Feeling almost as emotional as Carlotta at the thought of her mother, so young and alone, making the journey to a life she could barely even imagine, in a country whose language she couldn’t speak, Lainey had to let a moment pass. ‘And Melvina?’ she said hoarsely. ‘We were told that she left the village.’
Carlotta nodded. ‘Yes, in the end she go too. She have to, it is not possible for her to stay because when Valente find out what Melvina do to her own daughter because of him, he is disgusted. He will not see her any more, and for Melvina this is terrible. So Aldo take her away. They go south to Calabria where there is distant family of Aldo. I think they also live for a while in Sicilia, but it is many, many years before they return to Umbria.’
Lainey blinked. ‘They came back?’
Carlotta nodded. ‘
Si, si
, they are here now, not so far from Tuoro.’
Lainey’s heart turned over. ‘Are you saying . . .’ She was hardly grasping this. ‘Are you saying my grandparents are still alive?’
Carlotta’s expression seemed to close. ‘It is how you say,
un’ironia
?’ she asked Marco.
‘An irony,’ he replied.
‘
Si,
it is
una strana ironia
that Melvina now live in the villa of Valente. My mother say this is always the dream of Melvina and we see that it now come true, but today the villa is only for the old people who have
la demenza.
’
‘Dementia?’ Lainey asked, glancing at Marco.
He nodded.
What an irony indeed, and still trying to take it in, Lainey said, ‘So who has dementia? Both of them . . .?’
‘No, it is only Melvina who lose her mind. Aldo, he have small apartment in new part of the villa that is next door, and he go every day to see Melvina in the place where are the people who must have special care.’
Lainey looked at Marco again, not sure what she wanted to say.
He spoke quietly to Carlotta in Italian, and after she’d replied, he said, ‘I asked if it is possible to visit them, and
la signora
say that it is. She thinks it is not likely that Melvina will understand who you are, but she is sure that Aldo will.’
Lainey was still finding it hard to make herself think. After hearing all that she had, she couldn’t be sure what she wanted to do about anything now. What she did know, however, was that right at this moment she’d give almost anything to be with Peter.
During the drive back to Tuoro Lainey sat quietly, almost numbly, gazing out of the window, still trying to absorb what she’d been told. Her mind was in a turmoil of indecision. She’d already turned down Marco’s offer to detour to the old Valente villa, not because she was ruling out seeing her grandparents, but because she simply didn’t feel ready for it yet. She needed some time to think, to try to come to terms with the way they had turned their backs on Alessandra – and on her.
Her eyes closed as her mother’s terror on that night seemed to come alive for her. The fear, degradation, helplessness and sense of betrayal she must have felt was beyond anything Lainey could imagine. She understood completely now why Alessandra had never been able to tell her about it; why she’d found it so hard to have a normal relationship with her. It must have been all but impossible for her mother to look at her and not remember how she’d been conceived. Lainey wondered if she’d ever detected signs of the priest in the shape of her daughter’s eyes, her mannerisms, or sound of her laughter.
She asked herself, would she, in her mother’s place, keep a baby who’d come to her that way? Since she wasn’t a Catholic, and was living in a different time, it wouldn’t be the same sort of issue for her, but for Alessandra it must have been truly devastating when she’d learned she was pregnant. So why hadn’t she let her baby go to the nuns? It could surely only have been as Carlotta had said, to punish Melvina, and though Lainey didn’t blame her mother for wanting to exact her revenge, fearing that was all she’d meant to Alessandra was making her feel wretched. Yet she was sure her mother had come to love her over time, even if she hadn’t at the start. She must make herself hold on to that now, and turn away from the dreadful self-pity that was struggling to swamp her.
‘We are close to the turning for the old Valente villa,’ Marco told her, ‘if you would like to change your mind . . .’
She shook her head. ‘No. Thank you.’ It wasn’t only that she needed more time, it was the fact that it didn’t seem right to go there with Marco. He’d been so kind, so supportive throughout everything, but the person she really wanted to see was Tom. Her heart twisted as she realised she was going to have to get used to him not being there for her any more. Nevertheless, if she rang to tell him what she’d learned today she felt sure he’d listen, even though it was unlikely to affect him now. She was not his main concern.
‘Would you like me to come in?’ Marco offered, as they pulled up outside the Villa Constantia. The doors and shutters were all closed, telling her no one was at home.
