He’d been turning to go back inside, but at her words he spun round. ‘Why the hell would anyone come from Australia to see Peggy?’
Gina hesitated. She didn’t want to tell her business to strangers and she didn’t like the looks of this man, but if he was her brother-in-law he’d find out soon enough. ‘I believe she’s my half-sister.’
He stared at her so fixedly she nearly turned tail and fled.
‘Her father did run away to Australia with some whoring husband-stealer.’
Gina gasped. ‘Don’t you speak about my mother like that! You know nothing of what happened!’
‘Oh, don’t I? You should have heard Peggy’s mother on the subject.’
‘Just tell me when your wife will be back, please.’
He reached out to grab her arm. ‘Come inside. We’ll phone her up together. I’m sure she’ll come running when she hears who you are. What did you say your name was?’
Suddenly all Gina’s instincts told her to get out. Early in the day as it was, he was unsteady on his feet. He must have been drinking. She tried to pull away, but he had hold of her arm and wouldn’t let go.
‘Oh, no, you don’t!’ he said harshly. ‘You want to see Peggy and so do I. You’re my ace in the hole and you’re coming inside to wait for her.’
Gina screamed for Brad, struggling to get away. She couldn’t believe this was happening twice in a week, but she was angry about it this time rather than terrified, kicking out at him and scraping her shoe hard down his shins.
Abruptly Hartley let go of her and she would have fallen if someone hadn’t caught her. ‘Brad! Oh, thank goodness!’
‘What the hell do you think you’re doing?’ Brad demanded, pushing Gina behind him.
‘Inviting my sister-in-law inside,’ Hartley said, clutching the door post. ‘Sorry. Maybe I was a bit over-enthusiastic. But I’m sure my wife will be delighted to see her.’
‘Where is your wife?’
‘She’s out. I was going to phone her.’
‘He was going to keep me here to fetch her back,’ Gina said. ‘And I think he’s drunk. He’s slurring his words.’ She rubbed her arm where he’d gripped her tightly, sure it’d be bruised.
‘Let’s go back to the car, Gina.’ Brad moved backwards along the path, keeping an eye on the man, who seemed to be having a little trouble staying upright.
‘At least tell me where she can find you,’ he called after them. ‘I’m sorry if I frightened you. I’m a bit upset today. It won’t happen again.’
‘You won’t get the chance to assault her again,’ Brad said grimly. ‘For two pins I’d go and lay a complaint against you with the police.’
The other man’s face turned chalk white and he took a hasty step backwards, slamming the door shut.
Brad hurried back to the car and slid in beside Gina. ‘Are you all right? He didn’t hurt you?’
‘He probably bruised my arm where he grabbed me but apart from that I’m fine.’
His eyes were searching her face. ‘After what you’ve been through…’
‘I think this incident has had the opposite effect on me. It’s not made me feel worse, it’s made me too angry for that. Who the hell does he think he is? And where’s my sister? He said she was out, that he’d have to phone her. You don’t suppose she’s left him? Because of the drinking. I couldn’t smell any booze but he was definitely unsteady on his feet.’ Gina shook her head in bafflement. ‘I’m certainly meeting some delightful people in England, aren’t I?’
‘No. But I am.’ Brad kissed her lightly on the cheek and started up the engine. ‘Where to now, milady?’
‘My brother’s house. Maybe he’ll know where Peggy is.’
* * *
Inside the house, Hartley leaned against the wall, feeling sick and dizzy. He didn’t know what was wrong with him today, had been feeling strange ever since he got up. And left leg and arm were slightly numb. He rubbed them with his right hand, but it didn’t seem to help. He must have slept in an awkward position.
He stumbled along to the kitchen, which looked dreadful.
‘You’re coming home, you bitch,’ he muttered and went to the fridge for some milk, staring at it angrily when there was none.
In the end he left the tea brewing in the teapot and went into the living room, supporting himself on pieces of furniture.
He’d have a nap. That’d make him feel better.
Then he’d work out a way to get Peggy back.
