have a secret,’ Kirstie whispered conspiratorially.
‘Oh?’ Cara wasn’t sure of the role she should be playing in all of this, so kept a low profile by keeping her input to an absolute minimum.
Kirstie snuggled closer and, cupping her dimpled little hand, breathily relayed her secret to Cara’s tingling ear.
‘Aunty Fliss is having another baby. I heard Daddy tell Mummy.’
‘Oh!’
‘I have a better secret than that!’ scoffed Katie.
‘You do not.’
‘I do so. Remember? I told you about it ages ago. When Megan Fry kissed Uncle Byron on his birthday?’ She directed her piercing gaze at Cara. ‘It was disgusting.’
‘Um…’
‘She’s in love with him,’ Kirstie said. ‘I heard Granny tell Mummy.’
‘I…’ Cara looked from one to the other and closed her mouth again.
‘I don’t like her. She wears too much perfume and pats us on the head all the time. I almost got a headache the last time she came to stay with Granny and Pop,’ Katie added in disdain.
Cara could feel her mouth twitching and quickly changed the subject, before she was tempted to pump them for information.
‘Do you like stories?’ she asked.
Their little faces lit up.
‘We love stories.’
‘Well.’ Cara settled her arms around each young shoulder and began. ‘Once upon a time there was a little girl who was very lonely. She didn’t have any brothers or sisters, and her father had left long before she’d been born. Her mother was lonely too. So lonely that she didn’t really take much notice of her little girl, other than to feed her and growl at her whenever she did something wrong. But one day the mother didn’t growl at her little girl; she shouted instead. The little girl didn’t understand the reason why her mother was so angry at her, and tried to be extra good to avoid it happening again…’
Cara was lost in the story and hadn’t noticed the door of the rose room open slightly. Byron stood watching the scene before him silently. His two little nieces were snuggled up on either side of Cara, their faces trained on her, their eyes wide with captivation.
Cara heard a movement at the door and looked up, her story suspended at the sight of Byron standing there, his expression indecipherable. The twins tugged at both of her arms.
‘Don’t stop!’ Katie implored.
‘What happened next?’ Kirstie’s eyes were bug-like.
Cara smiled regretfully at them both.
‘To be continued…’
‘Oh, no!’ Katie wailed theatrically. ‘I hate “to be continued” stories.’
‘When will you tell us some more?’ Kirstie asked. ‘Tonight? When we go to bed?’
She was cornered and both the girls knew it—she could tell.
‘All right, then,’ she said. ‘I’ll tell you the rest tonight.’
The girls turned to their uncle.
‘Aunty Cara’s telling us a story that’s a…a…equal…’ Kirstie hunted vainly for the correct term.
‘Sequel,’ Katie said authoritatively.
‘Can I listen in too, tonight?’ Byron asked, his eyes sliding to Cara’s.
‘No,’ Katie said adamantly. ‘This is girls’ stuff—isn’t it, Aunty Cara?’
Cara was still recovering from being addressed as aunty, not once but twice.
‘I’m not sure—’
‘Girls only—sorry, Uncle Byron.’ Katie grinned up at him cheekily.
‘You minx,’ he growled, and tickled her playfully.
Not to be left out, Kirstie lunged at him and tickled him in defence of her sister. Cara couldn’t help squealing when a stray tickle caught her under the ribs.
‘You…’ she gasped as she poked her fingers into Byron’s rock-hard stomach.
The twins were giggling uncontrollably at the glint of mischief in their uncle’s eye as he made another lunge at Cara.
‘Oh!’ Cara gasped again. ‘Stop! Please!’
Her legs were tangled in the sheets so escape was impossible. His face was close, his eyes glittering with some indefinable emotion. Cara felt her breath catch as he addressed the goggle-eyed little girls over his
‘Oh?’ Cara wasn’t sure of the role she should be playing in all of this, so kept a low profile by keeping her input to an absolute minimum.
Kirstie snuggled closer and, cupping her dimpled little hand, breathily relayed her secret to Cara’s tingling ear.
‘Aunty Fliss is having another baby. I heard Daddy tell Mummy.’
‘Oh!’
‘I have a better secret than that!’ scoffed Katie.
‘You do not.’
‘I do so. Remember? I told you about it ages ago. When Megan Fry kissed Uncle Byron on his birthday?’ She directed her piercing gaze at Cara. ‘It was disgusting.’
‘Um…’
‘She’s in love with him,’ Kirstie said. ‘I heard Granny tell Mummy.’
‘I…’ Cara looked from one to the other and closed her mouth again.
‘I don’t like her. She wears too much perfume and pats us on the head all the time. I almost got a headache the last time she came to stay with Granny and Pop,’ Katie added in disdain.
Cara could feel her mouth twitching and quickly changed the subject, before she was tempted to pump them for information.
‘Do you like stories?’ she asked.
Their little faces lit up.
‘We love stories.’
‘Well.’ Cara settled her arms around each young shoulder and began. ‘Once upon a time there was a little girl who was very lonely. She didn’t have any brothers or sisters, and her father had left long before she’d been born. Her mother was lonely too. So lonely that she didn’t really take much notice of her little girl, other than to feed her and growl at her whenever she did something wrong. But one day the mother didn’t growl at her little girl; she shouted instead. The little girl didn’t understand the reason why her mother was so angry at her, and tried to be extra good to avoid it happening again…’
Cara was lost in the story and hadn’t noticed the door of the rose room open slightly. Byron stood watching the scene before him silently. His two little nieces were snuggled up on either side of Cara, their faces trained on her, their eyes wide with captivation.
Cara heard a movement at the door and looked up, her story suspended at the sight of Byron standing there, his expression indecipherable. The twins tugged at both of her arms.
‘Don’t stop!’ Katie implored.
‘What happened next?’ Kirstie’s eyes were bug-like.
Cara smiled regretfully at them both.
‘To be continued…’
‘Oh, no!’ Katie wailed theatrically. ‘I hate “to be continued” stories.’
‘When will you tell us some more?’ Kirstie asked. ‘Tonight? When we go to bed?’
She was cornered and both the girls knew it—she could tell.
‘All right, then,’ she said. ‘I’ll tell you the rest tonight.’
The girls turned to their uncle.
‘Aunty Cara’s telling us a story that’s a…a…equal…’ Kirstie hunted vainly for the correct term.
‘Sequel,’ Katie said authoritatively.
‘Can I listen in too, tonight?’ Byron asked, his eyes sliding to Cara’s.
‘No,’ Katie said adamantly. ‘This is girls’ stuff—isn’t it, Aunty Cara?’
Cara was still recovering from being addressed as aunty, not once but twice.
‘I’m not sure—’
‘Girls only—sorry, Uncle Byron.’ Katie grinned up at him cheekily.
‘You minx,’ he growled, and tickled her playfully.
Not to be left out, Kirstie lunged at him and tickled him in defence of her sister. Cara couldn’t help squealing when a stray tickle caught her under the ribs.
‘You…’ she gasped as she poked her fingers into Byron’s rock-hard stomach.
The twins were giggling uncontrollably at the glint of mischief in their uncle’s eye as he made another lunge at Cara.
‘Oh!’ Cara gasped again. ‘Stop! Please!’
Her legs were tangled in the sheets so escape was impossible. His face was close, his eyes glittering with some indefinable emotion. Cara felt her breath catch as he addressed the goggle-eyed little girls over his
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