by Susan Lewis
‘We’re never going to get in there,’ Sadie grumbled, as Tara came back down the lane shaking her head, indicating that the coast still wasn’t clear. Sadie wished her friend would lose weight, but she’d never say so, because Tara was really sensitive about being obese. A few less burgers might do the trick, but hey, maybe she, Sadie, should keep her opinions to herself.
‘There’s only a couple of people in there now,’ Tara reported, scooting forward to avoid a speeding roller-skater thundering past the market stalls of Bucky Doo Square. ‘Trouble is, by the time they leave someone else is bound to have turned up.’
‘What about the girl with spots and freckles?’ Sadie asked. ‘Is she there?’
‘You mean Jasmine?’ Tara said derisively. They’d learned Jasmine’s name the same way they had Livvy’s, from the papers. ‘Bet she’s a right cup of tea.’
Rolling her eyes at the lame joke, Sadie said, ‘Let’s give it till half past and if it still looks like a no-go then, we’ll give it up for the day.’
‘I got to tell you,’ Livvy trilled ecstatically as she closed the door behind her, ‘I am so loving being famous.’
Laughing as she threw a cushion at her, Jasmine said, ‘And it’s not going to your head or anything.’
‘Not a bit,’ Livvy assured her. ‘OK, they might mainly be coming to get a look at Eva, but I’ve had no less than three orders for my loons in the last two hours, which makes six in total since the show, and we’ve got four, no five, consultations booked in for next week.’
‘It is pretty cool,’ Jasmine agreed, ‘and don’t forget you’ve had quite a bit of interest in your flamenco dress.’
‘But no orders.’
‘Yet! It’s pricey, so not everyone’s going to be able to afford it. Anyway, I don’t know about you, but I’m famished, so I’m going to run up to the deli for sandwiches.’
‘Go for it! What time did Coral say she’d be here?’
‘Around about now, but you know Coral, an hour or two here or there …’
Livvy waved her out of the shop, and seizing the moment’s respite to call Eva to report on what an active morning they’d had, she was about to pick up the phone when it rang.
‘Hey! It’s me! I just got the English papers,’ Jake shouted down the line. ‘This is amazing. You are like such big time all of a sudden.’
‘Yeah, really,’ Livvy laughed. ‘Where are you, for God’s sake?’
‘Still in Thailand and loving it. You should come.’
‘I’ll be on the next plane. Have you spoken to Mum? She’s worried about not hearing from you.’
‘Hello! I’m texting her all the time! Doesn’t she get them, or something?’
‘I think she does, but she’s in a weird headspace at the moment. You need to be here. When are you coming back?’
‘Def in time for Christmas. I so love that Eva’s back on top. Is she OK?’
Deciding to give the short answers, Livvy said, ‘She seems fine. Coming down a bit after the show, but business is really picking up, which is great.’ Should she say again that she was worried about their mother? Maybe not, since there was nothing he could do from Thailand, except worry, and she could do that for both of them. ‘I need you to bring some silk back for me,’ she told him.
No response.
‘Jake?’
Still nothing.
Realising they’d lost the connection, she put the phone down and was on the point of trying Eva when the door opened. She looked up, all smiles for the new customer, until she saw who it was and her heart turned over.
‘Oh God, please don’t look scared again,’ the petite girl with a scruffy ponytail and a really cool fake-leopard coat cried. ‘I just want to talk to you. We’re not here to cause any trouble, honest.’
Livvy’s eyes flickered uneasily to the large, scowling girl who’d come in behind her, with inch-long eyelashes and uneven pink streaks in her hair. ‘What do you want?’ she asked cagily.
Coming forward, the smaller girl said, ‘My name’s Sadie and this is Tara. I know you’re Livvy because we read about you in the papers.’
Slightly less nervous now, but still wary, Livvy waited for her to go on.
Starting to colour up, Sadie said, ‘Eva, she’s your auntie, right?’
Livvy nodded cautiously. They presumably knew that from the papers too.
‘Well, I was wondering,’ Sadie went on, going even redder, ‘was her name …? I mean, before she got married, was her name Eva Winters by any chance?’
