A Perfect Cornish Christmas. Phillipa Ashley

Then I also heard that one of my PR clients needs someone to write a customer magazine for a Cornish fashion company and so I said I was probably moving down here, which was a mad idea but I need to grab any chance I can these days while I have the nerve and it would be much more inspiring to write about clothes than screws all the time …’

      ‘I get that,’ Ellie said, still processing how to respond without deflating Scarlett’s optimistic mood.

      ‘Obviously, I won’t earn as much as I did, but enough to contribute to all the household expenses and get by. The whole thing with Rafa last year and then the rent hike, well, they seem like omens to take a leap of faith rather than wallowing here.’

      Omens, eh? Ellie marvelled at her sister’s ability to rationalise. What had actually happened was that Scarlett had consciously – or otherwise – found two new clients that she could work for while living in Cornwall.

      ‘Hun, if it’s any consolation, I never really thought Rafa deserved you and, genuinely, you’re better off without him.’

      ‘Really? You never said that to me before.’

      ‘How could I when you were so down about the split? Now you’ve told me yourself that you’re over him, I may as well say what I think. He was way too full of himself and you’re far too good for him, but that’s history now. And I have no problem with you coming down here and I totally understand that you want to make a fresh start, but you’re forgetting one thing. Mum and Dad might not keep Seaholly Manor for long.’

      ‘I know that, so I called Dad earlier – I’m not asking Mum! – and asked if they had any immediate plans to sell, but he said neither of them had discussed it … Mind you I don’t think they talk much at all these days.’

      ‘I’m sorry, hun.’

      ‘Yeah, well. Dad said it would take months or even years to sell the place even if they did decide to get rid of it, so he reckoned I should go ahead. Between us, I think Mum’s hoping Dad will simply forget what’s happened, but he won’t and neither can I.’

      Ellie heard the break in Scarlett’s voice. Even with Scarlett only a few miles from her parents, it sounded as if there was no prospect of reconciliation on the horizon. ‘I must admit it’s not looking hopeful if they still have separate rooms after this long,’ she said, deciding to be honest. ‘I spoke to Dad last weekend and when I tried to ask how things were going, he almost bit my head off.’

      ‘Did he say anything about a divorce to you?’

      ‘I never got that far. I only tried to suggest gently they go see Relate and he told me to mind my own business and that he and Mum would sort it out on their own. Marcus tried to hint to them to have counselling too, and got the same response.’

      ‘He said the same to me when I met him for coffee last week. He also told me that he doesn’t blame me for the test. He was still Dad, but somehow, I can’t help feeling that he’s taken a step away from me. There’s a distance between us that wasn’t there before.’

      ‘I’m sure that’s not true!’ Ellie was horrified at the thought of a growing rift between Scarlett and their father and hoped her sister was reading the situation wrong.

      ‘He said it didn’t matter who my biological father was, that I’m his daughter in every way that matters and that it was only a terrible accident that he’d found out, but when he kissed me goodbye, it was so quick, as if he couldn’t wait to get away from me.’

      ‘I’m sure Dad would never push you away and he’s right; it isn’t your fault,’ Ellie said gently, yet she felt cold at the idea that their father might possibly be distancing himself from Scarlett, even subconsciously.

      ‘But it’s so strange looking at him now and knowing we have no actual connection, not genetically or even legally. He said he’d changed his will so that I’ll inherit the estate equally with all of you. That was awful to hear, even if he meant it well. Just hearing him say it felt so weird. He didn’t need to even tell me; it seemed such a formal thing to say.’

      ‘Don’t overthink it, hun. Of course, he loves you the same as he always did. You must believe that,’ Ellie said, tiptoeing on eggshells.

      ‘I suppose so, but I can’t help wondering if it must have changed the way he sees me. Mum hasn’t forgiven me for stirring things up, even if she is wrong. Whenever I’m around, she’s so tight and closed – we both are – and I do feel angry with her.’

      ‘Mum will have to accept that. If she’s being awkward with you, it’s because she must feel guilty. Has she given you any clue at all who …?’ In the nick of time, Ellie slammed the brakes on her next phrase. There was no way she was going to refer to any other man but her own father as Scarlett’s dad. ‘Who he might be?’

      ‘She won’t even admit to me or Dad that she had an affair, not even after the other tests we did.’

      ‘It must be driving you mad. I love her, but it would be better if she told Dad the truth. Better for everyone, especially you, and if she did own up, perhaps they could start to move on. Of course you can come down here, as long as you know that one day in the not-too-distant future, we might have to leave again.’

      ‘I know that, and if they do split up – and maybe they won’t – I’ll have to make other plans. Maybe if you want to stay in Porthmellow we can get a flat or a house together. If we keep saving up what we’d have had to fork out in rent, that would help. If you are staying, of course.’ Scarlett’s voice lifted hopefully.

      It was happening again – temptation was being put in her way. The house, Aaron, the community and now Scarlett luring her to linger. Maybe Scarlett was right. This was an omen – a series of omens – that meant she should stay in Porthmellow.

      ‘I don’t know what my long-term plans are. I do like it here and I must admit that I’m very tempted to stay. I’d love to have you … as long as being in Porthmellow again doesn’t stir up unhappy memories.’

      Scarlett huffed. ‘I won’t be going into that pub again, that’s for sure, and it’ll be awkward to even be around the town to start with, but I thought I could see how things go and try to keep a low profile.’

      ‘OK.’ Ellie shook her head, a smile on her face. ‘When are you thinking of coming?’

      ‘Um. Two weeks’ time?’

      ‘Two weeks?’

      ‘Actually, less than two weeks. I plan on coming down a week on Thursday. Is that OK? One of the neighbours has offered to bring some of my stuff down in his van when he visits his boyfriend in St Ives the following weekend. I can manage with what I can fit in my car until then.’

      Bloody hell, Scarlett really did have everything worked out. She must have been thinking this over for a while. ‘Yes … it’s slightly short notice, but why not? Let me know what I can do to help.’

      Ellie spent a while making more arrangements and then put down the phone. She went into the kitchen to cook some supper, realising that she was now starving. Even after a day at the café, she found it relaxing to slice a few mushrooms, grate some Gruyère and whip up an omelette.

      While she chopped and cooked, her mind worked overtime on the latest surprise this day had delivered. Having her sister around would be different. It could be a lot of fun but it would also cause disruption. She’d become used to her own company, and she and Scarlett did argue sometimes, but Scarlett was obviously hell bent on this plan. Ellie had been reminded of how much her sister had been affected by the revelations on Christmas Day. Finding out her father wasn’t her biological dad must have left an enormous hole in her life, and their mother’s continued state of denial and unspoken anger with her daughter wasn’t helping at all. In one fell swoop, Scarlett had lost both parents to some degree. This change in lifestyle might be her way of getting through it.

      And all of this happened just after the split with her