Violet’s brow furrowed. ‘Break?’
Gemma replied. ‘Yes, it was around Libby’s sixteenth birthday. Mum had had enough of Jeb’s drinking and partying.’
Simon’s attention never left Violet. ‘We were only together for one night and I thought I made sure there wouldn’t be any consequences.’
Violet’s hand went to her chest and her breathing quickened. ‘Gemma?’
Both Gemma and Simon nodded. Fliss went into the kitchen and returned with Violet’s asthma puffer, which she placed near her.
Violet’s hand lowered but she didn’t reach for her inhaler. Instead her fingers grasped Simon’s arm. ‘You’re Gemma’s real father?’
‘I am.’
‘You have no idea how happy that makes me.’
Gemma blinked. ‘You’re not upset?’
Violet patted Simon’s arm before letting him go. ‘I’m just relieved Annette had been coming to her senses where Jeb was concerned. Lloyd and I always liked you. Are you sure?’
‘There’s no doubt,’ Gemma answered.
Ella studied Gemma’s face. They’d revealed the truth to Violet but there remained an underlying tension that kept Gemma sitting on the edge of her seat.
Gemma briefly checked her phone before sharing a look with her father. She took hold of Violet’s hand again. ‘Oma, there’s more.’
‘More?’
Gemma took a moment to answer. ‘Yes. After we realised Aunt Libby may have had a child, I put my DNA on a larger database. Three days ago I received an email about a match.’
Ella heard Fliss’s sharp intake of breath but she didn’t dare glance at her. She couldn’t look away from the shock, and then the hope, that swept across Violet’s face.
The solemn cast of Gemma’s expression didn’t change. ‘Oma, we found Libby but she isn’t who she used to be.’
Violet’s trembling hand reached for her puffer. Fliss moved to sit in the empty chair beside her.
Violet’s mouth moved but no sound emerged. She tried again. ‘She’s alive?’
Still Gemma didn’t smile. ‘She is. But there was an accident and she suffered a brain injury.’ Gemma came to her feet. ‘It also isn’t my story to tell. It’s her daughter’s.’
Gemma walked to open the door.
Simon’s quiet voice sounded as shock sabotaged everyone’s words. ‘Her name’s Thea and she’s been searching for you for years.’
Ella couldn’t remember breathing. All she knew was that as a figure stepped inside she could have sworn her heart stopped. Dressed in a simple white sundress, Thea was petite and shared Jeb’s symmetrical features. But the shade of her long brown hair and her heart-shaped face were an exact replica of Libby’s.
Thea gave everyone an uncertain smile but when her gaze found Violet her nerves appeared to ease. She went straight towards the chair Gemma had left. When Violet moved her shaking hand towards Thea, she clasped it within both of hers. Neither spoke.
Ella wiped the corner of her eyes and leaned against Saul as he put his arm around her. He kissed her temple as if understanding it was as though she were again hearing the news that Aiden had been found.
Fliss returned to the lounge to allow Gemma to sit next to her grandmother.
Violet broke the silence, her words faint. ‘You look so much like my Libby.’
‘I do … except the mum I know is called Lilibet.’
Violet’s lips trembled. ‘That’s what I called her when she was little.’
The two women smiled at each other.
‘I’m not sure how to begin,’ Thea said, glancing around at everyone. ‘It’s all a bit overwhelming.’
Violet squeezed her hand. ‘Just start where you’re comfortable, dear.’
Thea glanced at Gemma, who gave her a smile, before she again focused on Violet. ‘Gemma and I should be about the same age but I was born early so am a month older.’
Fliss caught Ella’s eye. Between Libby using a different name and Thea not being a full-term baby, it was no wonder they couldn’t find any birth record. Both looked back at Thea as she continued to speak.
‘I grew up on an orchard three hours south of here. To help pick their fruit my grandparents employed backpackers as well as casual workers. It was apple season and one day my mother turned up. She’d walked from town. It soon became obvious she was a runaway and also pregnant. My grandparents never had children and they took her in with the intention of keeping her safe and helping her return to her family. But I turned out to be a high-risk pregnancy, so Mum wasn’t well, and then I arrived before anyone expected.’
