The Family Tree (23 page)

Auntie Faye grasped at the change of subject. ‘Oh, I keep myself busy. I'm the secretary of the community centre, you know, and then there's the bowls and my book club and pottery. Never a spare minute, that's how I like it.'

Kate took another sip of water and then continued eating slowly. If anything, it felt even hotter in the sunroom now than it had before, but
she knew she had to swallow her growing lethargy and lead the conversation towards Sophie. She glanced across at Auntie Faye, who laid her cutlery down and looked at Kate's plate.

‘Sure you've had enough, honey?'

‘More than enough,' said Kate heartily. ‘It was delicious, thanks.'

‘My pleasure.' Auntie Faye stacked the two plates and put them both back on the tray. She stood up with a groan. ‘Back in a minute with coffee and dessert. No, no, you stay there.'

Kate, who had half risen to assist, sank back into her chair and watched the older woman leave to fetch course number three. It would have been nice to let the food settle a bit, but her host clearly favoured the rapid-serve, speed-eat mode of dining. Accustomed as she was to a sandwich or two for lunch, and with her appetite already lessened by the heat, Kate had been full after the soup and bread. Everything else was now simply coagulating in her stomach. She drained her glass and resolved to segue the conversation before she was somehow ushered out the door with the same forcefulness with which she had been ushered in.

The French doors shot open again and Auntie Faye came through with the tray, this time bearing a coffee plunger, mugs, two shallow bowls of what looked like trifle and, to Kate's enormous relief, a glass jug full of water.

‘I saw how thirsty you were.' She put the jug down by Kate's empty glass. ‘Now, how do you have your coffee? Black? White?'

‘White with one,' said Kate, refilling her glass. ‘Thanks.'

Auntie Faye prepared the coffee and passed a mug over to Kate with one of the bowls of trifle. Then she pushed the tray to one side and sat down again. ‘You're lucky, I hardly ever make trifle nowadays but I did some for the bowls yesterday and there was heaps left over. So when Angie rang and said you were coming, I thought
well
! How fortuitous!'

‘Fortuitous indeed,' replied Kate, poking at the trifle with her spoon.

‘Oh, I forgot the cream! Did you want some?'

‘No thanks. It's lovely just as it is,' said Kate, finally breaking off a
small piece and popping it into her mouth. It was surprisingly tasty. ‘Listen, Auntie Faye, could I ask you a question?'

‘Certainly, honey. Anything. Except about my love life of course!'

‘Ah, of course.' Kate slammed that mental door closed quickly. ‘It's actually about a relative of my father's. I was going through his papers and came across this name I'd never heard. So I was worried that it was someone I should have notified. Last year. And it just occurred to me that you might know.'

‘I'll do my best. What's the name?'

‘Thomas Painter.'

Auntie Faye paused, with a spoonful of trifle halfway to her mouth. A piece of jelly wobbled on the rim and then fell off onto the plate with a soft plop. She put the spoon back down, still full. ‘Thomas Painter, hey? Yes, I know him. He was your father's cousin.'

‘Oh, really?'

‘Yes. He even lived next door to your father for a while. Back in the sixties, it must have been.' Auntie Faye looked at Kate pensively. ‘There was a bit of a scandal, see. Did no one ever tell you?'

‘No,' said Kate with absolute truthfulness. ‘Could you?'

‘Of course I could,' replied Auntie Faye without hesitation. As delighted as she had been to have Kate visit, she was clearly even more delighted to be the one to impart this piece of family gossip. She pushed her trifle away and leant forward slightly. ‘Now, you wouldn't remember my sister, would you? Angie's mother? No, of course not. Well, this is where Thomas Painter comes in. You see, Sophie was engaged to him before she met your Uncle Frank. Broke it off about two months before the wedding and married Frank instead. I can see you're surprised.'

‘I
am
.'

‘And I can tell you it was a huge scandal at the time. Frank's mother, your grandmother, was absolutely furious. You see, it affected her relationship with her
own
sister, who was young Thomas's mother. And your grandmother wasn't the forgiving type. She made Sophie's life hell until the day she died.'

‘Sophie
died?'

