My Sister’s Secret (29 page)

Charity felt a glimmer of hope in her heart. If she left Dan, it wouldn’t feel so terrifying with her sister by her side, would it?

Hope looked out of the window. ‘Your car’s here.’

Charity gave her sister a hug. ‘You’re wonderful, you know,’ she whispered in her ear.

‘Oh, stop being so soppy,’ Hope said, shooing her away. But not before Charity saw her grey eyes glimmer with emotion.

Just before Charity stepped into the taxi, she glanced up at her old room, the room Willow was now sleeping in. She was already missing her before she’d even left. ‘Love you, darling,’ she whispered. Then she stepped into the taxi.

Charity

In the middle of the Aegean Sea, Greece

May 1996

Charity wrapped her red shawl around her shoulders. She could still smell Willow on it, that soft sweet scent of hers, baby powder and strawberries. She missed her desperately and yearned to be with her right now, pointing at the seagulls swooping down towards the sparkling waves. Instead, she was on her own, standing on the small balcony outside her large cabin, watching as the sea lapped against the vast white side of the cruise ship. It was as though she were travelling in a colossal whale. She felt tiny, insubstantial, completely at its mercy.

She’d hardly seen Dan since embarking. He was whisked away by his marketing people. She was fine with that. She needed time to pull herself together and figure out what to say.

The wind whipped her hair about her head so she stepped back into the cabin. It was opulent and romantic, with plush taupe chairs and bronze silk blankets draped across a large king-size bed. She ought to be excited about sharing that bed with Dan tonight. But instead, all she could think about was the possibility that he’d shared a bed with her sister too.

She peered into the tall gilded mirror. She was wearing the long black silk dress with plunging neckline she’d always planned to wear to this. The idea had been to blow Dan’s mind. But now she wished she was wearing something more appropriate for the confrontation she was planning. Maybe a suit of armour, like Hope had suggested. She looked down at the silver bag Willow had got her for her birthday. She’d be back with her daughter in a few days and everything would be fine. It
had
to be fine.

She took a deep breath, then let herself out of the cabin, tummy tingling with nerves as she walked down the corridor towards the bar. She pushed open the glass doors to get inside. The bar itself was made from polished rosewood with gold-topped stools lining it. Several round tables sat nearby where other elegantly dressed passengers were enjoying drinks. Beyond them, a large balcony graced the length of the room, protected by glass sliding doors. The ocean spread out wide and blue into the distance, the setting sun giving it a pink hue.

Charity sat at the bar and ordered a glass of wine. A peel of laughter rang out from nearby and a throng of dancers dressed in glitzy silver dresses passed outside. She felt out of place here, foolish. Everyone was happy and full of celebration.

‘Charity?’ Charity turned to see Dan strolling over, his hands in his pockets. He was wearing a tuxedo, his face unbearably handsome. Her stomach lurched as she thought about the possibility that he had known Faith, had
given
her that necklace.

He frowned. ‘Darling, what’s wrong? Have you been crying?’

Charity put her hand to her cheeks. They were wet. She didn’t even know she’d been crying.

‘Got hit by some spray from a wave outside,’ she lied.

‘Come here,’ Dan said, pulling a handkerchief out from his pocket. He gently wiped it across her cheeks. ‘There, perfect. Shall we go through to the dining area?’ He put his hand out to her. She stared at it for a few moments and then took it, letting him steer her back inside and towards the dining area, past the photo of his mother. Charity stared at the necklace. It was definitely the one Faith wore. They passed more paintings including one depicting a voluptuous raven-haired Eve plucking an apple from a tree as a green-eyed snake looked on.

Was Dan a snake?

They entered the dining room and Charity felt overwhelmed. More Garden of Eden murals covered the walls, round tables and gold-leafed chairs decking the marble floor. In the middle was a circular glass viewing area offering views of the ocean floor below. A huge balcony curled up in the distance, a stage shrouded by gold curtains to their right. And above, a large crystal chandelier, colours from the beautiful dresses the passengers were wearing glimmering in the crystals’ reflections. A woman dressed in green played a piano, the sound of laughter and chatter rising and falling.

Charity let Dan lead her to the table in the middle of the room overlooking the viewing area. She let him pull her chair out for her and pour her some wine. She smiled and she nodded yes, and all the time she was staring into the ocean’s depths she was thinking,
Dan and Faith. My God, Dan and Faith
.

