Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
Daisy
F or three mornings, she had stayed in bed a little longer, not wanting to face the day. Three days where she hadn’t heard from any of her brothers. She carried on with her work, and Warren would arrive soon. He told her he was playing go-between and had talked to Archer.
He left her in the dark as to what they said or agreed. Daisy understood, reading between the lines, that if Warren was coming, she would go. What she didn’t know was if that meant she didn’t have a home either. She loved her cottage and hoped to make it her home with Nate and any children they might have.
Like he could hear her thoughts, Nate pulled her back to his body, wrapping an arm around her waist. She lifted her knees to her chest as Nate pushed his thighs against hers. She could feel every inch of him .
“Time to go to work,” he whispered into her hair.
His warmth comforted her, and she didn’t want to let him go. But duty called, and she had to face the music, eventually. Daisy slowly pulled away from Nate’s embrace and got out of bed. She could feel the icy breeze creeping in from the window, but she didn’t want to close it. She needed to feel alive, and the chill in the air was a reminder that she was still there and breathing.
Nate watched her with concern etched on his face. “Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked.
Daisy turned around and smiled at him. “I’m fine. I just need to get dressed and face the day.”
Nate nodded but didn’t look convinced. “Do you want me to come with you?” he offered.
Daisy shook her head. “No, it’s okay. I need to just get on with my day and hope they’ll come around. If they don’t, then they don’t.”
Nate turned her by the waist until she was facing him. Their bodies were naked.
“Just remember, I’m here for you. Always.”
Daisy leaned into his touch and closed her eyes as he kissed her forehead.
“Five days until I’m Mrs Hill. Either we’re living here, or we’re living at the workshop. I don’t much care right now so long as you’re with me.”
“I’ll be with you,” he promised.
Daisy got dressed and headed out of the cottage. The chilly wind whipped around her, making her shiver. She pulled her jacket tighter around her body and trudged towardsEdward Hall.
Her mind was filled with thoughts about her brothers and the uncertain future that lay ahead of her. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t notice Teddy wasn’t bounding out to escort her to work.
She looked to Archer’s cottage and saw all the lights were off. No barking or sight of the dog.
“I guess even the dog is angry with me,” she muttered.
Daisy felt a sense of comfort in Nate’s words. She knew he was always there for her, no matter what. She had thought the same about her brothers, but they showed their true colours. As she entered her workplace, she could feel the stares of her colleagues on her. She knew they had heard about the situation with her brothers, but she didn’t let it faze her. Daisy went about her work as usual, putting on a brave face even though her heart was aching.
It wasn’t until she received a call from Warren that she realised her brothers weren’t willing to compromise. He confirmed he would take over the accounts.
That gutted her.
Halfway through the day, she heard a rap on the door. She knew it wasn’t Nate as he was out on a client’s boat testing it out. Plus, he would come via her window.
Her brothers had disappeared into thin air. She heard a rap on the door, it opened, and something was pushed through before shutting it again. Teddy rushed to her side and licked her hand. She scooted down and gave him a rub all over and then did it again.
“I’ve missed you, Teddy,” she told the dog.
Teddy gave her a bark and licked her hand again.
The door opened a second time, and something else was sent in, closely followed by the door closing. She heard a screech and a gurgle.
“Isobel,” Daisy said and sighed.
She was off her seat and around her desk in seconds, grinning down at her niece in her wheelie bouncer. Isobel clutched a white piece of paper with writing on it.
“What have we got here?” she asked Isobel.
Leaning down, Daisy lifted Isobel out of the bouncer and cuddled her close, raining kisses over her face and getting more giggles from the little girl. Teddy weaved in and out of her legs in dog excitement.
“I missed my baby cuddles,” she said to Isobel and breathed in her baby smells. “You’re so cute.”
When Teddy settled under her desk, she walked with Isobel to the office door and pulled it open. Erica, Heidi and Freya held hands on the opposite side of the corridor. Her first thought was, why weren’t they at work.
Daisy’s heart skipped a beat as she looked at the trio standing across the corridor.
Erica, Heidi, and Freya entered the office, and Teddy ran to them, wagging his tail. Daisy placed Isobel in her bouncer and went back to her desk to get the white piece of paper.
Daisy furrowed her brows and looked at the piece of paper in her hand. It was a hand-drawn picture of a unicorn with a rainbow mane and a smiley face. She let out a chuckle and handed it to Isobel, who held it up and gurgled with delight.
“Hey girls, what brings you here?” Daisy asked as she ushered them into her office.
Erica, Heidi, and Freya exchanged glances, and then Erica spoke up. “We just needed a break from work and thought we could hang out with our favourite Turner.
“Christ. If I’m your favourite Turner, things must be bad.”
