Just a Family Affair

by Veronica Henry

The set of her jaw now, for example. He remembered it from their marriage. It was a look that brooked no argument. So many times he had given in to it, just for a quiet life.

  He wasn’t going to give in this time. He had to let her down. He would like to do it gently, but the problem was that with Sandra if you did things gently she didn’t always get the message.

  He summoned up his courage.

  ‘Sandra,’ he said firmly. ‘We might as well get this straight right now. I’m extremely grateful for your support over the past couple of days. You were a pillar of strength to me in my darkest hour. I will never be able to thank you enough. But there can’t be any more between us. Too much time has passed. We can’t go backwards. And . . . I love Ginny. Despite what you might think, we are happy together. Any tension between us at the moment is entirely my fault. And I’d like to think it was for a good reason. Now I know I’m all right I can make amends. I’m sorry if I sent out the wrong message to you - I wouldn’t want to hurt you for the world.’

  He forced himself to look her in the eye. He had to make it absolutely clear. The tiniest chink in his armour and she would be straight in.

  ‘There can be nothing between us. I hope you understand.’

  There was a tiny pause. Sandra smiled, stood up and took away his tray. Then she went back to his bedside and smoothed his covers.

  ‘I think you should have a rest,’ she said in a soothing voice. ‘It’s all been rather too much for you. We can talk about things later.’

  Despite himself, Keith felt his eyelids go. She was right. It had been a bit much. His speech had been a huge effort. And it would be heavenly to drift off into oblivion, knowing that he wasn’t going to jerk awake with anxiety, that everything was all right . . .

  As soon as she was satisfied he was asleep, Sandra picked up her mobile and went out into the corridor. She’d tried phoning him three times already this morning, but he hadn’t answered. Typical bloody Spaniard. He might cook like an angel and fuck like the devil incarnate, but he had no sense of urgency whatsoever. If she didn’t get the evidence in the next twelve hours, it would be too late. She had to strike while Keith was still vulnerable. It wasn’t a task she was necessarily going to enjoy, as he would probably be very upset. But she would be there to comfort him. And the ends would justify the means, she was confident of that. It was only right that they should be together again.

  ‘Alejandro,’ she barked into the handset as his voicemail clicked in. ‘Call me back immediately. I need to know what’s going on ASAP . . .’

  The sun hung hot and heavy over the deserted swimming pool. Silence reigned inside the cool walls of the villa. Lunchtime came and went, but still the inhabitants slumbered on, much-needed sleep repairing their excesses of the night before.

  Ginny was the first to wake. Her mouth felt dry and her head felt . . . where, she wasn’t quite sure. As she sat up, her heart crashed about inside her chest. Why was she feeling so unsettled? What had happened? Something. She knew there was something. Crazy images were replaying themselves in her head. Images she could neither believe nor comprehend.

  She looked around for clues.

  She was quite alone in her bed. The sheets were smooth, unrumpled. There was no evidence of any foul play.

  Sex. Filthy, deep down and dirty, sinful sex. That’s all she could remember. Her limbs twitched and her flesh trembled as she tried to piece together what had happened, but even as it all came back to her she couldn’t believe it. She must have had more sun than she had thought. She must have spent the night hallucinating. She had no idea the sun could do that to you. It was dangerous . . .

  The house was as quiet as a grave. She didn’t know what time the revellers had finally got in, but if experience was anything to go by they wouldn’t be up for hours. She pulled on her dressing gown and ventured out into the cool of the corridor. She followed it down to the living room. There, the scent of the candles hit her, sending her stomach tumbling. She saw the sheepskin rug, and had a flashback of its softness that was so real it took her breath away.

  Alejandro. She remembered now. Oh God. Ginny put a hand to her mouth. The memories came back to her, as clear as day. Now she could remember, she could smell him on her. The scent made her feel quite peculiar. She thought she might swoon.

  A figure appeared in the room. Kitty, yawning, wrapping herself in a kimono. Her daughter peered at her.

  ‘Mum? What are you laughing at?’

  ‘Nothing.’ Her voice sounded strangled. ‘Did you have a nice time last night?’

  ‘Great. You’d have hated it. It’s lucky you didn’t come.’

