tried to gather them but my hands shook so badly, they fell from my grasp.
After a perfunctory knock Leon came in and seeing my difficulty, bundled them into the toilet bag for me. He grabbed the discarded robe and gown and shoved them in the bag he carried.
"What's going to happen to me and my baby?"
That made him pause. "How old are you?"
"S..s..seventeen."
He swore soft lurid curses, closed his eyes, and ran a tanned hand across his face. He caught my hand, grabbed the hastily packed bag, adding a pillow and rug and propelled me to the internal garage.
"Lie in the back seat. Cover yourself with a rug. Show your face and it will be plastered across every newspaper in Australia tomorrow, or maybe worse, okay?"
Traumatized, I had no choice but to obey. As his car sped through the night, I buried my face in the pillow to muffle my tears—
Veronica shuddered and leapt from the chair, the memory as fresh as yesterday. She chewed the knuckles on her fist. How could I have been so naïve, so stupid? Why didn't I question Leon? Refuse to go along with his edicts?
Leon had taken her to his home in Melbourne. At Claremont, he handed her over into the care of his wife. It was Julia who told her of Yannis's suicide, his embezzlement of company funds, his huge gambling debts. The scandals had rocked Australia.
She'd never forgiven Yannis his betrayal. Or Julia for telling her.
She slapped a palm against her forehead.
I knew returning here would be difficult, but surely it shouldn't be this hard. And the sooner naïve, gullible Ricki Langdon dies the better.
From here on out, pragmatic, sensible, take no bullshit Veronica, was firmly in charge.
A knock on the door broke her into her troubled thoughts and she welcomed the distraction. "Come in."
The door opened and a woman entered.
Veronica somehow managed to control her shocked surprise. Yannis's widow was the very last person she'd expected.
"Hello, Ricki." Sonia Karvasis's smile was wary. "Leon asked me to visit. He's worried you'll feel alone and isolated."
Veronica didn't miss the irony. Her last encounter with this woman had not been pleasant.
"Sonia," she said, cautious. "It was kind of Leon to suggest you visit. I know very few people in Melbourne."
The years had treated the other woman kindly. Her blonde hair showed no hint of grey. Her blue eyes seemed much softer. Amazed, Veronica realised she wasn't intimidated.
I'm no longer a scared, pregnant seventeen-year old girl, either.
Once she'd taken everyone at face value.
Maturity made her more discerning.
Sonia's presence stirred too many questions. Could she seek answers? Did she really want to know? Or would the answers be far too unpalatable?
"Does Leon have any kindness for either you or me?" Sonia asked with a bitter little laugh.
A shiver, as cold as snakeskin, slithered down Veronica's spine. "Oh?"
Sonia walked across to the window twisting restless hands. "Leon's my children's guardian. Everything I do with regard to Andreas and Katya, he has to approve."
Veronica frowned doing the mental arithmetic, "Andreas is what, sixteen?"
"Fourteen going on forty. And he's far too angry. He resents Leon's petty restrictions, his unrealistic expectations."
"Surely Leon has his best interests at heart?"
"Leon's far too hard on my son." Sonia turned from the window and something in her expression made Veronica even more wary. "He struggles to distinguish Andreas from his father."
She watched the blonde, her heart jerking in her chest. "And you're surprised?"
Even now, Veronica struggled with the enormity of Yannis's deception, his calculated cruelty, the immorality of not only his actions, but Leon's and Julia's too. They had all preyed on a love-starved girl's infatuation.
Oh yes, it was more than time to kill off Ricki.
Was Andreas heading along the same path? Was this the root of Leon's concern?
Sonia's eyes narrowed. "Not really. Yannis was an
After a perfunctory knock Leon came in and seeing my difficulty, bundled them into the toilet bag for me. He grabbed the discarded robe and gown and shoved them in the bag he carried.
"What's going to happen to me and my baby?"
That made him pause. "How old are you?"
"S..s..seventeen."
He swore soft lurid curses, closed his eyes, and ran a tanned hand across his face. He caught my hand, grabbed the hastily packed bag, adding a pillow and rug and propelled me to the internal garage.
"Lie in the back seat. Cover yourself with a rug. Show your face and it will be plastered across every newspaper in Australia tomorrow, or maybe worse, okay?"
Traumatized, I had no choice but to obey. As his car sped through the night, I buried my face in the pillow to muffle my tears—
Veronica shuddered and leapt from the chair, the memory as fresh as yesterday. She chewed the knuckles on her fist. How could I have been so naïve, so stupid? Why didn't I question Leon? Refuse to go along with his edicts?
Leon had taken her to his home in Melbourne. At Claremont, he handed her over into the care of his wife. It was Julia who told her of Yannis's suicide, his embezzlement of company funds, his huge gambling debts. The scandals had rocked Australia.
She'd never forgiven Yannis his betrayal. Or Julia for telling her.
She slapped a palm against her forehead.
I knew returning here would be difficult, but surely it shouldn't be this hard. And the sooner naïve, gullible Ricki Langdon dies the better.
From here on out, pragmatic, sensible, take no bullshit Veronica, was firmly in charge.
A knock on the door broke her into her troubled thoughts and she welcomed the distraction. "Come in."
The door opened and a woman entered.
Veronica somehow managed to control her shocked surprise. Yannis's widow was the very last person she'd expected.
"Hello, Ricki." Sonia Karvasis's smile was wary. "Leon asked me to visit. He's worried you'll feel alone and isolated."
Veronica didn't miss the irony. Her last encounter with this woman had not been pleasant.
"Sonia," she said, cautious. "It was kind of Leon to suggest you visit. I know very few people in Melbourne."
The years had treated the other woman kindly. Her blonde hair showed no hint of grey. Her blue eyes seemed much softer. Amazed, Veronica realised she wasn't intimidated.
I'm no longer a scared, pregnant seventeen-year old girl, either.
Once she'd taken everyone at face value.
Maturity made her more discerning.
Sonia's presence stirred too many questions. Could she seek answers? Did she really want to know? Or would the answers be far too unpalatable?
"Does Leon have any kindness for either you or me?" Sonia asked with a bitter little laugh.
A shiver, as cold as snakeskin, slithered down Veronica's spine. "Oh?"
Sonia walked across to the window twisting restless hands. "Leon's my children's guardian. Everything I do with regard to Andreas and Katya, he has to approve."
Veronica frowned doing the mental arithmetic, "Andreas is what, sixteen?"
"Fourteen going on forty. And he's far too angry. He resents Leon's petty restrictions, his unrealistic expectations."
"Surely Leon has his best interests at heart?"
"Leon's far too hard on my son." Sonia turned from the window and something in her expression made Veronica even more wary. "He struggles to distinguish Andreas from his father."
She watched the blonde, her heart jerking in her chest. "And you're surprised?"
Even now, Veronica struggled with the enormity of Yannis's deception, his calculated cruelty, the immorality of not only his actions, but Leon's and Julia's too. They had all preyed on a love-starved girl's infatuation.
Oh yes, it was more than time to kill off Ricki.
Was Andreas heading along the same path? Was this the root of Leon's concern?
Sonia's eyes narrowed. "Not really. Yannis was an
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