Livvy went very still. She was trying desperately to think where this could be going, but was coming up blank. ‘Why do you want to know?’ she asked carefully.
Sadie flicked a glance at her friend. ‘It’s not really me who wants to know,’ she answered awkwardly. ‘I mean, I do, but it’s my cousin, you see … He thinks, or I suppose it’s more me who thinks that …’ Taking a quick breath, she blurted out in a rush, ‘Do you know if your aunt had a baby, quite a long time ago, who she had adopted?’
Livvy’s heart jarred with shock. Who was this girl? What the heck was she talking about? From an echoey distance she heard herself say, ‘No, she … I mean, why are you asking?’
Sadie’s brilliant blue eyes were full of misgiving as she said, ‘I know this is going to sound a bit crazy, and you can tell me to go if you like, but it’s just that my cousin was adopted when he was a baby and a couple of months ago, just before his birthday, we found this envelope with loads of papers in it and one of them turned out to be his birth certificate – I don’t mean the one he’s always had, with my auntie and uncle’s names and everything, but the one they must have given him when he was born and it says that his mother’s name was Eva Winters.’
Livvy’s throat had turned totally dry. OK, that was definitely Eva’s maiden name, but all the same, they still must have the wrong person. ‘I’m not sure …’ she began hoarsely, with no idea what she was going to say next. ‘I mean, as far as I know,’ she stumbled on, ‘my aunt’s never had any children so I don’t think it can be the same Eva Winters.’
Sadie looked so defeated that Livvy added, ‘What makes you think it might be?’
Sadie’s cornflower eyes came back to her. ‘OK, you’re going to think this sounds really dumb now,’ she said, ‘but he kind of looks like her.’
Livvy definitely thought that sounded dumb – or made up, anyway.
‘He’s absolutely drop-dead,’ Tara chipped in.
Livvy glanced at Tara, then back to Sadie. ‘Listen, I’d know if my aunt had had a baby,’ she told her, while realising that she actually might not. ‘So is there some other reason why you think she …’
‘The timing works out,’ Sadie said hastily. ‘When she was in hospital, after the time she was attacked? She was in there for ages, right, and I know no one ever said anything about her having a baby then, but we’ve been looking on the Internet, and we found a story in one of the papers that said she’d given birth to a little boy. Her agent was interviewed after that and said it was nonsense, but if it was true …’
She trailed off, looking as though she was no longer sure she believed it herself.
Livvy’s heart was thudding hard. If it was true, she was thinking. But it couldn’t be, because her mother, or Eva, would have told her about something like that. Wouldn’t they?
‘I was wondering,’ Sadie went on, sounding as though she already knew she was on to a lost cause, ‘if you thought it would be all right for me to speak to your auntie. I promise I don’t want to make any trouble, and if you think …’ She broke off and turned around as the door opened.
‘Livvy, darling, I’m so sorry I’m late,’ Coral gushed as she came to drop her bag and coat on the sofa. ‘The hairdresser took forever to finish my highlights, then I bumped into Susie in the high street who’s dying to have a look at your designs.’
Livvy smiled vaguely at the other woman who’d come in, and was already sifting through the rails.
‘I’ll co
me back another time,’ Sadie murmured.
‘No! No, wait,’ Livvy cried as Sadie and Tara headed for the door. ‘Please don’t go yet.’
As the door closed behind them Livvy turned back to Coral.
Blinking, Coral said, ‘Friends of yours?’
Livvy looked at her blankly. ‘No, they just … Can you hold the fort for a while?’ she asked. ‘Jasmine’ll be back any minute.’
‘Of course, but what …?’
‘I can’t explain now,’ Livvy interrupted, going to get her coat. ‘Do you happen to know where Mum is?’
Nonplussed, Coral said, ‘She was at home when we spoke about an hour ago.’
Grabbing her car keys and mobile, Livvy left the shop. She pressed in her mother’s number as she started down the lane. ‘Good, you’re still there,’ she said when Patty answered. ‘Please don’t go anywhere, I’m on my way over.’
‘Why? What’s the urgency?’ Patty demanded. ‘Has something happened?’
