She said huskily, ‘Nothing that wasn’t already a problem. But I suppose going to the Seychelles brought it all to a head. It was only when we were on the plane that I found Mother had deliberately left the phones behind, so we couldn’t be contacted. “Bothered with stupid questions” was how she put it. When we got to the hotel, I tried to call Jon, but his mother answered and I knew she’d only give me a hard time, so I hung up. After all, she’s never liked me, and finding that I’m penniless hasn’t helped one bit.’
She added bleakly, ‘I should have left him to you, but Jon was the catch of the neighbourhood, as Mother never failed to point out. And, to be honest, I fancied being lady of the manor and living in that beautiful house.
‘What I didn’t want was the endless talk about horses and farming and Lady Welburn’s lectures on gardening, and the importance of a good mulch. And certainly not for the rest of my life.’
‘You can’t mean that,’ Ginny protested.
‘Actually, I do.’ Cilla played with the embroidered edge of the sheet. ‘The Seychelles gave me time to think, and I realised that if Jon was my one true love, I’d never have simply gone off like that—or done a lot of other things either. So I was all set to suggest we should think again. Only he beat me to it.’
She chewed at her lip. ‘You see, I paid Andre a visit at his hotel one afternoon, and one of the chambermaids saw me leaving his room. By the time I got back, the word had spread as far as Welburn Manor.
‘Jon came right out with it. Demanded I tell him what had happened.’ She shrugged. ‘And I said, “Wouldn’t you like to know?” and handed back his ring.
‘So I had to tell Mother,’ she added wryly. ‘And then all the real hell broke loose.’
She shuddered. ‘She started screaming at me, telling me I must be insane. That I’d humiliated her in front of the entire neighbourhood, and she’d never forgive me. That I could starve in the gutter because there wasn’t a chance in hell of her letting me scrounge off her, or saddling Howard with me either.’
Ginny’s head was spinning, but she managed to ask, ‘Who is Howard?’
‘The man she met playing bridge at our hotel. Quiet, quite nice-looking, living in Hampstead and all set to be our next stepfather. Or mine, anyway,’ she added. ‘I don’t think she’s mentioned you.’
‘But she’s only just been widowed,’ said Ginny. ‘Does he know that?’
‘Don’t be silly. She spotted him and had him attached to her side before the end of the first week. She’s quite an operator, our ma.
‘And, of course, this time the marriage will have no strings attached because he has a son and heir already.’
‘What do you mean?’
Cilla shrugged again. ‘Apparently she and Andrew had an agreement. He wanted a legitimate heir. She promised she could provide him with one. But she’d had a bad time when I was born, and somehow persuaded her doctor to perform some procedure to ensure she’d never get pregnant again. A “tubal ligation”, she called it. She thought that she could fob Andrew off with some excuse for her failure to produce, but eventually he insisted they both had tests, and the truth came out.’
Ginny drew a sharp breath. ‘Oh, my God. He must have told Andre and that’s why he called her a cheat.’
‘But she didn’t see it like that,’ said Cilla. ‘She wanted money and comfort, so, to her, the end justified the means. It still does, because I don’t think she’s any more in love with Howard than she was with Andrew.’
She glanced round the spacious, pretty room. ‘After all, you seem to have fallen on your feet,’ she commented with acerbity. ‘Who would have thought it?’
Ginny bit her lip and rose. ‘I’m sorry you’ve had such a difficult time, but I’m sure Mother will come round eventually. In the meantime, I’m sure Andre will let you remain with us while you sort out your future.’
‘Oh, I know that already,’ Cilla said, smiling up at her with a kind of lazy contentment, her eyes shining. ‘He visited me earlier—so sweet of him— and said I could stay as long as I wanted. So that’s all right.’
Ginny nodded and headed for the door, where she turned, longing to leave but impelled to speak.
Her voice shook a little. ‘Cilla, tell me, please. What did happen in Andre’s hotel room that afternoon?’
Her sister’s smile deepened to mockery. ‘Wouldn’t you like to know,’ she said.
And she began to laugh as Ginny, feeling sick, stumbled from the room.