CHAPTER FOUR #3
‘I’ll keep going,’ Sadie promised, ‘and let you know as soon as I find anything else – presuming I do.’
‘It could drive us all nuts if you don’t,’ Cristy told her, ‘but you do realize, of course, that as soon as we go live with the story your aunt is going to know about it. And considering what serious ramifications there could be for her she’ll almost certainly try to stop us.’
Sadie pulled a face as she nodded. ‘I’ve been thinking about that,’ she admitted, ‘and I really don’t want to hurt her, or make her think I’m in any way unhappy or ungrateful for all she and Lottie have given me, because I’m neither of those things.
But like I said before, I really do want to find out who I am.
It’s like I need to. I hope you can understand that. ’
Looking into her troubled eyes, Cristy said, ‘Of course.’ Who wouldn’t understand that, she was thinking as she put on her coat and turned to the front door. But did Sadie really have a full grasp on what it could do to her aunt?
*
A few minutes later, Cristy was back in the welcome layby outside the villa’s grounds, calling David.
‘Hi, where are you?’ he asked when she got through to him. ‘Mum said you borrowed the car to go see Sadie and Mia. Please tell me you’re still in one piece.’
‘I am and I’m just heading back.’
‘The conditions are serious out there,’ he said gravely. ‘You shouldn’t have gone in the first place. Would you like me to come get you?’
‘I think I can manage, thanks. How are you feeling?’
‘You mean apart from the sore head? Like I’m in need of three pints of water and seeing you. Are you driving at the moment?’
‘No, I’ve stopped to make this call.’
‘Good. So tell me, how did you get on with Mia?’
‘She’s much like you described, but I’d say a lot smarter than she wants anyone to think.’
‘You could be right about that. Tell me more when you get here. Mum’s throwing together a late lunch … Will you be joining us?’
‘That’s certainly my intention. Who’s still there?’
‘Just about everyone who stayed last night. The fog’s too thick to go anywhere, although it apparently didn’t stop you.’
‘I’m suitably contrite,’ she assured him, ‘and I’ll also be extremely glad when I get there, but the satnav has served me well so far. No reason why it should let me down now. If I get into any difficulties I’ll call.’
*
By the time Cristy walked into the Gaudion family’s wonderfully warm kitchen to be assailed by mouthwatering aromas of bacon and hot toast, at least two dozen bodies were scattered about the place either drinking coffee, sipping water or, in a few hardy cases, getting stuck into Bloody Marys.
Realizing no one had noticed her yet, she removed her coat and watched Anna and Rosie whizzing about with plates of hot food while Juliette, looking very much at home, slid a delicious-looking frittata from an oven and Cynthia sautéed a pan full of rosti.
She looked around for David and found him stacking extra wood on the fire while chatting with his brother who was laughing at whatever they were saying.
She didn’t want to tear her eyes away, simply wanted to carry on looking at David, taking in his hands, his back, the length of his legs as he stood.
She thought of the way he made love, the power and gentleness of him, his taste and smell …
Suddenly, out of nowhere, she seemed to be caught up in some sort of surreal moment, as she wondered how she’d come to be here, at the heart of someone else’s family, when her own was far away doing other things.
She watched David turn around, prompted by Astrid, and couldn’t be sure of how pleased or not he was to see her. He was frowning and his expression didn’t lighten as he picked his way through everyone to come and greet her.
‘What’s wrong?’ he said quietly. ‘Has something happened?’
‘No,’ she said in surprise, ‘everything’s fine. I just …’ What was going on in her head? Why had she felt that unsettling moment of detachment? Breaking into a smile, she said, ‘Looks like the party continues.’
Glancing round to survey the gathering he said, ‘I have a feeling it won’t stop until at least tomorrow. How are the roads out there?’
As she answered she could feel Juliette’s eyes on them. ‘Still not very passable,’ she admitted, ‘but I don’t think anyone here is having a problem with being fogged in.’
‘Apart from you?’ he countered.
Her eyes went to his. ‘I’m happy to be with you,’ she told him, ‘but I have to admit I’ll be glad to see the children.’
Seeming to accept that, he said, ‘I’d like to hear more about your first meeting with Mia, but come and get something to eat first.’
Aware that he hadn’t kissed her, or even touched her, she followed him over to the kitchen and again ignored Juliette’s scrutiny, preferring instead to react to the way Rosie lit up when she saw her.
‘Happy New Year’s Day,’ Rosie cried, sticking out her bottom as she leaned in for an air-kiss. ‘I’ve got a secret,’ she whispered, loud enough for everyone nearby to hear. ‘You’re not allowed to tell anyone.’