* * *
Brad and Gina consulted the satnav again and drove to Jake’s house.
‘I’m coming to the door with you this time,’ he insisted.
‘All right. But let me do the talking, if you don’t mind.’
This house was much smaller, semi-detached and old-fashioned in appearance. The street didn’t look nearly as affluent as her sister’s did.
Taking a deep breath, Gina knocked on the front door. The man who answered it looked so much like her father that she was shocked rigid and for a moment, she couldn’t speak.
‘Are you all right?’ he asked.
‘Sorry. I was just a bit startled. You look so like Dad.’
He went very still and the smile vanished from his face.
‘I’m your half-sister, Gina. I’ve come from Australia to see you,’ she went on, desperate to make him talk to her.
A voice spoke from behind him. ‘Then you should have found out first whether we wanted to see you or not – and we don’t!’
The woman who had come up the hall behind him looked much older than he did. Gina stared at her. ‘Are you – Peggy?’
‘I’m nothing to you,’ she said harshly. ‘Jake, come back inside.’
‘Just a minute, love. You go and put the kettle on. I’ll be with you in a minute.’ He turned back to Gina. ‘Sorry. Peggy’s never got over our father running off with your mother and she’s in a bit of a fragile state at the moment. I don’t want to upset her.’
With an apologetic shake of the head, he shut the door in her face.
Gina stared at it in shock then burst into tears and ran back to the car, with Brad following.
* * *
From behind the door Jake heard her crying and felt terrible.
Peggy’s voice sounded sharply from the kitchen. ‘Jake!’
He looked from one to the other, torn, not wanting to hurt either of them, but the crying seemed to echo in his ears and in the end he ran back to the front door to call his Australian sister back.
But the car was driving away by the time he got to the gate and it disappeared around the corner.
Feeling like the greatest villain unhung, he walked slowly back to the house.
Peggy was sitting in the kitchen. ‘You went after her,’ she said accusingly.
‘Aye, well, I was too late.’
‘Good.’
And Jake, normally the most peaceful of men, lost his temper. ‘How can you say that? She was crying. You’ve been hurt yourself. You know what it’s like. I wish I hadn’t listened to you, you’ve so little compassion in you. I’m ashamed of myself, Peggy, really ashamed. And I don’t even know where she’s staying, so I can’t go after her.’
It was Peggy’s turn to cry, but Jake didn’t feel like comforting her and went out into the back garden, slamming the door behind him.
How could he find that poor woman and apologize?
CHAPTER 31
England
By the time they got back to the flat Gina had stopped crying, but her expression was so lost and sad, Brad could have thumped her bloody brother for doing this to her.
‘We’ll go out tonight, take our minds off this. I’ll see if there’s a show we can go to or a decent restaurant.’
She shook her head. ‘Thanks for the thought, but I’m not a child to be comforted by such things. This is too important to me.’
‘Then what can I do to help you?’
‘Nothing. I have to face the fact that they don’t want to meet me. It w
as always on the cards. I just persuaded myself they’d give me a chance if I turned up in person.’
‘I hate to see you so unhappy.’
‘I’ll get over it.’
‘Do you want me to leave you on your own?’
She gave him a grateful look. ‘For a while, if you don’t mind. It’s such a beautiful day, I’m sure you’d enjoy a long walk.’
Dismissed, he could do nothing but get ready and go out.
Gina was beyond tears now. She went to sit by the window but saw little of what was happening outside as she tried to work out if she could have done anything better. Should she have written to Jake and Peggy first? No. They’d have refused to meet her then she’d not even have seen them. And she was glad that she’d at least done that. Goodness, Jake had looked so like her father.
She was so lost in thought that she didn’t at first realize someone had knocked on the door. She went to open it, then hesitated and called out, ‘Who is it?’
‘Me. Bridie.’
Gina flung the door open. ‘Come in! I’m so glad to see you. How was your check-up?’
‘Fine.’ Bridie moved forward then stopped to study her, eyes narrowed. ‘You’ve been crying. What’s wrong.’
