Sisters - Michelle Frances Page 0,57

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‘Yeah, sure.’ Her head felt heavy with tiredness. She undressed and stiffly got into bed. Her legs would hardly move and she had to lift them to turn on her side, her back to Abby.

‘Night,’ said Abby, switching off her light.

‘Night,’ Ellie replied.

She lay there in the dark, rigid with fear and uncertainty. Mum was right. Ellie felt hyper-aware of her surroundings. She heard Abby shift in bed and stiffened with fright. Was her sister getting up? My God, was she, Ellie, even safe in this room with her? But then she heard Abby settle back down again. Heart hammering, Ellie tried to think. But she was so tired. Stay awake, she instructed herself firmly. Do not fall asleep. She suddenly knew what to do. She had to wait until Abby fell asleep and then creep back downstairs. Call Susanna and tell her where they were. This had gone on long enough – Ellie mentally kicked herself for not believing her mother sooner. If she’d listened, she could have avoided this situation; she might not have been lying here in the pitch black, afraid of what her sister might do. Her eyelids drooped and Ellie forced them back open. Stay awake! It wouldn’t be long, Abby was tired too, Ellie knew. She just had to wait long enough for Abby to fall asleep and then . . . what? Call! Yes, she had to make a call. She could do it. She felt herself drifting and pinched her leg. To her alarm she couldn’t feel anything. She pinched again, harder. There, that was better, she was awake now. Wasn’t she? Ellie sensed her mind might be wandering but she was too tired to chase it, to bring it back under her control. So, so tired.

FORTY

Abby lay in her bed listening to the sound of her sister breathing as she slept. She knew she should sleep too but there was too much on her mind.

There were several ways this little venture could play out and Abby didn’t know yet where it was going. There were two things she was certain about: the first was that she had to finally put an end to a lifetime’s unhappiness, remove the thorn that had been forever in her side. The second was that whatever the final scenario turned out to be, Abby was aware she’d need Jamie’s help. It wasn’t beyond her understanding that there was a looming possibility of a custodial sentence somewhere down the line. It had to be avoided at all costs and she knew this was something Jamie was notoriously good at. His reputation as a defence lawyer was second to none.

That’s if it ever got to that. Abby was determined that this would not end up in any court.

She sighed and turned her mind to more pleasant thoughts. A smile came to her lips as she remembered the extraordinary discovery of the afternoon. The Camargue had been so beautiful, breathtakingly so. She’d never experienced anything like it and it would stay in her memory forever. The light, the glorious light on the pink wings of the flamingos and the grey-and-white horses. And their sense of freedom. Those horses were in their own utopia, away from humans, able to do as they pleased. A calm, simple life with no one to rely on for their survival.

It was all Abby had ever wanted for herself and she knew her extreme sacrifices had bought her independence, freedom from her mother. But she hadn’t actually planned on retiring quite so young. She’d originally thought of reducing her hours, maybe even finding another job. Of living her life more fully, taking a holiday, trying out new places, new experiences. Maybe even going out for dinner once in a while. Instead she’d stopped altogether and hidden herself away on a tiny, albeit beautiful island, where she couldn’t get out of the habit of scrimping and saving, just to make certain she’d have enough to last her until old age – which was half a century away. Perhaps even longer. No, the decision to retire had been sudden, unexpected. It had come out of fear.

FORTY-ONE

2018

The placard held up by the rep in arrivals read Someone Special Singles’ Holidays in bold black letters and Abby cringed. If it had been possible for her to turn back around and head through baggage reclaim to the plane, she might have done just that, but then she would’ve had to explain to her boss how she ended up not taking