Sadness clouded Thea’s expression. ‘I was three weeks old when mum went to town. Because she didn’t have a driver’s licence she rode her bike everywhere. On the trip home she was hit by a car.’ Thea paused while Violet closed her eyes. ‘But she was a fighter and defied the odds, even if now she isn’t quite the Libby you remember. Granny and Grandpa looked after her, plus me, for as long as they could. Then Grandpa became sick and Mum had to go and live in a nursing home in town. I’m at university in Canberra but I visit her every fortnight.’
Violet’s eyes didn’t open, even when tears slid down her cheeks. Gemma moved to wipe them. ‘Oma?’
‘Libby’s alive and I have a granddaughter called Thea. This is more than I could ever have hoped for.’
When Violet again opened her eyes, Thea rubbed her hand. ‘I’d love to take you to see Mum. I understand if it’s too much or too soon.’
Violet sat taller in her chair. ‘I’m not doing anything this afternoon and neither are Gemma and Simon.’ She looked over at Ella, Saul and Fliss.
Ella spoke even though her voice would be husky. ‘We’re not, either.’
Fliss sighed. ‘As much as I’d love to come too, I’m on call.’
Violet slipped her hand from Thea’s and grasped her walking stick. She pushed herself to her feet. ‘Now, young lady, how do you take your tea?’
Over an early lunch travel plans were made, a bed and breakfast at Grenfell booked and cherished memories shared. Thea called her grandmother who invited Violet for dinner that night. Thea had explained her mother was always better in the morning so tomorrow after breakfast they would visit the nursing home.
Thea touched a photo of Libby riding a grey pony in the photo album open in front of her. A tan kelpie ran beside the pony. ‘Mum looks so happy.’
‘She was.’ Sadness lingered in Violet’s voice. ‘I just don’t know why she felt she could never tell us about you. We would have been shocked but would have supported her just like we did Annette.’
‘Mum’s never been able to talk to me about why she left but Granny put everything together. Mum was besotted with her older sister’s boyfriend and one night when he was drunk he mistook her for her sister. Mum didn’t correct him. When she realised she was pregnant, she also knew her older sister was as well. She said to Granny she couldn’t bring even more shame upon her family let alone be a burden. She’d planned to find work and to have me. She just didn’t know what she’d do after that, only that she wanted to finish school.’ Thea looked back at the picture of a young Libby. ‘She also wanted to come home.’
Ella collected the empty plates to take into the kitchen. Any more heartbreaking emotion and she’d be shedding more tears, both happy and sad. For Violet, the news that had finally brought her closure had also delivered a new granddaughter to love.
Saul followed her into the small kitchen and tugged her close. They did the washing up while Violet remained distracted.
The afternoon drive south took longer than three hours. Between stops to make sure Violet had a break and a laughter-filled stop at a coffee shop in Eugowra, they arrived at Grenfell as evening shadows dusted the main street. By now Violet’s energy was flagging and Saul too appeared weary. Even though he’d slept for much of the way while Ella drove, fatigue added a grey hue to his tan.
While he rested on the four-poster bed in the historic bed and breakfast, Ella snuc
k out to let everyone know they’d have a quiet night in while the others went to have dinner with Thea’s granny. When Ella returned Saul was already asleep.
At breakfast the next day in the quaint dining room where they enjoyed a cooked breakfast, a new peace had settled over Violet. After meeting the woman who had raised Thea and taken Libby in and cared for her as if she were her own daughter, the decades of fear that had gripped Violet appeared to have fallen away. The two women, now both on their own, had promised to see each other again soon.
When it came time to travel into Young to see Libby, Violet was the first one waiting in the hallway by the heavy wooden door.
Ella gave her a hug. ‘We’ll see Libby soon.’
‘Thank you.’ Violet looked at Saul. ‘Both of you. This day would never have come without you.’
Saul bent to kiss Violet’s cheek. ‘Or you.’
Gemma and Simon joined them and their two-car convoy left to meet Thea in town. She was waiting for them outside the entrance of a red-brick set of buildings surrounded by neat lawns and established trees.
