When she took the tea through Faye was assuring Margot that she was all right, that the man had called her names but nothing else.
‘You need to call the police.’ Margot looked at Bonnie as if to suggest she should’ve thought of that.
Bonnie held up her hands in defence. ‘She didn’t want to. I did say that she should.’
Margot pulled over the stool to sit next to the chair where Faye was resting comfortably and Bonnie sat on the desk chair. ‘Why wouldn’t you want to, Faye? That man could’ve hurt you.’
‘He just wanted to say his piece,’ said Faye.
‘Which was what exactly?’ said Margot. ‘It makes no sense.’
‘Something happened in Australia.’ She looked down into her lap.
‘Something other than the break-up?’ Margot prompted.
‘Break-up?’ Bonnie enquired, suddenly wanting to know more.
Margot briefly recapped on the fiancé, Brad, and the broken engagement.
Faye found her voice. ‘What happened was the main driver to me coming here. My sister, Steph, was involved in a scandal involving a married politician. It was all over the news, on social media. People talked about it in the street. I’ve been shouted at and called names ever since, asked questions, expected to answer to everyone, it seems.’
‘But why?’ said Margot. ‘Why are people hounding you?’
‘Because they want a story. And because I’m her twin sister. And that complicates things.’
‘You have a twin?’ Bonnie asked.
‘An identical twin,’ said Faye. She harrumphed. ‘I left Australia and came here to get away. I thought I had. That man took me totally by surprise.’
‘He thought you were her,’ said Margot.
‘Yes.’
‘It sounds like a nightmare for you.’ Bonnie wondered whether Faye realised she was shaking, and she pulled a blanket from the sideboard to put over her lap.
‘It’s been really horrible.’ And then Faye’s shaking turned to sobs, uncontrollable crying that close to broke Bonnie’s heart. It must be the shock as well as everything else.
Bonnie found the box of tissues; Margot wrapped Faye in a hug.
‘I didn’t do anything and yet I’m being punished.’ Faye dabbed at the tears beneath her eyes. ‘It’s the reason the Australians left the book club.’
Margot put her hand over Faye’s. ‘Is that really why?’
‘Most of them I knew personally. Two emailed me and said they didn’t want their names to appear anywhere online alongside mine. I mean, that wouldn’t even happen. I had another email with an excuse not to attend for the first couple of sessions, then she just fell away. Even those I thought were friends.’
‘I’m confused,’ said Bonnie. ‘What does any of this have to do with your broken engagement?’
Faye explained that Brad, her ex-fiancé, was the son of the politician involved.
‘Well, that makes more sense,’ said Bonnie. ‘But he must have faced the same flak as you did.’
Faye looked up at her wide-eyed. ‘He buggered off to Tassie – Tasmania – as soon as the scandal broke. He said it was to be with family.’
‘He left you to deal with it alone?’ Bonnie exchanged a look with Margot. ‘Well, it sounds like it was better to break the engagement before you got married.’
Faye still looked shaken. ‘That man who chased after me… I can’t bear the thought that he’s hanging around the bay and might confront me again.’
‘Hopefully my threat of the police has scared him off,’ said Bonnie. ‘We can still call them. It might be wise.’