‘No! Yes! Actually, I’m not sure. I’ll explain when I get there. Just don’t go out, OK? There’s something I need to ask you.’
Half an hour later Patty was staring at Livvy in amazement. She wanted to believe what she’d just heard, but wasn’t sure she dared to. ‘Tell me again what this girl said,’ she demanded.
Looking both bemused and impatient, Livvy repeated it. Then added, ‘Mum, for God’s sake, is it true? Did Eva have a baby?’
Patty swallowed hard and nodded. ‘Yes, she did,’ she said faintly. Then, ‘Oh my God, Livvy. You can’t imagine what this could mean …’
‘Well no, how would I?’
‘Why on earth didn’t you go after them when they left?’
‘I didn’t know what to do,’ Livvy cried. ‘This came at me out of nowhere, remember?’
‘Of course, of course. What did you say to them?’
‘Hello! What was I supposed to say? I can’t know the family secrets if no one ever tells me.’
‘OK, sorry. Let’s try to think rationally. She said the boy is her cousin … Did she tell you how old he is?’
‘No, but apparently he had a birthday recently, and … Mum!’
Peeling her hands from her face, Patty said, ‘It’s all right, go on.’
‘Right, well, she said the timing worked out from when Eva was in hospital after the attack. Is that when she had a baby?’
Patty nodded.
Livvy threw out her hands. ‘So why didn’t anyone ever tell me?’ she demanded angrily.
‘Maybe we should have,’ Patty conceded, ‘but we did our best to keep it secret at the time, and over the years … It’s something we hardly ever talked about. It’s been very difficult for Eva. She bitterly regrets what she did … Oh, Livvy, we have to find him. What was the girl’s name again?’
‘Sadie, but that’s all she told me. I’ve got no idea what her surname is, or where she lives.’
Groaning with frustration, Patty said, ‘What about the other girl?’
‘I can’t even remember her name. I’m not even sure they told me.’
‘Have you ever seen either of them before?’
Grasping at that as though it might help, Livvy said, ‘Actually, yeah, they’ve been in a couple of times, but they were acting so weird that I thought they were shoplifters.’
‘So what happened?’
‘Nothing. They just hung around for a bit then left. Apart from one time when Jasmine threw them out.’
Patty’s eyes widened.
‘We thought they were shoplifters,’ Livvy insisted.
Shaking her head in despair, Patty said, ‘So how are we going to find them?’
‘How do I know?’ Livvy’s mind was reeling, trying to deal with how she’d screwed up even though it wasn’t her fault. And then there was the fact that Eva had a son … ‘I’m sorry,’ she said miserably, ‘if I’d known …’
‘It’s OK,’ Patty interrupted, picking up the phone. ‘You’re not to blame. Hi, it’s me,’ she said to Don when he answered. ‘Can you talk?’
‘Sure, what is it?’
‘Livvy’s here,’ she told him. ‘Apparently some girls came into the shop earlier asking if Eva had a son.’
There was a moment of stunned silence before he said, ‘Who are they?’
‘I’ve no idea, but whoever they are, we have to find them. Livvy and I are at the barn. Is there any chance you can come?’
‘It’ll take me about an hour from where I am,’ he replied. ‘Doesn’t Livvy have any way of contacting them?’
Patty’s eyes went to Livvy as she shook her head. ‘Apparently they left when Coral came into the shop …’
‘She said she’d come back,’ Livvy interrupted.
Patty regarded her eagerly.
‘Just not when,’ Livvy added lamely.
‘Well, it’s going to be damned difficult trying to track someone down with no name, phone number or photograph,’ Don sighed, ‘but I’ll get there as soon as I can.’
As she rang off Patty said to Livvy, ‘Whatever happens now, please don’t breathe a word of this to anyone, especially not Eva, because if it turns out to be some sick hoax, or something else we haven’t even thought of, and we don’t manage to find him …’
‘It’s OK, I get it,’ Livvy assured her. ‘But remember, if you guys didn’t have so many secrets we wouldn’t be in this position, because if those girls are on the level we wouldn’t be looking for him now, chances are we’d already have found him.’
