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.’