Time Will Tell by Fiona McCallum Page A

hand to her forehead, but stopped herself just in time, and instead forced her attention back to Jake, who had just asked her a question.
    â€˜Well, why let your mother continue to think otherwise, especially now you’ve left him?’
    â€˜My wife, whom I do love dearly, bless her, tends to get a bit star struck,’ Des said. ‘When Emily married the most eligible man in the district – supposedly anyway – Enid thought it was the best thing since sliced bread,’ he continued. ‘Even if Emily had told her the truth, it wouldn’t have made any difference. She has the Strattens so high up on a pedestal that she would never hear a word against any of them. In her opinion Emily blew it. John couldn’t do anything that would warrant her leaving, because the Strattens have the wealth and social standing Enid has always craved. The wealth I couldn’t give her, as it turned out,’ he added quietly.
    â€˜Money isn’t everything,’ Jake asked.
    â€˜I’m afraid Enid has never quite grasped the concept that money doesn’t buy happiness.’
    â€˜But surely she can see it now; that his money wasn’t enough to keep her daughter happy?’
    â€˜No, I’m afraid she just thinks Emily is a fool. Sorry dear,’ he added, grimacing at his daughter.
    â€˜And I haven’t had the heart to tell her that he’s actually quite broke – well, he was until the payout from the family company,’ Emily said.
    â€˜He is? He was?’ Des said in disbelief.
    â€˜Yep,’ she said, taking a sip of cordial. ‘Last time I saw the bank accounts they were almost empty.’ Emily left it at that. She could have told them about the trips to the casino, the amount he spent on beer, hard liquor, and cigarettes each week, but chose not to.
    Emily couldn’t believe the frank discussion she was having with her father. She felt a little exhilarated; pleased it was out in the open, but at the same time disappointed. The person who really needed to hear all this – her mother – wasn’t hearing it. Again she had the unsettling feeling that everything had changed yet nothing was different.
    She and Des reached for the jug at the same time. It seemed they were both trying to fill the awkward silence.
    â€˜Sorry,’ they muttered to each other.
    â€˜Allow me,’ Jake said, picking up the jug and filling up their glasses. They settled back into their separate thoughts.
    As Emily leant back from the table, the urge to continue the conversation about her mother’s issues sat like a heavy cloud over her. But she couldn’t ask her father – he was probably already regretting what he had said.
    If Enid knew and understood, would it make things better? Or could it actually make things worse? Her mother, after all, was an expert at seeing what she wanted to see and ignoring what she didn’t.
    Emily hated that about her; the apparent vagueness, like a roller blind coming down when something arose that Enid didn’t want to hear, believe or confront.
    She supposed she must have got her own forthrightness from her father – though he rarely showed it like he had today. He kept a lid on it when Enid was within hearing. How could someone live like that, day after day, year after year? And why would they?
    Emily went over what her father had said and how he’d said it, and thought she detected an undercurrent of guilt – as if Enid was somehow the way she was because of him. Because he hadn’t been wealthy enough.
    No. It probably had more to do with Enid feeling second best. She remembered their conversation from only a week or so ago, when Des had told her about his first – and possibly only – true love, Katherine Baker; how she’d been killed in a riding accident all those years ago. How sad he’d seemed, sitting under the apricot tree just up the gully. It was as though it had only happened