Page 18 of The Summer Swap

Kristen felt a ripple of irritation. The woman was so rude. And why would Amelie’s mother be calling, and today of all days when Kristen was in the middle of masterminding the most important event she’d ever run?

As well as the party, Kristen already had Jeff to think about, and her mother, and now Theo. There was no way she had time for Amelie’s mother. Whatever it was that was “urgent” was going to have to wait. But the call stirred up another anxiety that she’d been trying to ignore, which was that her son was making a horrible mistake by marrying Amelie, and not only because his mother-in-law would make his life a misery. Todd and Amelie were utterly wrong for each other. She had no idea why Todd had proposed, but as a parent there was only so much you could say or do to steer your child away from disaster. Sometimes you just had to watch the crash happening and prepare yourself to clear up the mess afterward.

Thinking about messes made her realize Theo was still talking.

“I’ll be there soon,” he said. “Bill is going to cover for me. This is an important day for you. It’s a celebration of your parents. I want to be there with you, Todd and Hannah.”

“I haven’t seen Hannah. I don’t think she’s here yet.” She thought of Hannah’s pale face and hollow eyes. She thought about Lily. We haven’t spoken. And she remembered that Todd had said he’d wanted to speak to her. Was that related to the fact that Amelie’s mother was calling? Maybe she was calling about the party. Was she upset that she and her husband hadn’t been invited today? Kristen had finalized the guest list weeks ago, before Todd’s out-of-the-blue proposal. She’d been determined not to make any more last-minute changes.

“I’ll message Hannah,” Theo said. “If she’s still at the hospital I can give her a ride out. Will you call Trisha?”

Kristen’s head started to throb. Maybe Trisha would hate hearing from her because Theo was the one who hadn’t managed to save Michael. Did Trisha blame Theo? Did Trisha even care? Had she looked at Michael’s body and thought, No! I can’t believe you’ve gone, or had she thought, You got what you deserved.

But Theo was right. Whatever her reaction, Kristen needed to call her, and she needed to find Jeff, just in case Theo did show up.

And amidst all the chaos, she had to mastermind the event she’d organized, keep an eye on her mother, find time to talk to Todd, call Amelie’s mother back and give a speech.

It was enough to make you want to run away.

4

Cecilia

Cecilia took the outfit that Kristen had laid out for her and hung it in the closet between her long black coat and a silver evening dress she’d never worn. Instead of dressing for a party and a public appearance, she pulled on a floaty summer dress that was cool and comfortable and covered all the parts of her she had no wish to display. It didn’t really matter what she wore because providing her plan worked, no one she knew was going to see her.

Through the open window she could hear the string quartet playing Mozart and she wished they’d play something else because Mozart made her think of Cameron and right now she didn’t want to be reminded of Cameron.

She checked that her bedroom door was locked, and then pulled out one of her larger suitcases and placed it on a chair.

Part of her couldn’t believe she was doing this.

She’d promised herself that she wouldn’t ever go back to Dune Cottage and here she was packing a case.

Any guilt she might have felt for not attending her own party was neutralized by the knowledge that she’d made it clear that she hadn’t wanted this event to happen. Kristen would just have to handle it, and no doubt she’d do so with her usual competence.

She filled the case without wasting time. Underwear, nightwear, dresses, capri pants and several warm sweaters. Anything she saw, she stuffed into the case. When it was full, she threw the novel she was reading on top of her clothes, along with the birthday gift Todd had given her, and then zipped the case shut.

Now all she had to do was find a way to leave the house without being seen. Fortunately, her car was parked next to the stable block, which was separate from the rest of the house and gardens and out of view of the guests.

What would Kristen say when Cecilia didn’t make an appearance? She’d be frustrated, and then concerned.

Cecilia didn’t want her daughter to worry, so she reached for a piece of paper and scribbled a note.

I’ve gone away for a few days. I think your generation calls it “me time.” Don’t worry about me. I’ll be in touch.

No doubt Kristen would take this as further evidence that her mother had finally lost her grip on reality and needed urgent medical help, but the only other option was not to leave a note and she wouldn’t put it past Kristen to report her as a missing person. The last thing she needed was a search party looking for her.

She placed the note on the bed where Kristen was sure to see it, then walked to the window and looked down into the garden. Crowds of people had already arrived and were enjoying the gardens. She could see Winston making polite conversation with two elderly women who she recognized as being members of a local art society, and there was Todd talking to a young woman who wasn’t Amelie.

Cecilia wondered why Amelie wasn’t coming. She barely knew her, but she’d seemed the type that would have to be half-dead before missing an event like this. And just as she had that thought she saw a car pull up at the front of the house. Amelie stepped out, balancing on heels that surely should have given her altitude sickness.

She stalked across the lawn to where Todd was in conversation, swiping a glass of champagne on the way.

Did Todd know she’d changed her mind about coming?

Cecilia opened her mouth and closed it again. What was she going to do? Shout from the window? She was too far away for him to hear her. And it wasn’t as if Todd was doing anything he shouldn’t be doing. He was talking, that was all. Socializing.

Still, she watched with a sense of foreboding as Amelie finally reached him and then winced as the contents of the glass hit Todd full in the face.

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