like brunettes or something. She asked a question that had been troubling her instead.
‘Maggie, where are all the other guests?’
The housekeeper smiled knowingly. ‘All good things come to those who wait.’
The three girls were waiting expectantly in the drawing-room. Madison had already surveyed Sapphire’s outfit with distaste. Now she looked Simonetta’s black silk jumpsuit up and down.
‘You say it’s Gucci? Looks fake to me.’
Simonetta made a ‘pff’ sound, giving Madison the once-over back. ‘I didn’t realise it was prom night.’
Madison looked down at her baby-blue sequinned mini-dress. ‘Er, hello? This is Dolce and Gabanna.’
‘They must have been having an off day,’ Simonetta sniffed.
It was a minute past seven when Brad walked in. ‘Girls, you look fabulous. Shall we?’ He gestured towards the door. In curious silence they followed him out of the house and down the garden path towards the beach. Hundreds of candles lit their way and at the end of them, Sapphire could see a gazebo ablaze with fairy lights and more candles. In the gathering gloom it looked magical. Brad led them inside, to where an ice bucket containing a bottle of champagne stood in one corner, along with four glasses.
‘When’s everyone else arriving?’ Madison asked, her eyes scanning the sweeping gardens.
Brad smiled. ‘Everyone’s here.’
‘But…’ Madison looked in confusion at Brad and then at Sapphire and Simonetta. ‘I don’t understand.’
There was a long silence before Brad spoke again. ‘Girls, I’m going to cut to the chase. I’ve brought you here under false pretences.’
Sapphire’s heart began to quicken. The atmosphere could be cut with a knife as the three girls listened to what he had to say.
‘It is my fiftieth birthday party,’ Brad said. ‘That much is true. But the reason I only invited the three of you is…’ He stopped, seemingly stuck for words. ‘That is to say… The reason you’re here is because I thought it would be a good chance to meet my…’
He looked at them all
, face serious.
‘A good chance to meet my daughters.’
Chapter ten
There was a stunned silence.
‘O. M. Fricking G!’ Madison crowed. ‘I always knew that loser Frank was way too un-cool to be my dad!’
Sapphire was barely aware of Madison’s shrieks. Her heart was pounding, blood rushing through her ears as she tried to take it in. Brad Masters, her father? He couldn’t be! Her father was Bill! She thought of the cherished photo up in her bedroom. Suddenly the image of Bill’s face in her mind seemed blurred, as if her whole world was slowly sliding away from her.
‘You’re not my dad!’ she cried, aware of the tears pouring down her cheeks.
Brad took a step towards her, his face pained. ‘Sapphire…’
‘Don’t touch me!’ she yelled and turned to run out of the gazebo. She pelted up the garden path, kicking her heels off halfway, stones and grass scratching her feet. As she rounded the corner, she ran into something warm and solid.
‘Whoa there!’ said Cam. He grabbed hold of both of her arms and then saw her tear-stained face. ‘Hey, are you all right?’
Sapphire wriggled out of his strong grip and ran. When she got through the front door, she whirled up the stairs to her bedroom. The photo was sitting there on the bedside table — Sapphire picked it up and clutched it to her chest.
‘You’re not my dad!’ she shouted out towards the open window. Curling up in a ball on the bed, she started sobbing.
A few minutes later she became aware of another person in the room. Maggie was standing there, her pleasant, wrinkled face full of concern. ‘Oh, duckie,’ she said. ‘Mr Masters asked me to come and see if you were OK.’
The kindly tone of her voice set Sapphire off again. ‘He’s not my dad, he can’t be!’ she sobbed. ‘Bill is my dad. He rode a motorbike and he used to tell me bedtime stories. He loved my mother and me very much and he died when I was ten…’
Maggie came and sat down on the bed and put a warm hand on her shoulder. ‘No one is going to take Bill away from you,’ she said. ‘Mr Masters knows he hasn’t been a part of your lives, but he would like to start now, if you’ll let him. You know, as far as fathers go, you could do worse than him. He’s a good man.’
‘This is my dad,’ Sapphire said, showing her the photo of Bill. ‘My mum met him at a music festival.’
Maggie smiled sadly. ‘Oh darlin’.’ She hesitated. ‘Maybe you should call your mam and talk to her about it.’
Sapphire nodded. Leonie would tell her it wasn’t true.
‘I’ll bring you a nice hot cup of tea,’ Maggie said. Giving her another pat on the shoulder, she left. Sapphire got her mobile and switched it on. As she scrolled down to ‘home’ and it started ringing, her hands were shaking so much she almost dropped it.
Leonie answered after ten rings, sounding a bit out of breath. ‘Hello?’
‘It’s me.’
‘Hello, darling! I was just putting some things away.’ Her tone sounded anxious. ‘How are you getting on?’
‘Is Brad Masters my dad?’ Sapphire asked, voice trembling. Her mother was going to tell her it was all a sick joke, she knew it.
There was a short silence.
‘So he’s told you then.’ Her mum’s voice was tight with worry and expectation.
‘He’s told me, but that doesn’t mean it’s true, Mum!’ she shouted. ‘Tell me it’s not true. Bill’s my dad!’
Leonie’s voice wavered. ‘Oh, Sapphire, I wish you didn’t have to hear it like this, but I thought it was the best way. Please believe me, darling, Brad and I talked about it…’
Shock rippled through Sapphire. ‘You’ve known all along?’
‘Yes, but Sapphire, we weren’t going behind your back or anything. I just thought you could get to know your father a bit first…’
My father? Her mother had actually said the word. Sapphire knew Leonie was telling the truth.