  Oh, but I did, thought Ginny, and wanted to giggle again. She pulled herself together. Why on earth was she laughing? It really wasn’t funny. It was tragic. What if someone had caught them? She couldn’t remember what time it was when Alejandro finally took his leave, but there was no doubt the girls could have walked in on them at any moment and got the shock of their lives. Him and Ginny rolling round on the carpet like tiger cubs. Not a pretty picture—

  Picture. Suddenly she remembered pictures and it didn’t seem quite as funny any more.

  ‘Coffee?’ she managed to ask. She needed caffeine, something to clear her head. She really did feel most odd.

  ‘Are you sure you’re all right? You look really . . .’

  ‘What? Rough?’

  ‘No, actually. Sort of . . . sparkly.’

  ‘Fresh air. Spanish sunshine. Change of scene.’ Ginny spoke lightly. She didn’t want anyone looking too closely at her.

  Kitty shrugged as Sasha came in, wearing a t-shirt that read Top Totty.

  ‘What, no kitchen staff?’ she demanded. ‘I was expecting to be hand-fed fresh fruit at the very least.’

  ‘He’s allowed a day off, isn’t he?’ Ginny couldn’t bring herself to say his name.

  There was a knock at the door.

  ‘That’s probably him now. I’ll get it.’ Sasha wandered over to the door. Ginny’s tummy lurched. She wasn’t ready to face him yet. She didn’t know what to say. Or think. Or do.

  But it wasn’t Alejandro.

  ‘It’s the police,’ announced Sasha. ‘I think they’re after Caroline.’

  Two swarthy policemen followed her into the house, brandishing their badges. Sasha looked at Kitty, alarmed.

  ‘Did Caroline come back?’

  ‘Shit.’

  The pair of them rushed towards Caroline’s room, followed by the policemen.

  ‘Hey!’ shouted Ginny in indignation. Did they have a warrant? Did they need one? It probably didn’t matter either way. This was Spain. She had a feeling the rules were a bit different over here, if all those Ray Winstone films were to be believed.

  Caroline sat up in alarm as the twins burst into her room, followed by two uniformed officers who started gabbling at her in broken English and pointing in excitement at her chest. Realizing she was stark naked, she put her hands over her nipples.

  ‘Does somebody want to tell me what’s going on, exactly?’

  ‘Madam, you are under arrest.’

  ‘What on earth for?’ she demanded indignantly.

  The larger of the two jabbed at her chest again.

  Baffled, Caroline looked down, then spotted the source of their excitement.

  ‘Ah,’ she said. ‘The necklace. Bugger. I’d forgotten all about it.’ She shook back her hair and smiled at them sweetly. ‘It’s OK. It’s just a misunderstanding.’ She went to take it off, then realized she would be baring her assets once again. ‘Um, if one of you would like to take it off, you can take it back to Mr Romaine. Then perhaps I could go back to sleep. This is the first proper lie in I’ve had for months.’

  Sadly, however, it wasn’t that simple. The Spanish police had her marked as a professional jewel thief. They ordered her to get dressed, removed the necklace as soon as she was decent, and promptly arrested her. Ginny did her best to negotiate with them, but they were having none of it.

  ‘I
think I’d have done a better job of covering my tracks if I did this for a living,’ stormed Caroline as they put her into the back of the police car dressed in last night’s frock and a pair of trainers. ‘I’m not a complete idiot.’

  By now Mandy had been woken by the furore and joined them on the front step. The four of them watched helplessly as the police car whisked her off.

  ‘Bastards!’ exclaimed Sasha. ‘It’s a set up. They’re as corrupt as anything over here. He was probably using her as a donkey.’

  ‘A what?’ Kitty looked at her sister, completely flummoxed.

  ‘You mean a mule,’ Ginny corrected her with a sigh. ‘I suppose I’d better phone James.’

  This was exactly the sort of scenario she had been dreading. And she wasn’t feeling up to it at all.

  ‘You can’t phone James.’ Kitty was horrified at the idea. ‘It’s not going to look very good, is it? How can we explain what’s happened without admitting she copped off with a diamond broker?’

  ‘It might do him good to know he’s got competition. And anyway, she didn’t sleep with him, did she?’ Sasha started laughing. ‘Just ran off with the swag.’

  ‘It’s not funny,’ Ginny reprimanded her. ‘She could be in serious trouble.’

