Little Kiosk By The Sea (23 page)

‘Of course you are. Why wouldn’t you?’ Harriet said, slamming the lid of the dishwasher closed. ‘Now the woman’s living on our doorstep. Makes it easier for you.’

‘Mum! It’s something I need to do.’

Harriet sighed. ‘I know it is, but that doesn’t make it any easier.’

Ellie walked over to her and gave her a hug. ‘I want to talk to BB too. I could be another long-lost cousin of his.’

‘I’d almost forgotten BB’s news. Vanessa’s appearance overshadowed everything else for me,’ Harriet said. ‘Don’t think there is any doubt there is a family connection with BB. American cousins could be fun.’

‘I’ll see you later then,’ Ellie said. ‘Probably treat myself to lunch in town. Ciao.’

Harriet methodically dusted crumbs off the table before asking Frank.

‘You got any plans for this morning?

‘Gardening. Unless you want to do something?’

‘Thought I’d go and talk to Sabine.’

When Harriet approached the kiosk later that morning she found Sabine and Johnnie shouting at each other in French. Neither of them noticed her and she stood back, remembering their fiery arguments in the old days. Best not to get involved. It was only when she saw Sabine throw up her hands in a typically Gallic manner and Johnnie storm off, that she ventured to get closer.

‘Dare I ask what that was all about? Looked a bit heated,’ she said.

‘Just told him about Vanessa turning up and he went all pious on me,’ Sabine said. ‘Said it didn’t matter to him.’

‘Well, why should it?’

Sabine sighed and began to tick points off her fingers. ‘Because, one, Rachel Mansell stroke Vanessa Harford is the women who sailed with him to France when he came back with Carla. Two, she’s the woman who went baby shopping with him. Three, she’s the woman he turns to for emergency help if I’m not around. Four, I know he really likes her and Five, he’s just told me he wants her to be—’ Sabine stopped. ‘Oh my God. Sorry.’

‘What?’ Harriet said.

‘He’s asked her to be Carla’s Godmother – with you.’

Harriet closed her eyes for a couple of seconds and sighed. Vanessa Harford was back, once again threatening to disrupt her life.

‘Are you all right?’ Sabine said. ‘No after effects from falling?’

Harriet opened her eyes and shrugged. ‘Got a bit of a bruise on my thigh. Otherwise I’m fine. What happened last night after Frank and Ellie took me home?’

‘Not much. Vanessa vanished upstairs when you fainted and everybody left soon after you.’

‘I still can’t believe she’s been here in town all summer,’ Harriet said. ‘How come Johnnie didn’t recognise her?’

‘He’d never met her before. You remember in those days he was often away crewing for months. Think he was on a research ship somewhere in Antarctica when Oscar fell for her charms.’

‘She must have realised you were his sister.’

‘Think she’s spent the summer avoiding me, to be honest,’ Sabine said. ‘She knows, like you, I’d have recognised her instantly.’

‘I remember you both meeting at Aunt Amy’s party,’ Harriet said. ‘You clicked with each other immediately.’

‘We did but we fell out pretty spectacularly over you and Oscar. We almost came to fisticuffs in the street. I never spoke to her again. They left soon after, and now she’s back,’ Sabine said. ‘Any ideas on how we handle things?’

‘Absolutely none,’ Harriet said, shaking her head. ‘I also have the added complication of Ellie. Personally, I could kill Vanessa for the past and yet, part of me can’t help thinking if she hadn’t run off with Oscar, I wouldn’t be so happy and married to Frank. And Ellie wouldn’t have had such a wonderful childhood.’

‘Johnnie really likes her too, so the pressure is going to be on me to be friends with her,’ Sabine said.

‘Meantime, Ellie is at this very moment making her acquaintance,’ Harriet said. ‘She’s desperate to learn about Oscar.’

A family group approached the kiosk and Sabine turned to give them her attention. Harriet waited patiently while Sabine issued tickets and made genial conversation with them.

As they moved away Harriet said, ‘I know Frank is finding it easier to accept this ‘need to know my real father’ attitude that Ellie has adopted because Oscar is dead and there is no chance of them coming face to face. Or having to share Ellie’s affection.’

‘Whereas Vanessa is very much alive, in town and back in your life,’ Sabine said.

‘Exactly. Am I going to be forced to stand by and watch the woman who irrevocably changed the course of my life become friends with her stepdaughter – my daughter? I dread the thought of bumping into her around town,’ Harriet shuddered. ‘Four months into the year of living here to comply with Aunt Amy’s bequest and this happens. Eight long months before I can return to my own home.’