More people joined their table. When the food was brought out – a truffle omelette for starters, no expense spared, and a main course of steak – Charity barely tasted it at all.

‘Time for my speech,’ Dan said, patting his pocket. ‘Wish me luck.’

‘Good luck,’ she whispered.

He gave her a quick kiss then walked away, holding on to chairs as the boat swayed slightly. Charity looked outside to see that the weather had rapidly changed, rain lashing down, the sea becoming increasingly violent, waves crashing against the side of the ship.

A few moments later, the golden curtains swept open and Dan appeared on the stage to rapturous applause. He looked larger than life, tall and broad shouldered and gorgeous. He bowed like a performer and delivered a welcome speech that sounded to Charity as though it was being delivered from the bottom of the ocean.

The boat shuddered slightly, cutlery and glasses clinking as people grabbed at them. A woman nearby put her hand to her mouth, clearly unable to handle the rough seas. But she remained where she was.

Dan laughed. ‘Lucky we have the best cruise ship in the world to master these waves, hey?’

The crowd laughed nervously.

‘So, now we have a treat for you all,’ he said. ‘Please take a moment to look towards our ocean viewing area. There are also screens around the room for your viewing pleasure.’

As he spoke, television screens fixed to the walls blinked to life, showing close-ups of the ocean floor. Charity peered over the rails at the viewing area, taking in the turquoise waters and seabed rocks. Shoals of fish shimmied by as people gasped and clapped.

All she could see was her sister’s face.

Nausea worked its way up inside her. She scraped her chair back from the table and ran out into the corridor, towards the bar and out on to the balcony. She slid the glass door open and stumbled out, leaning over the balcony, not even noticing the driving rain, to take in large gulps of air.

‘Oh God,’ she whispered. ‘Oh Jesus Christ.’

‘Charity, what on earth’s the matter?’ She turned to see Dan step out on to the balcony, the wind buffeting his hair.

She turned to him. ‘You gave Faith a necklace, didn’t you? It was your mother’s.’

Dan’s whole body stilled, his face whitening.

‘You did,’ she said, putting her hand to her mouth. ‘My God, you really did.’

His green eyes lifted to meet Charity’s. They were devoid of emotion. ‘I loved her.’

Charity closed her eyes, struggling to take in this confirmation of all her fears. ‘How long?’

‘Seven months.’

‘How did you meet?’

‘Her first week at university. I came in to do a talk for business studies students about starting up a business. We bumped into each other in the canteen, literally.’ He got a faraway look in his eyes. ‘Her smile did something to me. She saw my label, realised I worked in the shipping business. We got talking and—’ He swallowed, face pained. ‘It went on from there.’

Charity thought about it for a moment. ‘You were already married to Lana then, weren’t you?’

Dan nodded.

‘So that’s why you both kept it a secret. And you were the father of her baby?’

‘I was,’ he said, his voice breaking. Charity shook her head, feeling sick to her very core.

‘I can’t believe what I’m hearing.’

He started pacing up and down the balcony, his face twisted with rage. Charity barely recognised him. ‘I was there the night Faith died you know. I was the witness who took Niall’s licence plate number down.’

‘You were there?’ Charity felt her legs go weak. She remembered someone had testified but she’d never been allowed to attend court. ‘What about Faith?’ she whispered. ‘Did you see it happen?’

Dan placed his hand against a pillar, looking down at the floor as he took deep breaths. ‘No. I got there just after.’

‘Why on earth was she walking on the road in the early hours?’

‘We argued about the baby. She wanted to keep it but – but I wanted her to get an abortion.’

‘How could you!’ Charity shook her head. ‘Poor Faith.’

‘She jumped out of my car and hurried down the road. I stayed in the car for a while, trying to calm myself down. Then I went after her but by the time I got there, it was too late.’ He looked up at Charity, face distraught. ‘I heard her moaning at the bottom of the slope.’

Charity let out a sob. ‘Oh God.’

‘She kept saying her head hurt, that she was dizzy. When I felt it, her hair was matted with blood but it was so dark, I couldn’t see it. I learnt later she’d hit her head on a rock. She told me she’d dropped her bag and was leaning down to get it when Niall’s car glanced her, knocking her down the slope.’ He let out a sob.

‘She was still alive when you found her?’ Charity asked.

He nodded, face contorted with grief.

Charity felt her legs give way and she slumped down on to the floor. It was all too unbearable.

‘I held her as she died.’ Dan shook his head, taking in a shuddering breath.