The girls laughed and settled into her seats. Erica sat on the low window sill with Isobel bouncing around the room .
“I appreciate the visit and the baby and dog love, but I don’t want you taking sides on this. You have to live with my brothers. They don’t want to know me.”
“We’re working on that. We want to hear your side, plus we’re women sticking together. So I’ll decide whose side I’m taking, not my husband,” Erica said.
“Absolutely,” Heidi nodded.
“I’ve only just got to know you, Daisy, and I know you’re a good person. Our husbands should be the first to understand whatever reason prompted this situation. They had their dad to help them through their teenage years and become the men they are. I bet Freddie will be turning in his grave at their behaviour.”
Daisy smiled at them and gestured towards the coffee machine.
“You know, you could have just called me, and we could have met for lunch or something. But it’s good to see you all here.”
She leaned back in her chair and looked at her three sisters-in-law. They were all dressed in casual clothes, which was unusual for them since they all had jobs.
“Why aren’t you at work?”
“Inset day,” Freya said.
“The film has wrapped,” Erica said.
“Day off. I love mid-week days off,” Heidi said.
“Jason said he’d stopped making you breakfast. I can assure you that will resume tomorrow,” Heidi declared.
She hauled up a box and plonked it on the desk. When she peeled back the lid, Daisy eyed up the cupcakes. They were lemon, her favourite.
“I’m working on Archer,” Erica said.
“I think Luke is more pissed off you’re dating Nate Hill than anything else,” Freya said .
“Listen, I know it’s tough with the guys right now, but don’t let them get to you. You’re a strong woman, and you’ll get through this,” Erica said.
Daisy felt a lump form in her throat, and tears pricked at her eyes. “Thank you, Erica. That means a lot to me.”
“Anytime,” Erica said before taking a cupcake.
Daisy chuckled and reached for a cupcake. “Well, that’s Luke’s problem, not mine. I’m happy with Nate, and that’s all that matters.”
“Will you tell us about your mum?” Erica urged.
Daisy couldn’t help but feel grateful for their support. She sat back in her desk chair and nibbled on the cupcake.
“I don’t know when it became normal or how it was orchestrated, but I knew my mum all along when my brothers thought she’d disappeared. I thought they would guess when she was the next-door neighbour. I’ve never seen a picture of my mum, and there were none in Turner Hall. She told me she looked completely different after a makeover. The older I got, the more information my mum told me. I rarely saw my mum and dad together, but when I did, they were marriage goals right there. Imelda, my mum, was dealt a shitting deal in life, and it was crunch time when she moved off the island. Her parents and Freddie were in on it, and no one else knew. They purchased two houses in Imelda’s dad’s name next door to each other in Northern Scotland.”
“Pete Boyle, right?” Heidi said.
“Yeah, the butcher. His wife knew too. They were terrified at what was happening to Imelda when Freddie was away. Eventually, Freddie had no choice but to send her away. My mum said she tried to fight it but confessed that she would be dead if she hadn’t moved off the island.”
“Why?” Erica asked .
“Because Cynthia was poisoning her. It wasn’t in the food. Maggie’s mum, Melly, was cook then, and she didn’t allow anyone near her food. Plus, the Turners never ventured downstairs, apart from Imelda and Freddie. Then the four of us when mum left.”
“Oh bloody hell. How was she poisoned?” Freya asked.
“We’re not entirely sure, but after what Luke said, I think I know for sure it was the plant pesticide. Mum said Freddie had insisted she only drank and ate from plates and cups he personally washed, and they kept them in their rooms at Turner Hall. When that happened, she rallied, but if she ate from Turner crockery, then she became ill. When Dad was away, she spent a lot of time at her parent’s place during the day. She wasn’t permitted to stay over, there was no plausible reason on a small island, and us kids had to be in bed early. I was six months old.”
“Why was she being poisoned?”
Daisy could smell the yummy goodness of the cupcakes and leaned over to take a second one. The women followed suit. Eric broke off a tiny piece and handed it to Isobel.
“That I don’t know. I think my mum suspects, but she never said anything.”
“There are so many secrets coming to light. Where is your mum now?” Freya asked.
“In Scotland, still at the house. I keep asking her to move back to the island and live in the fifth cottage. But now, with the boys acting like they are, I’m not so sure now.”
“It will turn out fine. They’ll get over this with our help, and you’ll be back to playing cards on the giant table in no time.”
“A bit cold for that,” Heidi muttered.
“You know what I mean. I miss you at dinner,” Erica said. “Isobel misses you, and Teddy goes bonkers every morning when you pass, and he isn’t allowed out.”
“That’s cruel,” Freya said.
“Archer’s being an ass. If Teddy comes with Daisy to work, then he would have to come into this office to get him. He’s too steaming mad at the moment to see right.”