‘Don’t let her drive you away a second time,’ Sabine said. ‘Johnnie told me to leave the past where it belongs, in the past. He wants me to meet her soon.’ She paused. ‘I’m thinking of going to see her before he arranges anything. See what she has to say all these years later. Want to come with me?’

Harriet shook her head. ‘No. I need a few more days to calm down. Have to say, it’s beginning to look like it’s a case of forgive and forget for you at least.’

Sabine pulled a face. ‘I have to try for Johnnie’s sake – and I think you know you have to do the same for you and Ellie.’

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

ELLIE

Ellie slowed her pace as she walked up Clarence Hill. Arriving hot and flustered on Vanessa’s doorstep was not part of the plan. Not that she’d formulated much of a plan beyond arriving on Vanessa’s doorstep – or should she start thinking of her as Rachel?

BB was coming out of the house when Ellie reached it.

‘Hi. Not sure how newly discovered cousins umpteen times removed should greet each other,’ BB said, ‘But I’m sure it’s in order for a peck on the cheek,’ he said, as he leant forward and kissed her.

‘Morning, Cousin,’ Ellie said. ‘You got time to talk?’

‘Not right this minute. I’m late to sign the papers for my boat. Dinner this evening? Eight o’clock at The Royal?’

‘Look forward to it,’ Ellie said. ‘Is Rachel in?’

BB nodded and pushed the door open. ‘Rachel, you’ve got a visitor. Go easy on her,’ he whispered. ‘She’s a bit fragile this morning. You’ll find her out on the terrace.’

The sitting room was tidy as she walked through. In the kitchen the dishwasher was whirring away but the work surface was still littered with the debris of last night’s party as Ellie walked out to the terrace.

Rachel looked at her and indicated she should sit in the chair next to her. Then she offered her a coffee from the cafetière on the table.

‘Thanks,’ Ellie said.

‘I thought you or your mother would turn up,’ Rachel said. ‘How is Harriet? Not too many bruises from last night?’

‘She seems fine. Thanks for asking. I’m curious – why were you expecting her to come?’

‘To take the opportunity of telling me to my face how much she hates me?’

‘Mum wouldn’t do that. She doesn’t like confrontation. Besides, I don’t think she hates you – just dislikes you for what did. There is a difference,’ Ellie said.

‘And you’re here because?’

‘To learn about my father obviously.’

When Rachel didn’t answer, Ellie said, ‘By the way, your remark the other evening – “whatever people say, whatever life throws at you, the only person you can truly be is you” when you thought I was about to jump into the Dart, wasn’t helpful.’

‘That was you?’

Ellie nodded. ‘I’d just learnt about you. Ironic, really, you should be the one to be concerned about me.’

‘People do what they do. Few people can claim to live a life without regrets along the way. I know I can’t,’ Rachel said. ‘In the end, it has to boil down to being true to yourself.’

‘Do you regret stealing my father from my mother and me?’

‘I regret that people got hurt when Oscar and I fell in love, but I’ve never regretted loving Oscar.’ Rachel stood up. ‘I need something to eat. Toast?’

Ellie shook her head. ‘No thanks.’ She followed Rachel into the kitchen and waited while she cut bread for the toaster and placed plates, cutlery, butter and marmalade on a tray.

‘Mum says you were pregnant when you left. Do I have a brother or a sister?’

‘A brother. Hugo.’

‘Shame. I was rather hoping for a sister,’ Ellie said. ‘Does he know about me?’

‘No. We never found it necessary to tell him.’

‘A mistake you’ve made in common with Mum then. You should tell him. You never know, we might meet one day and fall madly in love and want to get married, then where would we all be?’

‘He’s married.’

‘That didn’t stop you and my father. I’m not married. Toast’s burning.’

Rachel sighed. ‘I like burnt toast.’ She picked up the tray and went back out to the terrace. ‘You want to be married?’ she asked, setting the tray down on the table.

‘I expected to be married and have a family by now,’ Ellie said. ‘I live in hope of meeting Mr Right one day.’ She sighed. ‘Sooner rather than later, if possible. Anyway, back to my father.’

Rachel buttered a slice of toast and took a bite.

‘So what is it you want to know about Oscar?

‘Everything you can tell me. What he liked, what he did, any little traits of his I might have inherited.’ She paused. ‘Whether he felt any guilt about losing contact with me – or whether he didn’t care.’

