The Alphabet Sisters (41 page)

“So why didn’t you come back, though? Why did you stay away?”

Bett hesitated. “Because once I’d got over the shock and got through the first few months in Melbourne, I realized I liked being away from you both. I liked the freedom. I liked being just me, not Bett, sister of Anna, or Bett, sister of Carrie. I had to get away from you both. I couldn’t take it any longer.”

The words came haltingly as she tried to explain further. How sometimes it had been the best thing in the world to have a sister on either side, protected, surrounded. But how other times it had felt as if she was being suffocated and squeezed. The oldest did it first, the youngest did it sweetest. What had been left for the one in the middle? She’d had to go away, hadn’t she? Or she’d never have found herself, found what she was capable of … She slowly came to a halt. To her surprise, Anna and Carrie didn’t look hurt. They looked—what? Relieved? As if they understood?

“I felt like that, too,” Anna said suddenly. “To begin with, anyway.”

Bett stared at her. “What was there for you not to like? You always ruled the roost with us.”

“But I was so tired of it, Bett. Tired of sorting out your fights, tired of giving you both advice when I had my own life to live, tired of the two of you passing remarks about Glenn. Not just the night of our fight, but ever since I’d met him. It was getting to the stage that I didn’t know what I thought of him myself. I kept getting confused with what you both thought about him.”

“I was glad at the start, too.” Carrie said in a low voice. “It had always been the two of you ahead of me, getting all the grown-up attention, while I was just the silly little sister. And it was the same that night we fought about Matthew, Anna. You made me feel like I’d been sneaky and devious. And I hadn’t been, really I hadn’t. We both hated the fact it was going to hurt you, Bett. If there had been any other way of telling you—”

“Why didn’t you say that to me, then?”

“You wouldn’t listen. You just went running off as soon as Matthew told you. And then we were all fighting and … and it was just a mess. And the next morning you were gone before we had a chance to talk to you again.”

“I had to go. I had to get away from everything, from all of you. I wanted to be me for a while. Just me. Not one of the Alphabet Sisters or even one of the Quinlan sisters anymore.”

“And do you still feel like that? Now?” Anna looked very serious.

Bett shook her head. “I haven’t felt like that for a long time. I got so lonely without you both. Once the novelty wore off. Once I’d proved to myself I could live away from you, that I could do things on my own, even live overseas. That I wasn’t a disaster area. I wanted the freedom, I loved the freedom, but—” her voice wavered. “I missed you both so much. And then Ellen was attacked, and, Anna, this is a terrible thing to say, but one part of me was glad, because it was a reason to write to you. So I did. I sent that letter. But then I didn’t hear back so I thought, well, you didn’t want contact again.”

“Me, too,” Carrie said. “I wanted to go to Sydney, but Lola and Mum got in first. I rang and talked to Glenn, left a message. But then I didn’t hear anything back either.”

Anna remembered receiving Bett’s letter, reading it once, then putting it away. She remembered Glenn passing on Carrie’s message and then doing nothing about it. “I couldn’t contact either of you. I’m sorry. I didn’t have any room for anyone but Ellen. I was so angry with everyone at that time, at myself for letting it happen, at Glenn for blaming me. I couldn’t handle anyone else. I’m sorry.”

There was silence and then Carrie spoke. “Do we all have to tell the truth now?”

“It might help,” Anna said.

“I think you both should know that Matthew and I have been separated for a while.”

“What?”
Anna and Bett spoke in unison.

“We’ve been separated for a few months. We only decided to get back together yesterday.”

“So we were fighting about the two of you, and you weren’t even together?” Bett said.

“We were at the start. But everything went bad for a while.”

“Oh, Carrie, why?” Anna asked.

“Misunderstandings about all sorts of things. And I got guilty. I thought it was because of the way we got together. That I was being punished for taking Matthew away from Bett.” She wasn’t looking at either of them. “And I wasn’t sure if Matthew was over Bett.”

“Carrie, he was. I’m sure he was.” Bett had seen the wedding photo. She knew Matthew had never looked at her the way he looked at Carrie in the photo. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for not telling you before, Carrie. And I’m sorry that you had to go through everything on your own, Anna. It had just gone on for so long, and even though I wanted to I just didn’t know how to fix it.” She was embarrassed to feel her eyes filling with tears. “It was easier to keep away, to keep blaming the two of you, rather than myself.”