  ‘Why don’t we call Alejandro?’ suggested Mandy.

  ‘No,’ said Ginny quickly. ‘There’s nothing he’ll be able to do.’

  ‘At least he can speak Spanish,’ Sasha pointed out reasonably.

  ‘I haven’t got his number,’ Ginny tried as a last resort.

  ‘I have!’ cried Kitty. ‘He gave it to me in case we got stuck for a taxi last night.’

  Ginny bit her lip as Kitty got out her phone. She turned to Mandy. ‘Do you know if your mum’s got a solicitor over here?’

  Mandy shrugged. ‘She must have. But I don’t know who. Shall I call her?’

  Kitty hung up the phone. ‘Alejandro says he’ll meet us at the police station.’

  Hurrah, thought Ginny. A perfect Sunday. Trying to get someone out of a foreign jail when your only ally is the pool-boy you’ve been rolling round on the carpet with . . .

  Despite Ginny’s misgivings, Alejandro was an absolute star. He arrived at the station two minutes after they did. By his demeanour, the previous night might never have happened. He gave nothing away, just greeted the girls solemnly and listened to the story.

  ‘There’s no way Caroline meant to steal the necklace. I mean, you don’t go round wearing the evidence, do you?’ Sasha was indignant. ‘The bloke’s obviously pissed off because he didn’t get his leg over, and wants his revenge.’

  ‘Don’t worry. I will deal with it.’ Alejandro was calm and reassuring. Ginny gave him a grateful smile, then blushed.

  They trooped into the station, where Alejandro had several heated conversations with several different police officers, accompanied by much gesticulation and hand gestures that made Ginny quite certain Caroline would never be seen again. On the contrary, it seemed to do the trick, and later that afternoon she was released. In fact, the Spanish police seemed rather relieved to get rid of her. Even though they hadn’t been able to understand most of what she was saying, they knew it wasn’t complimentary. Eventually, they conceded that perhaps running off with a valuable necklace was an easy mistake to make. It never ceased to amaze them what English girls got up to when they’d had a few drinks. They didn’t seem to have any self-control whatsoever. Though it did make the job interesting.

  ‘Thank you,’ said Ginny, heartfelt, as they left the station.

  ‘My cousin is a high-up officer in Marbella,’ Alejandro explained. ‘He could have made life difficult for them.’

  He smiled at Ginny and she felt herself turn beetroot. Now the drama was over, she had to confront her demons.

  ‘Last night,’ she stammered. ‘I should never . . . Please don’t say anything. To the others.’

  Alejandro put a hand on her arm and she leapt back like a scalded cat.

  ‘Hey,’ he said kindly. ‘Don’t worry.’

  For a moment he thought she was going to cry. Her chin trembled. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘I feel as if I’ve lost control. Of everything. I was supposed to be in charge . . .’

  Alejandro frowned. ‘Caroline is grown up. She is responsible for herself. Not you.’

  ‘No.’ Ginny shook her head. ‘I should have gone with them. Then it would never have happened. And I wouldn’t have made a fool of myself . . .’

  ‘You didn’t make a fool of yourself,’ he said softly.

  ‘I don’t usually behave like that.’

  He flashed her a wicked grin. ‘Well, maybe you should more often.’

  Ginny closed her eyes, wondering how on earth she had got herself into this situation.

  ‘Come on, Mum!’ Sasha was shouting to her from the car. ‘We’re all starving. Get a move on!’

  Alejandro touched her lightly on the shoulder. She felt her knees go weak.

  ‘Go on,’ he said gently. ‘I’ll see you back at the villa.’

  Ginny was torn. Half of her wanted to tell him not to come back, that they could do without him for the next twenty-four hours of their stay. But the other half was desperate for his presence. In the end, she had no choice. The girls would think it strange if she banished him and might start asking awkward questions. Besides, he had bought a huge bag of fresh seafood to make them paella. It would be the most awful waste.

  Back at the villa, Alejandro soon had everyone dicing onions, peppers and garlic, peeling king prawns and scrubbing mussels while he cooked an enormous pan full of saffron rice. Once or twice he caught Ginny’s eye and she turned pink, unable to stop herself from smiling.

