Page 59 of The Gin Sisters' Promise

‘It wasn’t even that you didn’t turn up that bothered me the most,’ Georgie said, staring at the faded rug on the floor at her feet. ‘It was… well, the truth was, I was jealous of you too. I was jealous of both of you, because I was lonely, and you both seemed to have found people to share your lives with.’

‘You were jealous of me?’ Nola was stunned.

‘Of course. Everywhere you go, you seem to gather up friends as easily as if you were collecting butterflies on a summer’s day. I mean, even today, at the fete – people flock to you, whereas I’ve never had that.’

‘Oh, Georgie…’

‘It’s true. At work, they hated the sight of me and I had no social life. There weren’t any real connections with people. It’s one of the reasons I ended up coming over here so often. I’d have been completely alone, if it wasn’t for Dad.’

‘I never realised,’ Nola said, but of course, how could she have, she had been so taken up with her own worries. ‘It looks like we all made a bit of a mess of things…’

‘But it worked out for the best in the end. I mean, you got that part in the soap and you were really famous…’ Iris’s words petered off.

‘I suppose, it worked out exactly as it was supposed to,’ Nola said. ‘And now, tell me what’s going on with your baby. I saw the app!’

‘My baby app?’ Iris spluttered and she began to laugh and then she pulled Nola onto the sofa next to them and began to explain exactly why they were laughing and crying all at the same time.

It felt like the reunion they should have had years earlier, but better late than never. It was only later that Nola remembered the call from Myles and she explained she’d only picked it up by chance. Who used landlines anymore? And of course, then, Nola had no idea that Iris’s marriage had imploded. She’d just popped back to the house at lunchtime to pick up a book she’d borrowed from the library. The phone rang just as she was leaving. A London number, so of course, naïvely she hoped it was news on one of the many submissions she’d made to countless agents before she’d left the city. Myles Cutler was an obvious disappointment. Looking for Iris, of course, Nola had just told him he should try her mobile and then slammed down the phone.

The problem was of course, Myles could take her answer either way. He might just believe that Iris was wandering about London and Nola had absolutely no idea where she was, or he might twig to something in the impatience of her voice. And even Nola knew that no matter how things were between them, the last thing they needed was Myles here putting in his two cents’ worth and cutting between them as he’d always done.

‘I’ll go with you,’ Georgie said. ‘To the mediation.’

‘You can’t come to mediation with me and Myles,’ Iris spluttered, but Nola could see she was thankful of the support.

‘Count me in too,’ Nola said; she’d love to wipe the smug smile from his face and she might as well. It’s not as if she’d have a job here after today’s performance anyway.

‘I can go along with you and sit outside in whatever reception area there is to wait. We can make a show of unity. If this solicitor isn’t enough to intimidate him, it’d be no harm for him to know you have extra back-up that he isn’t counting on,’ Georgie said with determination.

‘Really?’ Iris said. ‘You’d do that for me?’

‘Absolutely, and I don’t have to say one word. Just let him know that we’re behind you.’

‘She’s right,’ Nola said.

‘Nola, pet.’ Iris turned to her youngest sister. ‘He knows you’re here. It’s probably better if we let him think you’re back here for a while, not in London. You don’t have to come, really.’ She was probably right, even if she didn’t have a job to turn up for, neither had she the money to fritter away on flights to London at the drop of a hat, especially if she wasn’t teaching anymore.

Georgie nodded. ‘There’s no point in him twigging anything more than he might already suspect.’

It was only later, as she was turning in for the night, that Nola began to realise how hard it must have been for Iris to tell them about her impending divorce and finally admit to what a complete shit Myles had been all along. Nola had never liked him, even before he’d tried to seduce her. It had taken years to face up to the fact that she’d done nothing wrong, but now she could see that was a measure of the sort of manipulator Myles was. Somehow, she’d been left feeling as if she’d done something wrong, when all she’d done was push him away. Still, even she wouldn’t have guessed he’d sink this low.

Georgie had really surprised her by being so nice about it all. Perhaps the old Georgie, the sister she’d loved so dearly, who had been her fearless champion when they were kids, the one she’d almost forgotten had ever existed, was still here. Deep beneath that hardened reserve, the sister she remembered looking out for her and holding her close when their mother died was almost covered over, but maybe she was there all along, only Nola had been too blind to see it.

Over the midterm break, calm descended over the house between the three sisters, as if they were each feeling their way along this fresh new start between them. For the first time in years, Nola felt at home, even if she had to face that meeting she’d been dreading since the fete. As usual, the timing was horrible – it was also the day that Iris was due to meet Myles in London.

‘Don’t worry,’ Iris said. ‘I’ll drop you down to school in the car before we go to the airport.’ Nola was grateful, especially since Iris was meant to be catching her flight in less than two hours. And she hadn’t been relishing the idea of walking: the tail end of a storm from the previous evening was still battering away at the windows as they finished breakfast.

‘I just wish we were at the other end of today…’ Iris sighed before draining her cup of tea.

It was obvious Iris was dreading seeing Myles again, and Nola regretted she couldn’t go with her and Georgie. ‘It’ll be fine. What chance has he got up against you two?’

‘I’m only sorry we won’t be here for you when you get home, Nola,’ Georgie said, but then she smiled. ‘Not that you’ll need us, of course.’

‘She’s right. We’ll be thinking of you, though,’ Iris said, looking out the window. ‘Oh look, Aiden is here.’

The most Nola could manage was an inelegant snort between mouthfuls of her cereal.

‘Are you ready, Nola?’ Aiden Barry was standing at the door, rain dripping from his nose, but probably otherwise dry, since he seemed to be wearing oilskins designed more for a salmon angler than a farmer.

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