‘Something in her letter affected me deeply. She described everything in such detail. Not just the scenery but the people. She talked about everyone as if she knew them. It was the first time I’d ever had the sense that she had been interested in anything other than herself. That letter showed me a completely different side of her.’
‘She fitted in very quickly.’ Kyla watched his face, trying to gauge his reaction, but as usual he gave nothing away. ‘So what made you come here? Was it just Kirsty?’
‘No. I felt as though I’d lost something. Which was ridiculous because up until that letter Catherine and I had never had anything that we could lose. We’d never shared anything. But she’d obviously discovered a different part of herself and new priorities. And maybe I had, too.’ He gave a faint smile. ‘A year working in Africa does tend to sort out your priorities. Her letter was intriguing. I suppose I wanted to see the place that had changed her so dramatically. I wanted to see Glenmore the way she would have seen it. And, of course, I wanted to meet my niece and the man who my sister fell in love with and married.’
‘And you couldn’t just have been honest with us?’ Despite what he’d told her, she was still angry with him. Angry that he hadn’t told her the truth. ‘Couldn’t you have told me?’ Her implication was clear, and he didn’t flinch from her gaze.
‘I’m used to doing things by myself. I’m used to finding my own way. That’s the person I am, Kyla.’
She refused to let him duck the issue. ‘You deceived us.’
‘Not intentionally and not in the way that you mean. I was always going to tell you. I’m just sorry you found out in the way you did.’
‘The letter fell out of your pocket. I didn’t intend to read it but then I saw Kirsty’s name.’ She took a deep breath. ‘So what happens now? Are you going back to Africa?’ Her question hovered in the air between them and for a long moment he didn’t answer.
‘Not Africa,’ he said finally. ‘I want very much to be part of Kirsty’s life, so Africa isn’t an option, but as to what else …’He shrugged and the fact that he still made no reference to what they’d shared—made no attempt to touch her—hurt more than she could have imagined possible.
‘You have to tell Logan.’
‘Of course.’ His voice was quiet. ‘I was always going to tell Logan when the time was right. I’m going now. Are you coming?’
She shook her head. She needed space. She didn’t know what she thought any more. ‘You go.’
‘I’ll see you later.’
She turned to look at him. ‘This is an island, Dr Walker. Of course you’ll see me later.’
CHAPTER TEN
‘CAN you imagine that? Being given the chance to patch up your relationship with your sister and then realising that you’re too late. How awful. Fancy having to live with that. And fancy Catherine never even mentioning that she had a brother. It was obviously such a thorny subject.’ Evanna carefully turned the chicken on the barbecue. ‘Poor Ethan. No wonder he always seemed so tense, poor thing.’
‘Poor thing?’ Kyla stared at her friend. ‘Aren’t you at all angry? Don’t you think he should have told us?’
‘I think it’s lovely that Kirsty has more family to love her. We don’t all live life by the same rules, Kyla,’ Evanna said mildly, reaching down and scooping Kirsty into her arms. ‘We don’t all behave according to one rule book. We’re all different people, looking for different things. None of us is perfect.’
Kyla scowled at her. ‘Stop being so reasonable. He took advantage of our hospitality.’
‘Over the centuries Glenmore was often a place of sanctuary for strangers,’ Evanna reminded her softly. ‘We’ve always taken a pride in our hospitality.’
‘But if we’d known who he was—’
‘Then the welcome would have been warmer still,’ Evanna said firmly, hitching Kirsty onto her hip and letting her play with a wooden spoon. ‘I think it’s very exciting for Kirsty to have someone in her life who knew her mother as a child.’
‘I can assure you that the memories aren’t good ones.’
Evanna seemed unconcerned. ‘People are all a mixture of good and bad. Perfection would be pretty hard to live with.’
‘Kirsty will get attached to him and then he’ll leave,’ Kyla predicted, and Evanna looked at her.
‘And does that matter?’
No.
Yes.
She didn’t want it to matter.
Oh, she was being so stupid. ‘No, of course not. Well, yes, it’s just that—I—’