Chapter Twenty-Six

Evie raced into the kitchen, dumping several shopping bags by the door and kicking off her boots.

‘Sorry, sorry, sorry. I know I’m late and it’s seven-thirty, but my phone battery died. Did you get the text from Juniper saying we were on the way? You didn’t reply and …’ Evie stopped in her tracks. ‘What’s wrong? Has something happened?’ Everyone was unusually quiet. Busy doing things, but no one was talking. That was unheard of in the Starr’s kitchen. ‘Mum?’

Molly threw her a wan smile. ‘Sorry sweetheart. I was miles away. Did you get my text?’

‘Um. No. That’s what I just said. My battery died. What’s up?’

‘We’ve heard from Severine,’ John said, glancing up from an intense study of his mug of tea.

‘Oh great,’ Evie said, her mouth downcast. ‘I mean. Oh great. That’s fabulous. Um. I know she can be a pain but you’re usually excited to see her. Even I’m excited to see her … sometimes. What’s wrong? Don’t tell me. You told her about the Thorns being here and she threw a tantrum, didn’t she?’

Molly had poured Evie a cup of tea without asking if she wanted one and as she handed it to Evie, she nodded.

Jessie tutted from her armchair by the Aga. ‘She threw a tantrum. But not for the reason you think.’

‘Oh? Why then? But more importantly, when is she arriving? She’d better get here soon or she might not be able to. Juniper says the forecast is horrendous …’ She let her voice trail off. Raven was sitting by the window, staring out, but she turned to face Evie and it was clear she had been crying. ‘Raven? Are you OK? Will someone please tell me what’s going on?’

‘Mum’s not coming home for Christmas.’ Raven’s voice was extraordinarily calm. Worryingly so. ‘That’s what’s going on. She’s spending it in Las Vegas. Why? You might ask. Because she’s going there to get married. Married! Just like that. To some guy I hardly know. To some guy she hardly knows. But they’re coming over for New Year. And then, guess what? We’re moving to New York. Well, I’m not. I don’t care what she says. I’ll be sixteen soon and I can choose where I want to live. And it isn’t in bloody New York!’

Severine was getting married? Over Christmas? Without her daughter present? And moving to New York. No wonder Raven was crying. No wonder they were all in shock. Severine could be selfish, but she had never done anything like this. Although she had moved to London shortly after Raven was born, without telling anyone she was going until the very day she left.

‘Why the rush?’ It was all Evie could think to say.

‘Oh, that’s the best bit,’ Raven said. ‘I’m gonna have a baby brother or sister. Whoopee! Isn’t that exciting?’ She swiped at her tearful eyes. ‘I suppose that is exciting. It just doesn’t feel like it right now.’

This time, Evie couldn’t think of anything to say. She looked from Raven to her mum and her dad and then her gran. Everyone was dumbstruck. Even Logan, who was skulking in the background, virtually blended with the cupboards.

‘Married and pregnant? Bloody hell.’ Evie marched over to Raven and wrapped her arms around her. Raven sung into the embrace, quietly sobbing. And Evie glanced at her mum. ‘When did she call?’

‘Almost an hour ago,’ Molly said. ‘We’re all still trying to take it in. We’ve all hugged and had a little cry, but it doesn’t seem real. Severine always comes home for Christmas.’

That was the least important issue right now. Raven must be going through hell. And yet it wasn’t all bad. Raven hadn’t run off to her room. That was something. Although Evie wouldn’t have blamed her for a moment if she had. She was entitled to be furious over this.

‘So why did Severine have a tantrum? Because you told her you don’t want to live in New York?’ Evie stroked Raven’s hair.

Raven shook her head beneath Evie’s hand. ‘I didn’t get a chance to tell her. As soon as she found out Zachary Thorn was staying here, filming his TV show, she threw a fit.’

‘Someone told her about Zachary? After she’d just dropped that bombshell.’

‘I told her,’ Jessie said. ‘The entire conversation was on speakerphone. She had the cheek to tell us that Harvey (Jessie used a shrill voice to say his name) didn’t want a quiet, family Christmas. He prefers shows and casinos, bright lights and crowds of people. That’s why they’re in Las Vegas. Then he ‘popped the question right out of the blue’ (again the shrill voice, but this time imitating Severine). I lost my temper. I told her that we wouldn’t be having a quiet family Christmas. And about Zachary and the show. Then she had a tantrum and said we should have told her. That if she’d known she might have persuaded Harvey to come. Then she slammed the phone down.’

‘After you told her she and Harvey wouldn’t be missed,’ John said, but he wasn’t cross with Jessie, that was obvious.

‘She deserved it,’ Jessie said, twisting in her seat to face the centre of the room. ‘Severine thinks far too much about what she wants, and far too little about others. She’s the one who hates quiet family Christmases. She always has. She does nothing but moan when she’s here. All she says is that she can’t wait to go home. As if spending time with us is a burden she has to bear, not something she should cherish and enjoy.’

Jessie threw Raven a look and Evie hugged her niece tighter.

Raven lifted her head. ‘I did that, didn’t I? When I first arrived. I’m sorry, Grammie. I’m sorry, everyone.’

‘There’s no need,’ Evie said, and smiled as everyone said the same, or something very similar.

Raven smiled too. ‘I’m gonna try really hard to make sure I don’t behave that way again. I … I don’t have to go and live in New York, do I?’

‘No,’ Evie said. ‘Not if you don’t want to.’

‘I’m sure we can work something out,’ Molly added. ‘And you’re more than welcome to live here, if you’d like to and Severine agrees. But she is your mum. Don’t you want to be with her?’

Raven shrugged. ‘I do. I suppose. But not in New York. And not with this guy I don’t really know. And I’ll be in the way when the new baby arrives.’

‘Of course you won’t!’ Molly said. ‘You’ll probably be a great help to your mum.’

Raven looked as if she were miles away. ‘At least my brother or sister will know who their dad is. That’s more than I do.’

A clatter of pans hitting the floor startled everyone, even Logan – and he was the one who dropped them.