Page 218 of The Moon Sister
‘What’s going on here, Dad? We’ve just seen Beryl, who was in floods of tears. She says she’s leaving.’
‘Oh God, where is she now? I’ll go and speak to her.’
I could not only see but hear Charlie’s exhaustion.
‘You can’t, because she’s just left,’ said Zara.
‘And she gave me this, I’m afraid.’ I picked up the envelope and handed it to him.
‘I can guess what that is,’ he said, taking it from me.
‘Dad, come on, are you going to share or what? I mean, forget Beryl for a second, where’s Mum?’
‘I . . .’ Charlie glanced at his daughter, then at me, and shook his head in despair.
‘Dad, stop treating me like I’m two years old, I’m a grown woman now and I want to know what’s going on!’
‘Okay then,’ he nodded. ‘How about we go into the Great Room and sit down? I could do with a whisky, for sure.’
‘Why don’t you and Zara go?’ I suggested. ‘I need to head back to the cottage anyway.’
‘Please stay, Tiggy,’ Zara implored me. ‘You’re okay with that, aren’t you, Dad?’
‘Yes.’ Charlie gave me a weak smile. ‘You’ve been amazing, Tiggy, and yes, perhaps you should hear this too, as it concerns your future as well.’
In the Great Room, Zara and I settled ourselves onto the sofa, while Charlie poured himself two fingers of whisky from the bottle in the drinks cabinet. He sat down in the chair next to the fire and took a hefty gulp.
‘Right, you’ve asked to be treated like a grown-up, Zara, so that’s exactly what I’m going to do. I’ll get the big one over with first. I’m so sorry to tell you, darling, but your mum wants a divorce.’
‘Okay.’ Zara nodded calmly. ‘Well, that’s not a shock, Dad. I’d have had to be deaf and blind to think you guys were happy together.’
‘I’m so sorry for that, Zara.’
‘Where is Mum?’
‘She’s staying . . . elsewhere.’
‘Dad, I asked where she was. “Elsewhere” isn’t good enough. She told me she was up here at Kinnaird. Is she?’
‘She’s staying with Fraser at his cottage just beyond the main gates. He’s the man who found you on the roadside with a puncture, when you were trying to run away last time.’
‘Oh, him!’ Zara rolled her eyes. ‘I know Mum mentioned she’d been out riding with him a couple of times – she said he was teaching her.’
‘Maybe he was, Zara. So, that’s where she is.’
‘And Fraser is like, her new boyfriend?’
‘Yes.’
‘Dad,’ Zara said as she stood up and walked over to him, ‘I’m so sorry.’ She put her arms around him and hugged him.
‘Don’t you be sorry, Zara. This situation is not of your making. It’s your mum and me who have the problem.’
‘She told me once when she was really upset that you only married her because she was pregnant. Is that true?’
‘I won’t lie, Zara – that’s the reason we married quickly, but I don’t regret a day of it.’ He reached out his hand to his daughter and squeezed hers. ‘I got you, and that made it all worthwhile.’
I could see Charlie was close to tears, and I wondered if I should just slip out of the room and leave them to it.
