“Oh so now I am the immature one,” Clayton said, angrily. “But aren’t I always the one? Unlike Matt. Perfect, forgiving, gentle-hearted Matt,” he spat out sarcastically. “Ain’t that a surprise?”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Clayton. You’re my brother. Of course, I’d favor you. But not when you’re behaving so childishly.”
She reached for his arm and stroked it fondly. “Let’s just forget it all, shall we?” she soothed tenderly. “Everyone here is curious about Kate. You haven’t formally introduced her. Why don’t I get her and let’s make a proper announcement of your engagement? Yeah?”
His temples pulsed from his bottled rage. “What engagement?”
He shrugged her off and started walking away.
Leah stared after him shocked. “Don’t be silly, Clayton,” she said, racing behind him. “Fine, we won’t make any announcements. But don’t take it out on Kate. She doesn’t know anything about you and Matt. It isn’t her fault.”
He continued to walk angrily into the house. “I’m going into the study and I don’t want to be disturbed.”
“Clayton,” she urged again.
He stopped. His fists were in a tight grip on the knob of the study door. “She’s a whore, Leah,” he said, before stepping into the study.
“Clayton,” she uttered in shock. “There is no need to…”
“She’s a prostitute. I hired her to play my fiancée.”
Leah froze, her skin prickled with a sickening stupor. “I don’t believe you. You’re just angry…”
“You can confirm it with Bob Whitton. He’s right here. He’s the one who hired her.”
“But why?” she asked, still in obvious disbelief.
“Why? Why?” he minced, angrily. “Because of you all. You, Mom, Dad, Grandma and all those people out there who would be feeling sorry for me because I failed to get myself a woman, yet again, to another family function. Poor Clayton,” he mimicked harshly. “Has all the business sense but no charm to seduce a proper woman. No, it would be all Matt again. Matt this and Matt that. It doesn’t simply occur to anyone that I don’t want a wife or a fiancée. I don’t need one.”
“I didn’t know you felt so strongly about it,” Leah said, almost in a whisper. “It was just expected since you are the only remaining male Reid to carry on the bloodline. But still, Clayton, there was no need for the pretense.”
“No? And you say it in the same sentence as ‘expected’. Do you even know how burdensome that expectation is? You and everyone else were bloody drooling when you thought I had a fiancée. And to have you all off my backs for once, was peaceful.”
“You lied to your family, Clayton,” Leah said, gritting her teeth. “That was a reprehensible and lowly thing to do. There is no excuse for that. And the only reason we were ‘drooling’ as you put it, was because Kate is truly a beautiful person. Her politeness and her loving nature won us over entirely because of the person she is. She was engaged to you was only a small part of that ‘drooling’. Believe me, it was a very, very, very small part of it.”
“You can say all that about her even when you know she was pretending?”
“Probably she was,” Leah said, flatly. “But I can tell you something right now. It’s awfully hard keeping up with that pretense five days in a row and even when you were not around.”
“Well then,” he parried irascibly. “She’s a fine actress.”
Leah glared at him, at a loss with words. “I’ll leave you to brood, like you usually do, Clayton. And while you’re at it, think about the hurt you’ve caused your family. Not counting the embarrassment and shame you’ve brought upon us. That is if you’ve got any ounce of conscience left in your bones.”
She left him standing in the study, his eyes focused on the metal ball clicker on his father’s desk, and his mind on the consequences of his actions.
*****
Kate smiled as she strolled back to the house. It was a wonderful feeling to be accepted so lovingly into the family. Her nervousness dwindled away as she continued to chat with Matt. He eased her tremendously.
He had pointed out the guests to her and gave her a small briefing on each. She knew she would never remember it all, but it did alleviate her apprehension of the so many strange faces around her.
Matt had left soon after to mingle with more of the guests. She had urged him on, feeling guilty of keeping him by her side for most of the evening.
She saw Leah and her husband huddled in the corner of the lounge room. Leah looked pale as Armand appeared to comfort her. Olivia was rushing over to Leah, looking as worried. She wondered if she should join them. Wasn’t it expected of her? After all she was supposedly going to be married into the family?
She stalled at her spot, watching them, unsure of what to do. But then Leah lifted her head, catching her eye. Kate gave her a small smile. However Leah continued to stare at her in that sickly, pallid way. Her smile evaporated, her instincts telling her something had gone terribly wrong. Her heart beat fast. Was it Clayton? Something had happened to Clayton?
Her body went into automated pilot and she found herself moving swiftly towards them. Olivia and Armand turned towards her in a state of confusion.
Leah pushed Armand aside as he tried to hold her back.
“We have to tell her,” she was saying. “She needs to know.”
“Tell me what?” Kate asked.
Leah turned to her. “We know, Kate.”
Kate looked at her in puzzlement. “Know what?”
“We know about you and Clayton. We know it all. We know who you are, why you’re here. We know it’s all a lie,” Leah sputtered angrily.
Shock washed over Kate. It seemed all her blood suddenly began to draw away from her face. The walls closed in on her and the noise and chatter of all those around her were fading away, as her mind slowly began to grasp on the meaning of Leah’s words. We know…who you are…it’s all a lie…lie …lie!!