“It doesn’t matter now, does it?” Anna asked. “We’re talking again, aren’t we?”

They both nodded.

“And we’ll keep talking, won’t we? No matter what?”

Another nod.

There was a warm silence for a moment and then Carrie turned. “Bett, am I allowed to ask you something personal?”

She tensed again. “I might not answer it, but ask, sure.”

“Is there something going on with you and Daniel Hilder?”

Bett looked up in surprise.

“It’s just I noticed he looks at you all the time in a particular way. Doesn’t he, Anna?”

Anna nodded enthusiastically. “Like this.” She put on a pantomime adoring glance, all big eyes and amused smile.

“He does not.”

“He does, Bett. But it’s more like this.” Carrie put on an even more exaggerated look, soft smile and indulgent expression.

“Stop it. You’re imagining it.”

Carrie grinned, then turned her attention to Anna. “And you and Richard are really an item?”

Anna nodded.

“Wow. So I should give him a discount on his room, then? Or will he be moving in with you?” She laughed. “Just joking.”

Anna smiled. “And you and Matthew, Carrie?”

Carrie’s expression softened. “It’s okay. It’s very good again, actually.” She hesitated. “You really don’t mind, Bett?”

“I don’t mind at all, Carrie. I honestly don’t mind one bit.”

They moved unself-consciously toward one another, into a long, warm hug. Then Carrie stepped back.

“Do you want to meet him again, Bett? Now?”

“Now?”

“Matthew’s here. He came down this morning. He’s outside. Shall I get him?”

Bett hesitated, then nodded.

Carrie was nearly at the door before she turned and came back. “This is a bit awkward, but … well, do we need to tell Matthew that you were going to break up with him? It’s just I’d hate to hurt his feelings.”

Bett nearly laughed out loud. But of course Carrie wanted to protect Matthew. “Perhaps he doesn’t need to hear it right now.”

Carrie nodded, relieved. “I’ll be back in a moment.”

Anna waited until she was gone before she spoke. “Do you want me to go, to leave the three of you alone?”

Bett shook her head. “No, all for one, one for all, don’t you think?”

“I’m glad you told her, Bett. I’m sorry I had to force it.”

“I’m glad you did.”

They heard noises from the hall as the camera crew finished its break. Set panels were being dragged across the stage again. They heard a faint hum of traffic from the main street. A car door shutting. Footsteps and the glass door opening. Bett turned and there he was, with Carrie a few feet behind.

“Hello, Bett. Hello, Anna.”

“Hello, Matthew,” they said in unison.

Bett took in every detail of his appearance. The sandy hair, the curls now cropped short. The square, kind face. The work clothes. The stocky body. It was like looking at someone she had been at school with years before.

He looked uncomfortable. “How are things, Bett?”

“They’re fine. It’s good to see you again.” And it was. Nothing more and nothing less.

“You too.” Matthew gave an embarrassed laugh, looking from one to the other. “Bett, I’m sorry for what happened. With me and Carrie. For hurting you like that.”

For one moment she was tempted to tell him the truth. That she should never have gone out with him in the first place. That it had been for all the wrong reasons. Then she looked at Carrie, standing proudly beside him, and realized that this definitely wasn’t the time for the truth. “It’s fine, Matthew.”

He didn’t seem convinced. “If Lola was here she would probably use her truth stick, I suppose. Make us all say how we’re really feeling.”

“You know about the truth stick?” Anna asked.

Matthew nodded. “And the Alphabet Sisters stories. Lola used to like telling us them, didn’t she, Carrie?” He gave another self-conscious laugh. “Not that Lola ever used the truth stick on me. It was more a family thing, wasn’t it? Very handy sometimes, though, she said.”

“It was, yes,” Anna said. She turned to Bett. There was challenge in her voice, even though she was smiling. “If Lola was pointing the truth stick at you now, what would you say, Bett?”

Bett answered honestly. “I would probably say I’m feeling a bit uncomfortable, but I’m also very relieved to finally see Carrie and Matthew together. And I think they make a good pair. And I’m so sorry it’s taken this long for me to tell you both how I felt. And you, Anna?”

