Breaking off, she made a cooing noise, and Charlie turned to follow her gaze, feeling his blood run cold.
Dora was standing behind him, with Archie in her arms. Her blonde hair was pulled into some kind of loose knot and she was wearing one of the dresses the stylists had sent over. It was white, with short sleeves and a collar edged with a deep band of pearls.
She looked beautiful; the perfect addition to the perfect family. It was easy to picture her standing beside him at the many events he and his half-sisters attended. And yet for some reason that picture pleased him less than the memory of her barefoot, wearing striped pyjamas and a scowl that could fell a Banyan tree.
Heart pounding, he watched her walk towards him. ‘You look amazing,’ he said as Archie reached out to grab him.
‘Thank you. Sorry I took so long. He didn’t want to wake up.’
‘That’s okay. You’re here now.’ He turned towards his sisters. ‘Let’s make some introductions.’
Everything would go exactly as he’d expected it would. How could it not? He a
nd his sisters were accomplished performers. They knew exactly how to act, what to say and when to say it. And Archie was adorable.
But it was Dora who drew his gaze, and his admiration. She looked so beautiful, so determined.
‘Everything okay?’ he asked, moving to stand beside her.
She nodded. ‘Thank you for making this happen.’ Her eyes met his. ‘Archie’s lucky to have such a wonderful family.’
He should be pleased, he thought, and yet, looking down into Dora’s face, he felt something knot in his stomach.
It had never bothered him before—the complicity between himself and his sisters. It had always been just a sine qua non for staying in his father’s favour. Now, though, he felt less comfortable with the artifice of it all—and the fact that the layers of artifice and deceit were now multiplying to include Dora and Archie.
Suddenly he wanted it to be as it had before, just the three of them out by the pool, and with an urgency he’d never felt before he took her hand and pulled her slightly forward.
‘As we’re all here, it seems like the right time to share our good news.’
He felt her fingers tense.
Earlier, they had agreed to wait until Archie’s cake was brought out to make their announcement. But he lifted her hand so that the diamond caught the sunlight and said quietly, ‘I asked Dora to marry me, and she said yes.’
There was a moment of absolute silence and Dora held her breath. And then everyone began to clap.
Hardly daring to believe what was happening, she smiled and embraced first one then the other two sisters in turn.
She didn’t need the glass of champagne Charlie handed to her. She felt intoxicated already—euphoric.
Only Della had ever known how much she dreamed of being part of a family. Not grudgingly tolerated, like she was by David, but accepted and included unconditionally. And now it had happened. These beautiful, poised people were raising their glasses and saying her name as if she was one of them.
‘I think now might be the right time to do the cake,’ Charlie said beside her. ‘When you’re ready, start singing and we’ll join in.’
And just like that her happiness oozed away.
‘Fine,’ she said hoarsely, needing to say something—anything—so that she could hear her own voice.
It will be all right, she told herself. There are only sixteen words, after all.
More importantly, there were no strangers or spotlights. It was just a small family birthday party.
Archie’s birthday party.
She glanced over at his little face, feeling a rush of love. His eyes were wide with excitement as Jian lit the candle on a beautiful monkey-shaped cake.
Her heart was pounding. In the sunlight, the flame looked oddly bright. Too bright. She tried to open her mouth—except it wouldn’t open properly. It felt as if it was rusty, or something. And then the stiffness moved down her body as around her a silence like a held breath began leaching into her bones.
Archie.