Page 61 of The Island Villa

She felt a rush of frustration. Normally when she felt this unsettled, she’d do something practical. Go for a swim. Take a boxing class. Open a meditation app.

She probably needed to do all three because one thing was clear to her—her father was determined to go ahead with this wedding and nothing she said or did was going to stop it.

14

Cassie

The text from her mother pinged onto her phone about five minutes after Adeline had disappeared toward the village with her father.

Join me for yoga on the terrace. Please!

Cassie stared at her phone.

Even today, with her daughters thrown headfirst into emotional chaos, her mother didn’t miss yoga. It shouldn’t have surprised her. Catherine Swift was ruthlessly committed to routine and discipline. She talked about that side of her life in interviews. How else do you think I’ve written so many books?

Cassie had always admired that about her. It was, she knew, the key to her mother’s success. She’d learned from her mother that inspiration, talent and ambition were nothing without hard work and commitment.

When she was staying on the island, Cassie often joined her for yoga but right now she wasn’t in the mood. She wasn’t sure of her mood at all. She felt restless. Tired and hurt. Also confused. Her mind was in a turmoil, her thoughts jumbled and tangled after the events of the night before and her conversation with her sister. She’d had a very clear picture of her past, and now that picture was blurry and indistinct.

She had more questions than she had answers. Nothing made sense to her and given that the only person who could help her make sense of it was her mother, she knew she should probably get this conversation over with. Part of her wished that Adeline was here and that they were doing it together. She’d been learning things about her past that were new to her. Learning things about Adeline.

She felt a twist of guilt because she knew her life had been easier than her sister’s. She’d lost her father of course, but she had no memory of him, so for her the loss had always felt abstract. She didn’t miss him as a person, because she’d never known him as a person. It was more that she missed the idea of him. When she met friends’ fathers, she sometimes felt a tug of envy and found herself wondering how it must feel to be able to say, Meet my dad. At her graduation, she’d glanced up and seen her mother’s proud face and wondered how it would have felt to see her father there too.

But for the most part, you didn’t miss what you’d never had. Maybe it would have been different if she and her mother hadn’t been so close, but they were. They were a happy family, and she’d never once felt anything other than loved and secure. Families came in all shapes and sizes, and just because hers was leaner than some didn’t mean it didn’t function well. They were a unit. A team. A pair.

She’d been lucky. Compared to her sister, she’d had a smooth, easy life. She’d never had to weather rejection. Even her mother’s failed marriage to Gordon Pelling hadn’t shaken their bond.

She’d never felt the deep wrenching grief that Adeline had felt when her family had fallen apart. You didn’t need to study psychology to understand the impact that could have on someone.

A lump formed in her throat. If Adeline hadn’t gone to live with her father, what would her life have looked like? She would have grown up with a sister. Of course, the age difference would always have been there and Adeline would have left home long before Cassie, but they would have stayed in touch. Maybe they would have grown closer as Cassie grew up and the age difference had mattered less.

Her mind raced ahead, imagining a world where she’d called Adeline whenever something bad happened. I flunked an exam, I met a boy... And Adeline would have been calm and wise and reassuring. There had been so many situations where it would have been comforting to have someone older and wiser in her corner. She’d always been close to her mother (or so she’d thought), but there were plenty of things she would never dream of discussing with a parent. And maybe she could have supported Adeline too. Maybe, as she’d grown up, Adeline would have confided in her.

If she’d been confused before, she was even more so now and running through that emotion was a seam of anger.

Why hadn’t her mother told her any of this?

She had so many questions, and with Adeline and her father having their own heart-to-heart, this was the obvious time to ask them.

She gave her mother time to finish her yoga session, and then headed up the sunbaked path to the main villa.

Her mother was on the terrace, rolling up her mat. She was wearing sky blue yoga pants and her hair was caught in a ponytail. From this distance, she could have passed for a much younger woman.

As she straightened, she saw Cassie and smiled. “There you are. You should have joined me for yoga. It’s glorious in the shade with the breeze coming off the sea. It’s the perfect start to the day.”

Cassie felt a sizzle of frustration. Her mother was behaving as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. “I didn’t feel like it.”

“I don’t ask myself if I feel like it. I just do it. Did Adeline apologize? I know she upset you.” Her mother put the yoga mat down and held out her arms. “Give me a hug.”

Cassie, who would normally have walked straight into those arms, didn’t move.

Did her mother really think she was upset because of Adeline?

“Adeline was simply stating facts. You did have an affair and get pregnant. I am the baby.” Cassie swallowed. She had so many questions and she didn’t know which one to ask first. It felt wrong to be interrogating her mother, but she needed answers.

Her mother waved a hand toward the table. “I thought perhaps we could have breakfast before we—”

“No. I want to talk about this now. You told me that you and Andrew weren’t right for each other. You always told me that my dad was the one. That you were in love with him. That’s what I’ve always believed.”

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