My Sister’s Secret

by Tracy Buchanan

  ‘What do you mean?’

  Penny paused and bit her lip but then clearly resolved to hold nothing back. ‘There was a photographer,’ she said. ‘An arty type. Mr North had me call around various advertising agencies to report that he’d over-charged him for some photographs and had got drunk during an assignment. Thing is, the photographer did nothing like that according to records we’ve kept. But Mr North has clout and when he says something, people listen.’

  ‘Photographer?’ Charity asked, a churning feeling in her belly. ‘What was his name?’

  ‘Oh, gosh. Neil? Nathan?’

  ‘Was it Niall Lane?’

  ‘Yes! That’s him.’

  Charity thought back to when Niall had told her all his work had suddenly dried up. ‘Jesus,’ Charity whispered to herself.

  Penny crossed her arms, looking pleased with herself for putting Dan in it.

  Charity looked at her watch. She only had a few minutes left to get back to campus. Work would have to wait. She needed to speak to Dan right now.

  Dan’s office was a large three-storey building overlooking the sea. When the taxi drew up upside, she shoved money into the driver’s hand and then ran inside, smiling tightly at the receptionist. Behind the glossy black reception desk was an artist’s impression of the cruise ship, white and sparkling, MS Haven emblazoned down its side.

  ‘Hi, Vicky,’ Charity said, smiling at the receptionist. She wondered how Vicky felt about Penny being fired. ‘Is Dan in?’ she asked her.

  ‘Yes, he’s in his office.’

  ‘Great, thanks.’ She strolled down the hallway through some glass doors, past several offices, people busy working. She found Dan walking out of his office at the end of the corridor, a confused look appearing on his face when he saw her.

  ‘Everything okay, darling?’ he asked, reaching for her to give her a kiss.

  She stepped away from him. ‘I just bumped into your old PA, Penny. She told me you fired her. Was it because she told me about the flood risk? Why were you so desperate to hide it from me?’

  He took her hand. ‘Come into my office,’ he said softly, glancing behind her as one of his employees walked down the hallway.

  She followed him into his large office, the heels of her shoes digging into the thick patterned carpet. A large window sat behind his chrome desk offering views of the sea. To either side were white leather sofas, a drinks cabinet and surround sound speakers above.

  ‘So?’ Charity asked as he closed the door.

  ‘I used your phone conversation with Penny as an excuse, Charity,’ Dan said, sitting on the edge of his desk and folding his arms. ‘Truth is her work’s been slipping lately.’

  ‘But she was your PA for seven years!’

  ‘I gave her lots of chances.’

  ‘What about the flood risk? Did you exaggerate it so the old couple would move out and we could move in?’ His jaw tensed slightly and he didn’t say anything. ‘Dan?’

  He sighed. ‘I didn’t exaggerate it. I told them the truth, that’s all. Their house was at risk of flooding.’ He strolled over to her and put his hands on her arms. ‘It’s your dream house, Charity.’

  ‘I don’t care,’ Charity said, shrugging his hands away. ‘We made an old couple homeless.’

  ‘They’re not homeless, they have their daughter!’

  ‘There’s that too. You told me they’d moved into a bungalow!’ She took in a deep breath. ‘And Penny told me you asked her to badmouth Niall to the advertising agencies he worked for. Why would you do that?’

  Dan’s voice was calm, measured, his face unreadable. ‘It’s the truth, isn’t it?’

  Then he sighed. ‘Look, let’s go for lunch. We can talk and—’

  She looked up at the clock. ‘No. I have a session in half an hour.’

  ‘Cancel it. This is more important.’

  ‘No. I’m so disappointed in you, Dan.’ Then she turned on her heel and walked out.

  Charity tried her best to focus on her sessions that afternoon but she couldn’t help going over and over what Dan had said. Maybe being a bit over-zealous about getting their dream house was expected of a man like him, used to getting everything he wanted. But what on earth had he been thinking causing all that trouble for Niall?

  As Charity stepped out into the early evening sunshine later, she didn’t feel the same optimism she’d felt earlier that week. Did she really know Dan?

  As she walked to the car park, something caught her eye: a poster featuring an eerie underwater scene of a submerged tree against the backdrop of coral.

