Marcus looked surprised, and Louise smiled at him—a smile that April sensed held an undercurrent of sadness.
Then, as if she’d felt April’s gaze, Louise stood up. ‘If we’re ready, let’s head in to dinner.’
Dinner was amazing—the food melt-in-the-mouth incredible. Conversation flowed, orchestrated by Louise and Bill. Topics ranged from politics to business to the nitty-gritty of Elvira’s university course.
Marcus played his part—a
nd yet there was something April couldn’t put her finger on. It was almost as if Marcus was effacing himself from the conversation.
‘This is an amazing house,’ April said. ‘Did you grow up here?’
‘No,’ Elvira chipped in. ‘We grew up in town—it’s where I live now. We converted it into a student house when Mum and Dad moved here a couple of years ago. Marcus gave them this house.’
Marcus frowned, and April knew he hadn’t wanted his sister to divulge that fact.
‘Time for dessert,’ Louise said.
‘Can I help?’ April offered.
‘That would be lovely,’ the older woman agreed.
Marcus’s frown deepened into a scowl.
April couldn’t help it—she grinned down at him as they left. ‘Don’t look so grumpy, Marcus. I’m sure Louise has nothing but good things to share about you.’
Before he could answer she hotfooted it after Louise into a typical country kitchen where she felt instantly at home. Louise opened the fridge and pulled out the most decadent chocolate cake April had ever seen.
‘Vegan—so it’s dairy-free,’ Louise said.
‘Thank you.’ A pang of guilt shot through April. ‘I am so sorry to put you to so much trouble.’
‘It’s no trouble.’
Louise extracted a bowl of raspberries and closed the fridge door.
‘We didn’t want to accept the house,’ she said suddenly. ‘We knew it was Marcus’s way of paying us back and we didn’t want that. We never wanted him to feel in our debt, but I know he did. In the end we agreed to take it because it meant so much to him that we did. And because he chose a house he knew I’d always loved. Goodness knows how he persuaded the previous owner to sell, or how much he had to pay for it...’ She shrugged. ‘I guess I wanted you to know that we aren’t after his money.’
‘I wouldn’t have thought that.’
‘Good. So, is there anything else you want to ask me? I can tell you exactly how proud we are of Marcus—of his achievements and his sheer courage and grit. He worked so very hard to catch up on his education—didn’t give up even when he realised how far behind he was. And the way he was with Elvira...it was heartbreaking. He looked after her with a gentleness and a love I can’t describe. He was and is an amazing brother.’
Louise handed April a stack of plates.
April wanted to ask so much more but restrained herself—she knew that Marcus would loathe the idea that they were discussing him, and yet this was her opportunity to discover more about the man she might have made a baby with. The temptation was great but before she could say another word the door opened and Marcus came in. ‘Sorry to interrupt—’
‘No, you aren’t,’ Louise said. ‘But don’t worry, Marcus, I haven’t said anything you wouldn’t like. And now it’s time for dessert.’
Two pieces of cake and a cup of tea later, April thanked Louise and Bill for the meal.
‘I’m glad it was all right. I was surprised at how many of my usual dishes include dairy. I’d love it if you could share some dairy-free recipes with me.’
April blinked. Her mind was a complete blank; not a single dairy-free idea could she come up with. Did pasta contain milk?
‘Of course. I’ll get your email address from Marcus.’
‘Thank you.’
But there was a small frown on Louise’s face as she turned to Marcus to say goodbye.