The Sun Sister (The Seven Sisters #6) - Lucinda Riley Page 0,272

I bear you no ill will whatsoever and I never have. And as for deserting me, good God! I spent most of our marriage driving away from Paradise Farm leaving a trail of dust behind me.’

‘It was who you were, Bill, and I knew that before I married you.’

‘Can you believe that we’re still married?’ Bill chuckled. ‘Which I rather presume means that you have never had the urge to try again with anyone else, unless of course you’re a bigamist?’

‘No, and no,’ she smiled.

‘Although surely, there must have been gentlemen companions over the years?’

‘Goodness, no, I’ve been far too busy with Stella and my teaching and bookkeeping to even think about anything like that.’

‘Now that surprises me.’ He looked at her quizzically. ‘I was half expecting to be greeted by a great beast of an American male who pronounced himself your boyfriend. Surely now that Stella is all grown up, you must have found time to enjoy yourself?’

‘Hardly.’ Cecily rolled her eyes. ‘Stella has a child of her own. She lives here with us. Her name is Rosa.’

‘Well, well,’ Bill mused, ‘that makes me feel even older. I suppose I could say that Rosa is the nearest thing to a grandchild either of us will ever have.’

‘Yes, that’s how I see her anyway. She calls me “Granny”, as a matter of fact.’

‘How old is she?’

‘Five. And she’s cute and bright like her momma, but a real handful. I was only thinking this morning that I’m getting too old to care for her.’

‘Dare I enquire where the daddy is?’

‘Neither Stella nor I have any idea. She elected not to tell him – she met him through the protests a few years back. He lived down South and once everything quieted down, they had no cause to meet.’

‘Right. So, you’re back at home holding the baby, so to speak?’

‘I am, yes.’

‘Surely you can get help with that?’

‘No, Bill, I’m afraid I can’t. I believe I never did tell you the real reason I had to move out of my parents’ house on Fifth?’

‘No, you just wrote to me with a change of address, if I remember rightly. What happened?’

‘My mother came into the bedroom one morning and found me asleep in bed, with Stella huddled up next to me. There had been a big storm and she was frightened. Mama was outraged and disgusted that I could be there in my bed asleep with a Negro child. The words that fell out of her mouth that day, Bill, I don’t think I’ll ever forget them. She insisted that Lankenua and Stella leave, calling my behaviour “obscene”, so I had no choice but to leave with them. The three of us went to stay with a friend who lives right here in the next street. My mother stopped the allowance I’d received from my trust fund from that day, but thankfully, Kiki, my godmother – do you remember her?’

‘Why, of course I do! How could one forget Kiki?!’ chuckled Bill.

‘Well, she left me a generous legacy, which meant I’ve just about been able to make ends meet over the years and buy this place. I supplement what income I get from Kiki’s shares with Stella’s contribution from her wages and what I earn from teaching and taking in some bookkeeping.’

Bill stared at her open-mouthed. ‘Good Lord, you silly woman! Why on earth didn’t you tell me what had happened? Surely you must have known that I would help?’

‘That’s very honourable of you to say so, Bill, but if you remember at the time, you were running a big overdraft whilst you built up your cattle farm again.’

‘True, but shortly after that things turned around. I began to grow some crops and I’ve been quite financially comfortable ever since. You know I would have helped, Cecily, if only you’d asked.’

‘Bill, to all intents and purposes, I left you,’ she said gently. ‘I wasn’t going to expect any financial help from you after that, was I?’

‘Well, well. I stand – or, in fact, sit – here amazed. There was me in Kenya for all these years, believing that you were living a life of luxury and ease here in New York. I was – am – your husband, Cecily, whatever had passed between us. You should have come to me.’

‘I didn’t and that’s that. Besides, somehow we survived.’

‘So, the rift between you and your parents has never been resolved?’

‘No, never. I heard from my sister Mamie – who left her husband some years back