‘You are going to stay put and not worry about this. You are going to have a few drinks, and then have a good night’s sleep. I’ll work out what you should do.’
Cecily shook her head. ‘This is my problem, Alec, not yours.’
‘You are unhappy, which makes it my problem. I would do anything to make you happy.’
‘Oh, Alec.’ Now the tears had a happy tinge.
‘Promise me you won’t do anything silly overnight, that you will rest and take it easy and I promise, in the morning, we will have it all sorted out.’
‘I promise.’ After having to look after herself for so long, it was nice to have people to lean on.
‘Hang up now, put your phone on silent, close your eyes and rest. It will be all right.’
‘Yes.’ With Alec on the case, she really believed it would.
‘I will talk with you tomorrow.’
Alec hung up. Cecily put her phone on silent and then closed her eyes. She didn’t feel good—far from it—but at least now it felt like things were going to get better. Thank the universe for Alec.
Gwendolen
Gwen had just finished paying for the burgers and the bottle of wine she’d purchased when her phone rang. Seeing it was Alec, she answered.
‘Hey. How are you?’
‘I’m fine. I just spoke to Cecily and she told me what happened. Are you okay?’
Gwen tucked the phone between her ear and her shoulder to grab the wine and the two glasses. She went over to a table near the window where she could be private and sat down. ‘I’m a bit shaken. I knew my father had very strong political views, but I didn’t think they would get in the way of his basic humanity of helping a person. He was so lovely to Cecily last night, helping her relax because he could see she needed the care. But the moment he finds out she is on the other side, she’s out. I just don’t understand.’
‘I don’t either. It’s like what happened to John and I yesterday—some people can be involved in politics and remain sane, but others lose their freaking mind and do all sorts of ridiculous things.’
‘How can I be his daughter now? When he would treat another person like that? What else is he capable of?’
‘You are in shock, Gwen. Give yourself some time to adjust to what has happened. Don’t do anything in the heat of anger or sadness.’
‘Well, I’ll see him on Saturday. Maybe by then I’ll know what to say.’
‘I hope so. In the meantime, I’m working on a plan to save you and Cecily.’
Gwen frowned. ‘What plan?’
‘Can’t say, but it will be brilliant. You’ll see.’
Gwen hung up and carried the wine and glasses upstairs. Cecily was still lying on her bed, eyes closed, but she opened them and sat up when Gwen came in.
‘Oh yes, just what I need. Fill me up.’ Cecily held out her hand.
Gwen poured them each a glass and they clinked and then took a sip.
‘Alec is planning something,’ Gwen said.
Cecily rolled her eyes. ‘For someone who sees himself as a cunning strategist, he really does say too much to the wrong people. He’s helping me work out a way to get your family back together.’
‘I’ll give you the advice Alec just gave me—give yourself time to adjust to what has happened. Don’t do anything in the heat of anger or sadness.’
‘You are taking this so well,’ Cecily said. ‘I would be devastated. I am devastated.’
‘Being devastated would be a huge waste of good wine,’ Gwen said. ‘I will be devastated when I have no more good wine.’
The burgers came and were as wonderful as Gwen remembered. Then they sat on their beds, bellies full, wine in hand and watched Never Been Kissed on television.
Halfway through, Gwen’s phone rang. She looked at it, mouthed ‘John’ to Cecily then slipped out into the corridor.
‘Hello?’
‘Darling. Alec told me what happened. Are you all right?’
Hearing darling from his voice sounded so right. ‘I’m not sure. It was so full on, I don’t think I have processed it yet.’
‘Cecily said you stood up to him.’
‘Fat lot of good it did. But I wasn’t going to let him yell at Cecily just because her politics are different. She’s a good person, John. So are you, lies and politics aside.’
‘I am so, so sorry about that,’ John said. ‘About lying. I can’t believe I was putting my politics before you. Stupid, ridiculous thing to do. Never again. I swear, Gwen. You always come first.’
‘Thank you. And I am sorry I made such a thing about it. Whether you’re a good person or not is more important than your beliefs on how to make the country better, which I’ve discovered this evening.’
