‘I’m sure.’
They watched as Carla took Emily in her arms, holding her tight and blinking away tears. Kitty made her way over and sat down on the sand beside them.
‘Mummy’s got to go now, sweetie,’ Carla was saying. ‘You’ll have a great time here with Kitty and Nick, and I’ll call you later on your iPad.’
‘I don’t want you to go, Mummy.’ Emily clung to her mother. Her mouth wobbled.
Carla sniffed and held Emily’s face in her hands. ‘I don’t want to go either.’ She smiled sadly. ‘Remember I told you Granddad is poorly?’
Emily nodded.
‘He needs me to take care of him for a few days, and I have to do that because he’s my dad. I’ll be back soon, I promise, and I’ll call you every day.’
Emily’s big hazel eyes filled with tears, and Carla kissed her daughter and ran a hand over her hair. ‘I love you so much, my darling girl. Be good for Nick, and I’ll call you on your iPad at six o’clock.’ Carla kissed Emily again, hugged her tightly before taking a couple of faltering steps towards Nick.
‘I’ll look after her,’ he said.
‘You better, or I’ll kill you.’
From the tone of Carla’s voice, Kitty knew she was serious. Nick’s face turned from white to grey.
‘Keep an eye on him,’ she told Kitty over her shoulder as she walked steadily away.
Kitty watched Carla climb the long wooden staircase, the shuddering of her shoulders unmistakable as sobs. She returned to Emily, who sat cross-legged beside her sandcastle, her eyes turned to the ground. ‘You’ve done brilliantly with this sandcastle. It’s fit for a princess. Shall we make a moat? Or we could add some seaweed as decoration?’
‘The castle’s finished.’ Emily kept her gaze down.
‘OK. How about a paddle in the sea?’
‘I’m hungry.’ There was no mistaking the wobble in Emily’s voice.
‘In that case,’ said Kitty, holding out a hand, ‘why don’t we head to the house, and Nick will make you some lunch?’
‘I don’t like all these steps,’ said Emily, pointing to the staircase.
‘There are a lot of them,’ agreed Kitty. ‘Would a piggyback help?’
Emily nodded. Kitty crouched in front of her, and Emily climbed onto her back, wrapping her small arms around Kitty’s neck. When Emily leaned closer, Kitty felt the dampness of tearsagainst her skin and the shudder of the girl’s small body as an emotion she couldn’t yet understand got the better of her.
‘We’re heading to the house,’ Kitty told Nick, who was staring out to sea as though in a trance.
‘What?’ He shook his head. ‘Sorry, I was miles away.’
‘I said we’re heading to the house. Emily is hungry.’
‘Oh, right. OK.’
There was no offer of help, and Kitty’s muscles strained as she began the long ascent, one hand gripping the railing to make sure she kept her balance. Her T-shirt clung to her back, Emily’s warmth adding to the heat of exertion. When they reached the top of the cliff and she stepped onto the lawn, Kitty breathed a sigh of relief. ‘I’m going to have to put you down now,’ she told Emily, bending as the child slithered off. A single tear slid down each of Emily’s cheeks, and she hiccupped a sob. ‘Don’t worry,’ said Kitty, taking her hand. ‘Everything will be alright. Mummy will be back soon. Think of this as a holiday by the seaside. Have you been on a holiday before?’
‘Only once. We stayed in a caravan.’
‘And was it fun?’
Emily frowned. ‘It rained all the time, but Mummy made it fun with lots of games. And there was a pool, and she bought me a blow-up dolphin.’
‘That sounds like lots of fun. And this holiday will be fun too. Nick has a very nice house for you to stay in, and you’re right by the beach. I’m sure he’s good at playing games, too.’
‘Can he play hide and seek?’
