Page 45 of Coming Home
Leonora felt her face burn red. ‘Me? Vi, what’s wrong? Why am I selfish? What do you mean?’
‘I mean that because of you hitching up with that fucking weirdo Caspar, and bringing him into all of our lives and then ditching him the minute lover boy comes back we –mein particular – are in the shit.’
If Leonora thought her face was red, in comparison her sister’s was deathly pale while angry green eyes stared her out. It was their mum’s intervention that solved the puzzle.
‘Violetta, what do you mean? Why does Leonora breaking up with Caspar affect you? What’s going on?’
When Violetta’s body sagged, whatever pent-up anger had been boiling her blood seemed to evaporate. She rested her elbows on the table and placed her face in her hands as Rosina, who hadn’t said a word throughout, tentatively patted her back. When she finally looked up, their flame-haired sister concentrated her gaze on their mum while Leonora swallowed down nerves, knowing whatever Violetta was going to say, it wasn’t going to be good.
‘Because there are things that you don’t know about me, none of you do, but Caspar does and while Leo and him were a thing my secret was safe. His too. I thought it was odd, that I started getting nasty messages from an unknown number on Friday. I knew who it was, though, but at first I thought he was drunk. I can only surmise at that point, he was hoping to win you back and wanted to make sure I didn’t tell you the truth about him. Unfortunately now he knows Leo means it, he won’t care if she finds out which leaves me wide open to blackmail which, going by the message I received first thing, is about to happen. He wants to meet me, his exact words were,It’s time we had another little chat.I reckon if I don’t do as he says, he’s going to tell everyone.’
Leonora’s brain felt like it was going to pop. ‘Tell everyone what?’
Violetta looked up and across the table, straight into her sister’s eyes. ‘What I really do for a living.’
Nobody spoke, the only sound in the room was the clock on the mantelpiece ticking. And then Carmen. ‘And what do you do, Violetta?’
Leonora gulped down nerves and watched her sister as she answered their mum.
‘I’m so sorry, Mum, Leo, for what I’m going to tell you. And you too, Rosie. Please don’t hate me, all I ask is you hear me out first.’
The clock struck three, making them all jump and then Violetta finally told the truth.
23
Violetta
Tears pumped from Leonora’s eyes as she rocked her sister and made shushing noises, stroking her hair, begging her to stop crying while their mum looked on, utterly shocked and uncharacteristically quiet.
She’d rushed around the table as soon as she’d heard Violetta’s confession. ‘Vi, shush now, please stop. It’s okay, we will sort this, I promise, and I don’t care about what you do. I swear I don’t.’
Rosina was busying herself with cups and the teapot, her face ashen and in between spooning tea leaves, wiped away her tears, constantly looking back at her sisters and mum with wide-eyed concern.
When Carmen stood and moved around the table she seated herself next to Violetta and placed a gentle hand on her back while her voice was firm as she spoke. ‘Violetta, stop now, that’s enough. Come on, look at me.’
Doing as she was told, Violetta slowly pulled away from Leonora and turned to face her mum who took her hands in hers and rubbed them like she used to do when she’d fallen over on the path.
‘Now you listen to me, young lady. I am not ashamed of you so you can wipe that thought straight out of your head this instant. Yes, I am shocked, just like your sisters are, but not in the way you think. It’s more that for all this time you’ve been leading a double life and that’s a biggie to get my head around. As for the rest, like Leo says, we will sort it out. I promise. Right, let’s all calm down and talk this through. No point in panicking just yet, he’s probably just calling your bluff. Now, drink some tea, or would you like some coffee?’
Accepting squares of kitchen roll from Rosina, Violetta nodded, the swell of relief on hearing her mum’s words almost setting her off again. Feeling a kiss being planted on her head, she blew her nose while her mum returned to her seat at the end of the table. Rosina took her place by Violetta’s side, still quiet, probably trying to digest what she’d heard.
Violetta watched as her mum lifted the teapot. ‘Tea is fine, thanks Mum, and Rosie, and you, too, Leo. I’m so sorry for snapping at you and I wish you didn’t have to find out what he’s like the way you did.’
Leonora poured herself some wine, shaking her head as she spoke. ‘I’m actually glad I know the truth. He’s an out-and-out weirdo and I’ve had a lucky escape, and from what you said when he realised it was you in the hotel room, rather than being shit scared, it gave him a kick. God, I hate him so much.’
‘Oh yeah. He thought it was funny. I can see him now, fixing a drink from the mini bar then he lay there on the bed more or less naked, telling me how it was going to be. He reversed the roles in an instant. There was no way I could tell you without exposing myself, and he said if I did tell you then he’d make sure everyone at Darcy’s school, the garden centre, the village, everyone everywhere would know what I did.’
Her mum huffed loudly.
Violetta carried on. ‘To be honest, I’m not ashamed of what I do. It’s a service I provide. I do appreciate that others and even you three might think differently but no way on this earth was I going to bring shame on you or my daughter. That’s why I had to agree.’
Leonora had switched to tea, vigorously stirring in sugar as she spoke, a deep frown splitting her forehead. ‘He is such a sleaze and, as always, loves being in control, doesn’t he? Never in all my life have I hated someone as much as I hate him right now. I feel like going over to his place and punching his head in.’
‘Darling, I think the sugar has dissolved now.’ Carmen smiled and nodded at Leonora’s cup as she spoke. ‘What if he’s bluffing? I could just as easily have a word with Edward at the accountants. He and I go back a long way and I’m sure once he realises what that little toad is like he’ll give him a stern talking to or, better, his marching orders.’
Violetta’s heart melted at her mum’s innocence and frankly, totally rubbish idea. ‘But to get Caspar in trouble, you’d have to explain about me. Do you want your old friend knowing that? And you can’t sack someone for the things they do in their personal life, I’m sure of that. Rosie, is that true?’
Rosina had been listening to everything but saying little, however, she spoke up to confirm Violetta’s theory. ‘Yes, you’d be wide open to being sued I reckon and just because you’ve known Edward for years doesn’t mean he won’t blab at the golf club. You’d be wasting your time, Mum. The best you could hope for is that Edward takes him off our account. You could say you’re uncomfortable with it now he and Leo aren’t together. That’s totally understandable I reckon.’