‘So, you might find it in your heart to forgive me?’
Gwen smiled. ‘Maybe.’
‘Darling heart.’
Gwen held her hand up to stop him, even though he couldn’t see it. ‘I am still angry about the extent you went to with the lies. When were you going to tell me?’
‘Honestly, I have no idea. I got so caught up in them, and I had to keep them going until I was sure you loved me enough that you’d forgive me regardless.’
‘Let’s have our love be based on truth rather than lies.’
‘Then here’s the solid gold truth—I adore you, Gwendolen Fairford. I adore your smile, I adore your laughter, I adore your intelligence, I adore your loyalty to your friends.’
‘And I adore you,’ Gwen said. ‘Although I wonder about your loyalty to your friends, considering who your closest friend is.’
‘Since I’m not working at the moment, how about I come to Tybrim to be with you?’
Gwen’s first impulse was to shout yes. ‘I can’t abandon poor Cecily to jump into bed with you.’
‘A—I am so glad that bed was your first thought. B—I have a plan to keep Cecily occupied.’
Gwen frowned. ‘It wouldn’t involve Alec, would it? I may have forgiven you, John Worthing, but I’m not sure Cecily is there with Alec yet.’
‘Then it will give her the opportunity to get there. Please say I can come, my darling. I miss you so much. And, if you’re still angry with your dear Papa come Saturday, imagine the look on his face when you walk into the room with a Government staffer on your arm.’
Gwen shook her head. ‘Ex-government staffer. And I don’t think I want to antagonise Dad like that.’
‘Maybe you will, maybe you won’t. Wouldn’t it be better to have me on hand in case you do, rather than decide on Saturday morning you want to and regret that I am hours away.’
She probably shouldn’t but she couldn’t resist. ‘Very well. Come. We’re staying at the pub.’
‘No, we’re hiring a house for the weekend. Alec and I will pick you girls up from the pub tomorrow.’
‘Cecily may not be into that.’
‘I think she will be. At the very least, she’ll have two strong men there to protect her.’
‘Oh, you’re bringing security as well?’
‘Ha, ha. Don’t tell Cecily—Alec wants it to be a surprise.’
‘Don’t take too long,’ Gwen said.
‘We’ll be there sooner than you expect.’
Gwen hung up and hugged the phone to her chest. She and John were a couple again, and he and Alec were coming to save her and Cecily.
When she went back into the room, Cecily muted the sound on the television. ‘Well?’
‘Cecily, dear, I have decided that all things considered, I have forgiven John.’
‘Yay. I’m so happy for you.’ Cecily jumped up and hugged her. ‘The lying thing aside, John is a wonderful man and I know you’ll be very happy together.’
‘We’ll be working on that,’ Gwen said, sitting on the bed.
‘Well, here’s to wonderful news, on a day that hasn’t had much.’ Cecily held up her glass and they clinked.
‘I think tomorrow will be a much better day,’ Gwen said, taking her position on the bed again.
‘I think it will too,’ Cecily said. ‘I very much hope so.’
Cecily turned the sound back on and they settled down to watch the rest of the movie.
***
They were woken the next morning by banging on the door. Gwen groggily got up and opened it and in swept Angie and Janice.
‘What? You’re still in bed? I would have thought with all the stress last night you could barely sleep.’
Cecily sat up, wiping her eyes. ‘It did take a while to sleep last night, but we did finally,’ she said, giving Angie a look which said she was less than happy to be woken.
‘Oh, I’m sorry. It’s just when I heard what happened, I was so anxious to see you and make sure you were okay.’ Angie sat on Cecily’s bed and took her hand. ‘You poor thing. When Uncle Bernard gets going, he can be a real tyrant. But don’t let him make you think the whole town is like him. It’s not. Not even the whole family is. Your grandfather is furious and has summoned your dad to the farm this morning for a dressing down.’ The last sentence was directed at Gwen.
Gwen sat on her bed with a smile. ‘Dear Grandad.’
