‘I hope so.’ Louise stood up and leaned against the worktop, crossing her arms. She was wearing a batik midi dress, predominantly blue, with slim gold chains for straps. Stella recognised it; Louise had had it for years and it was still fabulous on her.
‘He looks terrible, really unwell. I reckon he’s been hitting the bottle big time.’
‘Do you?’ Stella scratched angrily at a mosquito bite on her thigh, which started to bleed. ‘Oh dear. Maybe he’ll cut back now he’s here.’
‘He’d better.’ Louise frowned. ‘It’s not good for the kids to see him like that and he could be a liability. I thought he was going to fall off his chair at one point, and he could hardly make it indoors.’
‘I’m sorry,’ Stella repeated, managing to squeeze one more bowl into the very full machine.
‘Stop apologising.’ The tetchiness in Louise’s voice took Stella aback and made her wince. ‘It’s done now.’
Louise found a box of cleaning powder under the sink and turned on the dishwasher, which made a comforting swishing sound.
‘I just don’t want us having to keep an eye on him the whole time. This is supposed to be a holiday for us all, you know.’
* * *
Jon was already up and making coffee in the kitchen when Stella went downstairs at around 8a.m.
‘I slept like a baby,’ he said with a cheerful smile that belied his pasty complexion and bloodshot eyes. ‘My bed’s really comfortable and it’s so quiet here.’
If he were at all embarrassed about last night, he didn’t show it. Perhaps he didn’t realise how drunk he’d been.
He was wearing his yellow bathing trunks from yesterday, with leather flip-flops and a loose navy T-shirt. His neck looked thin and exposed and his legs scrawny.
Harriet would have been so worried about him. Stella found herself pondering over how best to fatten him up. Lots of those pastries Katerina had made might do the trick, or the ones she and Louise had eaten on their first full day.
After pouring coffee for himself and Stella, he said he was going for a swim and took his mug into the garden.
Instead of following, Stella strolled into one of the little anterooms off the main hall and settled into a dark-red leather armchair to start some different online research.
She wanted to do something active today, togosomewhere. It would be good for Jon, if he decided to come; for them all, in fact. And if he chose to stay behind, at least they’d have a break from him, which Louise, especially, would no doubt welcome.
The walk to Sweetwater Beach looked challenging but manageable, and not too far. Her knee still hurt, but she’d take a painkiller before they left.
When Louise appeared some ten minutes later, she was in favour of the idea and even offered to rouse the kids, a job that Stella wanted to avoid at all costs.
Hector refused point blank to join them, but the others were up for it and Jon was, too. It took a while for them all to muster and when they finally set off, with swimming togs and backpacks, it was almost 11a.m.
It was another beautiful sunny day and the sky was breathtakingly blue. The rough, stony coastal path would lead them all the way to their destination, and they took their time, taking care not to stumble on loose rocks and stopping frequently to admire the view.
From their vantage point high up on the cliffs, the sea looked extremely inviting. It was crystal clear, deep blue and turquoise at the edge where the water was shallower. The colours were so bright, they looked almost cartoonish and reminded Stella of certain Disney movies.
They were all in shorts, T-shirts and walking boots, even Lily, who’d initially refused to put hers on, insisting she’d be fine in sandals.
Luckily, Will had told her not to be silly. ‘It’ll ruin the holiday if you break your ankle.’
She wasn’t as fearless as Amelia and at one stage, the path became very narrow and she almost lost her nerve.
‘I can’t do it,’ she said, glancing at the slim, stony, winding track before her, and the sheer drop to her right.
Stella, who was ahead, having already navigated the scary bit, turned round.
‘Yes, you can. Hold on to the rocks and don’t look down. It’s not as bad as you think.’
A bit further on, they came to a steep, uphill section covered in precarious scree, which they had to pick their way over.
When Stella tripped and almost fell, Jon reached back to offer his hand, but she shook her head.
