The Flood

by Rachel Bennett

  Daniela was already moving off through the furniture maze. A murmur of voices filtered from the back of the shop. Henry’s was harsh from years of chain-smoking, edged with a London accent. She recognised the opposing notes of her sister Franklyn’s lighter tone, which always sounded like she was mocking you, even when she wasn’t.

  ‘Should I get Steph?’ Auryn asked.

  As if in response, something heavy crashed to the floor at the other end of the shop. Daniela sped up. The layout of the shop meant she could hear Franklyn and Henry but couldn’t see them yet.

  ‘It’s only money!’ she heard Franklyn shout. ‘You want to lose everything for this?’

  Another crash, which sounded like a chair going over. ‘You owe me,’ Henry said. ‘After everything I’ve done for your family—’

  Daniela at last found her way around a bulky Welsh dresser that blocked the direct route to the cleared area at the back of the shop that doubled as Henry’s office. A huge polished rosewood desk the colour of venous blood took up most of the space, with a wicker chair wedged behind it. The desk and two nearby tables were submerged below a sea of paperwork. At the back of the room, the fire exit was propped open with a metal urn, allowing a sluggish breeze to flow in from the walled courtyard behind the building.

  Franklyn had been sat in a ladder-backed chair, which she’d knocked over as she stood up too fast. A box of papers had fallen from the desk, but it was unclear who’d done that. Franklyn was thin and wiry like Daniela, with a fringe of black hair that was always in her eyes. Henry was six inches taller and at least five stone heavier. His shirt didn’t fit well, the material stretched and strained across his chest. His reddish hair was combed flat.

  ‘Hey …’ Daniela said.

  When he saw her, Henry smiled and shook his head. ‘How come you invited these guys?’ he asked Franklyn. ‘I thought you wanted to keep this private.’

  Franklyn took a moment to shove her temper back into whatever compartment she usually stored it in. To Daniela she said, ‘I’ll be done in a minute, Dani. Just wait for me outside, yeah?’

  Daniela looked from her to Henry. ‘What’s going on?’

  ‘Nothing. Nothing.’

  ‘How about you tell her?’ Henry suggested with a smile.

  ‘Is that really what you want?’ Franklyn asked. ‘Seriously, I would’ve thought you’ve got more to lose than me right now.’

  Henry settled down into a chair and rested his arm on the rosewood desk. He was still smiling, like he was entertained by Franklyn’s words. Daniela had learned at a young age that Henry had a pretty good poker face, but all his tells were in his hands. She glanced at his fingers. The table was littered with papers and boxes and trinkets from the shop. Not far from Henry’s hand was a stack of post and a knife he’d been using to open the envelopes.

  ‘This isn’t a great reflection of your character,’ Henry said. ‘Coming in here to threaten me. I’m sure your little sister doesn’t want to see that.’

  Daniela couldn’t look away from the knife on the table. It was a flick-knife, a patina of age across the opened blade. On the handle was an inlaid design in the shape of a snake, black on red. It looked like part of the stock from the antiques shop. The handle was less than two inches from Henry’s hand.

  ‘Frankie, maybe we should go,’ Daniela said, nervous.

  ‘Listen to your sister,’ Henry suggested. ‘It’s good to hear someone in your family talk sense. That’s been sorely lacking since your dear mother walked out.’

  Franklyn took a couple of steps towards Henry. Wherever she’d put her anger, it hadn’t been boxed away securely, because the colour rose back to her face. ‘Listen—’ she said.

  Henry started to his feet. His hand moved over the knife.

  Darting forwards, Daniela snatched up a double-handful of papers from the desk and flung them at Henry’s face. He flinched in surprise. At the same moment, Franklyn made a grab for him.

  Everything happened too fast after that. Daniela lunged for the knife. She succeeded in knocking it off the table, but lost her balance and stumbled. Someone shoved her to get her away – either Henry or Franklyn, she couldn’t be sure – and she fell, striking her chin on the table on the way down.

  For a second, Daniela lay dazed on the rough carpet. Feet scuffled next to her head. The papers she’d thrown were still fluttering to the ground.

  Someone yelled, ‘Stop it! What’re you doing?’

  Leo had run into the shop, with Auryn right behind him, and behind her, Stephanie.

