Chapter 4 #2
‘Well, it seemed like the obvious option – not that you gave me much time to prepare. You know they have all that room. He’s got your aunts there.
James is a nice guy, despite what your father thinks.
’ Catriona frowned. ‘Mind you, Dad won’t like it.
He’s just about coping with Joan and Chrissie being there, but this might send him over the edge. ’
Sorrel had called her mother from the road when she was a couple of hours away and told her that she was coming.
She’d thought about turning around and not coming at all, just going to hide in a hotel somewhere, anonymously for a few days, until she sorted things out.
But she’d found herself heading towards Skye nonetheless, and, finally, she’d run out of road.
‘Well, I’m not about to lie to him about it, if that’s what you’re suggesting.’
‘It wasn’t.’ Catriona looked away, uncomfortably. ‘Are you going to tell me why you came? Now, of all times? Out of the blue?’
‘Bluebell asked me to help. And… I split up with Simon,’ Sorrel said, dully. The words felt like metal in her mouth.
‘What?’ Catriona frowned. ‘Bluebell? How?’
‘She’s been emailing me for years. Every month since I left.’
‘You’ve been talking to your sister all this time?’ Catriona gaped at her daughter in disbelief.
‘She wrote to me. I never replied,’ Sorrel replied, slowly. ‘She was just being sweet. I should have replied. But then, you never spoke to me. I didn’t know that it would be okay to be in contact.’
‘I see,’ Catriona said, levelly.
‘Maybe I shouldn’t have come.’ Sorrel stood up to go. What had she been thinking? That she’d be able to walk back into her life on Skye after what had happened, and everything would be okay? That she and her mother could just reconcile over a cup of tea and a slice of cake?
‘Sorrel, for goodness’ sake! Can you just sit down for five minutes without running back to London?’ Catriona raised her voice.
‘Oh, hello, stranger.’ The caravan door opened, and Sorrel’s sisters, Heather and Bluebell, burst through it in a sudden explosion of energy. Heather ran to her sister and picked her up, off her feet, with her arms around Sorrel’s waist. Sorrel swore involuntarily, startled at the suddenness.
‘Jesus, Heather! You scared me to death!’ she cried out as Heather put her down, almost falling over. ‘Hello.’ Sorrel held her arms out for a proper hug.
Her sister grabbed her and squeezed her so tight that Sorrel lost her breath.
‘I don’t remember you being this violent.’ She choked as Heather let go slightly.
‘Sorry. I just can’t believe it!’ Heather squealed. ‘Let me look at you! Gahh. You look good, Sorrel. Have you been working out?’
‘A bit. Well, a lot, I guess. Pilates.’ Sorrel grinned at her sister, who was frothing over with joy to see her. Heather was curvy, with the same blonde hair as their mother. She wore her hair in two plaits, with a blunt-cut fringe. ‘You look good. You started wearing glasses?’
‘Yeah. But I think they make me look smart.’
‘You are smart.’ Sorrel chuckled. She was aware that Bluebell stood a couple of feet behind Heather, seeming subdued. ‘Hey, Blue,’ she said, quietly.
‘Hey,’ Bluebell replied. She was taller than Heather, more like Sorrel in her build, but she had the wild curly hair of the Balhennies, though she kept it short.
Unlike Heather, who had always favoured feminine, floral prints, full skirts and cute little cardigans, Bluebell was the shy kid who never cared about clothes at all.
Today she wore loose blue jeans and a cream cable knit jumper.
‘Thank you for writing to me. You never gave up,’ Sorrel said. She wanted to hug her youngest sister, but Bluebell’s body language was guarded.
‘No. I knew you’d come back to me, one day,’ Bluebell replied. Her eyes flickered nervously to Sorrel’s. Despite the fact that Bluebell had been so tenacious in her communication, now that she and Sorrel were face to face, she seemed reserved.
‘You were relentless. I think I would have given up,’ Sorrel said, truthfully.
‘I almost did. Quite a few times. But I couldn’t, when it came to it,’ Bluebell replied.
‘It’s good to see you, Blue. Thank you. You kept me up to date with everything…
I really appreciated it. Even if I didn’t tell you,’ Sorrel said.
It felt so formal, but she wanted to say it.
There was so much more she wanted to say.
I missed the way we used to make up stories together.
I missed talking about books. I missed your sense of humour.
I thought of you so many times. Please forgive me.
‘Of course.’ Bluebell shrugged.
‘She did tell us. All the time. Sorrel will come home. She said you would.’ Heather put her arm around Bluebell’s shoulder. ‘I thought I was supposed to be the intuitive one.’
‘It wasn’t intuition. It was just… I know Sorrel,’ Blue said, slowly. ‘I know she loves us. And we love her. Prodigal sons and daughters always have to come home.’
‘They don’t always,’ Heather said. ‘But we’re so, so, so glad you did, Sorrel!’ She enveloped her sister in another hug.
There was a knock on the caravan door.
‘Oh, who’s that now?’ Catriona muttered. ‘Come in!’ she yelled.
The door opened, and a man’s head appeared.
‘Hi, Catriona, just popping by to take some measurements. I hope this isn’t… a bad time.’ Yet as Sorrel looked up and met his eyes, shock darkened his face.
‘Sorrel?’ His voice was timid, quiet, as if he was in a dream and didn’t want to dispel it by speaking too loudly. He took one tentative step into the caravan, and his voice was a gut punch for Sorrel Balhennie. ‘Sorrel, is that you?’
‘Tam?’ Sorrel whispered. ‘It’s me. I…’ She stopped, unable to speak.
Tam Blackwood. My one true love. The one who swore he would never break my heart.
‘I can’t believe it’s you,’ he said. His voice echoed in the sinews of her heart. ‘You’re here. Oh my god.’