  ‘You know,’ he whispered in her ear as she laid the table. ‘You look ten years younger than when you arrived.’

  The strange thing was it was true. Ginny had looked in the mirror earlier. Her skin seemed to glow, her eyes sparkled, the worry furrow between her brows had gone, and her mouth seemed to smile rather than frown. She thought about the appointment she had booked for tomorrow. At this rate, she wasn’t going to need it.

  All through the evening, Alejandro could feel his mobile in his pocket, vibrating on silent. He knew exactly who it was trying to contact him. Eventually he took the phone out onto the terrace while the others ate.

  ‘Alejandro!’ Sandra’s harsh voice grated down the line. ‘Where are the bloody photos? For heaven’s sake. Don’t you understand time is of the essence?’

  From the terrace, Alejandro observed Ginny at the end of the table. It had been like watching a flower unfurl. She had positively blossomed. To betray her to Sandra would be like hacking a rose in full bloom from its stem. She would shrivel up with the humiliation. Wither away.

  Alejandro weighed up his options. The damning evidence was on the phone he was holding. If he took the cash, there was no denying that it would change his life for the better. Yet he knew that if he did take it, he would be haunted by her. She was so sweet, Ginny. So warm. So caring. Everything, in fact, that Sandra was not.

  Could he sacrifice her just for a few hundred euros?

  He tried to harden his heart. Another day and Ginny would be on a plane. He’d never see her again. He wouldn’t have her on his conscience.

  ‘Hello? Hello? Are you there?’ Sandra was getting even more impatient.

  ‘Yes. I’m here.’ He made up his mind. ‘And I’m sorry, Sandra. I couldn’t get the photos. It was impossible.’

  Sandra gave a malevolent hiss of disbelief. ‘Don’t be ridiculous. You can’t have tried hard enough.’

  ‘Oh, believe me. I tried very hard. And I’m not very pleased. It’s never happened to me before.’

  ‘But it’s impossible. How could that . . . lump turn you down?’

  It was the description of Ginny as a lump that finally did it.

  ‘Well, she did,’ said Alejandro firmly. ‘And another thing, Sandra. When you get back, I won’t be here.’

  ‘Well, as
long as the place is clean and tidy and the fridge is stocked. I suppose you are owed some time off.’

  ‘No. You don’t understand. It’s not time off. It’s goodbye.’

  ‘Goodbye?’

  He winced at the volume of the indignant shriek. He smiled.

  ‘Or should I say . . . adios.’

  ‘You needn’t think you’re getting a penny out of me! You lazy, disloyal piece of Spanish shit. After everything I’ve done for you!’

  Everything she had done for him? Alejandro raised his eyebrows in amused disbelief. He’d given her food fit for the gods and multiple orgasms. Laughing softly, he hung up. It was no skin off his nose. There would be plenty more Sandras around wanting more of the same. He’d be in gainful employment by the end of the week, even without a reference. He was sure of that.

  He looked down at the phone in his hand, then scrolled through the menu with his thumb until he found the photos in question. Looking back at them was making him feel horny. It had been some night. He debated keeping them as a memento, then decided it would be all too easy for them to fall into the wrong hands. He hesitated for a second then pressed ‘delete’, several times in quick succession, until all the evidence was gone.

  When he came back inside the others were ribbing Caroline.

  ‘So, what’s it worth,’ asked Sasha, ‘to keep it quiet from James?’

  ‘I’m not guilty of anything!’ Caroline insisted. ‘It was all perfectly above board.’ She grinned at her own pun. ‘I didn’t go below deck at all.’

  ‘Just think,’ sighed Kitty. ‘He might have whisked you off on a Mediterranean cruise. Showered you with even more diamonds.’

  ‘Nah. He was bound to be a knob,’ Caroline was happily dismissive.

  ‘Anyway, Caroline’s married to James,’ Mandy reminded them.

  ‘Don’t be so old-fashioned, Mandy. Everyone’s entitled to a bit of fun every now and then, to remind them what it’s all about. Aren’t they, Mum?’

  Ginny could feel herself turning puce.

  ‘I’ve no idea,’ she stammered. ‘But it’s probably not a good idea.’

  ‘Well, apart from you, of course,’ said Kitty kindly. ‘Mum would never do anything like that. She’s far too sensible.’