‘He is a dear.’ Angie patted Cecily’s hand. ‘I’m not related to him except by marriage, but he always welcomed me out to the farm on weekends and holidays with Gwen and said I had to call him Grandad and treated me like one of his own. His eldest son, Gwen’s Uncle Stephen, is a sweetie like him. Her dad, unfortunately, has had a chip on his shoulder for not being able to inherit the family farm since he was a child. He says he doesn’t care, but it has built a well of bitterness in him that spills over dreadfully from time to time.’
‘Angie,’ Gwen murmured. She loved Cecily but should the family’s secrets be spilled like this?
‘Anyway, Cecily, you need to know that Uncle Bernard is unbearably horrible, but it’s not about you. It’s about him, being a horrible, horrible man. No one else thinks what he does. In fact, I want you to come to the wedding tomorrow.’
‘Oh, I couldn’t,’ Cecily said. ‘You’ve got everything organised, and it would be hard to fit another in, and I’m not family or even a friend and—’
‘The Bentley’s have had to cancel, chicken pox would you believe, so we’ve got six whole seats to fill. You will be stuck with their meal choice, but the food will be sensational. And you’re a friend of Gwen’s and that tells me you are good people. Besides, every bride dreams of a dramatic story to tell about her wedding and I figure if mine is that the PM’s long-lost daughter was a guest, it will make it less likely that something will go wrong.’
Cecily laughed. ‘I know when I am defeated. I would be delighted to attend.’
‘Good,’ Angie said. ‘Now, you two get dressed and come join us for breakfast.’
Angie and Janice swept out of the room, Janice giving Gwen a quirked smile as they left.
‘Your cousin is a force, isn’t she?’
‘The women of this family generally are,’ Gwen said. ‘The question is always whether they are a force for good or evil?’
They dressed and went downstairs and had a wonderful meal of fabulous bacon and eggs and sourdough toast while talking about the wedding and relationships.
‘I don’t suppose I can snaffle two more of those spare seats,’ Gwen said in a whispered aside to Angie while Janice and Cecily were roaring with laughter over something.
‘Of course. May I ask for whom?’
‘A surprise,’ Gwen said with a smile.
‘The more outside of me drama, the better,’ Angie said.
Once they were done, Angie and Janice left to drive to Shepparton for supplies and Gwen and Cecily went for a walk around town. The shops were opening, cars were parking, the town was coming to life.
‘Your cousin and Janice are just wonderful,’ Cecily said, her arm wrapped in Gwen’s. ‘All in all, your father aside, I have to say that you grew up in quite a fabulous situation.’
‘I did,’ Gwen said. ‘Which makes my being awesome less of an accomplishment than for you, as you had much further to travel to achieve awesome.’
‘But achieve it we both did,’ Cecily said. ‘Let us remember that, no matter what the future may bring. You and I are awesome.’
‘Agreed,’ Gwen said. ‘Now, we must adjourn to the visitor’s centre and you must find something horrendous to purchase in memory of your time in Tybrim.’
‘What a brilliant idea, Gwendolen,’ Cecily said and arm in arm, they set off toward the shop.
John
The clock on the dashboard had just ticked over ten when they pulled up in front of Tybrim Real Estate.
‘Are you sure everything will be fine?’ John turned to Alec.
‘When did you become such a worry wart?’ Alec undid his seatbelt and got out of the car. John hurriedly turned the car off and got out as well.
He resented being called a worry wart. He’d been up since three and had been driving on and off since four. He was tired. He was worried about Gwen, and Cecily. He was worried about whether this mad plan of Alec’s would work. He had no idea what to do with the rest of his life. That was no reason to call him a worry wart.
There was a smiling young woman manning the reception desk of the office. ‘Good morning, welcome to Tybrim Real Estate. How can I help you?’
‘Good morning.’ Alec smiled and John watched the young woman shiver. Man, if John could do that, he’d be a movie star and worth millions and never have to worry about anything ever again. Stupid Alec for choosing politics. ‘We’re here to pick up the key for Farrell Cottage. We’re renting it for the weekend.’