Ella waited with Saul to allow Violet, Gemma and Simon to walk ahead. Saul entwined his fingers with hers as they followed. After a word with Violet, Thea disappeared inside while Gemma helped Violet over to a shaded bench beside a footpath.
When Thea pushed a wheelchair through the door, everyone turned.
Ella’s breath caught. Libby was easily recognisable as the fresh-faced girl that had graced the hay bale challenge banners. Her brown hair fell thick and glossy around her shoulders and her heart-shaped face possessed a peaceful repose. As they moved closer Libby’s expression didn’t change. Ella’s hold on Saul’s hand firmed. Libby’s eyes were vacant.
Gemma and Simon came over to stand beside Ella and Saul so as not to overwhelm Libby. Violet slowly came to her feet as Thea wheeled Libby closer. Ella almost couldn’t watch. She thought her heart would burst. The love and desperation in Violet’s expression was an image that would forever stay with her.
Thea bent and touched her mother’s cheek and murmured something to her. Still, she didn’t react. Libby looked at Thea, at Violet and then back at her daughter. Ella pressed her lips together to silence her anguish. Thea had prepared them for the reality that Libby mightn’t recognise Violet. But seeing Libby’s gaze slide over Violet, without pausing, was almost her undoing. The warm weight of Saul’s arm settled around her waist.
Violet remained unmoving. Her grip on her walking stick was now white-knuckled. She spoke softly, ‘I’ve got so much to tell you, my beautiful little Lilibet.’
Libby didn’t react, she just stared straight ahead. Then she slowly looked at Violet, her expression still unchanging.
Ella wasn’t sure why Thea’s hand flew to cover her mouth.
Then she saw why.
A single tear slid down Libby’s pale cheek. Followed by another. And another.
Violet shuffled forwards to give Libby a hug. Eyes closed, and her own tears falling, Violet held her daughter like she’d never let her go.
No longer would the veranda light need to be left on.
Libby was finally home.
EPILOGUE
What a difference a decent fall of rain made.
Ella steered Saul’s F-truck around a muddy pot hole in the dirt road that would take them up the hill, through Fliss and Hewitt’s farm and towards the river. Leaves glistened and dust no longer rose in choking red plumes. The scent of rain-soaked soil filtered in through the air conditioner vents. It wouldn’t be long before a fresh green tinge carpeted the paddocks.
Tyre marks imprinted the dark wet earth. They weren’t the first to arrive at Fliss’s paddock picnic. Instead of a regular weekend barbeque Fliss had invited everyone for a low-key Sunday lunch. Even though in true Fliss style the picnic was highly organised, complete with emailed invitations.
Saul grinned across at Ella. ‘Who knew that Fliss having a picnic was what it took to make it rain?’
‘I know. There’s more storms predicted next week.’
‘Which means there’ll be plenty of tractors working to put in winter crops.’
The eagerness in Saul’s voice made her smile. He’d spent the morning making sure his air seeder would be right to go. His arm might still be in a sling but pain no longer stopped him from doing the bulk of what he needed to do. He’d also found a young farmhand to help out and would be keeping on once he had the green light from Fliss to drive.
Saul’s clothes now filled her wardrobe. While they still divided their time between their two farmhouses, they were spending more nights at Ambleside. Within the warmth of the sandstone walls they felt truly at home. Thea had been to visit and had helped Ella to pack up Libby’s room. She’d taken some items to decorate Libby’s nursing home room and to keep as her own mementos.
Ella had also called the remaining two numbers and had tracked down the right Fee. Libby’s childhood friend had driven from Sydney to Young to see Libby. As it turned out Fee too hadn’t known anything about Libby’s pregnancy so would have been another dead end.
Ella had also worked out a special use for Libby’s old room. One day it would make the perfect nursery. When she’d mentioned this to Violet, her smile had been joyful and content, and when she’d talked about it with Saul the love in his eyes was another image she’d remember forever.
She cast him a quick sideways look. Instead of looking through the windscreen, he gazed at her. ‘Have I told you how much I like that dress?’
She laughed, her heart full. Saul had already told her how much he liked her floral wrap dress. The trouble was it then hadn’t stayed on long and was the reason why they were now running late.
