I decided there and then, perhaps it was best to live my life with the guidance of the living, not the dead. To look forward, not back.
I vaguely recalled Eliza telling me that during our time together.
She was wise, that one.
“But I can’t do it anymore.” Margot sat forward, stroking her chin. “I’m not the villain in this story. These past months, watching you throw yourself into the company, seeing how much you’ve grown and what you’ve accomplished — your mother would love it. And maybe, just maybe, she was wrong about what would be best for you.”
Before I knew what was happening, silent tears dripped down my face. This was the first honest conversation we’d had since Mum’s death about what she wanted and why.
“I thought I was disappointing her. That I was failing everything she built.”
Margot closed her eyes and shook her head slowly. “Oh, my darlings.”
She stood up and walked over to us, holding out her arms.
We both stood and fell into her, months of grief and confusion finally finding their outlet. Margot hadn’t hugged us since we were kids. This embrace felt like coming home after being lost for years.
“You could never disappoint her,” Margot whispered. “Never.”
Katy was crying too now, and she wrapped her arms around both of us, the three of us clinging together in this cozy cottage sitting room, all the pretence and lies stripped away.
When we finally pulled apart, tear-stained and breathless, I found my voice again. “None of it made any sense, but it does now.” I shook my head. “I’m sorry for anything I said that was out of line.”
Margot smiled, then shook her head. “Consider it forgotten.”
We all sat, this time in a row on the sofa.
“Is Max here?” I winced as I asked.
Margot shook her head. “I told him to stay in London, I needed a little time.” She exhaled. “But I hope you’re okay with him. He wasn’t the one pushing the sale. It’s true I asked him topush Eliza, but he was doing it for me. He was uneasy about it.” She shook her head. “As was Eliza. What a mess.”
Where was Eliza right now? My heart lurched thinking about her. I missed her.
“But you and Max are still together?”
Margot nodded. “Very much so. I hope you like Max, because he’s here to stay. He makes me happy, and I hope I do the same for him.”
Katy reached over and squeezed Margot’s hand with her own. “We like him very much, don’t we, Pops?”
I nodded. “We do.”
“He looks out for me, takes care of me,” she said softly. “And that hasn’t happened since your mum died. She was my best friend. I miss her so much.” Margot glanced up at me. “Don’t let what’s happened stop you from being with Eliza, either. She stuck up for you, and pushed back on what Max was asking her to do. He was surprised. She normally did whatever he asked of her. She’s got feelings for you. If you like her too, don’t let it slip away.”
I bit my cheek and nodded. I couldn’t speak about Eliza too right now. That was for another day. Perhaps tomorrow. Tonight was all about us.
We sobbed and hugged, and talked for another couple of hours about how we’re going to be honest going forward, about the weight of secrets we’d all been carrying. Margot made tea and brought out home-made fruitcake that her neighbour dropped off, which was off-the-charts delicious. By 6pm, we were emotionally exhausted, but happy.
I was going to get my family wish, and that was the best thing of all.
“The SwissTok deal: shall I tell Gabriel it’s off?”
I nodded. “I know Mum didn’t want to burden us, but you’re not. I want this.”
“And who knows, once the girls are at school, I might want a job at Voss, too,” Katy added.
Margot snorted. “Felicity will be rolling her eyes wherever she is. Both her daughters in the business when she thought you didn’t care at all. How wrong she was.” She shook her head. “We all need to talk a lot more about what we want.”
“Agreed.” Katy said. “When the time comes for the company to be passed down to the next generation – if that’s what they want – I don’t want this happening again.”
