‘Possibly,’ he said. ‘We might all lose touch and never see each other again.’
‘I’ll never not see Leah – we’re twins. And Carly’s my sister. We all belong together.’
The Adam’s apple in her dad’s throat raised and then dropped. ‘You might never see Leah or Carly again.’
‘No!’ Marie’s whole body shook as she sobbed. ‘Can’t you do something, Daddy?’
‘Perhaps.’
Marie felt a little spark of hope.
‘I do have an idea but I’m afraid it’s not very nice, but Mummy agrees it’s the only way to save our family. It would mean a couple of horrible days but then it would all be over and we’d go on holiday—’
‘To Disneyland?’ Marie remembered what she’d heard.
‘Yes.’
‘And I’d meet the real Ariel!’
‘Yes.’
‘Well, do your idea then, silly!’
Dad took Marie’s hands in his. ‘It’s not that easy. One, because it has to stay a secret or it won’t work. Even afterwards. If anyone ever finds out, you will all be taken away and put in separate homes and never be allowed to see each other again.’
‘Okay. Daddy, I have something to tell you…’
‘Yes?’
‘It was me who knocked that m-mink vase and smashed it. When you and Mum asked I blamed Bruno because he was only a puppy then and I’ve kept that a secret for years and years. You must keep it too now and not pass it on to Mummy, or shout at me. I’m only telling you so you know I am good at keeping secrets.’
‘You are indeed, Marie. There’s a second problem, though. To carry out the plan I need a really brilliant actress to make sure everyone is in the right place at the right time.’
‘That’s me! Don’t you remember I was Annie! And I was so good that Mrs Walters said she thought I’d go to Hollywood!’
‘She did indeed. But, Marie, you’re only eight.’ He shook his head sadly.
‘I may be small but I love you all big and if there’s a way we can all stay together I want to do it. I do.’
Her dad tilted his head to one side and studied her. ‘Okay, you’ve worn me down! I will share my idea with you but only because you’re my best girl and I trust you. Remember, it might sound awful but it’s not for long and it isn’t real.’
‘It’s like a game?’
‘Exactly like a game but only you and me can know.’
‘Or we’ll all be split up and hungry.’
‘Yes. And it’s worth a tiny bit of being uncomfortable for the rest of our lives together as a family, isn’t it?’
‘Yes.’
‘Right. We’ll make it happen tomorrow. You must promise to do exactly what I say and don’t tell anybody?’
‘I promise, Daddy.’
Be good and he won’t send you away.
If she needed to lie, she would.
Chapter Fifty-Four
Carly
One week ago
‘You’re lying!’ Carly couldn’t accept what she was hearing. She couldn’t accept she’d been betrayed by her mum as well as her dad. By her little sister. ‘You just want a new angle so we can sell our stories again. How could you make—’
‘I’m not making it up. Yeah, okay, I need the money, but I do think it’s time the truth came out. It’s been killing me keeping it to myself all these years.’
‘There’s no way—’
‘It’s true.’
‘True? You wouldn’t know the truth if it—’
‘It’s true,’ Marie said softly.
‘You didn’t think to warn us? When we were pissing in a corner and terrified… of course you wouldn’t have been terrified, would you? Always the fucking actress, weren’t you, Marie? Well, that must have been your biggest role. Bravo.’ Carly began to slowly clap.
‘Stop it! You don’t understand.’
‘No, I don’t understand. Have you got any idea what I’ve been through? How awful Mum made me feel all these years. She couldn’t wait to get rid of us. I thought it was because she couldn’t cope with what we’d been through but what she couldn’t cope with was the fact she’d known all along. She must have been terrified of being found out.’
‘She couldn’t help it, she loved him. She loves him. Still.’
‘How do you know that?’
‘I know that she still visits him.’
Carly didn’t know what to say. She couldn’t understand why her mum would stand by her dad, even now. What would she do when he was released again? Take him back?
‘Do you know what this has done to me?’ Carly dropped her head in her hands.
‘Yes! I know what you went through. I was there.’
‘Not there. Since. I have felt responsible for what happened every single day. I was supposed to be the one in charge, watching you both. God… Leah? Does Leah know?’
‘No. I never told her, I swear. She’d never have coped.’
‘And now? You think she’ll cope now if this all comes out?’
This time a flicker of indecision crosses Marie’s face. ‘She’s stronger than we think.’
‘I don’t think she is. She’ll fall apart. Remember what happened last time she thought he was back? The Fregoli? The ways she was convinced he was everywhere she turned. She was nearly sectioned, for God’s sake, and yet you’re willing to sell her out for cold hard cash.’
‘But don’t you see? Once it’s all out there. The truth about the way I was persuaded by our dad—’
‘That man is not my father. Fuck, my whole life has been ruined by that fucking man and I’m not even related to him. Barely related to you and Leah.’
‘That’s not fair.’
‘How can you talk to me about fair? You knew he’d planned it but even when were locked in that stinking room you didn’t tell us, Marie.’
‘I couldn’t. I was terrified we’d be split up. I thought it was for the best. Dad sounded so convincing. We’d have gone on holiday afterwards and everything would be okay.’
‘I can’t believe someone would be cruel enough to put their daughters through that and think a holiday to Disneyland would make up for everything.’
‘I didn’t know it would be so awful, Carly. I was terrified but I thought if I told you what was going on then we’d all be separated and the trauma of being tied up and shoved in the van would be for nothing. I didn’t know what to—’
‘You should have told us.’
‘I was eight! And if I’m honest, there… there was a part of me that… that was scared of him. Although he never threatened me, it was unspoken that if I ever told, he’d do something bad to me. And… and the thought that my own father might… might…’ Marie dissolved into tears.
Carly thought about how betrayed she had felt when she found out Simon was behind their fake kidnapping. How hurt and unloved – but ultimately she wasn’t his biological daughter. How must Marie have felt all these years, knowing that her natural dad had set her up? Carly felt herself softening.