An elderly couple entered the garden and stopped by an information board next to them. It was like one of those annoying moments when a waiter interrupts a conversation to ask if you’re ready to order. The sisters waited for the couple to move on before Sarah continued.
‘I feel so ashamed of myself when I think about what I did to you. I know how you felt about Alec, and—’
‘It doesn’t matter,’ Mia said.
‘What?’
‘I said it doesn’t matter anymore. I don’t want to keep thinking about the past,’ Mia said. ‘I’ve agonized over it enough, and I think it’s time to move on now.’
‘I need to apologize to you,’ Sarah said. ‘We can’t ignore what happened.’
‘I know,’ Mia said. ‘That’s why I came here today, and there’s another reason too.’
‘What is it?’ Sarah asked gently, observing her sister closely. She was avoiding eye contact which pained Sarah. Mia looked as if she were being interrogated by an enemy rather than talking to her sister, and Sarah was desperate to reach out and hold her hands in her own.
Mia swallowed hard. ‘I didn’t know how to tell you,’ she said. ‘I still don’t, so I’ll show you, instead.’ She reached into her handbag and brought out a photo of a young boy and handed it to her sister.
Sarah looked at it for a moment without speaking. The resemblance was startling, from the mass of dark curls to the beautiful bright eyes and rosy cheeks. ‘You’ve had a baby?’
Mia nodded.
‘Oh, my goodness!’ Sarah said, realization dawning on her. ‘I’m an auntie?’
‘Yes,’ Mia said. ‘You’ve been an auntie for two years.’
Sarah gasped and a hand flew dramatically to her mouth in the sort of gesture that was far more common for Mia. ‘I can’t believe it.’
‘It’s true,’ Mia said. ‘Look, I’ve got another photo of him somewhere when he was a baby. You’ll love it.’ She delved into her handbag and brought out a little notebook with a silhouette of Jane Austen on the cover. Opening it up, she took out a tiny photograph of a baby boy.
‘This was taken just after he was born.’
‘Oh!’ Sarah said, seeming to have lost the power of speech.
‘And this one was taken a few days ago,’ Mia said, handing her a third photo. This one was of him on a swing in the park. He was wearing a scarlet hat and his cheeks matched the hat perfectly.
‘What’s his name?’
‘William,’ Mia said. ‘William Fitz Castle.’
Sarah nodded and smiled. ‘A lovely variation of Fitzwilliam,’ she said.
‘I couldn’t burden him with Darcy’s real name.’
Sarah sat looking at the three photographs. Here was a lovely little boy—her very own nephew—and she had missed seeing him being born. She hadn’t been there when he’d learned to crawl or taken his first steps or spoken his first words, and that knowledge tore into her heart as keenly as a knife.
Mia seemed to realize what her sister was thinking. ‘You would have loved him as a baby. He was always laughing. I’ve been so lucky with him.’
‘How do you take care of him? What about your auditions?’
‘They’ve had to take second place. Third place, really. I have a neighbor who takes care of William when I’m working. She adores him.’
‘I had no idea,’ Sarah said.
‘Of course you didn’t. How could you?’
Sarah felt a strange fluttery feeling in her stomach.
‘He’s Alec’s, isn’t he?’
There was a pause before Mia answered. ‘Yes,’ she said.
Sarah nodded. ‘Does he know?’
Mia shook her head. ‘I wondered if I should tell him, but I didn’t feel it was right. He’s here in Bath, you know.’
‘What?’
Mia nodded. ‘He said he wanted to see me.’
Sarah frowned. ‘What did he want to see you about?’
Mia sighed.
‘Tell me, Mia. Now’s not the time to hide anything.’
‘He wanted us to have another go.’
‘What?’
‘I know. I couldn’t believe it either.’
‘What did he say?’
‘I—’
‘Tell me! I need to know.’
Mia sighed. ‘He said he’d made a mistake. He said he wanted to be with me.’
Sarah felt hot tears pricking her eyes.
