Chapter Thirty-One #2
Cat drew in a heavy breath and cursed silently. It appeared her grandmother had already been converted. Blasted Aunt Em and her meddling!
‘Look, I’m sorry but I don’t want to discuss this, Grandma,’ she said, pushing herself off the seat.
‘I intended to come to the party and go home. The last thing I’d planned was to rake up the past; it’s pointless.
’ She prayed her grandmother would understand.
‘Can’t we leave things just as they are? ’
‘Do you honestly think that’s possible?’ Jenna looked up at her curiously. ‘You may only be here for a few days but I can tell you still care about him.’
‘Oh rubbish! Of course I don’t, besides he’s—’
‘Cat,’ Jenna interrupted, reaching out and tugging her back down beside her, ‘you can’t fool any of us. Jodie noticed your reaction to him the other day when you saw him in The Smugglers. She—’
‘Jodie as well?’ Cat rolled her eyes, feeling angry and outnumbered. ‘I don’t believe this. Is anyone on my side?’
‘We all are,’ Jenna said gently. ‘Em heads up this little band of persuaders due to the fact she has a more personal interest because of what happened to her and Tristan.’
‘She told me it was her fault not his. Is that true?’
‘Yes, I remember Gerren was so angry.’ She shook her head.
‘Em was always difficult, you see. She was insecure and possessive. But when she met Tristan, she changed. She learned to trust. He was perfect for her. Calm, gentle, he adored her. But Em made a bad mistake when she became friends with that awful Eleanor. She didn’t see the relationship for what it was; a means to an end.
That dreadful young woman wormed her way into Em’s life and then she began to destroy her confidence.
Planting lies, telling tales. So I think that’s why she’s keen for you to see him.
She’s been there. If you asked her now she’d tell you she should never have acted so impetuously.
She should have talked to him first, not thrown his ring at him and left. ’
‘She already has done. But even if I did want to see Luke – which I don’t – he’s with someone else now. Cadan Boscawen’s daughter, Mia.’
‘Is he?’ Jenna looked surprised. ‘Em didn’t mention anything.’
‘Well, according to Jodie the relationship has only just become public so I doubt she’s even aware of it. But we both saw them the other afternoon in The Smugglers. It was all very affectionate; they’re definitely together.’
‘If that’s true I doubt Em will be pleased. I hate to say it but she’s beginning to behave like his adoptive mother,’ she said with an amused laugh, ‘which means not being told something as important as that won’t go down at all well.’
‘Talking of mothers,’ Cat said, seizing the opportunity to find out more about Gareth’s mysterious sister and her relationship with étienne, ‘I’ve always been curious about Selina. Do you think she deserved the reputation everyone around here gave her?’
‘Well, she was rebellious and loved to shock,’ Jenna said, after giving the question a moment’s thought.
‘Gareth and Selina had been late babies in a marriage where the Hunters had all but given up hope. It meant as parents they were older and, sadly, very narrow-minded and quite intolerant of the youth culture of the time – as far as girls were concerned anyway. I remember Mary saying once that they were strict with their daughter for her own good and one day she would thank them for it. Little did they know she had begun a friendship with one of Ted’s employees. ’
‘That was in nineteen eighty-nine?’
‘That’s right, the year your father finished university.
He and Gareth were always out, étienne was here too.
Ruan told me Selina’s pet name for them was her Boys of Summer.
’ She laughed. ‘You would never believe the amount of parties and barbeques they were invited to. Selina was nearly eighteen then and, like all young girls of her age, naturally wanted to enjoy herself. I understand her parents’ curfews and bans were pretty ineffective and Gareth always insisted she join them.
No doubt she was completely unsupervised as I do believe that was about the time he began dating Evie.
Given that amount of freedom, it was a disaster waiting to happen, wasn’t it? ’
Cat nodded. ‘And how did they react to Luke’s arrival?’
‘Oh my word.’ Jenna chuckled. ‘Mary was horrified. Marrying Ross Carrack was bad enough, but knowing the baby wasn’t even his left her feeling the family’s social standing was in tatters.
As far as they were concerned she’d dragged their good name through the mud.
She considered Ross far too common to bother with, but he didn’t give a damn.
Despite the circumstances of their marriage, he had the woman he’d always adored and that was what mattered.
He was a good husband, and father to Luke, and I think Selina was fond of him in her own way.