  Stephanie pushed to the front. She got both hands on Franklyn’s shoulders and yanked her away like a dog on a leash.

  ‘All right, what the hell’s going on?’ Stephanie demanded. ‘Franklyn, cut it out.’

  Franklyn lifted her hands contritely. ‘Sorry, sorry,’ she said, with a shrug that implied she wasn’t doing anything worth shouting about.

  Stephanie shoved Franklyn away, not gently.

  Daniela was still on the floor, dazed, unwilling to get up. Her hands shook from the brief confrontation, and there was a dull ache where she’d banged her chin. It took her several moments to work out why her mouth tasted coppery. Her tongue probed a split on the inside of her cheek.

  Light glinted off something metal nearby. The flick-knife, which had bounced under the table after Daniela knocked it off the top. Careful to keep her movements hidden, Daniela closed her hand around it.

  ‘It’s my fault,’ Franklyn told Stephanie. ‘We were just having a discussion. Here, let me help you up.’ She reached down to grab Daniela’s hand.

  Stephanie didn’t look even slightly convinced. ‘What were you discussing?’

  ‘Just passing the time of day. Daniela tripped and fell, right?’

  Henry smirked. ‘Tripped right over her own feet.’

  Daniela felt heat flush her cheeks. She let Franklyn haul her upright. Her head swam. She stayed half-turned away so no one would see she’d picked up the flick-knife. The handle felt warm.

  Leo had pushed past so he was between Stephanie and Henry. ‘Franklyn started it,’ he said. ‘You all heard her shouting at my dad.’

  ‘That’s not what I heard,’ Stephanie said.

  Franklyn laughed. But whatever comment she was planning to make, Stephanie silenced her with a glare.

  ‘Go wait in the car, Franklyn,’ she said. ‘You too, Dani.’

  Daniela hesitated. It rankled that no one had bothered to check whether she was hurt, or to get her side of the story. Her fingers tightened around the knife.

  ‘C’mon, kid,’ Franklyn said, taking hold of Daniela’s elbow. ‘Let’s give the grown-ups some space.’

  Making her expression neutral, Daniela nodded, while she slipped the knife into the sleeve of her jacket, hidden.

  7

  By the time they reached the car, Franklyn had shrugged off her temper. She kept her head up as she crossed the road.

  ‘You okay?’ Daniela asked.

  Franklyn gave a tight smile. ‘Sure. Why the hell not?’ She leaned against the bonnet of Stephanie’s car to light a cigarette.

  The door of the antiques shop opened and Auryn came out with Leo. She kept wiping her eyes with her fingertips. Leo pushed her away when she tried to touch his arm.

  ‘You don’t get it,’ Leo was saying. ‘Dad’s mad at your stupid sister right now, but by tonight he’ll take it out on me, or Mum. We’re the ones who’ll get the fallout.’

  ‘So, come stay at our house,’ Auryn suggested.

  ‘That’s not going to help Mum, is it?’ Leo chewed his lip as he glanced at the open door of the corner shop. ‘I better warn her.’

  ‘I’ll come with you.’

  ‘It’s probably best if you stay away.’ Leo softened his words with a sad smile. ‘I’ll call you later, okay?’

  He walked off, leaving Auryn standing helpless in the middle of the road, still blinking back tears.

  Daniela loitered by the car. She’d removed the knife from
her sleeve and tucked it into the breast pocket of her jacket, blade folded. It was heavy and warm. Unnerving. Daniela wasn’t even sure why she’d taken it, except that she didn’t like the idea of Henry having it. He’d definitely been reaching for it during the argument – hadn’t he? The whole confrontation had taken less than thirty seconds. It’d left her dizzy and sick, and not just from the bang on her chin.

  Auryn rubbed the back of her neck. ‘Not that we aren’t glad to see you and all, Franklyn,’ she said, ‘but did you come home just to pick a fight?’

  ‘I’m hurt that you’d suggest that.’ Franklyn didn’t deny it though.

  A minute later Stephanie appeared. Daniela flinched. Stephanie looked so much like their father when she was angry.

  ‘What did you think you were doing, Franklyn?’ she asked.

  ‘Nothing.’ Franklyn blew out smoke. ‘Having a discussion. That’s what Henry said too, right?’