‘I told him what I thought of him and how he obviously hadn’t given things with you a proper chance.’
‘You told him that?’
Mia nodded. ‘He hasn’t been fair to you.’
‘How can you be so understanding after all I’ve done to you?’
‘Because you’re my sister,’ Mia whispered.
‘Oh, God!’ Sarah said at last. There was a pause for a moment when they both sat looking at each other. ‘Everything’s such an awful mess, isn’t it?’
‘Yes,’ Mia said, ‘but I think we might be able to work a way through it, don’t you?’
Sarah nodded, and her first tears spilled down her cheeks. ‘I hope so. I really hope so.’
‘Don’t cry! You’ll make me cry too.’
‘You should have told me, Mia,’ Sarah cried. ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’
‘I so wanted to, but it didn’t seem right.’
‘It would have changed everything.’
Mia sighed. ‘I didn’t want it to. Alec chose you, not me.’
‘But that was wrong of him. He had no right to marry me, not when—’
‘It doesn’t matter,’ Mia interrupted. ‘Not now.’
‘How can you ever forgive me, when I’ll never forgive myself?’
‘You must try to forgive yourself, Sarah. We’ve got to try to put all this behind us.’
‘You were so mad at me last night, though. You didn’t want to speak to me at all.’
‘I know,’ Mia said. ‘I’m sorry. I think I was just shocked to see you there, but I’ve been thinking about everything. My head hurts from thinking so much.’
‘Mine does too.’
‘And I just…’ she paused.
‘What?’
‘I just want my sister back.’
Suddenly they embraced and tears flowed freely down both their faces. They didn’t even notice the young family that entered the garden, nor did they see the baffled little girl pointing a stubby finger at them crying on the garden seat.
‘I can’t believe we let somebody come between us,’ Sarah said when the tears finally stopped. ‘I’ve missed you so much.’
‘I’ve missed you too. I’ve felt as though I’ve been only half here.’
‘Me too,’ Sarah said. ‘That’s exactly how I’ve felt.’
‘There’s been so much I’ve wanted to share with you,’ Mia continued, ‘and I don’t just mean the big things, like having a baby, but silly little things too, like the first time I dressed William and took him out for a walk. It felt like the biggest adventure in the world, and I really wanted to share it with you.’
‘When can I see him?’ Sarah asked.
‘Whenever you want to.’
‘Gosh! I want to seem right now. He’s not here in Bath with you, is he?’
‘No. He’s in London.’
‘We have so much time to make up,’ Sarah said.
‘I know,’ Mia said, ‘but we can start straightaway, can’t we?’
Sarah nodded, her eyes full of tears once again.
‘I’m leaving London,’ Mia said.
‘Really?’
Mia nodded. ‘It’s time. I’ve been miserable there. I thought it was what I wanted, but when William came along, everything changed. I’m not the person I used to be. I want different things now.’
‘Where will you go?’
‘Here.’
‘Here? Bath?’
‘Yes. Shelley’s said I can have her spare room. She’s been looking for a tenant for ages.’
‘And she knows about William
?’
‘She does,’ Mia said. ‘I can’t believe it, but she can’t wait for us to move in.’
‘What about your singing and your auditions? Are you really giving up on everything?’
‘I gave up on those some time ago.’
Sarah looked sad. ‘But your singing was your whole world.’
‘Not anymore.’
‘Gosh,’ Sarah said, ‘I’m just trying to imagine my little sister as a mother. I always assumed that would be my role first.’
‘And it will happen. I’m sure of it.’
‘Just not with Alec,’ Sarah said.
‘No, not with Alec.’
During a pause they watched as a young couple walked around the garden together. They were holding hands, and the two sisters watched their progress.
‘I’ve met someone,’ Mia said suddenly.
‘Really? When?’
‘This week, here in Bath,’ Mia said.
‘You have? So have I!’
‘Really? Oh, God! He isn’t called Gabe, is he?’
‘No, Lloyd.’
Mia breathed a sigh of relief. ‘It wouldn’t do for us to fall in love with the same man again, would it?’
