Page 91 of The Summer That Changed Us

Grace pulled the cork out of a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc. Since Zoe and Ruby had arrived this morning, she’d been so caught up with the practicalities of the day that other than a tearful hug when they’d arrived, by mutual consent neither of them had spoken about Grace’s latest bombshell. But soon Ruby would be tucked up in her travel cot and they’d be able to have a proper heart-to-heart.

‘Wine, madam?’ she asked, holding up the bottle.

‘God yes,’ Zoe said heavily. ‘This feels like being in a hotel.’

She was sitting cross-legged on the sofa with Ruby lying in the crook of her elbow, having her last feed of the day.

‘Good. It’s about time I looked after you for a change.’ Grace poured them both wine and put a glass on the coffee table next to Zoe.

Ruby lay totally relaxed in her mother’s arms, one hand on her bottle, fat little fingers splayed, the other wound into Zoe’s hair. Grace’s heart had contracted a thousand times over today with little bolts of love for her niece. It had only been a few weeks since she last saw her but already the little person was beginning to emerge from her baby features.

‘Adorable,’ she said, touching Ruby’s downy red hair. ‘Her hair’s getting even more vibrant as she gets older. She’s going to be a stunner. I’m glad you came; it’s made me realise how much I miss seeing her grow.’

It wasn’t just Ruby she’d missed. Making friends with Robyn and Katie had made a massive difference to her life in Merle Bay, but the bond between her and her sister was special.

‘Well, obviously I’m biased, so I think she’s perfect.’ Zoe leaned against her sister’s hand and smiled. ‘And I’m glad I came, too.’

The three of them had had fun on the beach earlier but now Ruby was worn out and she was rosy-cheeked with sunshine and drowsy with sleep. Grace had already prepared dinner: steaks with herb butter, a watercress salad and baby roast potatoes. She’d finish it off while Zoe was settling the baby down to sleep.

The glass doors were open to the evening and the air was warm and heavy with the sharp smell of the sea, softened by the scent of lavender growing in pots on the terrace.

Ruby finished her milk and pushed the bottle away.

‘OK, missy, I hear you.’ Zoe lifted her onto her chest and stood up, rocking from foot to foot while patting the baby’s back. She moved to the open doors and stared out at the distant sea. ‘Is it like being on holiday, living here?’

Grace gave a wry laugh. ‘The setting might be, but life has been anything but.’

Zoe cringed. ‘I know. I haven’t mentioned, you know … what you told me, because I didn’t want to spoil a lovely day. But I have been thinking about it a lot.’

Grace smiled at her sister. ‘Me too. Half of me wants details and the other half just wants to block out the whole sordid affair.’

Ruby joined in the conversation with a delicate burp and both women laughed.

‘Well said, Ruby.’ Zoe kissed her daughter. ‘Right, shall we see about getting you to bed?’

Just as Zoe passed the kitchen worktop, Grace’s phone buzzed. ‘Roger Mathers,’ she said, handing the phone to her.

‘On a Saturday night?’ Grace frowned. ‘Hello?’

‘I’m so sorry to bother you at the weekend.’ Roger sounded agitated and not quite like his normal unflappable self. ‘I’m going away with my wife on Monday and can’t bear to leave any loose ends, and something has been niggling at me.’

She pressed the phone to her ear and took a sip of wine. ‘Oh?’

‘Everything all right?’ Zoe mouthed.

Grace shrugged.

‘It’s Myles’s will,’ Roger continued. ‘Ever since you told me that you believe that there may have been an indiscretion, I’ve been pondering some of the wording.’

Grace’s stomach dropped like a stone. Now what? This will was the gift that kept on giving.

‘Go on.’ She gripped the phone tightly. Zoe was hovering nearby, her face pinched with concern.

‘In his previous will, Myles was very specific: the estate to be split between yourself, Austin Byron and Olivia Byron. But when the two of you rewrote your wills last year, Myles was insistent that their names were removed and replaced with a general reference to children.’

‘I see,’ said Grace, although she didn’t really see at all. It didn’t make sense. Myles had been a man of sixty and she had had no desire to have children.

A thought struck her. Maybe this wasn’t about her at all, maybe this had something to do with the other woman. She shivered as goose pimples covered her skin. ‘Roger, do you think … maybe he was planning a future with whoever he was having an affair with?’