31 #3
“Did you?”
Harley gave a one shoulder shrug hoping it implied that she didn’t want to talk about it. Instead she asked, “Who were you texting so early?”
Annabel gave her a look, subtly trying to shake her head, and she immediately understood.
“Wait, what don't I know about?” Anastasia, who had also been equally distracted, immediately grasped that she was in the dark and gasped.
The girl was much more incisive than people likely gave her credit for despite the happy go lucky personality.
“You can’t tell anyone.”
“Don’t you trust me?” Anastasia said, pouting glumly.
“I’m serious Stass, this can’t get out.”
“Cross my heart and hope to die.” She looked back and forth between them both, awaiting answers.
“Arden and I are together. We are figuring things out, for real this time.”
She screamed with such innate joy, you’d think she had been told there was a solution to world peace. “Oh my god, finally? What about the other one?”
“Thats what figuring things out means, Anastasia,” Annabel’s eyes narrowed. “And don't call MJ the other one, it's not nice.”
“She came in between your epic love story.” Stassie shrugged.
“Whatever went down between me and Arden was always between him and I, no one else.” Annabel proclaimed sternly.
“Regardless, you love each other and that’s what matters. You do love him, right?”
Annabel tried to act coy, so Harley answered for her, “Trust me, this is a girl who is so in love, she is blind to everything else.”
???
They ate breakfast together in the room before splitting up. Annabel and William had work things to talk about and Anastasia didn't get a break from piano so she had the day to herself. She spent it in her room, considering the last time she went wandering she wound up with unwanted company.
By the time the sun had set they had congregated back together to get ready for the arrival of the grandparents.
“Where are my grandchildren?” A voice called out that grabbed their attention as they headed down.
“Gran!” Annabel said at the same time Anastasia said “Grandad!” Then they both rushed down the stairs to hug them. It was too much like an intimate family affair, Harley felt like an imposter as she stood there watching them embrace one another.
The elderly woman stood there the embodiment of class, her hair almost fully grey but still had bits of blonde clustered all around while her counterpart next to her was just as put together with similarly thick grey hair but with bits of brown.
Margaret and Arthur Bass were easily researchable; they had maintained a legacy together for years but didn't do much these days.
Harley did know that Margaret still helped with the Bass charity foundation along with Eleanor.
Speaking of, William and Eleanor exited the parlour and greeted the guests.
William kissed his mother on the cheek then when it came to his father they shook hands and hugged, she noticed how stiff he was with him.
It mirrored every interaction she had had with him so far, it surprised her. She wondered why they didn't get along.
“Come girl, help Phillip carry our things in. I got things for my lovely grandbabies.” Harley hadn’t realised she was the one being spoken to at first until the older woman snapped her fingers signaling her. Harley had pointed to herself in question, “Yes, you on the stairs.”
She looked around the room, her eyes landing on Annabel for help, who started, “Grandma, she’s n–”
But she is cut short by William, “Mother your things will be brought in, tea will be served soon.” She walked away without a second thought along with everyone else. But the elderly man stood still, the only one left, staring at her. “You look just like your mother.”
That stunned her momentarily, confused by his words, he walked in the direction the others had left in.
Everyone had gathered in the dining room by the time she stepped in as well and sat at the empty spot on the table.
Harley could tell that her presence was a sore spot and a source of tension in the room.
The table they were sitting on wasn’t that long; William sat at the head of the table and Eleanor directly on the opposite end, meanwhile Harley, Annabel and Anastasia were situated right next to one another as Arthur and Margaret sat opposite them.
It made for an inevitable amount of awkward eye contact.
The first dish is served and menial talk is exchanged but Margaret had clearly had enough as she speaks up, “Will someone explain who the girl is or am I meant to pretend I can't see her?”
Everyone in the room simultaneously flickered their eyes towards William expecting an answer out of him but nothing was said.
Suddenly a laugh rang from the other end of the table and everyone’s face displayed various levels of worry as they stared at a hysterical Eleanor.
She looked a little insane as she circled the glass of white wine in her hand and then drank it all in one gulp.
“Your son has another daughter. The girl is his.”
Margaret gasped and she looked around the room to see everyone avoiding eye contact including her husband, “Arthur, why don't you seem surprised at this?”
“Because he already knew,” Harley said, finding her voice after all.
She looked straight at the older man daring him to deny it.
The vague comment earlier was the catalyst to her remembering that she had seen him before.
He had visited her mother once when she was much younger, she told her to stay in her room and not come out but she hadn't listened and peeked anyways. This was when she’d seen them having a heated conversation before her mother turned him away.
“I was the one who stopped William from seeing her…back then.”
“What do you mean?” Eleanor said, then she looked to her husband. “What does he mean?”
“Back when Selene and I were together–”
“More than once?”