Sybil and Maria blinked at their sister, mouths falling open. Callie wasn’t surprised. In her brief acquaintance with the three aunts she’d never heard Becky utter anything the other two hadn’t said first. ‘I’d love to, Becky, I really would and I promise I will,’ she said to the woman, ‘but now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to find my daughter.’
As Callie pushed through the crowds to the edge of the room, she heard Sybil say, ‘I say, steady on, old girl, you’re getting to be a regular chatterbox,’ and smiled.
The smile vanished from her face when she found Sunil. He was standing, alone, in the long white corridor. Frida was nowhere to be seen.
Scrubbing his hands over his face, he groaned, ‘Oh, Callie. I’ve really messed up.’
Thirty-One
Artemisia Gentileschi 1593–1653
Considered to be the most accomplished 17th century Italian painter of her generation. First woman member of the Accademia di Arte del Disegno. Discuss women’s roles in a patriarchal society.
(Taken from Calliope Thorne’s teaching notes.)
‘What’s happened?’ she demanded of Sunil. ‘Where’s Frida? What were you talking about?’
‘I didn’t know. I didn’t know you hadn’t told her.’
Lumpen horror sank into the bottom of Callie’s stomach. ‘What do you mean?’
‘We were chatting about us all being at college together, she’s always been really interested in that part of our lives. I suppose it’s because she’s about to go herself.’
‘Sunil, will you get to the point? What have you told Frida that she didn’t know?’
‘She wanted to know why I didn’t stand by you when we found out you were pregnant. I told her–’
‘Oh God.’ Callie put a hand to her mouth in shock. ‘You told her you thought I was going to have a termination. You told my daughter I was going to abort her. Oh, Sunil, how could you?’
‘I didn’t know, Callie.’ His voice took on a whining quality. ‘She said you two had always talked about everything, were real close. I assumed you’d mentioned it.’
‘And just how do you think I’d do that? Or why?’
Sunil’s voice rose in anger. ‘Then maybe you shouldn’t have lied to me at the time! And denied me the chance to bring up our daughter.’
‘Mydaughter,’ Callie hissed. ‘Frida ismydaughter. And I didn’t lie to you, at least not on purpose. After you’d so conveniently disappeared, I changed my mind.’
‘Don’t you think I had a right to know?’
‘I looked for you. I asked around everywhere. But no one knew where you and Vivek had gone. And then, well forgive me, but I had other things on my mind. Like parents who were threatening to throw me out, a baby on the horizon and finding a home for us both. Not to mention trying to graduate and getting a sodding job!’
He subsided against the wall. Covering his face with his hands he murmured, ‘I thought all this was going so well. I’ve been through hell you know. Finding out I had another daughter, trying to get to know her, breaking the news to my wife.’
‘Yes, yes,’ Callie said impatiently wondering if he’d always been this self-absorbed. ‘But what happened when you let slip I’d nearly got rid of her?’
‘I don’t know. She yelled a lot, got really pissed with me and then ran off.’
‘Where to? Where’s she gone, Sunil?’
He shrugged, spreading his hands. ‘She said something about going to the sea. Clear her head. Mentioned the prom. You have one of those here?’
Callie groaned inwardly. ‘Yes, we have one of those here,’ she said through clenched teeth. ‘And my precious daughter has just run off into the biggest storm they’ve had round here this year. And you let her!’
As if to underline her point, lightning flashed through the windows followed by a rumble of thunder. The storm must be directly overhead.
‘What should we do?’
‘I think you’ve done enough. I’ll go and find her. You get Johnny Starling.’
