Read Online The Olive Tree by Lucinda Riley - Free Book Online Page A

Chloë. William had sounded decidedly nervous last night, and she knew he felt it was a lot to ask: both of her and of
their children. She too was concerned. Alex was the resident cuckoo in the nest, after all. Was there really room for another? Helena wondered how
he
would react to Chloë’s
arrival, let alone the two little ones, who had never even met their sister. But how could she deny William the chance to spend precious time with his daughter, even if there was a good chance
Chloë’s presence would throw the family dynamic off-balance?
    And Chloë herself: how would she feel about being thrown into a family she had been taught to loathe? Yet Helena knew that Chloë was the real victim of the situation: a child caught up
in the maelstrom of an acrimonious divorce, used as a weapon by a woman scorned. Even though Cecile professed to protect her daughter from the apparently dangerous clutches of her father, the
reality was that, through the lowest form of emotional blackmail, Chloë had almost certainly been scarred by not being allowed to have a normal relationship with her father as she grew up.
    She was almost fifteen now – a difficult age for any girl, especially one who’d been forced to deny her love for her father, to satisfy a mother who would accept nothing less. Helena
knew also that the heart beating inside her, which loved her husband and her children, had to extend yet further to include Chloë. The chambers were stretched already, providing the emotional
support demanded of any wife and mother. Now, even more was needed from her, due to the complex ramifications of a second marriage.
    She was the maypole around which her family danced. And tonight, Helena felt the ribbons very tight about her chest.
    ‘I’m sorry, Mum, but it’s a no. NO! NO! NO! Okay?’
    ‘For goodness’ sake, darling, it’s a big bedroom! There’s easily enough space for the two of you. You won’t be spending any time in it, anyway, apart from
sleeping.’
    Alex was sitting with his arms crossed and Helena could feel the metaphoric smoke coming out of his ears. ‘Mum, that is not the point. And you know it. You
know
it.’
    ‘Well, I really can’t see any alternative, Alex.’
    ‘I’ll sleep with Immy and Fred, or get bitten to death by mozzies in a sun-lounger on the terrace rather than sleep with
him.
He smells terrible.’
    ‘Yes, he does, Mummy. He farts all the time,’ Immy added unhelpfully.
    ‘For your information, so do you, Immy, but that isn’t the point,’ continued Alex. ‘Apart from the fact he smells, which he does, I hate him. He’s gay.’
    ‘Don’t be ridiculous, Alex! And so what if he was!’ Helena was exasperated.
    ‘Not
gay
gay, Mum, but “gay”. In other words, a complete arseh—’
    ‘Enough, Alex! I’ve had enough! Whether you like it or not, there’s no alternative. I have to give Chloë her own room. She’s a teenage girl and she doesn’t
know any of us except Dad and—’
    ‘Why doesn’t she sleep with
him
, then?’
    ‘Oh for goodness’ sake, Alex! Don’t be facetious.’ Helena stood up and began to pile the dirty supper plates together. ‘I’m trying to do my best for everybody
here and I was hoping I might be able to count on you to help me. Thanks a lot.’ Carrying the plates into the kitchen, she clattered them into the sink, then thumped the drainer with her fist
to release some tension.
    ‘Here you are, Mummy.’ Immy appeared behind her, brandishing a teaspoon. ‘I’m helping you clear up.’
    ‘Thanks, darling,’ Helena said wearily. ‘Can you ask Alex to bring in the rest?’
    ‘No, ’cos he’s gone.’
    ‘Gone where?’
    ‘Dunno. He didn’t say.’
    An hour later, Helena put Immy to bed, then indulged in a long bath in Angus’ ancient but gloriously deep tub. Drying herself with one of the new fluffy towels she’d bought in
Paphos, she put on her robe and padded back downstairs to sit on the terrace. She was just about to reach