The receptionist’s eyelids fluttered and her smile dimmed. ‘I’m sorry, but we don’t give access to the holiday rentals until after two. I can give you some ideas on what to do to entertain yourself in the meantime.’
‘Actually, I organised with Patricia last night that we could pick up the key at ten. You can check with her.’
The receptionist blinked and then nodded. ‘I see. I’ll check with her.’ She picked up the phone.
‘You said it wouldn’t be a problem,’ John muttered.
‘Don’t make me send you back to the car,’ Alec said.
‘Hi, Patricia,’ the receptionist said into the phone, drawing back their attention. ‘I have two gentlemen—well, yes, but it’s just—okay, see you soon.’ She hung up and the smile she gave Alec was sad. ‘Patricia is running a bit late from an appointment and won’t be here for another ten minutes or so.’
‘Not a problem,’ Alec said, and his smile visibly relaxed the receptionist. ‘We’ll just go grab a coffee and come back when Patricia has returned.’
They stepped out onto the main street of the town. ‘What now?’ John said.
‘Coffee, of course. Actually, no. Look, the supermarket. Let’s do the shopping now, then come back and claim the key.’
‘We could go find Gwen and Cecily.’ John scanned the street, looking for the pub.
‘Not until things are ready, so they can just relax,’ Alec said. ‘Come on.’
They got essentials—bread, milk, margarine, breakfast spreads—and the even more essentials—cheese, cold meats, olives, dips, crackers, chips, wine—and headed back to the real estate.
As they stepped in, the receptionist smiled. ‘Patricia has confirmed your arrangements, and I have the key and the information you’ll need here.’
‘Splendid,’ Alec said.
Farrell Cottage was on a street a few blocks back from the main street. It was brick with a wide veranda, set in a pretty garden of shrubs and flowers with pathways and some grassed areas.
‘This looks perfect,’ Alec declared. ‘Tonight we’ll get a cosy fire going and lock the world out of our romantic little rendezvous.’
It was a lovely little house—the front door opened onto a long hall with a beautiful runner down the floor and carving on the ceiling surrounding the two lights. The door to the right opened onto a lounge room with a fire, and the door to the left opened onto a beautiful dinin
g room. The next two rooms on each side were the bedrooms, each with their own ensuite. The door at the end of the hall opened onto a kitchen/diner that spread the width of the house. There was a set of French doors leading out onto a terrace and then the rest of the garden.
‘You’ve done well,’ John said.
‘I have. Now, you go fetch our ladies while I set things up.’ Alec put the shopping bags on the counter.
The pub was just around the corner from the real estate. John pulled up and sat there for a moment, staring. While he and Gwen had made their peace on the phone last night, this was the first time he’d actually see her since they broke up, and there was a small sliver of worry that she might have changed her mind.
John went inside to the bar. ‘Hello, I’m looking for Gwen Fairford. Can you tell me her room please?’
The man behind the bar glared at John. ‘No, I cannot.’
John blinked. He hadn’t expected that answer. ‘I’m a friend of hers. Her boyfriend, actually. She’s expecting me.’
‘If you know her so well, then get her to tell you the room number.’
John stepped out of the pub, shaken by being so effectively stymied in getting to Gwen. He pulled out his phone to call her, then heard a shout—‘John!’
He spun to his left and there she was—his beautiful Gwendolen. ‘Gwen.’
They met in the middle, lips locking. It was the most wonderful kiss of John’s life.
He pulled back. ‘I’m so sorry. I won’t lie again. I won’t, I swear it.’
‘I’ll make sure you don’t,’ Gwen said.
John looked over Gwen’s shoulder to where Cecily waited. ‘Sweet Cecily.’ He held out his arms and she came for the hug. ‘I’m so sorry you’re having such a shit time. And I’m really sorry for just dumping you in this. I won’t do that again, I swear it.’
‘It’s okay,’ Cecily said, hugging him back. ‘If you hadn’t told me that night, I wouldn’t have been able to hold off the big bad foster families and would have had the media all over me by Wednesday afternoon, so you saved me, really.’
The Importance of Ernestine Page 27
