‘I’d rather lie here and cuddle you.’
Smiling, she pressed a kiss on the part of him nearest to her, which happened to be his bare shoulder, and swung her legs out of bed. ‘Come on. We have to celebrate.’
As the evening passed, he watched Gina smile and show affection to Bridie – which wasn’t hard to do, he really liked the older woman himself. He wanted her to show the same unalloyed affection for him, as well. But there was still a slight constraint between them that had not been there before he told her about Jane. He could sense it and he rather thought Bridie had noticed it, too.
It took him a long time to get to sleep, he was so worried that Gina might not be able to trust him now.
* * *
When her niece and Brad had left the hotel, Bridie stayed up for a while, sipping a glass of her favourite cognac and worrying. Something was not quite right between those two, she could tell it. There had been a hint of anxiety in the way Brad watched Gina. What had caused that?
She’d arranged for Gina to come to tea on her own the following day on the excuse of showing her some family photos. She’d do that, of course she would, but she wanted to use the occasion for something else as well. Glancing at her watch, she wondered if her nephew would be in bed yet. Only one way to find out. She picked up the phone and dialled his number, delighted when he answered almost immediately.
‘Jake? Bridie here. I need to see you about something.’
‘I’m a bit busy at the moment. How about one day next week?’
‘Tomorrow. It’s extremely important or I wouldn’t ask.’
He sighed. ‘Very well.’
‘Three o’clock sharp. Don’t let me down or I’ll come and hunt you out.’
‘If it’s that important I’ll be there. Still in the same hotel?’
‘Of course. And don’t be late.’ Smiling, she put down the phone.
There had been enough feuds in the family. Time to end them once and for all. It didn’t matter which side of the globe you lived on, family connections mattered.
CHAPTER 32
England
Jake stared at the clock. He had to stay up till midnight if he was to be sure of catching Lou in Australia at a reasonable hour, and he wasn’t a late night person.
Peggy came in from the kitchen. ‘Who was that?’
‘Aunt Bridie.’
She grimaced. ‘What does she want?’
‘She didn’t say but she insisted on seeing me tomorrow, so I’m going over for tea at her hotel.’
‘Did you tell her about me leaving Hartley?’
‘No. I’ll tell her when I get there. I don’t know what time I’ll be back. I may stay and have a meal with her.’
‘Oh dear. I’ve got my meditation class tomorrow evening and I’m supposed to be seeing Gillah in the afternoon.’
‘Well, I can drop you off to see Gillah, but you’ll have to get back here under your own steam. I’ll give you the money for taxis.’
‘I feel safer when you take me.’
‘I can’t always be available, Peggy.’ He wasn’t going to set a pattern of being at her beck and call, was already chafing at the way she hovered near him whenever he was inside the house. And his allotment had been very neglected since Peggy came to live with him. He was missing the circle of friends he’d made there.
His sister would be perfectly safe at the centre. More than anything, he wanted to put things right with his half-sister – if he could. But how did you find a woman whom you only knew as Gina in a big city like Blackpool?
You’re still upset, aren’t you?’ Peggy asked. ‘About her?’
‘You mean our sister? Yes, I am. It was wrong of me to turn her away, especially when she’d come so far to see us.’ He stopped to picture the woman he’d seen so briefly. ‘She had a nice face, but I didn’t even give her a chance. I feel dreadful about that.’
Peggy was silent, staring down at her hands, but she looked up quickly at his next words.
‘I’m going to try to find out what her surname is and where she’s staying, then I’ll go and see her. She met Lou in Australia, so Lou may know how to contact her, or at least how to contact her daughters. I’m going to ring my little lass later tonight. Eh, old age can make you selfish and crotchety sometimes.’
‘You’re the least selfish person I know.’
‘Thanks for the compliment, love, but I’m still ashamed of what I did today. It was such a shock, though, hearing her say she was my sister. I don’t know… perhaps I need to be shaken out of my comfortable rut, perhaps we all do when we get to a certain age. Peggy, if I find her… will you meet her too? Give her a chance, at least?’
He watched sadly as his sister’s face closed up, then had an inspiration. ‘Why don’t you ask Gillah about it?’
‘I’ve too many other things to sort out. This woman is the least of my worries. Half-sister or not, she’s a stranger to me and quite frankly, I’d be happy for her to stay a stranger.’
‘Promise me you’ll talk to Gillah about her.’
Peggy’s shoulders slumped and she looked at him pleadingly.
‘I really want you to do that for me. Promise.’
‘Oh, very well, I promise. But Gillah won’t make me change my mind. It’d be disloyal to our mother.’
‘Mum never did get over Dad leaving her, but I don’t think it was because she loved him. I think she made such a fuss because she felt humiliated. I can remember them arguing many a time and we both know how inflexible she could be if you didn’t do things exactly her way.’
‘You never said that before!’
‘I’ve thought it, though. I heard him asking her for a divorce several times and her refusing, so he did try to do the right thing.’
‘Well, he never tried to contact us afterwards. He could at least have written.’