‘Oh, he cared all right,’ Rachel said. ‘I don’t think he ever got over not seeing you grow up. He did wonder if you’d seek him out when you were older, but he was determined you had to be the one to make contact. He felt Harriet had suffered enough without him appearing back to disrupt her new life demanding to see you.’

‘Do you have some photos? I’ve seen one of Oscar holding me on my first birthday, that’s all. I’d love to see what he looked like in later years.’

‘I have a few. I’ll fetch them.’ And Rachel stood up to go indoors.

Ellie, waiting for her return, remembered another question she needed to ask.

Rachel returned carrying a small photo album which she placed on the table in front of Ellie.

‘There you are.’

‘I’ve just realised I don’t know what to call you,’ Ellie said. ‘Technically I suppose you’re my stepmum but I’m a bit too old to regard you as that. So, do I call you Vanessa or Rachel?’

‘Rachel.’

‘Okay.’ Ellie opened the album and began to turn the pages. ‘Oh, that’s a lovely photo. You look very happy.’

‘We were,’ Rachel said. ‘That was taken on our twentieth wedding anniversary in Antibes.’

‘He still looks like he did in the one of us together years ago.’ Ellie flicked through to almost the back page before saying, ‘Although in this one he looks older. Where was this? He looks different in this one.’

‘Switzerland. Two years ago,’ Rachel said, her voice breaking.

Ellie glanced at her and realised how tearful she was looking. ‘I’m sorry. This must be even harder for you than me. You’d known and loved him all those years and now he’s gone. I’ve only just learnt about him so can’t miss him.’

‘A year ago I couldn’t look at these without breaking down, so I guess that means I’m adjusting to life without him,’ Rachel said, closing the album.

‘So where do we go from here?’ Ellie said.

Rachel shrugged. ‘I’m leaving soon. I’d already decided to return to France before anybody discovered who I was. I just wish I hadn’t come home early for BB’s party. If I hadn’t, nobody would have been any the wiser. It was a major mistake on my part to come back.’

‘I was already looking for you on the Internet,’ Ellie said. ‘Wouldn’t have been long before I found you anyway.’

‘Google has a lot to answer for,’ Rachel said.

‘Can I visit you in France? Meet my brother?’

Rachel looked at her for several seconds before nodding her head. ‘You’ll have to give me time to tell Hugo about you – but yes, you can visit.’

‘Thank you,’ Ellie said. ‘I’d better go. Thanks for talking to me. Can we meet again before you leave so you can tell me more?’

‘We’ll have lunch one day before I leave,’ Rachel said. ‘Ellie, you have the same confident air about you that Oscar always had. I think you probably inherited his stubborn streak too.’

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

RACHEL

Half an hour after Ellie left, Rachel went for a much-needed walk to try to clear her head. The moment Harriet had fainted at the sight of her last night, her mind had started buzzing with what the consequences might be. She was thankful that it was Ellie, not Harriet, who’d arrived at the house this morning. Ellie’s visit, demanding information about Oscar was the first – and quite possibly the simplest – consequence to deal with. Talking to Harriet would have been a lot harder.

Not that talking to Ellie had exactly been easy. Showing her the photos had raised so many memories, some she’d rather forget. Seeing the Switzerland photo had brought so much emotion flooding back into her body. It was going to be even harder the next time they met. Ellie seemed determined to ask her to dig deep into her memories and tell her things about Oscar that should stay buried with him.

Four days after Regatta and the town was quieter as Rachel made her way through, but there were still holidaymakers around. Dodging around a group of meandering sightseers, she stopped outside one of the several estate agencies in town and took a deep breath. Autumn was probably not the best time to try to sell the house, but she needed to get things moving. Resolutely she opened the door and went in.

‘I’d like to make an appointment for someone to come and value my house and put it on the market,’ she told the woman on the desk. ‘ASAP,’ she added.

The woman made a note of the address, took her telephone number, checked the diary and suggested, ‘Four o’clock tomorrow? Fine. Mark will see you then.’

Stepping back out into the street, she found Johnnie and Carla were waiting for her. Ah, the second consequence of last night’s party. Johnnie wanting an explanation.

‘Saw you earlier but you’d disappeared in there before I could catch you,’ he said with a jerk of his head towards the estate agency. ‘We need to talk,’ he continued. ‘Carla needs a nap so coffee at my place?’