“No one will come this afternoon. They won’t ever come again,” said Freya with a sob.
“Come on, lass, you know that’s not true,” Andrzej said. “Look. I can help you set things up. Please, promise me – you’ll at least try?”
“It’s the thought that amongst the parents, there might be someone who thinks these horrible things about me,” whispered Freya.
Andrzej shook his head. “We don’t know that, Freya. It might just be some vile idiot on the internet making trouble.”
Freya really didn’t think anyone would turn up for her Saturday class, but she would have to make the effort now she had promised Andrzej. She got herself washed and changed and they both put out the paints, paper and jam jars of water on her big scrubbed pine table.
Andrzej asked if she wanted him to stay, but she told him she needed to do this alone. Freya took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and focused her gaze, like Ripley in the movieAliens, just before she took on the monster.
Freya was a big fan of that film. She often asked herself what Ellen Ripley would do when confronted with a problem.
“She’d tell them all to go to hell!” Freya said out loud. She told herself she wasn’t going to be cowed by the kinds of bullies she’d had to deal with when she was a much younger woman. ‘At least back then, the feckers would be rude and vile to your face and you’d have a chance to tell them to bugger off. These days they hide behind their phones,’ she thought.
Looking out of her window later that afternoon, Freya saw dozens of young girls and boys with their parents, waiting in the front garden. The children clutched handmade cards andlittle bunches of flowers for her. They didn’t make a fuss. They just filed into her sunny room and sat at the table or on the floor, quickly becoming engrossed in painting bold prints of their tiny hands and covering everything with glitter.
Their mums and dads waved at Freya and said they would pick their kids up in a couple of hours, as usual. Their trust in her was unspoken but it was deep and powerful. Freya managed not to break down in tears, but her heart was full of gratitude. She loved these people.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Yesnaby Cliffs
Evie realised guiltily she hadn’t seen Freya since she had told her about those awful online posts a few days ago. She’d been reeling from what Liv had told her and worrying over how to confront Amelia.
She had gone for a long walk along the cliffs at Yesnaby to try and clear her head, and back home continued to work on her painting of Freya, but knew if she kept going there was a danger she would make Freya look sad and diminished. Evie realised she needed to go round and make sure Freya was OK, and she would have to have it out with Amelia.
Arriving at Freya’s, she let herself in as usual and was about to say a cheery hello when she felt punched in the stomach by the scene in front of her. Amelia was sitting with Hari on her knee while Freya was reading Ola a story. Kate and Maureen were chatting and knitting while Ross was sitting quietly, looking at Amelia with adoring eyes.
Evie hated to admit it, but Amelia looked gorgeous. The sun streaming in caught her newly dyed golden hair, so she appeared almost angelic. Evie knew Amelia was trying to look like her, but hadn’t really appreciatedjusthow much, right down to the silver jewellery gifted to her by Freya. Evie felt cold hard rage. This woman had effectively cuckooed Evie out of her life.
She thought, ‘That should be me cuddling baby Hari with Ross gazing at me with love in his eyes. How could I not have seen this coming? She’s wormed her way into all of our lives in such a short time, and she obviously wants to take my place, and they are all going along with it. It’s as if I don’t exist anymore.’
Evie felt queasy and angry. ‘None of these people can really be my friend,’ she thought. ‘Look how easily they have welcomed this usurper. They don’t care about me at all.’
She heard her voice, high-pitched and querulous, say far too loudly: “I thought you would be in need of some company, Freya, but I see you are all having a lovely time without me.” She knew she sounded petty and jealous but she couldn’t help herself.
Freya looked up from the story book and said mildly, “Evie, it’s good to see you. Come and join us.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t want to impose.”
Kate glared at her. “Stop acting like a clown and come and sit down. I was going to make Maureen a coffee. Do you want one?”
“No, I don’t. Why didn’t you all tell me you were meeting up here? And did none of you think to invite me?”
Evie knew she sounded like a petulant child, she knew her cheeks were bright red and her voice was wobbling, but she was past caring.
Freya said in the same measured tone, “It was all very last minute. I’m feeling a lot chirpier. The art class was crowded and look at all the cards and flowers the peedie bairns brought.”
Evie was too furious to look at the heartfelt presents or to reply. She was trembling with rage and self-pity.
Freya went on, “Delima was in Kirkwall shopping with the bairns, when she got an emergency call from Jack that she was needed at the sanctuary. She asked if she could drop them herewith me, and then I asked Amelia to see if anyone wanted to come over for the afternoon.”
She smiled at Amelia, “Funnily enough, everyone was together, doing something secretive involving cake decorations.”
Amelia said nervously, “I did try to call, Evie, and I left you a text message.”
“You know I don’t answer my mobile when I am in the middle of a painting,” Evie snapped at her. “And strangely, I didn’t get your message. But then I bet you didn’t actually send it did you? And none of the rest of you thought to invite me.”