‘I’ve never understood that, either. But it was years ago and who knows what his new life was like? And he did try to contact me once a few months ago, only I’ve not opened the letter. Maybe I ought to now. Anyway, about you - it’s the here and now that matters and if you’re going to change your life, my lass, maybe you should get rid of some of your old prejudices. But you’ve promised me you’ll speak to Gillah and I know you won’t go back on your word.’
Peggy scowled at him and turned to watch the television, not saying much from then on.
The clock hands seemed to be moving very slowly tonight. He’d rather have been in the small bedroom, playing with his computer, but he felt he had to keep Peggy company in the evenings.
At last the clock fingers moved into position and he went to get the phone. ‘I reckon I could ring Lou now. It’ll be early morning there, but she usually gets up with the birds.’
But though he got through to Australia easily enough, there was no answer. After a while, voice mail clicked in, so he left a message, explaining his problem. He waited up for a while longer, hoping Lou would call him back, but she didn’t.
As he lay in bed, he racked his brain but couldn’t think of any other way of finding out where his half-sister was staying. What could he have been thinking of to turn her away?
* * *
The next day Gina was glad that sorting out her hire car left her little time for thought about herself and Brad. She felt a little awkward with him, not a lot, but enough to make her stand back from a total sharing of confidences and intimacies. She couldn’t help it, she absolutely hated infidelity. And look how Brad’s one affair had bounced back at him years later. It just proved that it wasn’t worth it.
If it was his one affair.
She pressed one hand to her breast as this thought slid into her mind yet again. She wanted very much to trust him, but felt she needed time to get to know him better. After all, they’d rushed headlong into this relationship. She smiled. Like a pair of randy teenagers. She’d never thought she’d feel like this again.
It wouldn’t hurt for them to slow down a little.
She took him for a drive in her new
hire car to test it out, pleased that it was as easy to drive as the first one. They parked for a while, walking along the sea front at St Anne’s, which was much more restrained and elegant than Blackpool, and buying a pot of tea and some scones for Brad in a little café.
It occurred to her at one stage that she’d hardly thought about the mugging today, what with her happiness about finding her aunt and her worries about Brad. She smiled wryly. It took one major crisis to dispel the after-effects of another, it seemed. As she remembered the attack, however, a little shiver ran down her spine. She caught Brad watching her as if he understood how she was feeling.
‘You all right, Gina?’
She caught his hand for a moment. ‘Yes. Just remembering. But I’m getting better every day.’
‘I can see that.’
Her spirits lifted a little as she realized she hadn’t even had to explain to him. Surely with this easy communication between them she’d soon get over her worries about him?
When it came time to go for afternoon tea with Bridie, she felt excited at the thought of seeing the family photographs and learning more about her father’s family. She intended to find her mother’s family one day, but might have to employ that detective to do so. Her mother had always said she had no close family left and there had been no clues among her father’s things.
‘You’re not walking to the hotel, surely?’ Brad asked as she got ready.
She shuddered. ‘No. I thought I’d drive.’
‘Parking isn’t easy this close to the centre of town. You might have to use that multi-storey car park and those places can be a bit scary.’
She shivered at the mere thought. It was irrational since she’d been mugged in the open air, but she didn’t like the thought of going into the gloom of a car park alone. ‘You’re right.’
‘Look, I can drive you to the hotel and pick you up afterwards. You can ring me when you’re ready to come back.’
She hesitated then nodded. She would definitely feel better going with him.
When they got into the car, he didn’t start it at once, but began tracing his forefinger to and fro across the top of the steering wheel. ‘Gina… I know you’re upset about what I once did, about Rosie, and I’m sorry for that. Please don’t let it come between us permanently.’
She placed her hand over his and gave it a little squeeze. ‘No, I won’t. But it’s made me realize that we do need time to get to know one another. We’re too old to rush heedlessly into a relationship.’
That made sense, didn’t it, she told herself? But she could see a downturn to his lips as he started the car and drove off. And if she was honest with herself, she had been enjoying rushing heedlessly into a relationship. It had made her feel young again. And anyway, she did love him, she was sure of that.
So why did she feel she had to hold back now? She didn’t know, hadn’t felt sure of anything since her own brother had refused even to speak to her and shut the door in her face. That had hurt so much, more than she could put into words… to anyone.
Just before she got out of the car, she turned to Brad. ‘My emotions are in a turmoil at the moment, for all sorts of reasons, not just about us. Please bear with me.’
His face lit up and that made her feel better. He had the most gorgeous smile.
* * *
Bridie had deliberately told Jake to come earlier than Gina. She sat him down and gave him one of her severe stares. He always joked that when she looked at him like that he didn’t dare do anything but listen meekly and say yes to whatever she wanted.
‘I’ve something to tell you, Jake, something very important.’
‘I’ve got news for you too, Aunt Bridie. But you go first.’
‘Did you know you had a half-sister?’
He stared for a moment then leaned forward. ‘Yes. Lou met her in Australia. How did you find out?’
‘I gather you sent the poor woman away with a flea in her ear.’
‘You’ve spoken to her?’
She nodded, keeping her expression disapproving.
‘You – know where she is?’
‘Yes.’
