Page 234 of The Missing Sister
‘Where she is happiest,’ said Maia as she went to Floriano and gave him a kiss on the cheek. ‘Would you like a beer?’
‘I could kill for one,’ he said as he put his arm around her shoulder.
‘One for the chef too, if there’s any going, please,’ called Chrissie.
‘I’ll get them,’ said CeCe, heading for the fridge.
Ally poured a glass of wine for herself, and when everyone was furnished with a drink, raised it. ‘To Floriano and Valentina, for making it all the way here from Rio to join us on this very special occasion.’
Everyone toasted, and Ally thought how wonderful it was to see the Atlantis kitchen not only full of her sisters, but also their new partners and family.
She watched Valentina spot Bear, who was lying on his playmat in a corner of the kitchen.
‘Aí que neném bonito!May I play with him, Maia?’
‘Of course you may,’ Maia said, looking at Ally as Valentina put down her Coke and made her way over to Bear. She knelt down next to him, then gathered him up in her small arms. The two sisters shared a smile.
‘Would it be okay if I took Floriano to see Pa’s private garden?’ Maia asked the kitchen in general.
‘Of course,’ said Ma, moving towards Valentina and Bear. ‘I will watch over the children, don’t worry.’
‘Thank you.’ Maia took Floriano’s hand and led him out of the kitchen.
‘We’ll whistle when it’s ready, Maia,’ CeCe shouted after them. ‘I should think the barbie’s nearly hot enough to go now, Chrissie.’
‘Well, I’ll come with you, otherwise you’ll burn the steaks to a crisp as usual,’ Chrissie quipped as the two women walked outside.
‘Isn’t it wonderful to see CeCe so happy?’ Ma said as she sat down in the easy chair, next to where Valentina was playing with Bear.
‘Absolutely, and just look how maternal Valentina is.’
At the mention of her name, Valentina looked up at Ally questioningly.
‘You like babies?’ Ally asked her.
‘I like babiesverrrymuch,’ she agreed as she gently put a wriggling Bear back onto his mat.
Fifteen minutes later, CeCe gave a shrill whistle to let Maia and Floriano know that supper was ready, as the rest of the girls took the bowls of salad and a large tureen of French fries onto the terrace table. Ally sat down, watching for any signs of Maia returning. She knew why her sister had wanted to catch Floriano alone as soon as she could. Eventually, she saw them walking hand in hand towards the terrace. Maia’s head was resting on Floriano’s shoulder and just before they reached the table, he stopped, turned towards her and put his arms around her so tightly that he lifted her off the ground. He kissed her on the lips, and the beam that spread across his face meant that Maia’s news had been received more than positively.
As everyone sat down and Chrissie began to serve the steaks, Ally heard her mobile ringing in the kitchen. Dashing back inside, she saw it was Jack.
‘Hi there.’
‘Hi, Ally,’ he replied as a burst of laughter came from the table outside. ‘I’m not catching you at a bad moment, am I?’
‘Actually, we’re just sitting down for supper.’
‘Okay, well, very quickly, I just called to say that Mum’s sister, Nora – the one that worked at Argideen House – has remembered the name of the family that owned it. It’s a weird one, I can tell you, something foreign. I’m not even sure how to pronounce it properly.’
‘It isn’t D’Aplièse, is it?’
‘No, no, it’s... well, I think I’ll spell it, rather than say it. Have you got a pen?’
‘Yup,’ said Ally, reaching for one. ‘Fire away.’
‘Okay. It’s E-S-Z-U.’
Ally wrote the letters down, and it was only when she looked at the word on paper that she struggled to gulp in air. Jack was saying something, but she wasn’t listening as she mouthed the surname to herself.