“I’d probably say I’ve been feeling sick about all of this for weeks—no, years—too. And I’m glad it’s over, and I hope we won’t ever have a fight like this again.”

Carrie was gripping Matthew’s hand. “And I would say I’m sorry for any hurt we caused you, Bett. And you, Anna. And I hope you forgive us.”

“And I would say about bloody time.”

It was Lola, standing in the doorway. “That’s the thing about swear words,” she said, smiling broadly. “Use them sparingly and they always have much more impact, don’t you think? So, all set to do the ‘Sisters’ song for Charlie?”

Oh hell, Bett thought. She’d forgotten all about that. “I’m sorry, Lola, but I can’t do it.”

“Why ever not?”

“I’ve forgotten the words.”

“If she has, then so have I,” Anna said.

“Me too,” Carrie added.

“Oh, I’m sure it’ll come back to you once you get started. It’s that one about the mister coming between the sisters. No? Then it’s just as well I brought these.”

She passed over three sheets of lyrics. They were cornered. “Come on, then. Charlie and his cameraman are waiting. He was just saying again how this is going to be the centerpiece of his segment.” Complete lies, of course. Charlie had no interest or intention of using any of this footage of the Alphabet Sisters. He had staged that little scene earlier purely as a favor to Lola. She had explained the whole situation to him on the phone the day before, and he had been highly amused and happy to oblige. And, by the looks of things, it had worked.

“Come on then, girls. Time’s money, and I’m short of both.” She started shooing them in front of her, one by one. Then she stopped. “And you, too, Matthew. I’ve had the very amusing idea of using you as well.”

H
alf an hour later, Charlie strolled over to where Lola was sitting, watching all the action. She took his hand and smiled up at him. “Thank you, Charles darling. You’re quite an actor yourself.”

He bowed deeply. “A pleasure to be of service. You never know, I may end up using the footage yet. They were rather good, weren’t they? Some wonderful harmonies.”

“Once they stopped laughing, yes, they were. That was always their problem. They didn’t take it seriously enough.”

“Matthew was a good sport, to stand there like that while they sang that ‘Sisters’ song around him.”

Not so much a good sport as terrified of what might happen if he didn’t do as he was told, more like it. “Wasn’t he just?”

“I’ll send you a tape of it all anyway. For your records.”

“My records. What a marvelous phrase. Thank you, I’d love that.”

Lola gazed around. Anna, Bett, Matthew, and Carrie were in a corner of the room with Richard and Daniel, the group of them laughing. Well, thank God. If the feud had gone on one day longer she would have gone simply and utterly mad.

“So what’s your next project going to be?” Charlie asked.

“Well, I have the little matter of our gala world premiere, of course. But after that?” She smiled up at him. “A musical adaptation of
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,
I think.”

T
heir parents arrived home that night. There was an hour debriefing about their holiday, an hour hearing about the musical, ten minutes on Lola’s accident, and then Jim Quinlan was back behind his bar, sorting bottles, and Geraldine was in the kitchen organizing the freezer.

Lola watched the three girls vying for their mother’s attention and had to stop herself from shaking Geraldine. She’d managed to restrain herself for many years. She could manage for another few, she decided.

I
n bed that night, Jim and Geraldine were talking about their holiday and homecoming.

Geraldine took off her glasses and reached out to turn off the bedside light. “The girls seem to be getting on very well again, don’t they?”

“Remarkably well. I was sure there would have been at least one row or something while we were away, but it seems not. Perhaps that’s all it ever needed, just getting them back under the same roof again.” He chuckled. “I take my hat off to Lola.”

Jim didn’t see Geraldine’s expression. “They’re grown girls. I knew they’d sort it out eventually themselves.”

“Of course they would. Good night, darling.”

“Good night, Jim.”

He put his arm around his wife and shut his eyes.

Chapter Twenty-six

B
ett woke up with just the slightest hint of a hangover. She and Anna and Carrie had stayed up talking and drinking red wine until very late. Richard and Matthew and Lola had joined in at first, before stealing away one by one, leaving the three girls on their own. They had taken over the small motel bar, shamelessly helping themselves to glasses of wine from their father’s fine cellar of local reds, leaving increasingly scrawled notes to him.