Sister to Sister

by Olivia Hayfield

  ‘There was one revelation that never came. That may be about to change.’

  ‘What the heck, Dad?’

  ‘You know that your aunt Merry wasn’t my first . . . other woman. Before her there was Bennie.’

  Eliza breathed out. Not Ana. ‘Yes, you told us.’

  ‘We were together when Katie and I were first married. It ran its course and ended amicably, and Bennie moved out of London. After that we were only in touch via my lawyers. I sent her money. Because . . . ’ He gazed out at the harbour. ‘She had a son. My son.’ He turned back to Eliza. ‘Henry. He’s the same age as Maria.’

  What the f—

  ‘I haven’t seen him since he was a baby. Clare knows, Lizzie, but it never seemed the right time to tell you. I should have done so before. I’m very sorry I didn’t.’

  Anger bubbled up as she felt the rug being pulled from under her feet – again. ‘So why now?’

  ‘Because when Henry was still a boy, Bennie left her husband and moved – to Sydney.’

  Eliza gasped. ‘You don’t mean—’

  ‘He wants to meet me. This afternoon. I couldn’t refuse, could I?’

  Now Eliza felt sick. It was sinking in. Her father had another son. All these years, he’d had another son, and he hadn’t told her. She’d thought they were so close. Her father was a cheating, lying . . .

  She stood up and threw her napkin on the table. Tears pricked at the back of her eyes. ‘How could you keep this from me? HOW?’

  He looked stricken. ‘Lizzie, please let me explain.’

  ‘No. I don’t want to hear it. Jesus, Dad! Not only could you not stay faithful to your wives, not to mention the havoc you wreaked in their lives, but you’ve kept this from me?’

  ‘He was the other side of the world. I thought it wouldn’t come up. I heard through Cranwell that Bennie had remarried, and apparently Henry loved his new step-dad; wanted nothing to do with me. He wouldn’t even use the name Henry, which I chose. He calls himself Stu – his step-father’s surname is Stewart.’

  Harry took a long drink of water. He looked relieved to have dropped his bombshell, was regaining his composure.

  ‘Funny how he’s suddenly interested when his billionaire father’s in town on his yacht.’

  ‘Calm down, Lizzie. You never know, we might like him.’ He looked at his watch. ‘He’ll be here soon. Sweetheart, I could really use your support on this. It was a shock when he got in touch. And – well, I’m curious, and quite excited. Maybe you should be too – he’s your half-brother.’

  ‘Fuck off, Dad.’ She walked away without a backward glance.

  Now Clare would be telling him to give her time to get used to the idea. How could Clare trust a man like that? Had Dad been unfaithful to all his wives, or just the first two?

  Tears streamed down her cheeks; she swiped them away.

  Back in her room, there was a tap on the door, and Clare’s head appeared round it. ‘Eliza?’ She came over, wrapped her in a hug.

  ‘I’m so sorry, Eliza. That must have come as an awful shock. I could kill Harry for not telling you before. He just buried his silly head in the sand, hoping it would all go away.’

  ‘Well, that sounds bloody familiar,’ said Eliza, sniffing. ‘Dad’s always had a responsibility deficit. A total inability to face up to his stupid mistakes. To blame someone else, or—’

  ‘Shhh. It’s terrible timing, yes. But he would have told you. Being in Sydney has just forced the issue. Obviously the boy wants to meet his father – actually, not a boy, he must be in his thirties. If it’s any consolation, I think this will be difficult for Harry.’

  ‘No consolation at all.’

  ‘I’m rather hoping I won’t be summoned. Is that bad of me?’

  ‘No. Why should you be dragged into Dad’s sordid past?’

  ‘It’s not Stu’s fault, though, is it? Wouldn’t you want to meet your dad?’

  As she left, Eliza felt calmer. Clare was ever the voice of wisdom. Perhaps Maria was right – that fraud Harry Rose didn’t deserve her.

  She lay down on the bed, suddenly exhausted, and picked up her phone. She opened the Messenger window. What time was it in Europe? She was too tired to work it out.

  ELIZA: R u awake?

  She stared at the screen, willing him to respond.

  KIT: It’s 6 a.m. in Rome, of course I’m not awake ELIZA: Rome! Nice?