  ‘How did you guess?’

  ‘Thought so. Are you planning to be heavy-handed about this?’

  ‘In what way? You mean like reporting you both?’

  ‘Yeah. That.’

  Stephanie opened the driver’s door. ‘Get in the car.’

  Franklyn winked at Dani. ‘That’s what this family’s good at,’ she said. ‘Bending the rules.’

  ‘You don’t even know what the rules are.’ Stephanie got into the car and slammed the door.

  Franklyn climbed into the passenger seat. Stephanie was already revving the engine as Daniela took the back seat. Auryn hesitated a moment more, unsure whether to go after Leo, then joined them.

  Stephanie bumped down from the kerb with more force than necessary. Daniela glanced back. Through the dusty windows of the antiques store, Henry was watching them. He was on the phone.

  ‘Okay,’ Auryn said, breaking the tense silence. ‘What happened, Frankie?’

  Franklyn shrugged. She’d rolled down the window to let her cigarette smoke escape. The breeze tousled her dark hair. ‘It was a misunderstanding,’ she said.

  ‘Isn’t it always?’ Stephanie commented.

  Franklyn laughed. She sank down in the seat, shoulders low, as if she wanted to hide from the world. She’d always been like that, Daniela realised. Folded inwards so no one would guess what she concealed. Her jacket smelled of smoke and diesel fumes.

  ‘Believe it or not, I had no intention of getting into an argument,’ Franklyn said. ‘I came home to see my loving family. But I figured you all might have better things to do on a sunny Saturday, so I called on Henry about some business.’

  ‘What kind of business?’

  ‘The private kind.’ Franklyn flashed a smile to take the edge off her words. ‘Nothing worth getting riled about. Henry takes things so seriously.’

  Daniela remembered the partial conversation she’d overheard. It’d sounded like Franklyn owed Henry money … but why? If Franklyn needed cash, Dad would always put his hand in his pocket.

  Daniela asked, ‘Where’re we going?’ Stephanie had spun the car around the one-way system so they were headed towards Hackett.

  ‘We’re taking Franklyn back to the train station,’ Stephanie said.

  ‘She just got here.’

  ‘And look how much excitement she’s caused already.’ Stephanie met Daniela’s gaze in the rear-view mirror. ‘We’ll do the family reunion some other time.’

  ‘Actually,’ Franklyn said, ‘I quite want to come home. Today’s not working out like I’d hoped. It’d be nice to chill for a bit, rather than rushing back to Birmingham.’

  Stephanie took her eyes off the road long enough to look at her. ‘Is that a good idea?’

  ‘Hey, don’t make me pull rank. I’m the oldest; my word is still law.’

  Stephanie’s voice was tense as she shrugged and said, ‘Whatever you say.’

  ‘Cool.’ Franklyn went back to staring out of the window. ‘Be nice to spend a night in the old house again. No feeling like coming home, huh?’

  8

  Regardless of circumstances, it felt like a celebration whenever the four sisters were together. Even though their father had retired to his study with the door firmly closed, and nothing could fully dispel the chill absence of their mother, for a short time the house felt full again. It echoed with voices and laughter and movement, and the family could pretend nothing was wrong.

  It’d been a while since all four of them had hung out. A longer while since they’d been together without arguing. Franklyn brought a slab of beer in from the garage, placing half the cans in the fridge to cool. Auryn opened a bottle of wine. After some cajoling, they even persuaded Stephanie to have a drink.

  Nobody mentioned the altercation between Franklyn and Henry. It wasn’t the first time Franklyn had got into trouble, and nobody thought it’d be the last. By nature, she rubbed people the wrong way. Her school record had been a history of near-disasters.

  Now she was at ease, sprawled in a chair with one leg thrown over the arm, a can of beer in one hand and an unlit cigarette in the other. Their father didn’t mind them drinking or making noise, but drew the line at smoking in the house.

  ‘Hey,’ Auryn said, settling on the sofa, ‘I meant to ask, Franklyn. Are you really going back to university?’

  Franklyn gave a careful shrug. ‘News travels fast, doesn’t it?’

