They were a family.
36
Grace stood at the edge of the ocean and felt the sun warm her bones. Deciding to come to St Barts had been the smartest thing she had done all year, she thought, as she looked at the crystal clear water of Flamands Bay.
No one knew she was there and she liked it that way. She only took her sisters’ and Spencer’s calls and ignored Frank’s pleading messages. Time was something she had had little of over the past months and she had created a routine that soothed her heart and soul.
She slept late each morning, walked along the shore in her large white sunhat. Ate a leisurely breakfast. Went back to her room at the Isle de France Hotel and read or slept, watched movies in bed and then rose for a swim in the sea. She avoided the pool and the dining rooms, escaping conversation about why a single woman was holidaying alone.
Her computer kept her in touch with the world, but she avoided the emails from Frank, deleting them as soon as they came into her inbox. She had nothing to say to him and she didn’t want to hear his arguments about his concealment of his wealth and connections.
Daily, she fought the urge to type his name into the computer and learn more about him; instead she started to read the auction reports and the news on the art world again. She forgot how much she had missed it, as she read the reports from Cranfields that Alan still sent to her in the hope that she would return to his business.
She looked through the fine jewellery report that Alan had sent her, asking her opinion on some of the items up for auction. As Grace went through the list and images with an expert eye, she made her notes on all the items.
Dear Alan,
she wrote in her email back to him.
The jewels are divine. Well done on getting the lot. The hero piece is definitely the square cut yellow diamond ring. The attached report says it is virtually flawless. Initial estimation is $320,000 but I think it could go for more. Market it as the main item. I think PR could do a lot with getting this out into the market, also make sure press is placed in LA and Hong Kong. Some woman will be very happy with this one!
G x
Grace looked at the picture again on the screen. Now that was an engagement ring, she thought, as she closed her laptop and lay on the bed. How long could she stay away from New York, she wondered. Could she go back for Christmas? It would be their first Christmas as a real family. Birdie would be home and Spencer was officially their father.
She sighed and rolled over on the bed and thought about Frank. She missed him but was so angry with him. She thumped the feather pillow with her hands.
‘Bastard,’ she said out loud. ‘Fucking prick,’ she said, and punched the pillow harder, repeatedly.
She jumped up and pulled on her yellow Phillip Lim bikini and pulled her Camilla caftan over the top. She grabbed her new issues ofAmerican Vogueand walked towards the beach. The beach attendant jumped to attention and laid out her towel and adjusted the umbrella over her. As she settled, she lay watching the ripples of waves and accepted the bottled Evian the man brought her.
A nice place for a honeymoon, she thought. She looked around; she was the only one on the beach. Most people were by the pool.
Why do people come to beach resorts and then never go in the ocean, she wondered as she opened her magazine. As she flicked though the pages, she saw Violetta was the new IT girl that month. Photos of her were taken out on the town in her various outfits that defied fashion and yet worked aesthetically.
Grace peered at the photos. She was fabulous, she thought proudly of her sister; she had courage and street smarts that Grace seemed to lack. She had always thought of herself as the stable one, even with her issues with alcohol. But she had sought help and had beaten it, well almost.
She closed the magazine and stared straight ahead. What did she want, she wondered. She hardly knew any more. I’ll sit here until I know, she told herself, and got off her lounger, took off her hat and sunglasses, and walked down to the water’s edge. The water was warm and she walked in, threw herself into the depths and floated with her eyes closed against the sun. She lay with her head half submerged, only her face out of the water. The rocking of the waves was comforting.
‘Fancy meeting you here,’ she heard.
She stood up in the waist high water and rubbed her eyes, which were spotting from the glare of the sun. As her eyes adjusted, she saw an outline of a man standing in the water next to her.
‘Frank,’ she cried.
‘Hello, Grace.’
He looked anxious. How would she react, he wondered.
‘How did you find me?’ she asked, incredulous.
‘I asked a few people,’ he said vaguely.
‘But no one knew I was here, not even my family. I suppose money can help you with that,’ she said angrily, and strode out of the water.
Frank followed, wearing patterned shorts that Grace thought were ridiculous.
‘Grace, we have to talk,’ he said, as she started to gather her things from the lounger.