  KIT: Bellisima

  ELIZA: Miss you. Having a shit day KIT: Why?

  ELIZA: If I tell, not a word. Not even to Will – is he with you?

  KIT: No. I’m with Sofia

  ELIZA: Ah

  KIT: Tell me. Lips sealed

  Eliza pictured those lips for a moment. Lucky Sofia.

  ELIZA: Dad has a son he never told me about until today. He lives in Sydney and he’s coming aboard KIT: And that’s a surprise because?

  ELIZA: Thought we had no secrets now KIT: People are allowed secrets ELIZA: A son though!

  KIT: Just talk to him about it. Don’t judge. We all fuck up. He just seems to do it more than most ELIZA: True. Sorry if I woke u. Good to chat KIT: Any time, gorgeous. Stay cool XX

  ELIZA: You too XXXX

  She put down the phone, closed her eyes and fell asleep.

  She awoke an hour or so later, splashed cold water on her face, then headed back upstairs.

  Making her way to the pool deck, she was horrified to see Harry coming towards her with a tall, unshaven, sandy-haired man. The resemblance between the two was striking. He wore shorts, flip-flops and a shapeless, faded T-shirt. The fashion fan in her couldn’t help asking, wasn’t this the first time he’d met his father? What was he doing looking like a hobo?

  ‘Eliza,’ Harry said as they drew level. ‘I’d like you to meet Henry – Stu. Stu, this is my younger daughter, Eliza.’

  ‘G’day, Sister!’ he said, grinning. His piercing blue eyes were slightly bloodshot and his hair was matted. He looked as if he’d been swimming – or surfing, perhaps. ‘Great to meet you. There’s no escaping that red hair gene, eh? I wish I could stick around, but Harry says you’re about to set sail.’

  Eliza wondered what to say. ‘Nice to meet you too, um, Stu. Perhaps some other time, if you’re ever in England?’

  ‘I intend to be! Want to get to know my fam. Can’t believe it’s taken me this long. My step-dad didn’t want me meeting up with Harry, but I’m a big boy now, I can make my own choices. So yeah, I’ll be seeing you in the homeland, you can count on it!’

  The pair carried on past, Eliza refusing to meet Harry’s eye.

  She went over to the railings and watched as Stu walked down the gangplank with Harry, and they shook hands. Then Harry abruptly left. He didn’t look back.

  Stu watched him go, his hand half-raised for a final wave. As Harry disappeared inside he dropped it, and walked off towards the car park.

  That was her half-brother. Harry’s son. It hadn’t properly sunk in. She’d taken an instant dislike to him – but why? Because he looked cocky and dissolute, or because of what he represented? Her father’s lies, his cheating. Wasn’t Stu just another victim, like Maria? Another screwed-up, damaged person, part of the detritus of Harry’s womanising? He hadn’t looked back at Stu. Son dismissed.

  Harry appeared by her side. ‘Lizzie, can we talk?’ He looked troubled.

  ‘How was Stu? Looks a lot like you – when you were in your drinking and drug-taking phase.’

  ‘Ouch. But you’re right. He seems to enjoy a drink.’

  ‘Come back to bite you on the bum, hasn’t it? What goes round comes round.’

  ‘I’ve really stuffed this up, haven’t I? What can I do?’

  ‘Try being honest. That’d be a start.’

  ‘I hope he doesn’t show up in England.’

  ‘You didn’t like him, then?’

  ‘Come and sit down.’

  She remembered Kit’s message:

  Just talk to him.

  ‘Let me try and explain. I
’d always wanted a son. Katie and I had enormous problems – a stillbirth and miscarriages, another stillbirth after Maria was born. That was part of the reason I took up with Bennie. I was very young – about your age – and things at home were pretty difficult.’ He paused, his eyes searching hers.

  ‘Go on.’

  ‘Bennie asked me to stay away from Henry, because his step-dad wanted to adopt him. It hurt, but I made the decision to do that, thinking it would be best for Henry. I never stopped wondering about him – what he was like.’

  Eliza couldn’t help thawing, Dad looked so sad.

  ‘It seems he didn’t have the happiest upbringing. Bennie’s marriage broke up pretty quickly and she came here and remarried. I get the impression Stu’s a drinker. Addiction’s a horrible thing. He’s thirty-four; it’s probably too late for me to make a difference.’