She staggered at her spot, her legs quivering under her. Tears stung her eyes. Was it Bob Whitton? She had seen him arrive to the party. He was the only one who knew about her.
“How…?” she muttered, her mind still refusing to believe that her fears of being discovered was now finally coming to pass. This is all a bad dream…I must wake up…bad dream…bad dream…wake…wake
“Clayton told me everything,” Leah replied flatly.
Her tears escaped her eyes, pouring down her face. The room began to spin about her. Her heart ached. Nausea drowned her. She needed to escape them. Where would she go? She withdrew slowly, stumbling at her feet.
“Leah…I’m…sorry,” she mumbled. Her eyes wandered over to Olivia and Armand. “I’m sorry.”
She turned around and began walking towards her room in a stomach-lurching stupor. It was a wonder she made it. She closed the door behind her and began to weep. Clayton told them? Clayton…Clayton…Clayton.
She waited for him all night but he never came back to their room. Finally her eyes had worn out on her. Unable to shed another tear, she had drifted off to sleep.
She awoke early in the morning. The house was painfully silent. She rose out of bed and began to wash out any remaining nausea.
But her tears returned as she recalled Leah’s words. Why had Clayton done it? Why last night? Why had he embarrassed her like that?
She began packing her clothes. She needed to get off the island. Somehow, someway. Her mind raced quickly on how to escape it. She didn’t have the courage to face the family again. She was an outsider, an outcast. She didn’t belong here. She was neither family nor friend. I know who you are, she remembered Leah say. Who she was…who was she? What had Clayton told her?
The door flung open. She shot up. It was Clayton. The dark circles around his eyes told her he didn’t have much of a good night either. Was it due to her? She returned to her packing. She highly doubted it. He must have had a good night with his friends, laughing at her, mocking her. She wiped the tears from her eyes.
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“What are you doing?” he asked.
“I’m leaving,” she said.
“And how are you going to do that?”
She straightened up. “I’ll find a way.”
“What would you tell them? That you’re running away? It looks suspicious.”
She stared at him incredulously. “After all you’ve done, you can’t expect me to believe that you’re still worried about the reputation of your family? What about me, Clayton? How am I supposed to look your family in the eye?”
“Stay. And we’ll leave later in the day.”
She picked up her bag and started walking towards the door.
He caught her hand and pulled her back. “I said stay. I told you I’d take you. How are you going to leave anyway?”
She jerked her hand away. “And I told you I’d find a way,” she snapped. “Perhaps Matt will take me to Sitka.” She was muttering to herself, figuring it out.
“Matt!” he minced angrily. “You will not go to Matt! You will in fact stay away from him!”
He grabbed her arm, swinging her back to him. His fingers dug into her flesh and she cried out in pain.
“Let me go!” she shot at him. “No more! You will no longer tell me what I should or should not do! You have no right! No right!”
He dropped his hand. His face turned sallow. “Give me a few minutes,” he mumbled. “And I’ll get the chopper ready. Please.”
She nodded. She watched him change into a fresh set of clothes, and then walk out to prepare for their departure.
She sat on the edge of the bed, heaving. A new onslaught of sobs overpowered her. At last, she could leave this place, this people, this incident behind her.
*****
She had dared not walk out of her room. She sat waiting on the bed for Clayton to come and get her.
A soft knock rapped on her door.
“Kate?” Leah called out.
Kate froze. Should she answer her? What would she say? She gulped nervously. She hated confrontations.
She walked reluctantly to the door and opened it slowly.
“Kate,” Leah said again.
Kate moved away to let her in.
Leah wringed her hands. She looked more nervous than Kate did.
“You’ve packed,” she started.
Kate looked at her bags sullenly.
“I heard Clayton talking to the grounds men about preparing the helicopter,” Leah tried again.
Kate nodded.
“I need to tell you something,” Leah said. “I don’t know how much I played in this…”
“It isn’t your fault, Leah,” Kate cut in quickly.
“No, please Kate,” Leah insisted. “Hear me out.” She gulped. “Last night… maybe I should have told you about Matt. Clayton and Matt were once very close. Nothing could separate them. Until well… Melanie.” She stopped as she recalled the details of the past. “Clayton met Melanie during his university days in New York. On the night of their graduation, Clayton proposed to Melanie and she accepted. To celebrate the proposal and graduation, Clayton threw a small party and naturally Matt was one of those who attended. Matt and Melanie instantly were attracted to each other. However, they kept their feelings buried for Clayton’s sake. Matt remained in touch with Melanie in the hope they could at least be friends. But things just grew worse. Finally, when they no longer could deny how they felt for each other, they decided to tell Clayton.
As you now know, Clayton didn’t take it too well. But anyone could have read that it was more about pride with Clayton than anything else. That’s why we never really blamed Matt for stealing Clayton’s bride.
In all fairness, Dad saw potential in Matt and employed him as Director to his company. You’ve probably guessed that Dad and Clayton aren’t the best of friends. They’ve always clashed in every way, be it house or business. Clayton always had been envious of Dad’s love for Matt, even as a child. But in comparison to Melanie, he found that tolerable. It doesn’t go without saying that Clayton is absolutely unreasonable on those grounds. Dad was just sterner with Clayton because Clayton’s his son and he wanted to make certain he grew into a fine man. And well also…Clayton can be quite stubborn.”