‘Oh, dear, you’re always catching me at a bad moment, but Bridie, I really need some advice.’
‘Then put that kettle on and we’ll discuss it over a cup of tea. I’m parched.’
‘Have you walked from the hotel?’
‘Of course I have. I’m not yet in my dotage. Use it or lose it applies to all ages and activities.’
‘How was your friend?’ Even before she replied, Gina saw a spasm of sadness cross Bridie’s face.
‘She’s not able to cope on her own now so I didn’t stay for my usual week. She’s going into an aged care facility and is absolutely dreading it. I would too. I’m so lucky that I have better health than her, not to mention the money to live in the style I choose. Though I am considering finding an upmarket residential home instead of the hotel here. I’d like a little more space and a garden to walk in. I can always go back into a hotel if it doesn’t work out.’
Her friend’s thin elderly voice was soothing and as Gina made the tea, she could feel herself relaxing.
When they’d both got a cup of tea and biscuit in front of them, Bridie took a few sips and said simply, ‘Now tell me what’s wrong, dear.’
Gina explained everything, her voice catching as she explained exactly what had brought her to England. When she faltered to a halt, she looked up and saw that Bridie’s eyes were also brimming with tears. ‘Oh, no! I shouldn’t have told you. You’ve enough troubles of your own.’
Bridie reached out and took hold of Gina’s hand. ‘I’m glad you told me, more than you could ever have realized.’ She gave a smile that had both warmth and sadness in it then said quietly, ‘My surname may be Shapley now, but I was born Bridget Everett.’ She waited, head cocked to one side.
Gina stared at her in shock. ‘Then that means – are you my father’s sister… my aunt?’
‘I am indeed. Isn’t it wonderful that fate has brought us together?’ Bridie leaned forward to plant a kiss on her niece’s cheek, then sat back and studied her face. ‘No wonder you reminded me of my sister. I received a letter from my brother after he left England, explaining why he’d run away and wishing me well. It didn’t have a return address. That was the last I heard from him.’
‘I think Mum and Dad must have decided to cut all ties with their families. They never told me about my English relatives or even that Dad had been married before.’
‘I met your mother before they left and I liked her. I was less keen on his first wife, who was sharp and suspicious in her ways, no softness in her. I always suspected that Daniel wouldn’t have married her if he hadn’t got her in trouble. But then she had another child the year after, so he was well and truly trapped.’
Bridie was tapping her fingers on the table now, her brow creased in thought. ‘I’m surprised that Jake treated you so badly yesterday, though. He’s usually much kinder and fairer to people. Peggy’s a washed-out copy of her mother, very inept and lets that ghastly husband bully her. I’ve not seen her for years because I can’t stand him.’
Gina was smiling now, joy singing through her as it all began to sink in. ‘Well, at least I’ve met one relative over here, as well as Lou in Australia. Isn’t it wonderful? You are – glad about it?’
‘Of course I am. So glad that I’d like to invite you and Brad to have dinner with me in the restaurant at the hotel tonight to celebrate. And come in a taxi, because it calls for good champagne.’ She looked at the clock. ‘And now, I’d better be getting back to the hotel. I do need an afternoon nap these days, I’m afraid.’
‘I’d drive you, but my hire car won’t start.’
‘It’s all right. I’ll call a taxi.’ She pulled a phone out of her handbag. ‘So useful, this little gadget, but I have trouble with the tiny keypad. They’re not designed for older eyes.’ Holding it at arm’s length and squinting slightly, she pressed a pre-set number and ordered a taxi.
When it arrived, Gina escorted her downstairs and then went back up again, feeling happy. Yes, this did call for a champagne celebration. She wished Brad would come back, so that she could share her good news.
When she got into the flat a phone was ringing and she saw Brad’s mobile on the end of the kitchen counter. Without thinking she picked it up. ‘Hello?’
A woman’s voice asked, ‘Is Brad there?’
‘No, he’s out.’