Saul wore a crisp blue button-up chambray shirt with wheat-coloured chinos. His wide-brimmed hat sat on the back seat. Fliss had given the picnic a frock and fedora theme. For any males who wouldn’t be caught dead wearing a fedora hat, which was basically all of them, a felt hat had been deemed as acceptable by Fliss.
Ella looked back at the road as they topped the hill, only to suddenly brake.
The warmth of Saul’s hand cupped her shoulder. ‘Ella?’
‘What is that?’
Saul too stared at the small white wooden building that had appeared. ‘A … shed?’
‘No way. Even Fliss couldn’t have …’
‘Done what?’
Ella turned to him. ‘That building wasn’t there last visit, and it isn’t a shed. It’s a church.’
Saul gave a low whistle.
She looked at her dress. ‘This isn’t a frock and fedora picnic, this is a wedding.’
She checked her rear-view mirror and when she saw no one behind her, she scrambled through her bag for her phone. But there were no new messages. Edna’s surprise party wasn’t the only recent celebration to be planned in secret.
Mud splattered the underside of the F-truck as she descended the hill. Cars were parked in neat rows and she pulled alongside Tanner’s blue ute. A boy raced in front of the chapel and Ella recognised Hewitt’s freckle-faced nephew, Quinn. She glimpsed a tall man who had to be Hewitt’s father and a well-dressed lady beside him before the couple entered the church.
Above the doorway glass glinted from small diamond-shaped panes that formed a round feature window. Beside the entrance two pedestal pots contained blooming white roses. A new tin roof shone in the sun and along the side she glimpsed three windows. Surrounding the church was a post and rail fence with fresh dirt at the base of the solid posts.
Saul shook his head. ‘No wonder whenever I saw Hewitt in town he had wood in the back of his ute. They must have had the church moved here by truck and then done it up.’
‘It’s just so gorgeous.’
As she left the F-truck she saw a small white marquee and caterer’s coolroom behind the church. A young girl with bouncing auburn curls skipped over. She wore a pretty floating cream dress that fell past her knees. In her hands she held a cream satin-lined box.
�
��Hi, Ella.’
Ella bent to give Hewitt’s niece a hug. ‘Hi, Lizzie. Is this what I think it is?’
Lizzie’s smile widened. ‘Uncle Hewitt and Fliss are getting married.’ She held out the box. ‘My job is to collect everyone’s phones. Mum says Quinn’s to stay out of the mud.’
Saul laughed while she smiled. Fliss was leaving nothing to chance about her surprise being spoiled. Saul placed his phone in the box and then she added her own.
‘Thank you,’ Lizzie said, beaming.
Then, walking very carefully, Lizzie carried their phones over to where Ella could see a table with an assortment of mobiles laid out in tidy rows.
Saul offered her his good arm and together they headed towards the church. They stepped inside and took a seat in the white chairs midway along the aisle. More white roses were draped across the pulpit and spilled from huge vases placed on either side. Their perfume drifted through the small wooden building.
Ella waved to Tanner and Neve who sat further inside with Bethany, Mac and Finn. Freya and Drew were beside them and next to them Hugh, Sibylla and young Riley. Sue sat in the row behind alongside Meredith and Phil. There was no sign of Taylor and Ella guessed she was helping Fliss get ready.
Cressy and Denham stood up near the pulpit as maid of honour and best man. A celebrant spoke quietly with Hewitt, who wore a dark suit and boots. Ella had never seen the quiet pickup rider smile so much.
When Cressy turned and saw Ella, she walked down the aisle towards them. Cressy’s hair had been styled in a messy bun and a bouquet of pale roses filled her hands. Her cream high-waisted dress concealed her baby bump and the long hem swirled around a handstitched pair of cream cowgirl boots.
She gave Saul a kiss and then Ella a hug.
‘You knew?’ Ella asked as she returned to her seat.
‘I found out yesterday. Needless to say, Fliss had a dress that fit me and a suit Denham for once didn’t have to try on beforehand.’ She rubbed her stomach as baby Rigby kicked. ‘Only Taylor was in on it but even she only found out last week when Fliss asked her to keep this morning free.’
The Boundary Fence (A Woodlea Novel, #7) Page 29