‘Er—no. Let’s not do that again.’
They left the Georgian Garden and walked the length of the Gravel Walk toward the city centre.
‘Did you hear they’ve made a new version of Persuasion?’ Sarah asked.
‘Yes!’ Mia said. ‘And Oli Wade Owen was right here in Bath. I can’t believe I missed him.’
‘I read he’s getting married,’ Sarah said. ‘To that director woman, Teresa Hudson. Apparently they have a daughter.’
‘I read that too.’
‘There seems to be a lot of secret children about,’ Sarah said.
Mia blushed.
They stopped at the top of some steps, and Sarah linked Mia’s arm. ‘I think you should tell Alec,’ she said in a low voice.
Mia bit her lip and then nodded. ‘Everybody thinks I should.’
‘Will you?’
‘I wish that I didn’t have to have anything more to do with him, but I think it would be unfair of me to make that decision for my son too.’
‘Is Alec still here in Bath?’
‘I’m not sure. I saw him yesterday, but he might have left by now.’
Sarah reached inside her handbag and scribbled a phone number on a piece of notepaper. ‘This is his number. Give him a call.’
Mia took a deep breath. ‘Okay.’
‘It’s the right thing to do.’
‘I know it is.’
They hugged, and Sarah felt a tumultuous mix of emotions.
‘Call me, won’t you?’
Mia nodded, and a tear rolled down her left cheek.
‘I don’t want to leave you,’ Sarah said. ‘I’m so scared I won’t see you again.’
‘You will,’ Mia said. ‘I promise.’
‘Send William my love.’
‘I don’t need to. You can give it to him yourself when you meet him.’
Sarah smiled. She’d never felt happier in her life.
Chapter 41
Shelley was pacing up and down the kitchen whilst Pie was trying to make a cup of tea in the corner of the room.
‘She said she’d ring as soon as she could. Why hasn’t she rung? I’ve tried her phone, but it just goes to voice mail.’ She put her phone down on the kitchen table. ‘I know she’s got a lot to think about now, but I wish she’d remember me too. I’m worried about her, and I wish she knew that I cared so much. I sometimes wonder if she knows that.’
‘You’re stressed,’ Pie said from the other side of the room.
‘You’re damned right, I’m stressed,’ she said, and then registered that Pie hadn’t just grunted as usual but had spoken real words.
‘Come on,’ he said, walking across the room.
‘Come on where?’
‘Upstairs.’
Shelley frowned but followed him upstairs. ‘What are we doing?’
‘Come in here,’ he said, opening his bedroom door.
She looked up at him. His face was dark and serious, but there was nothing unusual in that. She stepped into his room. It was the first time she’d been invited into it. She had taken a few sneaky peeks into it when Pie was out, but it was quite a different experience to be invited in.
She looked around the room. It was stark, as rooms went, apart from the feminine touches Shelley had placed there, such as the blue floral curtains and matching lamp shade. Everything was pretty much in its place. There were no clothes on the floor or drawers spilling out their contents. There was also a curious smell.
‘What is that?’ Shelley asked.
‘Ylang-ylang.’
‘Pardon?’
‘Take your shirt off.’
‘What?’
‘And sit on the bed.’
‘Pie!’ Shelley’s hands were firmly on her hips and her forehead crinkled in bemusement.
‘Go on,’ he said.
‘I’m not taking my shirt off. I’m not wearing anything underneath.’
‘I’ll turn away,’ he said. ‘Take your shirt off and hug it to your chest.’
Something in the tone of his voice reassured her that he wasn’t up to anything suspicious.
‘Ready?’ he said a moment later.
Shelley was sitting on the edge of the bed and almost leapt right off it when she felt his hands on her shoulders.
‘What are you doing?’ Shelley asked in alarm.
‘Sit still and relax,’ he said, and once again, she smelled the warm and exotic scent. He was massaging her!
‘Oh, my God!’ she exclaimed.
‘Stop talking.’
Shelley heard a sudden crack in her shoulder. ‘Oh! Was that me?’
