Angel wrenched her back from him, long brown fingers biting into her slim shoulders to keep her upright and gazing up into his blazing liquid-honey eyes. ‘No, I’m not a one-trick pony or a cheap one-night stand. You’ll have to marry me to get any more of that,’ he told her with derision as he slapped a business card down on the table. ‘My phone number…should you think better of your attitude today.’
When he was gone, Merry paced back and forth in her small sitting room, facing certain realities. She hadn’t seriously considered Angel’s supposed solution. But then that was more his fault than her own. Warning her that he intended to trail her into court and fight for access to their daughter had scarcely acted as a good introduction to his alternative offer. She was angry and bitter and she wasn’t about to apologise for the fact, but possibly she should have listened and asked more and lost her temper less.
In addition, Angel’s visit had worsened rather than improved their relations because now she knew he was prepared to drag her through the courts in an effort to win greater access to Elyssa. And what if his ambitions did not stop there? What if he intended to try and gain sole custody of their daughter and take Elyssa away from her? Paling and breathing rapidly, Merry decided to visit her aunt and discuss her mounting concern and sense of being under threat with her.
Sybil, however, was nowhere to be found in the comfortable open-plan ground floor of her home and it was only when Merry heard her daughter that she realised her aunt and her daughter were upstairs. She was disconcerted to walk into Sybil’s bedroom where Elyssa was playing on the floor and find her aunt trailing clothes out of the wardrobes to pile into the two suitcases sitting open on the bed.
‘My goodness, where are you going?’ Merry demanded in surprise.
Sybil dealt her a shamefaced glance. ‘I meant to phone you but I had so many other calls to make that I didn’t get a chance. Your mother’s in trouble and I’m flying out to Perth to be with her,’ she told her.
Merry blinked in astonishment. ‘Trouble?’ she queried.
Sybil grimaced. ‘Keith’s been having an affair and he’s walked out on your mother. She’s suicidal, poor lamb.’
‘Oh, dear,’ Merry framed, sinking down on the edge of the bed to lift her daughter onto her lap. She was sad to hear that news, but her troubled relationship with her dysfunctional parent prevented her from feeling truly sympathetic and that fact always filled her with remorse. Not for the first time she marvelled that Sybil could be so forgiving of her kid sister’s frailties. Time and time again she had watched her aunt wade into Natalie’s emotional dramas and rush to sort them out with infinite supportive compassion. Sometimes, too, Merry wondered why it was that she, Natalie’s daughter, could not be so forgiving, so tolerant, so willing to offer another fresh chance. Possibly that could be because Merry remembered Natalie’s resentment of her as a child too strongly, she told herself guiltily. Natalie hadn’t wanted to be anyone’s Mummy and her constant rejections had deeply wounded Merry.
‘Oh, dear, indeed,’ her aunt sighed worriedly. ‘Natalie was distraught when she phoned me and you know she does stupid things when she’s upset! She really shouldn’t be alone right now.’
‘Doesn’t she have any friends out there?’ Merry prompted.
Sybil frowned, clearly finding Merry’s response unfeeling. ‘Family’s family and you and her don’t get on well enough for you to go. Nor would it be right to subject Elyssa to that journey. Natalie wouldn’t want a baby around either,’ she conceded ruefully.
‘She really can’t be bothered with young children,’ Merry agreed wryly. ‘Do you have to go?’
Sybil looked pained by that question. ‘Merry, she’s got nobody else!’ she proclaimed, sharply defensive in both speech and manner. ‘Of course, that means I’m landing you with looking after things here…will you be able to manage the centre? Nicky is free to take over for you from next week. I’ve already spoken to her about it. Between minding Elyssa and running your own business, you’re not able to drop everything for me right now.’