  Guilt needled Daniela. She hadn’t been sworn to secrecy, but still …

  ‘So, is it true?’ Auryn pressed. ‘Or is someone spreading mad rumours?’

  ‘I’ve not decided,’ Franklyn said. Her tone was more serious than Daniela had heard in years. ‘But yeah, it’s something to think about.’

  ‘Finishing that business course, are you?’ Stephanie asked.

  ‘Nah. I’m looking at theology.’

  Stephanie raised her eyebrows. ‘That’s a career departure,’ she said. Unlike the others, she’d remained standing, as if even when relaxing she couldn’t lose the stiffness her job had hammered into her. A certain tightness marked her eyes. Nothing escaped her notice. It felt like Stephanie was always poised to spring into action at the first sign of anything improper. In a different life she could’ve been a superhero.

  The idea made Daniela snort into her drink.

  ‘Maybe it’s time for a career,’ Franklyn said. ‘A proper career, I mean. No more bouncing from one rubbish job to the next. And let’s face it, I was never cut out for the business world. That’s for people like him upstairs, isn’t it?’ She smiled, but the twist to her lips made it ugly. ‘I thought you’d approve. Really, I’m just copying. You’ve got the nice, stable, legal career. What’s wrong with us wanting the same?’

  Stephanie chuckled but said nothing. Daniela looked away, irrationally annoyed that everyone except her was progressing with their lives.

  ‘What would you do with a theology degree?’ Auryn asked. ‘I mean, what can you do? Apart from becoming a lecturer or a vicar.’

  It was difficult to imagine Franklyn doing either of those. Difficult enough to picture her knuckling down to complete a university course. Franklyn had always been moody and solitary, without close friends, more content to be off on her own than hanging around at home. She’d also been closest to their mother. Being the eldest meant she’d known their mother the longest, and remembered when there’d been more smiles than silences. Franklyn was the one who’d tried hardest to make her stay. She’d encouraged their mother to make outings, to drive into Briarsfield or take the bus in a long circular journey out along the valleys and back again. Franklyn had kept up the Sunday trips to church with her long after the others lost interest.

  And yet nothing Franklyn did was enough to make her stay.

  One of Daniela’s clearest memories was of a fight she hadn’t been meant to witness. Aged twelve, Daniela had watched, through a crack in the door, as her father berated their mother in that whip-tongue voice until she’d pulled off the eternity rings he’d given her and flung them at him. Daniela had barely had time to get clear of
the door as her mother strode out. Two days later, their mother had packed her bags, leaving Daniela with a clearer memory of her hands than her face.

  She thought of the sort-of funeral they’d held, out on the fishing platform above the swollen river. None of them had spoken of it again. But a few weeks later, Daniela went back to the garage to look through their mother’s remaining possessions. At that time, she’d noticed other items conspicuously missing. Everything of value, like the jewellery, had gone. As had the crucifix from the hallway, the one with the sad Jesus, which was no longer hidden under the pile of magazines.

  Franklyn didn’t answer Auryn’s question straight away. She turned the beer can with her thin fingers. ‘It’s not something that’s come out of nowhere,’ she said at last. ‘Wanting to change … wanting something different. It probably feels like I’m springing this on you, but it’s always been in my head. I want something different. I want to do something. This week was …’ She stopped. ‘Anyway, I came home to clear my head. And to get some support.’ She flashed a grin. ‘That’s what we’re here for, right? To look out for each other. I bet Auryn hasn’t been getting hassled over her academic choices.’

  Auryn’s ears went pink. She hated to admit how well she’d done at school. Everyone in the family knew she was the bright one – the one with the high-flying career ahead. From a young age she’d known what she wanted to do with her life. Daniela envied that, a lot.

  Stephanie was envious as well, Daniela knew, because although Stephanie had her own career – one she insisted she loved – she’d fallen into it more or less by accident, recruited straight from high school. Someone had to keep the peace in the household, and Stephanie was the only one capable. Policing had been the logical, inevitable choice. A concrete way to enforce the rules of the house.

  But Auryn was still the smartest, with the best qualifications and the pick of universities.

  Daniela had never considered Franklyn might be jealous too.

  ‘I don’t blame you for wanting to get away,’ Franklyn added to Auryn. ‘Get out, see the world. It’ll be good for you. And Leo.’