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‘She killed my mother. I saw her. I saw her smother Mummy with a pillow.’ My voice wobbled with the memory of that night.
Something flashed in his eyes. ‘But that doesn’t make sense. I thought your mother was dying. Why not just wait it out?’
He was right. Why? Why would she take the risk? Then it hit me.
‘Daffy. She was already sleeping with my father and pregnant with Daffy. She didn’t want her child to be a bastard. She was hoping it would be a boy who could inherit the title and estate. Daffy was born seven months after my mother died, and Ivana claimed it was premature. Of course, everybody knew, but no one said anything.’
I laughed suddenly, a humorless, joyless sound.
‘And she’s been French kissing karma ever since. She found out after Daffy was born that she couldn’t have any more children. She could not produce a male heir for my father’
‘What will you do?’
‘I want to punish her. I want her to suffer.’
26
Olivia
My father was watching a race on the box. He had money on Penny Turns Up Again. I walked up to him.
‘Daddy,’ I called.
He glanced up impatiently. ‘Hello, princess!’
‘Daddy, I’ve remembered some of my past.’
‘Come in then,’ he said reluctantly. He did not switch off the TV, but muted it to indicate he did not expect me to stay long.
I sat down on the armchair next to him, smoothed my skirt over my legs and looked him in the eye. ‘I remembered the day Mummy died.’
He stared at me uncomfortably. Poor Daddy. He had a horror of emotional scenes. Was there any point in telling him? Yes. Mummy deserved that. Everything else had been taken away from her.
He cleared his throat. ‘What did you remember, ducky?’
‘I woke up in the night because I had a bad dream and I went to Mummy’s room. I opened the door and Ivana was there. She was suffocating Mummy with a pillow.’
My father’s eyes bulged with incredulity. ‘Poppycock!’ he blurted out. ‘Poppycock!’ he said again. His face became red with anger. ‘It’s that half-wit American hypnotist who has put these nonsensical ideas into your head.’
‘Dr. Kane didn’t do any such thing,’ I said calmly.
He looked at me with disappointment. ‘You do Ivana a great injustice. How could you even dream of spouting such lies about her after she has treated you as if you were her own.’
‘She wanted Mummy out of the way so she could marry you.’
He shook his head. ‘I can’t believe that you could even think such a thing. What are you saying? Think about it. Ivana took excellent care of your mother. Your mother was genuinely fond of her.’
‘Ivana was wearing a green dress with a yellow belt and the big round buttons on her dress were made of the same material as her dress.’
My father’s mouth dropped open. We stared at each other. The tongue can conceal the truth but never the eyes. In those seconds the unguarded truth leapt up from the depths of his soul and shone momentarily in his eyes, and it was all over. He was caught as surely as a fish on a
hook.
He dropped his eyes. ‘I can’t do without her, ducky. She takes care of everything…the house…the estate…our schedule…. I couldn’t do without her.’
I nodded. ‘I knew you’d say that, but I had to tell you, for Mummy’s sake.’
He nodded, still looking at the ground.