  In spite of Harry’s distress, Eliza couldn’t bring herself to care about Stu.

  ‘And now I’m worried. He spoke about coming over, connecting with his family, maybe getting a job at Rose. That’s not going to work out.’

  ‘No.’

  ‘But I do have a responsibility. Like you say – it’s come back to bite me on the bum. What should I do, Lizzie?’

  She was aware of a shift in their relationship. Harry was asking her for advice.

  ‘Maybe just go with the flow, see what happens. Perhaps he won’t come.’

  He sat back in his chair. ‘I’m sorry for how I handled that. I promise – no more nasty surprises.’

  Eliza smiled. ‘You’re all right, Dad. But there is something you can do to make it up to me.’

  ‘Your negotiating skills are shaping up beautifully.’

  She grabbed her moment. ‘I want to know more about you and Mum. I know hardly anything. You never talk about her. I don’t mean . . . you know, how she died. I want to know about your relationship. What made you fall in love with her? What was she like with you?’

  ‘Ah. I see.’ He shifted uncomfortably. ‘Well, I suppose we could talk about that sometime, while you’re here.’

  ‘Now’s good. You met at work, right?’

  He frowned, then looked away, his eyes settling at some distant point on the horizon.

  ‘Well . . . OK. The first time properly was at a tennis match. She was firing volleys at me like you wouldn’t believe. Then I managed to hit her on the head with the ball – a rather excellent backhand, in fact – and she ended up sprawled across the tennis court.’

  ‘So you literally hit on her!’

  He smiled. ‘Wasn’t a saying in my day. But I suppose I did. It was something of a significant tennis match – it was the first time Charles and Megan had seen each other in years, and they fell in love that night. Must’ve been something in the air.’

  ‘You fell in love that night too?’

  ‘Do you believe in love at first sight?’

  ‘I’m probably not the best person to ask.’

  ‘I didn’t, until I set eyes on your mother. I first met her, briefly, when I sat in on her job interview. I was curious, as it was organized by . . . well, her sister.’

  ‘Oh my god, Dad.’

  Harry’s ex-mistress, Merry McCarey, was serving time, following her attempted murder of Harry a year and a half ago.

  ‘I know. I was bad.’

  ‘Too right.’

  ‘Your mother captivated me from the instant I saw her. But she didn’t like me at all, at first. Thought I was too full of myself. Which I undoubtedly was.’

  There was a deep rumbling beneath their feet, and the deck vibrated.

  Harry stood up. ‘Ah, anchors aweigh. This will have to wait.’

  It was a start, at least.

  As Janette sailed majestically up the coast, the weather grew warmer and the skies cleared.

  Harry spent the mornings coaching Eliza, teaching her more about Rose, the different strands of the business: the magazines, newspapers, websites, Rose TV, Rose Air. He peppered his lessons with nuggets of information on key staff.

  ‘How do you know so much?’ Eliza asked. ‘Do you have spies?’

  ‘Knowledge is power, Lizzie. Clichéd, but true. Knowing what motivates your staff is as important as understanding the balance sheet. The key is to surround yourself with talent. And you need people you can rely on and trust, who’ll do all the legwork for you, giving you space to focus on the big picture.’

  Eliza thought about Kit, Will and Leigh.

  ‘Can I ask, Dad – where do you stand on nepotism?’

  ‘Wholly in favour, if the people fit the job.’

  ‘I have three super-talented university friends I want to employ. Two are creatives; they’re already being noticed by theatre reviewers and producers. The other’s a brilliant economist. She wants to go into corporate management. All three would be perfect for Rose’s production company.’

  ‘If they fit your vision, then yes, get them on board. But my advice would be to wait. Let’s get the Maria situation sorted first.’

  After the intense mornings – Harry’s easygoing persona masked a hard taskmaster – Eliza would relax by the pool, or they’d take a helicopter trip inland or to one of the Barrier Reef islands.

  On her last night she stood alone at the railings, gazing at the Milky Way arcing over the vast expanse of the ocean. In the warm night air, it was all achingly romantic.

  If only she had someone to share it with.

  She took out her phone and attempted a photo of the moon lighting a silver path to the horizon.