  Fri 15th July to 1st August

  Southampton City Art Gallery

  The Layers of Me

  A celebration of the work of local Underwater Photography Grand Prix winner Niall Lane.

  She shouldn’t be surprised, he was born in the area after all. But she presumed he’d be travelling. She quickly turned away, continuing towards the car park.

  Just because his work was being exhibited here didn’t mean he was in town. And even if he was, she probably wouldn’t bump into him, Southampton was a large town after all. But it still felt strange knowing his work was being shown here.

  ‘Charity?’ She looked up to see Dan across the forecourt, leaning against his car with folded arms, not caring a jot that he was parked on double yellow lines. He was wearing sunglasses and a white shirt, blue jeans, his handsome face making her insides ache with want despite herself.

  ‘What are you doing here?’ she asked.

  ‘I’d like to take you somewhere,’ he said softly.

  ‘Can’t we just go home?’

  ‘Please. We need to talk. We can pick your car up after.’

  She frowned. ‘Alright.’

  She sat in silence as Dan drove them along the coast. Seagulls swooped through blue skies, people laughed and talked as they walked through the sunshine to get home from work or lectures.

  After a while, Dan drove into a small seaside town not unlike Busby-on-Sea. They turned in to a car park, white cliffs to their left, the sea in front of them.

  ‘Seaford,’ Dan said when he came to a stop, peering up at the cliffs. ‘This is where I grew up. I used to go for walks along the cliffs to clear my head. I keep meaning to bring you out here but never get around to it. Shall we got for a walk?’

  ‘That’ll be nice.’ She stepped out of the car as Dan opened her door for her. They walked in silence up a pathway on to the lush green cliff tops, the shriek of seagulls and the soft putting sounds of the golf course for company.

  When they got to the top, they paused for a moment to take in the view of the lashing sea below. The wind swirled around them both, whistling in Charity’s ears. It was very pretty up here. In the distance, a cruise ship passed, a spark of white on the horizon.

  Dan smiled. ‘I used to come here and watch ships pass, dreaming I’d own one one day.’

  ‘Now you will.’

  He took Charity’s hand. ‘Let’s go a little further, shall we?’

  They carried on walking. After a few minutes, Charity noticed something ahead of them – a brown leather sofa in the middle of the grass, a small round table with a bottle of wine in a bucket of ice and a huge cold buffet of meat cuts, cheese and bread.

  ‘What is all this?’ she asked as Dan led her towards it.

  ‘I had it all brought up here. Thought it’d be nice to enjoy the view this way.’

  Charity couldn’t help but smile as she sat on the sofa. ‘So typical of you to have a sofa carted all the way up here.’

  Dan poured some wine for them both. She took a sip of hers and leant back against the soft sofa, taking in the stunning view of the sea, the low sun casting a sweet yellow hue against it.

  ‘I don’t want you to think badly of me, Charity,’ Dan said, turning towards her. ‘I only wanted us to have the perfect house. I should have been more transparent with you. I just get so wrapped up in the excitement of it all, I don’t realise when I might be overstepping the
mark.’

  Charity frowned down into her wine. ‘What about badmouthing Niall?’ she asked.

  His jaw tightened. ‘It was childish of me. I’d just found out about him and Lana.’

  Charity looked up, noticing how pained Dan looked. ‘I didn’t take you as the type who’d do something like that, Dan, even considering the circumstances.’

  Dan sighed. ‘I’m not. I wasn’t thinking straight. I regretted it after.’ Dan looked into her eyes. ‘We can’t all be as good as you, Charity.’

  Charity thought of the night Faith died, the bump felt on the side of Niall’s car. She’d had her own secrets too, hadn’t she? She hadn’t told Dan about that yet…or that Niall’s work was being exhibited in Southampton. Maybe he knew already? But still, why hadn’t she mentioned it? ‘I’m not that good, Dan.’

  ‘Yes, you are. You make me want to be good too.’ He laced his fingers through hers. ‘I promise I won’t do anything like that again.’

  She looked into his green eyes and felt herself melting. ‘You better not.’

