‘Totally a fair point,’ said Eden. ‘I’ll have to write a book someday. Politicians do. And they’ll want to know about me. I’ll give them the truth of who I am.’ She paused. The truth – she had to do that. Tell the truth and not let some anonymous letter writer wield a sword over her head.
Her past would not ruin her political career. The world was a changed place and women like her were changing it. ‘As long as I come out of this book looking lovely,’ she added, giving a big fake grin to Rory, ‘thenno problemo!’
‘I wondered where you all were,’ said a voice.
Everyone swivelled.
There, her silvery hair lit from the fairy lights, stood their mother.
Chantal smiled first because she, as the outsider, could see most easily what the others could not.
That the existence of Chloe was not a surprise to Meg and that she was relieved to see her here.
For a moment, Meg stared at Chloe, tears in her eyes. ‘I so wish Lori had come to me and told me. I understood why she didn’t. She didn’t want me hurt but your father had hurt me so much and I could have helped Lori. You look so like her – and like Eden and Savannah.’
The sisters parted and Meg stooped to kiss Chloe, who started to sob and threw her arms around her.
‘My mother loved you and she was so sorry—’
‘That’s in the past,’ murmured Meg, stroking Chloe’s hair. ‘Now, lovie, it’s going to be fine. Your mother wrote to me near the end and she told me that, one day, you’d want to come and I said I’d welcome you with open arms. I know you have a real father but you have a birth one here who’d love to see you.’
‘You knew and Dad knew you knew?’ said Rory finally.
‘Told you,’ said Chantal with a hint of smugness.
‘Nothing gets past me,’ said Meg.
Savannah smiled to herself, a sad smile, and thought that some things did.
Her eyes rested on Eden who had precisely the same smile on her face.
‘Come in,’ Meg went on, her arm around Chloe. ‘We’re having a party and you need to be there.’
Meg brought Chloe back in with her and sat her down in her own place, then got a waiter to bring another chair. Stu had been deep in conversation with Vonnie and he turned round and went pale under his tan at the sight of Chloe.
‘Now, darling,’ Meg said quietly. ‘This is Chloe and I know you’ve been wanting to meet her for a long time. We’re not going to make a big deal out of this now, but here she is, your beautiful daughter.’
‘Oh my God,’ said Stu, ‘Can I—?’ He stopped and threw his arms around Chloe.
‘He’s a bit of a hugger,’ said Meg, extracting her newly acquired soon-to-be stepdaughter from her ex-husband, soon-to-be-new-husband’s embrace.
‘Now, Stu, hold it together. You’re having a sedate family dinner.’ Meg looked around the table. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, except Savannah, who’d just sat down and was smiling over at them in a wistful, lonely way. Beside her sat Calum. He was now tapping his fingers on the table, irritated, waiting for something.
‘I know this isn’t the time, now that you’re here, Chloe,’ Meg said quietly, ‘but, Stu, there’s just something about that man that worries me.’ Meg looked across at Calum.
‘Er, Calum?’ said Stu. ‘Yeah, he’s a bit of a cold fish, all right. I mean, I tried to get him to come to my stag night but he said he had some big business dinner on. One of those restaurants in town where it’s all meat and costs a fortune for a lump of beef the size of a small car. I dunno, bit of a show-off, I think, but, you know, Savannah seems to love him.’
Chloe and Meg stared across at Savannah and Calum.
‘Does she?’ asked Chloe. ‘She looks scared, actually. Like a wisp of a person who wants to float away. She seems different from the way Mum described her to me.’
‘I can tell you’re an artist,’ said Meg, squeezing Chloe’s hand, ‘and yes, she does look scared, doesn’t she?’ she added grimly.
Savannah insisted on leaving early and drove home. There was no way Calum was going to get a taxi. No, he wanted to arrive and leave in his Lexus, and, of course, he would want a drink at the rehearsal dinner, so under no circumstances could Savannah drink. She’d barely been able to eat anyway. She’d kept looking over at beautiful Chloe, fascinated to see her own features but with a different skin tone and that rippling, long dark hair. Mum had kept Chloe between her and Dad for ages and then Eden had rescued her and taken her away and then Indie had wanted a go, then Rory and Chantal insisted that they talk to her but Savannah hadn’t, not because she didn’t want her beautiful half-sister with her but because she felt as if there was nothing left of her even to move a finger towards Chloe. She felt as if her heart was bashed in, as if her ribs were crushed and there was nothing to her. She didn’t know how she was going to get through tomorrow smiling at everyone, trying to be normal when inside she felt lonely, broken, crushed, almost dead, but she had to keep going. She was going to keep going for Clary, but it was so difficult. Once they were in the car Calum stopped talking to her. He’d spoken a few words to her at the dinner, loudly, so other people could hear. Once, when he’d seen her staring off into the distance, he’d painfully squeezed her knee under the table. ‘Smile,’ he’d hissed. ‘You look like you’re going to the scaffold.’
‘Sorry,’ she’d said, and she’d tried to be merry but it was so impossible.
‘Turn your full lights on, this is a back road,’ he commanded, so she did and then she didn’t turn them down quickly enough when another car approached. ‘For God’s sake, that’s stupid, you’re a bloody useless driver,’ he’d snarled. Somehow, her hands shaking, they’d made it home. They got in the front door and she could feel herself quake. He might want sex. She couldn’t bear it. She couldn’t bear the thought of him touching her. But he stomped upstairs without saying a word to her. She ran up a minute later and went into Clary’s room. Her daughter was asleep, all curled up with her teddies. And Savannah, unable to help herself, stripped off the beautiful clothes she’d bought, down to her under things, and curled up in bed beside her daughter. Here she could keep her safe. Here she might sleep.
