Page 62 of The Sisters at the Last House Before the Sea

Caitlin’s face clouded over. ‘Yes, she is. I hadn’t thought anything of it, but now…’

‘So I guess you two really are breaking up.’ Maisie bit down harder on her bottom lip, determined not to cry.

Caitlin was crying, Maisie noticed. A fat tear slid off her chin and plopped onto her jumper, leaving a dark stain on the fabric. ‘I think so. I’m sorry, Maisie.’

‘Are you breaking up because I told you about him and Chiara?’ Maisie tried to keep the desperation out of her voice. Was she responsible for ending her dad’s marriage?

Caitlin shook her head. ‘Your dad and I haven’t been getting on brilliantly for a while, and his gambling was the final straw.’

‘But isn’t it an illness?’

‘I think so, and I want him to get better. I’ve tried to get him help but he hasn’t wanted to go down that route so far. I’m hoping your dad will have a good chat to Uncle Ray and that will persuade him.’

‘If he does that, will the house still have to be sold?’

‘I’m afraid so.’

‘But where will we live?’

‘I’m trying to work that out. I’m afraid we’re not going to be very well off.’

‘That explains it!’ Maisie could see it all now. ‘That’s why you’re so mad with Isla for not wanting to sell this house. You need the money.’

‘The money from this place would be very helpful, that’s true. But you don’t need to worry. Whatever happens with me and your dad and with the house, I won’t let anything bad happen to you.’

Maisie wanted to believe Caitlin. She wanted to believe her so badly. But it was hard to believe adults when they so often let you down. Her dad had just gambled away their house, for goodness’ sake, and he had to take care of Maisie. He was her biological father. Whereas Caitlin had no biological ties at all. She probably didn’t even like Maisie that much and would be glad to be shot of her.

‘I’m going to my room,’ mumbled Maisie, getting up from the sofa and running for the door. She rushed into the hall, up the stairs and flung herself onto the bed, which creaked and groaned. Then she put on headphones and played her music so loud it made her ears ring – anything to drown out real life and her fears of being abandoned.

24

CAITLIN

Caitlin sat in silence after the door had banged shut and Maisie’s heavy tread up the stairs had died away. Stuart, who’d just hit forty-four, and Chiara, the nubile young researcher in his office. Honestly, he was such a midlife-crisis cliché. And such a liar. He’d always sworn that he was faithful through and through. Though he’d told Caitlin so many lies about money recently, what were a few more about the woman he must have been seeing for months?

But how could he have asked his own daughter to keep such a toxic secret? No wonder she’d been all over the place lately.

Caitlin sat, staring into the fire that Isla had lit earlier that afternoon, as shadows lengthened. She should put the lamp on – the glow from the flames didn’t reach the corners of the room. But darkness suited her right now.It swallowed the fury, betrayal and pain that were consuming her. But as the fire died down and began to fade, Caitlin recognised something else flickering in her heart – a tiny spark of relief, because at least she knew the way forward. Calmness settled on her as she reached for her phone.

‘Caitlin? Is everything all right?’

Stuart’s voice was almost drowned out by a buzz of conversation and music in the background.

‘Where are you?’

‘At the end-of-conference party.’ He added quickly, ‘More of a networking event, really. You know what these things are like. Dead boring but I need to attend.’ His voice became muffled. ‘Thanks, Chiara. Put my drink down there, will you?’

Caitlin pulled in a deep breath and held it for a few seconds before exhaling. She was drowning in worry and heartache while her husband was drinking at a party in the Canaries. With his mistress.

‘You still there?’ he asked. ‘You haven’t rung up to yell at me again, have you?’

‘I haven’t yelled, not once, throughout all of this.’ Caitlin was surprised by how level her voice sounded. ‘I think I’ve been incredibly restrained, in the circumstances. I’ve tried to be understanding about how you got into this situation.’

‘I know and I appreciate it, Cait. I’m gutted about everything, I really am. I mean, when you look at it, I’m as much a victim in all of this as you are. I’m losing my home too.’

Caitlin could feel her calm beginning to slip. ‘What about your daughter, Stuart? Are you as big a victim in all of this as she is? You know she’s having a difficult time at school and now her life has been turned upside down.’

Stuart paused. ‘You’ve told her, then. How did she take it?’

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