As for Mary, well, she turned her back on the whole family; Selina never set foot in Clyffe House again. ’
‘How can a mother be so cruel to her own flesh and blood?’ Cat asked, astonished at the hard-hearted nature of Mary Hunter. ‘What about when Ross was killed? Surely things were different then?’
‘I’m sorry to disappoint you, but even Ross’s death didn’t melt that hard, puritanical heart of Mary’s.
Poor Selina, no one cared about her or Luke.
They were left to fend for themselves. She did take action, though, when she heard rumours about Selina’s drinking.
She turned up at the house, read Selina the riot act and left one of her dailies to keep the place clean, cook …
and spy, no doubt. After that Selina seemed to pull herself together.
Got a part-time job at The Smugglers. Rumours about men soon followed; one of them worked here helping build the new west wing.
He lived with her for a while and I understand she hoped he’d remain with her in Carrenporth once the contract was complete.
But it was not to be, I’m afraid. When the work came to an end he simply left her a note saying he was returning to a wife and family she didn’t even know existed.
Shortly afterwards Selina killed herself.
’ Jenna’s eyes moistened as her gaze met Cat’s. ‘Poor girl she didn’t stand a chance.
‘By the time Gareth took Luke to live at Clyffe House, his grandfather was dead and Mary’s stroke had seen her shipped out to a care home down in Camborne.
A lonely last few years with hardly any visitors, I’m told.
Poetic justice, some might say, after the way she had treated her own flesh and blood, however I gather Evie’s not been much better. ’
‘No, she hasn’t,’ Cat agreed, remembering past conversations she’d had. ‘Luke told me about his life with them after his mother died. It wasn’t a particularly happy experience.’
‘I can well imagine.’ Her grandmother paused for a moment before reaching for her hand and lacing Cat’s fingers in hers.
‘My darling, I know this is difficult and I’m not going to put pressure on you like Em has, but at least think about seeing him while you’re here, will you?
Make your peace with each other. Then you can return to Italy and put it all behind you. ’
‘That’s exactly what Em’s been saying,’ Cat said, wondering if there was some collusion going on between her grandmother and great-aunt. ‘I can’t promise anything but I will give it some thought,’ was all she would commit to.
Later, as she walked back to the hotel, she wondered how a simple thing like attending Em’s birthday celebration had suddenly become so complicated.
Chapter Thirty-One
Standing at the door to the main function suite with Siobhan, Cat’s face broke into a wide smile.
‘Brilliant,’ she said, giving her ex-assistant a hug. ‘I couldn’t have done better myself.’
The white and yellow theme for the room, reflected in the starched tablecloths, bunting and fresh flowers, looked absolutely perfect.
Cutlery and glass gleamed, while stands of trailing roses graced each doorway, and over in the far corner an artificial ceiling peppered with tiny lights, and a glitter ball, added the finishing touches to the dance area.
‘I’m still not sure about the disco.’ Siobhan tapped her chin thoughtfully as she studied the corner in question. ‘Not quite right, is it?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, I know that was one of your father’s requests but I thought the live music act might be more her style. The girl singer I found comes highly recommended. She specialises in a lot of the old stuff.’
‘What do you mean, old stuff?’
‘Well, you know, Glenn Miller, Ella Fitzgerald.’
‘Siobhan, that’s forties music. Em would probably have more in common with the sixties. The Beatles … free love … hippies, that era.’
Siobhan’s pale ginger eyebrows rose in astonishment. ‘Well, to look at her you’d never have guessed she was involved with that kind of crowd. I mean love-ins and suspicious substances? Surely not?’
‘No, Siobhan.’ Cat resisted the urge to laugh out loud as she tried to imagine Em dressed up in beads and a long skirt, flowers in her hair as she danced around, spliff in hand.
‘I’m simply trying to put the whole thing into perspective.
What I’m saying is, Aunt Em can probably strut her stuff very well …
after a few glasses of bubbly, of course. ’
‘Oh well, there’s plenty of that,’ Siobhan said enthusiastically. ‘Nathan placed the order well in advance.’
‘And how many are we expecting?’
‘Just over a hundred. Ruan gave me the job of tracking down a lot of old friends, some of whom have moved away from the area. A real Sherlock Holmes job, it was.’ She grinned. ‘There are around fifty staying. Should be a good night. I hope she has a great time.’
‘Oh, she will,’ Cat said as they closed the doors and made their way back along the corridor. ‘I can guarantee it will be a night to remember.’