‘Thanks, but I’ll be fine,’ she assured him.
He didn’t appear convinced. ‘I’m truly sorry for what you’ve learned today,’ he said softly.
Her smile was flat.
Her father was a rapist who might also have been a priest.
‘I’ll call you later,’ she promised.
After he’d gone she went to stand on the terrace and gazed down at the village, scattered on its own small hilltop overlooking the lake. She thought of the secrets buried in its heart, and of how nothing, no amount of regret, forgiveness or penance, could ever right the wrongs inflicted on her mother. Her eyes travelled on to the silvery blur of the horizon, where the mountains seemed part of another world. A tear rolled on to her cheek as she remembered how Alessandra had called out for her grandmother at the end. She wondered if, on some level, Maria had heard her.
In her heart she was calling out for her mother now. She wanted to see her so much, to tell her she understood and how sorry she was for all that had happened to her. She waited as though expecting a whisper on the breeze, or a sign in the shimmering air, but the world was quiet and still.
She had never, she realised, felt so utterly alone. Her mother was gone for ever, and nothing could bring her back, Peter was slipping away, and Tom was leaving too. How was she going to make herself go forward from here?
Hearing the gates opening and a car coming through, she dabbed at her tears and went to unlock the door. She didn’t want the children to see how anguished she was, it would only upset them, and it was going to be hard enough telling them what she’d learned today. She could already imagine Tierney’s shock, Zav’s confusion, Max’s disgust. It wouldn’t surprise her if Tierney ended up wanting to visit Aldo with her, should she decide to go, and maybe she’d let her. She mustn’t shut her out the way Alessandra had shut her out; no good could ever come of that.
A few minutes later Zav and Alfie were wandering across the lawn to the terrace, while Skye stood at the car, talking to Max.
‘Where’s Tierney?’ Lainey called out.
Max and Skye looked up. ‘I thought she went with you,’ Max replied.
Lainey’s heart caught on a beat of unease. ‘No. She decided not to come in the end. She said she was going to give you a call.’
Max shrugged and started towards the villa. ‘She must be inside,’ he said, ‘or down at the pool.’
Lainey went through to check while Zav ran down to the pool.
‘She’s not here, Mum,’ Zav called as he started back.
Lainey looked at Skye, who merely repeated what Max had said: ‘I thought she went with you.’
‘She must have gone for a walk,’ Max decided, pulling out his mobile.
Lainey was searching frantically for a note.
Skye was already busy texting, and remembering she hadn’t checked her messages since leaving Carlotta’s, Lainey began scrolling through them. At last she found a text from Tierney, sent a couple of hours ago.
I’m all right, Mum. Please don’t worry about me.
As confusion jarred with alarm, Lainey showed her phone to Max. ‘What does that mean?’ she demanded. ‘Where is she?’
At a loss, Max turned to Skye, who shook her head. ‘No idea,’ she answered, convincingly.
Lainey was dialling Tierney’s number. Finding herself going straight to voicemail, she said, ‘Darling, where are you? I’m very worried, please call me the minute you get this.’
IT WAS SUNDAY
morning now, and Lainey was beside herself with worry. Tierney hadn’t come home all night, nor had she rung to say where she was. At least she’d texted, but only to repeat
Promise I’m OK. Please don’t worry.
But how could Lainey not worry when she had absolutely no idea where Tierney was, or who she might be with? Max seemed genuinely to have no clue, and Skye was insisting she didn’t know what was going on either. Lainey wasn’t sure she believed her, but short of threatening her with something drastic if she didn’t speak up, she had no way of getting any information out of her. However, if Tierney wasn’t back by the end of the day, Skye was going to find herself in very deep trouble.
‘I keep thinking about this married-man business,’ Lainey said to Stacy on the phone, ‘but she swore it wasn’t true. Of course she would, she’d hardly admit it, would she?’
‘Has she taken any clothes?’ Stacy asked.
‘Yes, a few things are missing.’
‘Have you told Tom?’
‘Not yet, but I’ll have to if she isn’t back by tonight. I’ve even considered going to the police, but she’s sixteen, for God’s sake, and she’s in touch, sort of, so I don’t suppose they’ll be interested. Oh God, I dread to think of what she’s got herself into – and of what Tom’s going to say if I have to tell him I don’t know where she is.’
‘Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. I’m sure she’ll show up at some point today.’