He closed his eyes for a moment, then let out a great sigh. ‘What a relief! I changed my mind almost immediately but when I ran outside, she’d driven away. And I didn’t even know her surname. I felt dreadful about hurting her like that, wanted to say I was sorry, give her a chance.’
Bridie leaned back, relaxing a little. ‘Ah. I’m glad I wasn’t mistaken in you, Jake. Actually, she’s coming to tea with us in half an hour, so you can do all that.’
He gaped at her. ‘How did she find you? Or did you find her?’
‘We met and became friends without knowing we were related. I really like her.’
‘What’s her surname?’
‘Porter. But I’d better warn you that she’s rather fragile at the moment. She was mugged a few days ago and it’s left her jumpy.’
He stared at her in horror. ‘And I sent her away on top of all that!’
Bridie hid her satisfaction at his reaction and tried to keep her expression stern. She wasn’t forgiving him completely till she saw how he got on with Gina.
After that she’d deal with Peggy. Her niece must be persuaded to give Gina a chance as well, whatever that ghastly husband of hers said.
* * *
Peggy followed Gillah into the cosy little room, her promise to Jake weighing heavily on her mind.
Of course her counsellor noticed. ‘Something wrong?’
Peggy explained about her half-sister.
‘And you turned her away after she’d come ten thousand miles to see you?’
Peggy stared down at her clasped hands and waited for a tirade, but there was only silence and when she looked up, Gillah’s face showed only an attentive calmness as she waited for an answer.
‘Yes.’
‘Did she seem upset?’
‘She cried.’ Peggy could feel tears welling in her own eyes suddenly. ‘I’ve been trying not to think about that, but she sobbed so loudly as she walked away that I could hear her even from the kitchen.’
‘It must have taken a lot of courage to come and face you two.’
Peggy mopped her eyes with a tissue then reached for another one as the tears continued to flow. ‘I suppose I ought to agree to meet her? If Jake finds her, that is.’
‘That’s up to you. But you’ve been hurt yourself and you know how it feels…’
After the hour ended, Peggy went to wait in reception for a taxi. She kept her eyes resolutely down, not wanting anyone to see how reddened they were.
And when she got home she wept again. She’d not known she had so many tears inside her. She hated the thought that she’d been cruel to someone, really hated it.
The phone rang and she picked it up quickly, in case it was Jake. But it was her daughter.
‘Mum, I’ve just had Dad on the phone. He was crying. Dad! Don’t you think this has gone on for long enough? Isn’t it time you went back to him?’
‘I’m not going back to him. I’m getting a divorce.’
‘I can’t believe I’m hearing this. Mum, he can’t manage without you. He’s useless in the house.’ There was a minute’s silence, then Cheryl added in a softer tone, ‘Won’t you at least see him and talk to him? He’s really sorry he’s upset you.’
‘I can’t believe he’ll change, whatever I say or do.’
‘Oh, sod. They’ve just called a special meeting here. I have to go. I’ll ring you this evening.’
‘I’ll not be here.’
But the phone was buzzing in Peggy’s ears. Was Hartley really upset about her leaving him? Or was he upset about losing his house slave? The latter, she was sure. She’d spent a lot of time going over what her life had been like the past few years, couldn’t believe how she’d waited on her husband hand and foot. And how unloving he’d been.
When was the last time Hartley had made her a cup of tea? Or even offered to? Or said a kind word? Or noti
ced how she was feeling?
She couldn’t remember.
But if he was truly remorseful, promised to be kinder – wouldn’t life be easier if she went back to him? It was going to be so hard to build a new life on her own.
How could you know what was best?
* * *
When Bridie opened the door to her at the hotel, the two women embraced and then Gina saw a movement at the other side of the room. She gasped as she recognized the man standing by the window.
‘Come and meet your brother,’ Bridie said, ‘properly this time.’
Gina hung back. ‘He doesn’t want to—’
Bridie put an arm round her. ‘Give him another chance, dear.’
Jake moved forward quickly. ‘I was a fool yesterday. I realized that soon after as I’d closed the door and ran out to stop you, but you’d driven away.’ He held out his hand. ‘I’m glad to meet you, Gina, truly I am.’
She was overwhelmed and her voice wobbled as she took the hand and tried to speak. But the words choked her and she could only shake her head blindly.
‘Come and sit by me on the sofa, then, and tell me about yourself – and how you got on with our Lou.’
Gina smiled involuntarily at the thought of her niece. ‘She’s such a delightful girl. We all liked her.’ After that it grew easier.
‘Jake, what are we going to do about Peggy?’ Bridie asked a bit later. ‘She really ought to be part of this reunion.’
He sighed. ‘She’s not thinking clearly at the moment. She’s just left her husband.’
‘Oh, good! I never did like him.’
He gave her a wry smile. ‘Me neither. Gina, why don’t you come and have lunch with us tomorrow? Peggy will be a bit stiff and distant, but if you can ignore that, we’ll make a start on mending things between us.’
‘I’d love to come.’
‘You too, Aunt Bridie?’
She shook her head. ‘I’ve got a luncheon engagement I don’t want to break tomorrow.’ She fetched some old photo albums from the bedroom. ‘Now, come and sit at the table. We’ve got time to go through a few of these with Gina.’
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