‘Leave me alone,’ she cried and threw the phone across the room.
In all the fuss with Sapphire, no one noticed that Simonetta had slipped away quietly. When Brad had told them he was their father she had received the news with typical haughtiness, but her mind had been whirling. Brad Masters, her father? But how? Her mother had never left the village in her life! Simonetta knew what she had to do. Walking along the beach until she found a spot with good reception, she dialled her family home. Her sister Vera picked up.
‘It’s me. Can you get Mamma?’
Her sister let out a dramatic shriek. ‘So you’re alive! Mamma has been out of her mind, how could you do this to her?’
‘Just go and get her!’ Simonetta snapped. She didn’t have time for this. She could hear Vera’s lumbering footsteps and a few moments later her mother snatched up the phone.
‘Simonetta! Why haven’t you returned any of my calls?’
Simonetta ignored her. ‘Is Brad Masters my father, Mamma?’ she asked calmly.
A scandalised gasp. ‘How can you say such a thing?’
‘Just tell me, Mamma! I know you’re lying.’
Her mother fell silent. ‘Let me take the telephone outside,’ she said eventually. ‘It is more private there.’
Simonetta listened to her mother make her way through the kitchen to the back yard. She could picture the place — the broken kitchen cupboard Papa was too lazy to fix, the never-ending line of washing blowing outside in the breeze.
‘Now we can talk more comfortably,’ her mother said. Her voice had lost some of its drama and she seemed calmer, almost resigned. ‘What is it you want to ask me again?’ she said, as if she’d forgotten.
Simonetta cast her eyes upwards. ‘For Mary’s sake, Mamma. Is Brad Masters my father?’
She could hear her mother breathing down the line. Finally she spoke. ‘I know what you think of me, Simonetta — that I am a boring old woman who has never lived. But I, too, have a past and secrets.’ She paused. ‘You must never breathe a word of this to anyone, not even to Papa. The shame would kill him.’
‘So that’s what I am — an embarrassing secret?’ Simonetta demanded.
Her mother sighed. ‘That’s not what I meant.’ She took a long, deep breath. ‘When I was young, just after I had become engaged to Papa, I had the offer of a summer job in Rome, as a waitress. Papa and my father were adamant I wasn’t to go — it was not the thing for a young girl to do, especially back then. But I was determined. Determined to get out of the little village where I had grown up, where everyone knew my business. Against their wishes I went, but with a strict promise to be back at the end of the summer.’
Simonetta listened, spellbound.
‘I was working in this expensive restaurant, where I met Brad Masters. He was a customer and he used to talk to me. I liked him because he was very handsome and seemed to care about me. One thing led to another and we started dating. Of course, I was torn with guilt over Papa, but there was something about Brad that I found irresistible.’
‘What happened next, Mamma?’
Her mother sighed. ‘At the end of the summer I knew I had to go back. Papa was waiting and Brad was starting to make a big success of himself. So I came back home and a few weeks later I found out I was pregnant. I was able to get away with it because Papa and I were, you know, together.’ Her mother gave a short, bitter laugh. ‘See what a good Catholic girl I turned out to be!’
Simonetta ignored her. ‘How did Brad find out?’
‘Because I rang and told him, the day after you were born. I wasn’t sure up until then, but the moment I saw you I knew. You looked just like him. Brad was shocked, but insisted he’d pay to help bring you up. I told him no, we had Papa to look after us. I said I wanted to tell him as a matter of principle, but it was probably best if we never spoke again.’
‘So how did he find me?’
Her mother made a weary sound. ‘I do not know, maybe the surname from when you started modelling. Brad knew I was engaged to a Mastrangelo. Maybe he saw you and reali
sed it was not a coincidence. Brad Masters has ways of finding out things, Simonetta.’
Simonetta sat down heavily on the sand. It was hard to take it all in.
Her mother’s voice was softer now. ‘So tell me, Simonetta, do you hate me more than ever? I know I’ve always been tough on you. I just didn’t want you to go the same way as me.’
Simonetta smiled in the darkness. ‘No, Mamma, in a funny way it’s made me understand you better.’
She ended the call and stared out to sea. She’d always known that there was something special about her, something that made her different from the rest of her family. And now she knew what it was.
Brad Masters was her father. And that meant a one-way ticket to riches and luxury.
Chapter eleven
The three girls stood in the drawing-room, waiting. Madison tried her phone again for the umpteenth time.
‘Why doesn’t my stupid mom turn her phone on? She’s only gone into hospital for chin lipo.’
Sapphire looked at her, not quite believing Madison was so shallow. Not quite believing she was Sapphire’s half-sister. The thought seemed to hit them all at once.
Madison and Simonetta looked at each other. ‘I suppose you and I got our height from him,’ Madison said. ‘Unlike the runt over there.’
Simonetta took Sapphire’s chin in her hand roughly, making her wince. ‘Oi!’
‘Hmm, I suppose you could say we have the same eyes,’ Simonetta said, scrutinising Sapphire’s face. ‘Not that you can tell under those eyebrows.’ She dropped Sapphire’s chin abruptly.
Just then the door opened and Brad came in. He looked at them, taking in Sapphire’s puffy red eyes. ‘I haven’t handled this very well. Sapphire, I’m sorry to have upset you.’
She stared at the floor, refusing to meet his gaze.
Brad sighed. ‘Girls, I didn’t just bring you here to make that revelation. There’s another reason. A very important reason.’