‘After spending the night somewhere with someone she doesn’t want me to know anything about? This isn’t good, Stace. There’s definitely something wrong, and if anything happens to her, it’ll be all my fault for being so damned wrapped up in myself.’
Downstairs in Max’s apartment Skye was saying, ‘All you’ve got to do is stop your girlfriend coming here and I’ll tell you where your sister is.’
Max was in a filthy enough mood already; this was making it a whole lot worse. ‘Don’t fucking threaten me,’ he growled. ‘Just tell me where the hell she is.’
‘No way . . .’ She sprang back as he started towards her, but he was too fast and grabbed her wrist. ‘If anything happens to her,’ he snarled, ‘I’ll hold you personally responsible. Now where the fuck is she?’
Accepting she wasn’t going to win this, Skye said, ‘Actually, I don’t know where she is . . .’
‘What the fuck . . .’
‘. . . but I think I know
who
she’s with.’
He waited.
She glanced at him nervously, certain Tierney wouldn’t want her to tell him, unless that mental case, Mr Grey, had turned up here and forced Tierney to go with him . . .
‘Skye,’ Max warned.
‘All right, but actually, I don’t know his name,’ she confessed. ‘I mean, it’s Guy something-or-other. You know him though, because he’s married to your dad’s agent.’
Max looked as though he’d been struck. He surely to God hadn’t heard that right. ‘Tell me that’s not true,’ he demanded in a dangerously low voice.
She only looked at him.
‘Jesus Holy Christ,’ he thundered. ‘That bell end’s old enough to be her father . . . Shit, if Dad ever finds out about this . . . We can’t tell Lainey. We can’t tell anyone. Where’s he taken her?’
Skye shrugged. ‘I’ve got no idea. She didn’t even tell me she was going to see him . . .’
‘She’s bound to have . . .’
‘I swear she didn’t. All I know is that he sent her a text saying, Guess where I am.’
‘And?’
‘We assumed it meant he was here.’
Opening up his mobile, he scrolled fast through the numbers. He didn’t much care what kind of trouble he was about to cause now, all that mattered was blowing that jerk right off the planet so he could never lay a hand on Tierney again. ‘Hey, it’s Max Hollingsworth,’ he told Nadia as she answered. ‘Sorry to bother you, but I don’t have a number for Guy and I kind of need to talk to him.’
‘I’m afraid he’s not here,’ Nadia replied, sounding all bunged up. ‘He’s at the office . . .’
‘On a Sunday?’
‘We’ve got a lot on at the moment.’
‘OK, great, I’ll call him there. Thanks,’ and ringing off he found the office number and connected. A girl picked up on the third ring.
‘Is Guy there?’ Max demanded. ‘It’s kind of urgent.’
‘Uh, I’m not sure,’ came the reply. ‘Can I ask who’s calling?’
‘Max Hollingsworth, Tom’s son. I’ll hold.’
As he waited, his eyes went to Skye’s, but seeing her unease he quickly looked away.
‘Is he there?’ Skye whispered anxiously.
‘That’s what I’m trying to find out.’
‘I’m sorry,’ the girl said, coming back on the line, ‘I thought he was here, but it seems he’s stepped out for a while. Shall I ask him to call . . .’
‘Have you actually seen him today?’ Tom interrupted.
Sounding baffled, the girl said, ‘Not personally, but . . .’
‘OK, when did you last see him?’
‘I guess it must have been Friday, just before I left for the day. Can I ask . . .’
‘No you can’t. Sorry, I just need to get hold of him. Do you have his mobile number?’
‘Yes, but I’m not supposed . . .’
‘I’m Tom Hollingsworth’s son,’ he reminded her, ‘you can give it to me.’
Minutes later he was connecting to Guy Whittaker’s mobile. It rang half a dozen times before Guy’s voice came down the line saying, ‘If this is a telemarket . . .’
‘It’s Max Hollingsworth,’ Max cut in. ‘Where’s my sister?’
There was a beat of silence, before Whittaker said, ‘Why on earth would I know where your sister is?’
Max glanced menacingly at Skye. If she was making this up . . . ‘Because you’ve been texting her, stalking her more like . . .’
‘You need to get a grip, Max,’ Guy broke in, ‘because I’ve got no idea . . .’
‘You’re full of shit, Whittaker. I’ve got her friend right here and she’s told me everything.’