‘And this somehow impacts their marriage?’
Her eyes lifted to his and she tried to work out if it was madness to confide in him, but something drew her closer, making it impossible to shut the conversation down. ‘Perhaps it’s better if I explain how my father’s will affects me,’ she said thoughtfully. It was the middle ground, allowing her to speak openly, without betraying her sister. ‘You can draw your own conclusions as to Luca and Olivia and my...concerns.’
But where to begin? Her father’s arcane beliefs were almost impossible to express. They were so divorced from any kind of reality, Sienna felt a familiar flush of shame that she experienced whenever she was forced to admit the implications of the legal arrangements.
‘My parents’ marriage wasn’t what you’d describe as happy. They met when my mother was really young, Dad was almost twenty years older. She was an actress and used to being adored. She was, of course, very beautiful.’ Sienna kept any hint of bitterness from her voice—she’d long ago grown accustomed to the genetics lottery and how it had skipped her. ‘My father doted on her, I gather, in the early days. But she was young, and she made a mistake.’
‘A mistake?’
‘An affair,’ Sienna filled in the gap. ‘It was with some director she’d known before she met Dad. She regretted it.’
‘They seem to have told you a lot about their private lives.’
‘Screamed it at the top of their lungs, more like, during fights.’ She angled a face at him, a soft, sad smile catching on her lips. ‘He never forgave her. But not only did he not forgive her, he didn’t let her go. He hated her, but he also loved her, in a sick, unhealthy kind of way, so he would criticise her and demean her, controlled all the family’s finances so she had no ability to travel or do anything without asking him for money.’
‘Why did she stay?’
‘Because she “loved” him.’ Sienna lifted her fingers to do air quotations, showing her cynicism for the idea of love.
‘You think love is a lie?’
‘I think it’s a flawed concept,’ she corrected. ‘How can you love someone if you don’t also respect them enough to treat them well? How can you love someone if you don’t want to make them happy?’
‘And she was unhappy?’
‘We all were.’ Her lips tightened into a grimace. ‘They fought often, and when they weren’t fighting, he was giving her the silent treatment, so we were all trying our best to walk on eggshells, hoping to avoid sparking the next outburst. And walking on eggshells is not something I’m very good at.’ Her brows furrowed. ‘I used to try to ease the tension, to get everyone talking, or, better yet, laughing, but it never helped. Olivia was much better at reading the room than me. She knew when to keep her head down, when to make herself scarce.’
‘And you didn’t?’
‘I did run away a lot.’
‘Seriously?’
‘Well, no.’ Now a genuine smile softened her features. ‘I ran, but only to Gertie’s house.’
‘Gertie?’
‘The woman who’s looking after my dog. You met her at the wedding. She’s Andrew’s grandmother, and she lives just over a field from Hughenwood House—our family property. I used to go to her house when things got bad, and she’d make me scones and biscuits and cake and tea with three lumps of sugar, all of the treats Mum had banned from the house in an effort to stay looking perennially young.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘Gertie would let me hide out for a while, talk it out, then send me home with a piece of cake wrapped in a napkin. She was my saviour as a kid.’
‘And you’re still close?’
‘Very.’ Sienna tilted her head back, wetting her hair, then pulled it over her shoulder. For a moment, she’d forgotten she was stark naked, but the moment her hair collided with her breast she startled, fighting a ridiculous urge to cover herself. ‘I wanted to go to uni, but it wasn’t possible. Gertie introduced Andrew and me and he created a spot in his charities team. It’s been an amazing experience.’
‘I can imagine.’ Was that cynicism in his voice? Of course not. She ignored the doubt, running a finger over the pool’s coping.
‘Anyway. My father passed away when I was eleven. It was completely unexpected—a heart attack. And Mum, rather than being able to start living her life again, was restricted because of his bloody will. I actually don’t even know how the bloody thing is legal, but Andrew’s looked into it for me, and apparently it’s airtight.’
His features gave nothing away. ‘Tell me about it.’
She sucked in a deep breath. ‘Well, basically, Mum didn’t inherit anything from Dad. He was such a bastard to her, right to the very end. His estate pays a small stipend, and she’s entitled to live in Hughenwood House until we turn twenty-five or get married. Once we get married, so long as we do so before we turn twenty-five, the house passes to us, as well as a financial settlement.’
His features tightened into a mask of steel. ‘Let me repeat that, to be sure I’ve understood. You are saying that your father died when you were just a girl, but somehow he saw fit to make sure you would be denied any inheritance unless you were married?’
She nodded once.
‘What if you have no interest in marrying?’
‘Which, given what I grew up experiencing, I don’t, particularly.’