Bitterly regretting not having told Livvy before, over the days that followed Patty became so angry with herself, and so frustrated, that she could hardly speak to anyone without biting their heads off.
‘You have to calm down,’ Don told her as gently as he could one evening. ‘Getting yourself worked up like this isn’t helping anyone, least of all you.’
‘I know, but when I think of the difference it would make to Eva if we could find him …’
‘We will, it’s just going to take time, and it’s not as if she knows anything about it, so we can’t feel that we’re letting her down.’
‘But I do, and it’s really eating me up.’
‘Then maybe you should keep reminding yourself that the girl told Livvy she’d be back, and if she’s come this far trying to find her cousin’s real mother, is it likely she’d give up now?’
Sighing, Patty said, ‘I guess not, it’s just the not knowing.’
Taking her hands, he waited for her eyes to come to his. ‘I don’t want to put a downer on this,’ he said softly, ‘but please keep in mind that even if we do find her cousin, we have no idea what’s happened over the last sixteen years, what kind of family he’s been with, or what kind of boy he’s grown into.’
Patty’s eyes were tormented as she looked back at him. ‘But he’s her son,’ she reminded him.
‘Yes, if that really is who he is, but we don’t know for certain. In fact all we really know is what this girl, Sadie, told Livvy, and as we have no idea who Sadie is, or where she came from … Well, what I’m trying to say is that anyone could be behind this. Even Sadie herself might not know why she’s doing this.’
Patty blanched. ‘You were with the police for too long,’ she told him.
Not arguing with that, he said, ‘I’m just giving you the benefit of my experience, but that doesn’t mean I’m not keeping an open mind. I’m just trying to persuade you to keep one too and not to get your hopes too high. That’s all.’
Chapter Sixteen
‘Livvy, what on earth’s going on?’ Eva demanded, trying not to sound rattled. ‘That’s the fourth time in nearly as many minutes you’ve been to look out of the door, are you expecting someone?’
‘No, no,’ Livvy assured her. ‘I uh – I just want to make sure the wind hasn’t blown over our new sign. I think it was a great idea of Jasmine’s to put one out on the square so everyone knows where to find us now. Don’t you?’
Appearing highly sceptical, Eva let the matter drop an
d returned to the office, while Livvy, as soon as the coast was clear, went back to the door and peered down the lane again. It was Thursday now, and there hadn’t been sight or sign of Sadie or Tara. To make matters worse, no one in the square seemed to recognise them from the descriptions Livvy had given.
‘They’re about seventeen or eighteen,’ she’d said. ‘One’s quite small and blonde, really pretty actually, with a little ponytail and amazing blue eyes, and the other’s about twice her size with shoulder-length black hair and electric pink highlights. If you’d seen them you’re sure to have noticed them.’
In fact, a few of the traders had, but unfortunately it didn’t mean they were able to tell Livvy who the girls were. However, they were intrigued to find out why Livvy wanted to know, and should they send the girls her way if they happened to turn up again? Livvy had assured them they must, because one of them had left something quite valuable in the shop that she needed to return.
‘I’m going up to London next Tuesday,’ Eva announced, as Livvy wandered into the office. ‘I’ve just checked with Coral and luckily she can come in that day, and the next if I decide to stay over.’
‘What are you doing there?’ Livvy asked, leaning against the door.
Though Eva’s eyes were ringed with dark shadows, a playful light emerged as she said, ‘Our new PR people want to go over the plans they’ve drawn up for next spring, and I’ll have to talk to the accountant about what kind of budget we should allow ourselves.’
‘Things are going pretty well now,’ Livvy reminded her. ‘I mean, I know we haven’t had many people in today, but yesterday we were inundated, and it was Wednesday.’
‘Indeed, but don’t let’s get too carried away, because we’ve got no idea how long our newfound fame is going to last. Hello, is that someone coming in I just heard?’
Returning to the shop to find a couple of tourists browsing the front rails, Livvy settled herself behind the till ready to be of assistance, while Eva went back to the invoice that she’d slipped out of sight when Livvy had come into the office.