  Over the next couple of hours, they ate and drank. Then Dan pulled her close, his lips brushing against hers, sending waves of sensation through her. She pressed her fingers against the nape of his neck, pulling him even closer, their kiss growing deeper.

  In the background, the sun dipped beneath the sea, darkness crawling over the hill towards them as Dan’s hand slipped under the neckline of her jumper. She heard the distant crash of a wave and Niall flashed through her mind. She pushed the thought away, guilt squirming in her stomach.

  Things returned to normal after that, with romantic dinners and long beach walks, even a weekend away in Paris. While shopping in Southampton one Saturday when Dan was at work, she found herself walking towards the gallery where Niall’s work was being exhibited. When she entered the space, she froze, unable to believe what she was seeing. Each wall was dominated by large exquisite canvasses featuring Niall’s photographs of submerged trees, and in each one was an engraving: the C and N intertwined.

  It was haunting, eerie, utterly beautiful.

  Charity put her hand to her chest, emotion building inside.

  ‘Charity?’ She knew before she turned that it was him.

  Her heart thumped as she turned around. He was wearing a pair of smart dark jeans and a white shirt. His dark hair was longer now and he wasn’t as tanned. But he looked healthy, blue eyes as vivid as ever.

  ‘You’re here,’ she said.

  He smiled. ‘Well, they are exhibiting my work. You here to do some shopping?’ he asked, looking at her bags.

  ‘I live here now. I got a job as a student counsellor.’

  ‘That’s great news!’ He looked around him. ‘Do you like it?’

  ‘It’s beautiful.’ She walked to the photo closest to her. It was one of the photographs he’d sent her of the forest in India, the branches feathering above in the misty lake, ethereal, astounding. ‘I heard you won an award?’

  Niall shrugged. ‘No big deal.’

  He smiled and her tummy tilted. It always had that effect on her, his smile. ‘It’s all working out for us, isn’t it, Charity?’

  She smiled back at him. ‘Yes, I suppose it is.’

  He searched her face with his eyes. ‘I’ve missed you, Charity.’

  She sighed. They couldn’t get into this. ‘Niall…’

  He stepped towards her, taking her hand. ‘I never really got the chance to—’ He frowned as he looked over her shoulder. She followed his gaze to see Dan standing at the entrance to the exhibition, eyes wide as he looked at the photos. Then his gaze landed on Charity, focusing on her and Niall’s conjoined hands.

  Charity pulled her hand away from Niall’s but it was too late, Dan was striding out. She ran after him but he’d disappeared into a crowd coming out of the cinema. She called out his name, tried to search for his blond hair among the sea of people. But he was nowhere.

  ‘What’s Dan doing here?’ She turned and saw Niall standing behind her, a confused expression on his face.

  She took a few moments to compose herself. How was she going to tell him? ‘We live together here,’ she said.

  She watched as his expression changed from confusion to incredulity. ‘You and Dan? Together?’

  ‘Yes.’

  He shook his head, still incredulous. ‘I always knew he liked you. But you liking him? How long have you been together?’

  ‘Just three months.’

  ‘Is it serious?’

  She paused. ‘We have a place together.’

  ‘Already? Jesus, he moves fast.’

  She looked back out at the crowds. ‘I need to find him. Sorry, Niall.’ Then she jogged away.

  When Charity got home, the house was empty. She sank down on to the sofa, trying to process her feelings. She stayed like that for a very long time, darkness falling on the house, a chill seeping in. Finally there was the roar of an engine outside. She slowly stood up and looked out of the window just as Dan stepped out of his car. He looked exhausted under the moonlight, his eyes pained.

  Charity walked to the front door, heart thumping painfully against her chest.

  ‘Where have you been?’ she asked Dan when he walked in, the cool night air sweeping in through the open door and encircling her bare legs.

  ‘Just driving.’

  ‘Nothing’s going on between Niall and me, you know. I didn’t even know he was exhibiting here until a few weeks ago.’

  He walked into the hallway and shut the door behind him. ‘But you did know a few weeks ago, and yet you didn’t say a word about it?’

  ‘I didn’t see the point.’

  ‘You were holding his hand, Charity.’ He flinched as he said that.

  ‘He was upset. It was nothing. Dan. I love you.’