‘No, your grandmother. Pneumonia, I think it was. But I haven't got to the good bit yet.' Auntie Faye leant back, pausing as she relished the moment. ‘I wouldn't be telling you all this, but we're all adults here now. You see, young Angie was born around that time and I came down for a while to help out. New baby and all. Anyway, soon's I arrived, I knew something was up. It was the way she was acting.'

‘Oh?' encouraged Kate.

‘I always could see right through Sophie. Hopeless liar, my sister, always wore it over her face. I took one look and said to myself, hello!
Something
's up!'

‘So what did you do?'

‘Asked her straight out. When Frank wasn't there naturally. Just sat her down and wouldn't take no for an answer. So she admitted it.'

‘What?'

‘That she'd fallen for Thomas again. Was even visiting him up at his house every other afternoon. You see, they were having An Affair.' Auntie Faye smiled, rather smugly.
‘Now
I've shocked you, haven't I?'

Kate nodded impatiently. ‘You have. Then what happened?'

‘Well, nothing. Not for a couple of years. That is, I let Sophie know what I thought of her behaviour, but there wasn't much more I could do, was there?' Auntie Faye looked at Kate questioningly, as if she had an answer, even after all this time. ‘So I just went home again and left them to it. Then your father came back and maybe that brought everything to a head. There was a huge fight and Sophie shot through.'

Kate took a deep breath. ‘Do you know where she went?'

‘Next door, of course,' replied Auntie Faye promptly. ‘Moved in with Thomas.'

Now Kate
was
shocked. ‘Next door? They lived next
door
?'

‘For a while anyway. But your uncle made it so hard for her, seeing young Angie and all, that they just gave up. Shifted away.'

‘Hang on.' Kate put up a hand. ‘Are you saying that while they lived next door, Sophie saw Angie? Like with child access?'

‘That's right. You see, she was supposed to have her every weekend. But, as I said, your uncle made it so difficult. He was a bit bitter, I
suppose.' Auntie Faye made a snorting noise at this before continuing. ‘Plus there was a lot of talk around town of course, and feelings were running pretty high against them. Once someone even threw fruit at the house, smashed a window. Another time, the windshield of their car had eggs tossed at it.'

‘How awful.' Kate stared at Auntie Faye, aghast, as she tried to imagine what life must have been like for the young couple. Sophie would only have been in her very early twenties. About the same age as Shelley was now, with little Emma.

‘So she just gave up. And don't ask me why she didn't try to take Angie with her. I've never been able to understand that bit, but I think she felt guilty for deserting Frank. I'll tell you a secret.
I
think leaving the baby with him was like a penance.'

Kate nodded slowly, trying to take it all in. ‘Didn't Thomas only have one eye?'

‘Oh, yes. He was always a card, that one.' Auntie Faye's face wreathed with a fond smile, as if the mere possession of a single eye was the epitome of amusement in itself. ‘She should have just married him in the first place, saved a lot of bother. You see, he'd pop it out when he'd had a few drinks and put it in your glass. You'd pick it up and it'd be floating there, staring at you! Oh, you'd nearly die of fright!'

‘I can imagine,' replied Kate with sincerity.

‘Lost it when he was just a boy. One of those kiddie air rifles. You know, the ones where they always say to be careful, otherwise you'll lose an eye? Well, young Thomas was the proof in the pudding, so to speak.'

Kate sipped at her now tepid coffee while she threaded these discoveries together and then tried to determine any loose ends. She looked across at Auntie Faye, who seemed to be rather lost in thought. ‘Did you ever know my mother?'

‘Your mother? Hmm . . . well, just a bit. Met her once or twice.'

‘What was she like?'

For the first time Auntie Faye appeared reluctant to hold forth. She busied herself with topping up her coffee and then glanced at Kate as
if hoping she wouldn't be still waiting for an answer. ‘Well . . . I don't know that I could really comment, honey. I only met her a few times.'

‘But you must have formed an impression at least?'

‘Hmm. Let me see . . . well, she was very
neat
,' said Auntie Faye slowly. ‘Oh, and she was always
busy
. Even when she was sitting down she'd be fidgeting away and you could tell she was thinking of what was next. Lively! That's a good word for your mother. Lively. Wish I could tell you more but you see I'd hate to give you the wrong notion about your own mum. Not when I'd only met her the few times.'

