Page 87 of The Missing Sister
‘So, how old is your daughter?’ Star asked, even though she knew.
‘Mary-Kate’s twenty-two – there’s ten years between Jack and his sister. We had Jack, then struggled to conceive again, so we adopted.’
‘Is Mary-Kate interested in joining the family firm?’ asked Orlando.
‘No, not at all. She studied music at university and wants to make that her career.’
‘Well, one would hope that, with your son at the helm and this article, the legacy you and Jock nurtured can really begin to come to the attention of the wider wine world.’
‘I do hope so. It was Jock’s life passion.’ Merry gave a small, sad smile.
‘I find it interesting that you, like me, never pursued what you said earlier was your own passion beyond university,’ mused Orlando. ‘May I enquire why?’
‘Well, I had started a Masters, thinking that perhaps I’d go on to a PhD, but... life had other plans.’
‘As it does for so many of us,’ Orlando agreed with a sigh.
‘That’s a very pretty ring,’ said Star, knowing she must speak up before it was too late. ‘The star shape is unusual.’
‘Thank you. I received it from my godfather on my twenty-first birthday.’
‘Are those seven points on it?’ asked Star. ‘It rather reminds me of the Seven Sisters – of the Pleiades cluster—’
‘Yes, I’ve always been fascinated with their myths,’ Orlando butted in. ‘Particularly the story of the missing sister. I’d be delighted to chew the philosophical cud with you, if you have the time? Maybe dinner tomorrow night, after I’ve conducted my interviews, of course,’ Orlando added quickly. ‘Sabrina, you could join us, couldn’t you?’
‘Perhaps, although I’ll have to check, um, what Julian is doing.’ Star could feel her guard slipping, but while Merry was in captivity, she was absolutely desperate to ask more questions.
‘Yes, that sounds lovely,’ said Merry, who stood up abruptly and put her whiskey glass down on the table. ‘Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I must go before I really do fall asleep here in my chair. Thank you for the whiskey and the interview.’
Star and Orlando stood up and watched her as she headed for the door.
‘How does eight thirty tomorrow evening in Gordon Ramsay’s downstairs sound?’ Orlando called after her.
‘Fine. Goodnight, Sabrina, Orlando.’
The door banged shut behind her before Star and Orlando could say another word.
They both stood there for a few seconds, staring at each other, then Orlando sat back down and took a swig of his champagne.
‘Shit!’ Star uttered a rare swear word in her frustration. ‘The moment you mentioned the missing sister, she was spooked.’
‘A miscalculation perhaps,’ Orlando sighed. ‘Although you had pointed out her unusual ring.’
‘I had to say something, Orlando. When I left the room, I went to check that ring against the drawing Ally faxed me. There’s no doubt, itisthe ring. It’s identical. She has it! I should call Atlantis and speak to Maia and Ally—’
‘Hold on just one moment, Star. Let us think about this carefully. It was obvious to me that Mrs Merry McDougal has something to hide. And as her fear began the moment I mentioned the missing sister, we can surmise that it has something to do with that. One has to examine the facts: why did she leave Trinity so suddenly, before finishing her Masters?’
‘I—’
‘I understand it could be for a simple reason, but let me finish. This obviously highly intelligent woman moved about as far away from Ireland as she could possibly get, then buried herself in some beautiful but off-the-map valley and never again pursued a career in academia. In my opinion, she’s spent the past several decades hiding. The question is, from what? Or more accurately, who?’
‘Isn’t that rather a big leap, Orlando? I mean, just because she didn’t want a future in academia doesn’t mean anything. Maybe she fell in love.’
‘Perhaps, but if you put her life’s trajectory alongside the fact that she has very obviously been avoiding your sisters’ pursuit of her, when all her daughter told her was that she may have found a connection to your family, with the clue of the star-shaped emerald ring, then this all adds up to a woman who is fearful of what the revelation might mean for her. And for her daughter,’ he added.
‘Maybe you’ve been reading too many crime novels, but yes, I agree, there’s definitely something she’s afraid of. What’s so frustrating is that the woman sleeping just a few doors down from us now has the answers to the puzzle, but we daren’t push her further or we’ll scare her off. CeCe said that Mary-Kate has never looked into her biological family. Though as we now think she reallycouldbe the missing sister, maybe we could call her now and ask her on our cruise. But...’
‘Because of Mummy Mary’s obvious reticence, you feel it would be inappropriate to do so.’