‘We already know,’ David teased.
Cristy laughed, then realized he was looking at Juliette.
Juliette’s smile was playful as she said, ‘I don’t think you do.’
‘Don’t be so sure,’ he murmured.
Wondering how innocent banter with Rosie had suddenly become a flirtation between David and Juliette, Cristy took the plate of food Cynthia was offering, not entirely sure how hungry she was now, and searched around for somewhere to sit.
‘Over here,’ Astrid, David’s sister-in-law, called out, and elbowed her husband off one of the sofas onto the floor. ‘Come sit by the fire and get warm.’
Grateful for the invite, Cristy picked her way across the room, laughing and joking with those she passed. Settling herself in next to Astrid, she said, ‘Is there vodka in that tomato juice?’
‘There actually is,’ Astrid confirmed, holding up her glass to examine it. ‘Why don’t you join me? It’s very good.’
Considering it, Cristy smiled up at Anna as she brought over some hot buttered toast.
‘How did you get on with Mia?’ Anna asked. ‘Whacky or what?’
‘She’s definitely her own person,’ Cristy said dryly. ‘Apparently she binged on the last series of Hindsight.’
Anna blinked in amazement. ‘No way! You mean the one about our family?’
Cristy nodded and took a mouthful of cauli hash brown.
‘I had no idea she even knew what a podcast was,’ Anna exclaimed.
‘I don’t think Sadie did either, so seems best not to make too many assumptions about Mia Winters.
In fact, now I’ve had time to consider it, I can’t help wondering if her admission was a little warning shot across Sadie’s bows, letting her know that she’s perfectly aware of why I was invited there. ’
As Anna’s eyes rounded, Astrid laughed and said, ‘Never underestimate those Winters women, is my advice. They’ve always been as canny as they come and twice as shrewd, and I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if Lottie’s playing you from the grave. It’s the kind of thing she’d have a lot of fun with.’
Amused by that, Cristy said, ‘Does that mean you don’t believe in the story Sadie’s unearthed?’
Astrid shrugged. ‘From what Anna’s told me about it, and what I knew of Lottie, I’d say it probably contains elements of truth, but exactly what those elements are …’
Unable not to notice David leaving the room with Juliette, Cristy forced herself to listen as Anna said, ‘If you’re thinking Lottie set this up, remember she died suddenly, so there was no time …’
‘But you don’t know when she did it,’ Astrid pointed out. ‘Listen, all I’m saying is I have a feeling there’s going to be a lot more to this story than you might think.’
‘As if we don’t already think that,’ Anna muttered.
Astrid said to Cristy, ‘It’s interesting, certainly, that the Winters sisters chose to come here twenty-odd years ago. It can’t have been long after Sadie was found on the beach – if we’re presuming that part of the story is real …’
When she didn’t continue, Cristy prompted her to finish her thought.
Astrid smiled and her voice was a little slurred as she said, ‘Speaking as a member of the Gaudion family … We know how easy it is to keep secrets on this island, don’t we?
Your last podcast proves that. In fact, there’s nowhere better, given that the whole place is practically built on them.
Nullas quaestiones, nihil mentitur, or something like that. ’
‘What does that mean?’ Anna queried.
‘Ask no questions, told no lies,’ Cristy provided.
‘It’s the unofficial motto in these parts,’ Astrid explained. ‘So where better for two wealthy women to relocate when planning to pass off a small child as their own?’
Refraining from saying that they’d already figured that part of it out, Cristy watched David come back into the kitchen, grab a bottle of wine and disappear again.
Distracted by her phone, she saw it was a family What’sApp from both her children who she hadn’t yet spoken to this year. ‘I need to take this,’ she told Astrid, and after asking Hayley and Aiden to give her a moment she headed through to the summer room.
Once comfortably seated with the noise of the party barely audible through the closed door, she broke into a smile to see Hayley’s and Aiden’s cherished faces on the screen – although neither, she realized, was looking particularly happy.
‘How are you?’ she asked. ‘Isn’t it a bit early in LA for you to be calling now?’ Even as she said the words her heart gave a jolt of unease. ‘What’s happened?’ she asked before either of them could speak. ‘You’re OK, are you?’
‘We’re fine,’ Hayley assured her, ‘but you might need to be sitting down for this.’
‘I already am,’ Cristy told her.
White-faced and clearly not celebrating, Hayley said, ‘Marley’s had the baby.’