Kate smiled her appreciation, even as she recognised that the older woman's reluctance spoke as much, if not more, than words could have. Another one who didn't like Rose Kimber.

‘Now your father I knew quite well,' continued Auntie Faye with more enthusiasm. ‘Lovely man. We were all quite surprised when he got married, always thought him more the bachelor type. Bit shy, liked his own company.' She paused, and then smiled. ‘You used to call me Attila the Bum, you know. When you were little. Oh, you could be a bit of a terror.'

Kate grimaced. ‘Sorry.'

‘Not a problem. I always thought Frank put you up to it anyway. He never really forgave me for knowing about the affair. Which was a bit hypocritical given the way that man carried on. More coffee, honey?'

‘Do you mean – no thanks,' Kate put a hand over her mug. ‘Do you mean that Uncle Frank was also being unfaithful during the marriage?'

‘God, yes! That man couldn't help himself! Never should have got married in the first place.
I
think he only did it because he had this competitive thing going with poor Thomas. And with James, for that matter. Probably would have cuckolded him too if it hadn't been for the fact that Rose was such a . . .' Auntie Faye petered off and then cleared her throat. ‘Such a virtuous woman, is what I meant. Lively, too.'

‘Yes, we've established that,' replied Kate dryly.

‘Would you like more trifle, honey? You've hardly touched yours.'

‘No thanks, I am absolutely full.' Kate patted her stomach to underline her words. ‘Thank you so much for the lunch.'

‘It was my pleasure. We should do it more often. After all, when was the last time I saw you?'

‘I'm not sure. It must –'

‘Melissa's graduation probably.' Auntie Faye started stacking the trifle dishes back onto the tray. ‘Too long. It's my fault as well, though. You see, I'm getting lazier as I get older. Should make the effort to go down to Melbourne more often.'

‘Yes, you should.' Kate surprised herself by meaning it. Even if she had never been as close to Angie's aunt as Angie herself had, the woman was still a link to the past. There weren't many of them left now.

‘And I will.' Auntie Faye stood up with the tray and smiled down at Kate, who immediately rose too.

‘I'd better leave you to it. And thanks again. I really enjoyed myself.'

‘So did I. If it wasn't for the fact I have my pottery class this afternoon, I'd be trying to persuade you to stay longer.'

Kate slung her handbag over her shoulder and then opened the French doors for the older woman to pass through. A wall of cooler air immediately engulfed her and it felt wondrous. ‘Can I at least help you with the dishes?'

‘Certainly not. You're a guest.' Auntie Faye carried the tray through to the kitchen and then returned, empty-handed. ‘And now I'm going to give you a present to take back with you.'

With some apprehension Kate followed Auntie Faye back through the lounge room and up to the front door, where a small semicircular hall table hugged the wall. Auntie Faye bent down with a grunt and then straightened, holding out a garden gnome. ‘I made her myself.'

‘Why,
thank
you,' Kate took the gnome and stared down at it. ‘Her?'

‘Of course. Can't you see the eyelashes?'

‘Now that you mention it. Yes, I can.'

Auntie Faye smiled proudly as she reached out one finger and traced it along the black, spider-like marks that adorned the area above each of the gnome's beady eyes. ‘Hand-painted.'

‘Really? Amazing.'

She opened the door and then preceded Kate out onto the small
porch, peering upwards. ‘Doesn't look like we'll ever get rain, does it, honey?'

Kate shook her head, staring up at the blue, cloudless sky. Then they walked companionably down the driveway and towards the kerb. Hugging her gnome awkwardly, Kate dug around in her handbag and eventually came up with the car keys. She unlocked the door and then turned back to Auntie Faye curiously. ‘Would you mind if I ask you one more question?'

‘Ask away.'

‘Well, it must have been hard for you too. I mean, Sophie was your sister.' Kate stared down at the gnome's eyelashes, feeling discomforted about what she was about to ask. ‘So . . . do you miss her?'

‘Miss who?'

‘Your sister.'

‘My sister?'

‘Yes, your sister. Sophie.'

Auntie Faye frowned, clearly confused. ‘Why would I miss her?'