  He looked at Charity, his green eyes intense. ‘I love you too, so much. Let’s just forget about Niall, shall we?’

  As Dan pulled her into his arms, Niall’s face popped into Charity’s mind again. Again she squeezed the image away.

  ‘Oh go on, tell us the juicy stuff about your patients,’ the woman sitting next to Charity said. She and Dan were in a beautiful Italian restaurant in the heart of Southampton having dinner with one of his business associates – a large man with red cheeks and a mop of black hair who owned a cruise line. Dan was trying to court him with a view to possibly selling him the ship. Charity had only been on two such dinners since she’d been with Dan, and had been surprised how much she’d enjoyed them. She’d always had this impression the wives would be vacant, the men chauvinists. Maybe it was a stereotype she had caught from TV programmes and films. But the truth was they were usually rather fascinating: one wife she met the month before was an A&E doctor and Caroline, the woman sitting next to Charity now, was a TV producer.

  ‘Certainly not,’ Charity said, taking a sip of her wine. ‘Otherwise Dan and I will be settling down to watch one of the wonderful dramas you’ve produced and I’ll see one of my patient’s stories on there.’

  Everyone laughed and Dan squeezed her leg under the table, smiling at her.

  ‘So Caroline, how—’ Charity paused. Niall had just walked in on the other side of the restaurant. He was wearing a smart pair of jeans and a dark blue shirt, and was with two women and an older man.

  Dan followed her gaze, his face tensing.

  ‘Charity?’ Caroline asked.

  She dragged her eyes away and looked at Caroline. ‘I was just wondering how long you’ve worked at the BBC?’

  ‘Ten years, feels more like fifty.’ As she talked about how she got her job, Charity couldn’t help but look back at Niall again. A waiter was leading him and his companions over to the table next to them.

  ‘Well well well,’ Caroline’s husband Miles said quietly as the group sat down. ‘There’s our local politician. You really have brought us to the best restaurant in Southampton, Dan.’

  ‘Oh, that’s the photographer Niall Lane with him too,’ Caroline said. ‘I
saw his exhibition the other week, such a talented man. Real rising star.’

  Dan watched Niall with narrowed eyes.

  ‘So, Dan,’ Miles said. ‘When will work start on the building of your wonderful ship?’

  ‘Next spring, I hope,’ Dan replied. ‘I have a brilliant naval architect on board. Now he’s a rising star. You should see the plans he’s drawn up, they’re astounding.’

  Niall looked up at the sound of Dan’s voice. He noticed Charity, his eyes widening.

  ‘So when will I see the plans?’ the man asked, leaning back in his chair as he nursed his brandy.

  Dan shot him a big smile. ‘Well, never of course.’

  Niall frowned, clearly hearing the conversation thanks to Dan’s raised voice.

  The man frowned as well. ‘But I’ll need to see them if I want to get the ball rolling on our purchase.’

  Dan shrugged. ‘You won’t be purchasing it.’

  Charity and Caroline exchanged confused looks. Wasn’t that what this meal was all about?

  The man examined Dan’s handsome face. ‘You’re joking with me, aren’t you?’

  ‘Not at all,’ Dan said, casually flecking some fluff off his pink tie. ‘North Cruises will own the ship.’

  Miles’s cheeks went even redder as his wife raised her eyebrow. ‘You’re launching a cruise line?’ Miles asked.

  Dan nodded his head, clearly enjoying the man’s confusion. ‘Yes, that’s exactly what I’m doing.’

  Charity looked at Dan, surprised. He hadn’t mentioned anything to her. It had always been about building the best cruise ship he could and then selling it to the highest bidder…not running a whole cruise line himself.

  ‘Then what was this dinner all about?’ the man said, his voice raised. Other diners turned to look, including Niall.

  ‘No harm assessing the competition, is there?’ Dan said. ‘I’ve learnt a few trade secrets in the past three hours that will help me.’

  Niall watched Dan, eyes hard.

  Miles pushed his chair away and stood up as his wife looked on, bemused. ‘You won’t get anywhere in this business playing dirty. We’re going.’

  Caroline placed her napkin on the table and turned to Charity. ‘Well, despite this nonsense, it’s been a real pleasure meeting you, Charity.’