Charity was quiet for a moment, then she said: ‘So you were the witness who found her?’

‘Yes. But I didn’t tell the police I knew her, I said I’d just been walking along the road. I couldn’t have Lana finding out.’ He shook his head. ‘All that beauty and talent extinguished in a few moments. All because of
him
.’ He curled his hands into fists. ‘But all he got was two years. Two years for taking my love and our baby away from me! So I had to take something away from him too, something he loved deeply.’

Charity stared up at him. ‘Revenge? This has all been about revenge?’

Dan nodded. ‘I remembered the licence plate and the make of the car so I reported him. I embellished the truth a little, said he’d seen her fall down the slope but didn’t stop for her. I was patient. I knew you’d eventually return to Busby-on-Sea, Niall too once he found out you were back. Then I did all I could to get you back together so I could pull you apart again.

‘I don’t understand, how did you get Lana to drive into a tree?’

He shook his head. ‘Of course I didn’t make her do that. But it worked out rather conveniently, didn’t it?’ Dan seemed more together now, almost proud of his plan. ‘I didn’t like using you as a pawn, I know Faith wouldn’t have approved of that part of my plan. But it was all I had. And when you really think about it, I was doing you a favour. How could Niall ever be good for you? What on earth were you thinking?’

‘So you were responsible for the lookalike model in India. The newspaper article. Sabotaging Niall’s job prospects,’ Charity said. ‘My God, it all makes sense now. And then what? Did you seduce me to hurt Niall,
marry
me to add insult to injury?’ She let out a sob. ‘You never truly loved me, did you? It was all about getting revenge on Niall.’

His face softened. ‘That’s the problem, Charity. I
did
fall in love with you.’

‘I don’t believe you. You can’t possibly be capable of love after what you did to me, to Niall. It was an
accident
, Dan. All this for an accident. There was no intention to kill Faith, you understand that, don’t you?’

He shook his head. ‘This is what I’ve never understood about you, the way you continue to defend Niall despite what he did to Faith. He
killed
your sister. You can’t see him for what he is, a murderer.’

She felt anger build inside. ‘But he isn’t, for God’s sake! Maybe I’d understand all this if he’d actually intended to kill Faith. But he didn’t.’ She shook her head, backing away. ‘I can’t let you have anything to do with me and Willow after this.’

He laughed. ‘Really? You think you can take her away from
me
?’

‘I can if she isn’t yours,’ she spat.

He sighed. ‘So it’s true then, you did fuck Niall in Kazakhstan.’

She looked at Dan in surprise. ‘You knew?’

‘I knew he followed you out there, yes, of course I suspected.’

‘And yet despite that, you’ve loved and cared for Willow.’

‘I was happy to once again take something that belonged to Niall and keep her from him.’ His face softened. ‘Turns out my love for Willow quickly outweighed my hatred for Niall.’

Charity walked to the edge of the balcony and looked out at the turbulent sea. ‘You don’t know anything about love.’

‘And you do, Charity? Aren’t you the woman who has never been able to make up her mind between two men?’

‘Love isn’t about revenge,’ she said without looking at him. ‘It’s about
protecting
the person you love, no matter what.’

‘Like you’ve done for Niall all these years?’

‘No,’ she said, turning towards hm. ‘Like he has protected
me
all these years.
That’s
true love.’

‘Protected you from what? What are you talking about?’

The sea roared in her ears, rain now lashing down on her. Her mind spun, her whole body trembled, her hatred for Dan and the way he’d manipulated her, taken Niall from her, made a
fool
of her, boiling inside.

‘
I
was driving,’ she shouted. ‘
I
killed Faith.’

It felt shockingly wonderful to say it out loud. She never thought it would feel this way after all these years of keeping the secret – the secrets of all secrets – deep inside her. So many times she’d wanted to confess, to tell Hope, even Dan. But fear had stopped her.

But now it was out in the open and she felt free.

Dan looked at her, face stricken. ‘No,’ he whispered.

‘Yes, Dan,’ Charity said. ‘Niall’s been covering for me all these years. He loves me so much, he went to prison for
me
. All your hard work to get revenge has been a waste.
I
killed Faith, Dan.’ She put her hand to her mouth, stifling her sobs. ‘I – I killed my sister. Oh God, Faith, my poor darling Faith.’ She crouched down, hand to mouth as she saw the wet road as it was that day, felt her feet on the pedals, the gear stick in her hand.