The sound of the front door opening reached Faith’s ears, followed by Eve’s footsteps. A moment later, Eve entered the lounge room. She possessed her usual poise, but her face showed a hint of weariness. However, there was a spark of the woman Faith had glimpsed in the morning there .
“Thanks for taking care of everything for me,” Eve said.
“No problem,” Faith replied. “I just put the twins to bed if you want to say goodnight to them. Leah could use it.”
“Is she all right?”
“She was upset all afternoon. She didn’t want to do her homework. She’s been struggling a little with it lately.” Once again, Leah had expressed that she didn’t want Eve to be disappointed in her, although not in as many words.
“I’ll go talk to her. I’ll be back down soon.”
Eve disappeared upstairs. Faith busied herself tidying up the lounge room while she waited. She and Eve would have to have a conversation about Leah soon, but with Eve so clearly worn down from work, now wasn’t a good time. Which also meant their other serious conversation, about the events of the morning, might have to wait too.
When Eve returned, she collapsed onto the couch next to Faith. “Christ, this has been a long day.”
“Want to talk about it?” Faith asked.
“Well, aside from things at work getting busy, Harrison is being difficult. I’m taking the twins to see my parents in England next week, and he’s up in arms about me leaving the country with them. He wants to get his lawyers involved.” Eve threw her hands up. “He spent most of the twins’ lives barely acknowledging their existence, and suddenly he wants to be a father to them. And now this with Leah. She’s upset about something, but she refuses to tell me what. Did she say anything to you?”
Faith hesitated. “Not specifically.”
“What is it?” Eve asked.
“I have an idea of why she’s upset, but I don’t know if it’s my place to say anything. ”
“Go ahead. I won’t hold it against you.”
Faith chose her words carefully. “Leah, she feels like she’s under a lot of pressure from you.”
“I suspected as much,” Eve said. “It’s true, I push her. I want her and Ethan to make the most of their potential, that’s all.”
“I think she feels like you put more pressure on her than Ethan. That you compare her to him. That you’re disappointed in her when she doesn’t measure up to her brother.”
Eve was silent for a moment. “That’s not how I feel. Not at all. I didn’t know Leah felt that way. She’s never said anything to me.”
“Well, she didn’t say it to me in those words. But she sees that you push her harder than Ethan, and she’s afraid of disappointing you.”
“I never meant for this to happen.” Eve rubbed her temples with her fingertips. “It’s true. I’ve always put more pressure on Leah than Ethan. But it’s for her own good. I want her to be able to choose her own future.”
“And she’ll be able to do that. You’re giving Leah and Ethan every opportunity a child could possibly have.”
“It’s not just about opportunities. I need to make sure that Leah has all the tools she needs to do whatever she wants with her life. Ethan, his future is already secure. Harrison is grooming him to be the heir to his company and his family fortune. Even if Ethan doesn’t want to follow in his father’s footsteps, his status will open every door for him. But Leah? If Harrison and his family have their way, there’s only one path for her, and it’s a narrow one. They expect her to grow up, get married, pop out children, and be the perfect housewife, living only to serve her husband. Just like they expected of Harrison’s sisters. Just like they expected of me.”
Faith knew what that was like. Her own family had expected the same thing of her.
“If that’s what Leah wants, that’s fine,” Eve said. “But I don’t want her growing up thinking that’s her only option. I want her to know that there are other paths she can take. I want to put her in a position where she can succeed in spite of her father and his family. I need Leah to know that she can build a fulfilling life for herself, one that doesn’t revolve around her family. And I need her to know that she’s not less than the men in her life.”
A pained expression crossed Eve’s face. “Everything I’ve done, all the pressure I’ve been putting on her, was so she wouldn’t grow up thinking she’s lesser. Instead, I’ve made her think she doesn’t measure up to her brother. I need to fix this. I can’t have her growing up believing she’s a disappointment. I’ll talk to her. Apologize. Lay off her a little, especially with the extra schoolwork. Clearly, it’s making her miserable. Who knows what that will do to her grades?”
“Leah’s already ahead of most kids her age. And she has lots of other talents too. Her violin teacher is impressed with her progress. He says she has a gift for music.”
“Really? I haven’t heard her play in a long time.” Eve sighed. “I suppose it’s because I’m never home these days. Juggling work and the kids, it isn’t easy.”
“Don’t forget you have help,” Faith said.
“I do. The best help I could ask for.”
Eve gave Faith a small smile before folding her hands in her lap, her expression growing serious. Faith knew that face. It meant business .