‘Oh. Can I ask who you are? I thought he was in England on his own.’
‘I’m a… friend.’
Silence, then, ‘Well, will you tell him Jane called. I’m another friend of his, a very old friend, and I need to speak to him urgently and privately. Have you got something to take down my mobile number with?’
Gina picked up a pen and dragged the newspaper towards her for lack of a notepad. ‘Yes.’
After she’d switched off the phone, she pushed it away from her, wishing she hadn’t picked it up. Who was this Jane? And why had Brad pretended to be here to see relatives? The woman had said she was a friend. How close a friend? If Gina wasn’t mistaken there’d been resentment in the other’s voice. Surely he wasn’t stringing two women along?
* * *
A few minutes later there were footsteps on the stairs and Brad called out before unlocking the door.
Gina busied herself getting him a mug of tea as she told him about Bridie. After that she fell silent.
‘There’s something else, isn’t there? What’s wrong?’ He saw her move uneasily and bite her lip. Already he could tell how she was feeling from her body language, because she hadn’t a sneaky bone in her body.
She hesitated, then told him about answering his mobile. ‘I shouldn’t have but I was so happy I wasn’t thinking straight.’ She explained about her conversation with Jane. ‘You didn’t tell her you were with someone and that seemed to upset her. How close a friend is she exactly?’
His heart sank. He’d rather have explained this later, when they knew one another better. He didn’t feel proud of having been unfaithful and didn’t want to do anything to risk losing Gina. As he looked at her, he realized how much he felt about her.
‘It’s fine if you don’t want to tell me, Brad. I have no right to ask. We’re just – holiday friends, you and I.’
She turned away and he couldn’t bear it. He walked round the table and put his arms round her. ‘I hope we’re more than mere holiday friends, Gina.’
She looked up at him uncertainly. ‘Do you?’
‘Oh, yes. But it’s time to explain exactly why I’m here, which will also explain who Jane is.’
‘You don’t have to.’
‘I do. I want us – you and me – to stay together and, well, see how things go, so I need to be honest with you.’
He could see the uncertainty still clouding her lovely eyes and tossed caution
to the winds. ‘Oh, dammit, Gina, haven’t you realized that I’ve fallen in love with you? I didn’t mean to and it’s happened so quickly it’s taken me by surprise. I’m out of practice at romancing someone, but I’m hoping…’
Her smile lit up her whole face. ‘Oh, Brad.’ Then she added softly, ‘I’ve fallen in love with you, too. Only I didn’t dare hope for anything. I got such a scolding from my daughter about holiday romances and being careful.’
So of course he had to kiss her and as one thing led to another, they wound up in bed, touching, caressing, reinforcing what they’d said in the way lovers always have.
Lying there afterwards, with Gina nestled in his arms, Brad braced himself to make his confession. ‘I still have to tell you why I’m here and I don’t come out of it too well, I’m afraid.’
She listened intently as he stumbled through the tale of Rosie and Jane. When he’d finished, he waited for her to say something, but she didn’t speak for so long he began to worry.
‘Were you ever unfaithful again?’
‘No. I’m not normally a cheat. And anyway, it was too costly emotionally. It took me ages to recover. I think I’m very old-fashioned about such things, can’t take sex and love casually.’
‘And how do you feel about Jane?’
‘I don’t want to hurt her, but there’s nothing left of the old flame between us, I promise you. We’re neither of us the same people we were then and anyway, she has a husband. But there’s Rosie, you see. My – our daughter.’
‘Jane sounded… as if she still cared for you.’
He pulled away and held her at arm’s length, shocked rigid. ‘You can’t mean that! I haven’t given her any encouragement, I promise you. I only wanted to see Rosie. In fact, I don’t think I’ve even been alone with Jane this time, except when I was standing on the doorstep. No, you must be mistaken.’
‘I could be, I suppose.’ Gina glanced at her watch, lying beside the bed. ‘Oh dear, we’d better get ready for our celebration meal with Bridie now.’
Family Connections Page 25