Kate gave her a small empathetic smile. She, of all people, understood Clayton’s troublesome quality.
“This blew Clayton apart and he split from Dad’s company, determined to make it on his own,” Leah continued. “However, Clayton doesn’t know that Dad gave him his first break. When he found out that Clayton was trying to make his first merger but didn’t have the finance to meet the price, Dad willingly paid the difference without Clayton’s knowledge. He still thinks the small business he was buying was so desperate to sell that they had no choice but to accept his meager offer.
Of course, whatever Clayton is since then, he is his own man. Dad cannot be any more proud to have a son like him. But sometimes Clayton can be too harsh and…” She broke away briefly. “I guess that’s why he pretended to have a fiancée. He wanted to prove something to both Dad and Matt. He knew Matt was separated from Melanie now and I suppose he was trying to rub it in his face. It wasn’t right but years of envy and hatred can do that to you. Even to the best of people. And Clayton is just an ordinary man.”
They both stood in awkward silence. Leah fidgeted with the hems of her shirt.
“Kate,” Leah said finally. “That’s why I wanted to apologize. I shouldn’t have screamed at you last night. It isn’t your fault. I mean… it was Clayton who hired your services. You were just doing what you were paid to do. I was angry and didn’t think too clearly. And then this morning…I just felt so bad. You’ve been so nice. And I really enjoyed spending these past few days with you…”
She was babbling.
Kate stopped her. “No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done what I did. I should never have accepted this job, no matter how lucrative the money was. I’m terribly sorry for hurting you all.”
Leah gave her a small smile. She reached out for her hand and clasped it fondly.
Kate stood at the bedroom window, staring out at the woods. She would cherish the days she had spent on the island. She would never have believed that she would miss it. But most of all she regretted hurting the people who had given her so much in such a short time. And even though she appreciated Leah’s attempt to give her a more polite, compromising leave, she would never truly believe that she was completely excused from participating in the lie. And then there was her reputation… as a prostitute. Would they ever believe that Clayton was her one and only client? Regardless, she imagined them say she was still a prostitute; no longer on par with their social standing, not credible enough to qualify even as an acquaintance.
Another knock rapped on her door. Who could it be this time?
“Kate, it’s Grandma.”
Kate paled. She could never face her. No, she mustn’t. She must hide… she must…
Her thoughts stabbed at her. Her heart raced. What could she do?
She opened the door and stepped aside to let the older woman into her room. Hanging her head in shame, she waited for her to barrage her with rebukes.
“Clayton’s waiting for you to join him at the helicopter,” Grandma said. “Are you ready to leave?”
“Grandma…,” Kate started, but then whispered a soft ‘yes’.
“Good,” Grandma said. “Then I’ll get Carl to get your things.” And at the mere mention of his name, a sturdy, middle aged man walked into her room to take her bags.
Kate pointed out her luggage and he swiftly carried them out.
“Can I walk with you to the veranda?” asked Grandma.
“Um…,” was all Kate could say. She didn’t know what was happening. She was still waiting for an earful.
Instead Grandma wound her arm around hers and walked her out of the room.
They were quiet until they reached the veranda. The helicopter was whirring on its helipad in the short distance.
“I don’t k
now why it is you do what you do,” Grandma said slowly, her eyes on the chopper. “But I’m trying not to judge. You must have a reason. I will not ask of it, though. I don’t expect you to explain yourself.” She sighed tiredly. “Undoubtedly, what both you and Clayton have done has hurt us. That doesn’t take away from the fact that we loved you while you were with us.” She turned to Kate and smiled. “You’re beautiful, child. And I will miss you.”
She indicated for Carl to come closer. He carried a small painting in his hand which he handed over to the elderly woman.
“I never told you I painted, did I?” she smiled as she passed it over to Kate.
Kate looked up at Grandma, befuddled. “But…”
“It’s a painting of Willem and Anya,” she said. “I remember you were quite taken by their story.”
It certainly was. There was Willem kissing Anya under the shade of a tree. Grandma had accurately captured the essence of the island, the breeze in the leaves of the trees and if she stared long enough into it, she believed she would also be able to hear the roar of the ocean, its waves crashing against the rocks.
She teared again and she bit her lips to prevent them from falling. “Grandma… I’m sorry…thank you…,” she stuttered. “I mean… I’m sorry about what we did. I didn’t want to hurt anyone. But I did…” She gulped. “That’s why I can’t take this. I don’t deserve it. It’s too beautiful…”
“Child, you’re going to insult me if you refuse,” Grandma growled. She rubbed Kate’s arms tenderly. “We make mistakes. And that painting’s not because you made one. That painting is for the precious time you spent with me… with all of us. And I’m sorry that my grandson got you involved in this mess. But I will not be sorry that we met you.” She moved away and began hobbling towards her room. “Take care now, child.”
Kate stared after her, finally able to release those tears clogging her eyes.
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