  ELIZA: look – pretty!

  KIT: WTF is that

  ELIZA: Never mind. Home soon. Maybe see you in London? Xx

  Chapter 9

  Eliza

  Eliza was sitting in bed with her laptop, catching up on her emails and thinking about her return to Rose the next day. Excitement was bubbling. Walking through The Rose’s revolving doors into its lofty atrium after time away always felt like going home.

  The building had such an energy about it. Dotted throughout the atrium’s rose garden and tall trees were colourful benches and hanging egg chairs. Quotes from British writers were inlaid into the marble floor, and there were more on plaques tucked between the flowers as little surprises. The scent of roses filled the air (helped along by the innovative air conditioning).

  The atrium was Eliza’s favourite part of the building, and it was the result of Harry’s original brief, which had included an area where staff could sit with their laptops away from the ranked desks of their departments. It worked. On the rare occasions when Terri gave Eliza a wordcount and a deadline, removing herself from The Rack’s busy offices into a leafy corner kick-started the ideas part of her brain.

  The cafe overlooking the Thames had also become a creative hub. More of those laptops, plus coffee. Really, actual offices were so last century!

  The Rose had won many architectural awards; it was a London icon. And, despite recent media coverage of Maria’s clean-up campaign and the negative connotations of that, working at Rose Corp was still many a young person’s dream. Eliza intended to make sure the company continued to attract the crème de la crème.

  She was looking forward to catching up with Chess, who definitely fell into that category. Her cousin was working in admin, following her failure to secure the junior editor position on The Rack.

  Which Terri had evidently offered to Rob. This still confused Eliza, given Terri’s views on nepotism.

  She smiled to herself as she pictured Rob’s cheeky smile and mop of dark hair. She remembered how, when he was a boy – and on into adolescence – women had always felt compelled to ruffle those curls.

  She wondered what Rob made of Terri. Most newbies were petrified of her.

  Her spirits sank a little as she finally turned her thoughts to her sister. As per Harry’s instructions, she would do what she could to keep an eye on Maria. But the thought of working on the top floor with her prickly sibling, rather than with the team on The Rack, had been too de
pressing. What would she even have done up there?

  She’d had a better idea. Stealth could be a more effective strategy than face-to-face combat. Harry had taught her that. Biding one’s time; gathering information. So during a conference call that morning, she’d explained her plan to her father and Terri, and had won them round.

  By Monday morning – dull and grey – Eliza’s time in the Australian sun seemed weeks, if not months ago. She decided to walk to work, as it wasn’t far, but when she reached London Bridge those grey clouds let rip and there was nowhere to hide. By the time she’d crossed to the other side, she was soaked.

  Stupid British weather. Stupid Eliza, forgetting an umbrella.

  She was within a hundred metres of The Rose when there was a shout behind her. ‘Hey! Lizzie!’

  She turned to see the tall, dark and astonishingly handsome form of Rob Studley walking towards her, holding an umbrella, a big grin on his face.

  ‘I heard you were back,’ he said. ‘How the devil are you? Apart from exceptionally wet.’ He took in her bedraggled appearance and laughed, then bent down and kissed her cheek. His own was cool and fresh, and she caught a whiff of something delicious.

  Aftershave? Rob?

  ‘Not funny. I’m pissed off. How did I forget umbrellas are a thing in London?’

  He held his so it was over them both. ‘Pissed off? Why would you be pissed off on a wet Monday, with only five working days to get through before a weekend that will be equally shite? British summers, eh?’

  ‘Maybe because this time last week I was cruising the Barrier Reef?’

  ‘So I heard. Dad said he’d seen you. Hey, let’s grab a coffee. Loads to catch up on, Lizzie.’

  She’d forgotten he called her that. He and Harry were the only ones who did.

  ‘Can’t. Got to report to Terri. Not a good idea to be late on your first day back working for her.’

  ‘Wait.’ He took out his phone. ‘Terri? Rob. I’ve just run into a sodden Eliza Rose. OK if we get a coffee before reporting in? If you say yes I’ll fetch you one too, maybe even one of those buns you like.’ He looked at Eliza. His eyes still had that twinkle. ‘Yep, we’ll be with you by nine-thirty latest. Thanks, boss.’