‘I’m just ironing out your kinks. You have quite a few.’
‘Yes, I’m very kinky,’ she said with a giggle.
‘Shush,’ he said.
‘You’re good. You should do this for a living.’
‘I do,’ he said.
‘Oh,’ Shelley said. ‘Oh!’ Suddenly all of Pie’s mysterious comings and goings made sense. He always smelled sweet. He worked the most peculiar hours. There were always women leaving messages on the house answering machine.
Shelley closed her eyes and sighed in bliss as Pie worked his way down her spine.
‘Oh, that’s so good. Hey! You’re not going to charge me for this, are you?’
Pie laughed. It was the first time she’d ever heard him laugh, and it was a delightful sound. ‘I’m sure we can work something out.’
Shelley smiled. She really hoped they could.
By the time Mia returned, Shelley was completely blissed out from her massage and had calmed down to such an extent that she didn’t feel it necessary to leap on Mia as soon as she walked through the front door.
‘You look happy,’ Mia said. ‘What’s that smell, more tea bags?’
‘No, it’s ylang-ylang. Pie gave me a massage.’
‘Really?’
‘It’s his job.’
‘Oh,’ Mia said.
‘Never mind about that now. How did it go with Sarah?’
They went through to the living room together and sat down.
‘It was… it was… strange,’ Mia said.
‘Good or bad strange?’
‘Good, I think,’ Mia said. ‘We cried a lot.’
‘And you told her about William?’
‘Of course.’
‘What did she say?’
‘She wants to see him.’
‘Well, of course. So do I,’ Shelley said. ‘What else did she say? Did you tell her about Alec in Bath?’
‘Yes.’
‘And?’ Shelley said in exasperation.
‘I think she guessed he was Alec’s as soon as she saw the photos, and she thinks I should tell him about William too.’
Shelley nodded. ‘It’s the right thing to do.’
&nbs
p; ‘I know it is, but it’s not going to be easy or pleasant.’
‘Nothing concerning that man is ever likely to be pleasant,’ Shelley said, ‘but you’ve done an amazing thing today, Mia. I’m proud of you.’
Mia nodded, and her eyes were brimful of tears once more.
‘I couldn’t bear it when you and Sarah weren’t speaking. You guys used to be the best of friends. I’ve never seen anyone closer. Boy, I’d kill to have that closeness with anyone, and I know how much it must have hurt you when you fell out like that.’
‘It’s been like walking around with an open wound for three years,’ Mia said, pushing her hair out of her face and mopping it with a tissue. ‘I’ve missed her so much. Even when I hated her, I loved her too.’
‘But it’s going to be all right now, isn’t it?’
‘I think so,’ Mia said. ‘I wish I didn’t have to see Alec again, though.’
‘Yes,’ Shelley said. ‘There’s no easy way of getting out of that, is there? Let’s not worry about that now. I think you’ve had more than enough angst for today. I’m going to make us a slap-up lunch, and then we’re going to get dressed up and go into town. I’ve got us tickets for the Dame Pamela Harcourt recital, and wait until you see the dresses I’ve lined up for us to wear!’
Dame Pamela Harcourt was one of England’s greatest actresses. She had played all the great Shakespearean roles, from Lady Macbeth to Juliet, but among the Janeites, she was more famous for her roles as Marianne Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility, and more recently, Lady Catherine de Bourgh in Pride and Prejudice.
That afternoon, she would be reading extracts from Jane Austen and taking questions from the audience.
***
The room was packed with enthusiastic fans. ‘I used to think I was going to be a huge star of the stage and screen, like Dame Pamela,’ Mia said as they took their seats three rows from the front.
‘You would have been one of England’s greats,’ Shelley assured her.
‘Yes, like Lady Catherine de Bourgh would have been “a great proficient” if only she’d learned to play the piano.’
‘No! I’ve seen you act, and you would have been fabulous.’
Mia smiled at her friend’s reassurances. ‘I guess we’ll never know now.’
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