A Family Affair - First Born (22 page)

“I don’t understand. I thought Kane was your...”

“Kane is the product of my late husband’s affair many years ago. Apparently, he and his receptionist, Sarah, carried on behind my back. I never knew. Anyway, she gave birth to Kane, and gave him up for adoption. Jack claimed he didn’t know about the child, but now, I’m not sure what to think.”

Margaret suddenly noticed that Janet’s face was turning white. “What is it, Janet? You’re changing colour before my eyes.”

“Did you just tell me that Kane is Sarah’s son?”

“Yes.”

“We didn’t know that. We assumed that Sarah’s first son was estranged from the family.”

“I don’t understand what that has to do with...”

“Margaret, please. Don’t you understand? Nikki is not my biological daughter. She was also Sarah’s child – her second born. Nikki doesn’t know that.”

Both women stared at each other.

“Oh, Lord! It’s all making sense to me,” Margaret exclaimed. “Tom said that Jack collapsed after he saw them together. Is it possible that Jack knew this? Could Jack have known they are half siblings?”

“Yes, my husband told him.”

“And neither of them thought to tell the girl herself?” Margaret was horrified.

“My husband asked Jack not to tell Nikki about her true biological mother. It was for selfish reasons...”

“How could you not tell her, Janet?”

“We didn’t know about Kane. We thought he was your child. Jack didn’t tell us.”

“I can’t believe Jack kept that to himself. What was he thinking? I knew there was more to this story than I was being led to believe. He must have felt so shocked to see them together.”

“How could this happen?” Janet was looking around for her husband. “Nikki is pregnant with her half-brother’s child. How can I tell her that?”

“Well, someone better tell those kids. Listen up, Janet - you need to tell Nikki the truth tonight, or I will. Do you understand?”

Janet nodded. “We should have told her years ago. This is all our fault. We just never thought Sarah’s son would re-emerge into your family. Why didn’t Jack tell us?”

Margaret looked at Janet with sudden pity. The woman needed to sort her own family issues out as a matter of some urgency. “I think you should best leave, Janet.”

“Yes.” Janet turned to Ken who had reappeared. He had been out of earshot during the women’s conversation. They had a lot to talk about.

After today, Margaret didn’t want anything to do with this troubled family. It was going to be her new mission in life to keep Tom away from them too.

Ellen could tell that Tom was starting to lose his cool, and he was normally a very patient man. His phone conversation with Margaret had lasted thirty minutes so far, and Ellen could hear the drama in her voice from six feet away. Margaret was obviously upset. They all were. Jack’s death was hard to accept. Nikki and Kane being related was also difficult to comprehend. The family was in an emotional state of shock. Tom’s family lunch had been organised with the best of intentions – he wanted to bring everyone closer. Unfortunately it had achieved the exact opposite. It had split the family into irreconcilable parts.

When Tom finally put the phone down, he tried to explain. “She is worried that Nikki is going to sue Jack’s estate. Apparently, Jack didn’t make her sign a pre-nuptial agreement.”

“Well he wouldn’t have had time.”

“No.”

“Nikki has her own money. I wouldn’t have thought she was likely to sue, given everything that has happened. Is that the main thing your mother is worried about?”

“No.” Tom sighed. “She thinks Jack’s death could have been avoided if everyone had been honest about Nikki’s parentage. She thinks Dad would have divorced Nikki and remarried her, given time.”

Ellen remembered some of her earlier conversations with Jack when he described how much he was enjoying his new life. She doubted he would have reunited with Margaret under any circumstances. It was hard to reconcile Margaret’s attitude with her memories from speaking to Jack, although they hadn’t seen him for a few weeks before his death. Ellen supposed it was possible that he and Margaret had grown closer. They would never know now.

It had now been a week since Jack’s funeral; a week since Tom had learnt about Ellen’s night with Ever since Kane. that day, Tom had been acting differently towards her. He was upset to have lost his father and to have lost trust in the woman he loved. And he wasn’t letting Ellen comfort him. He was choosing to face both issues alone.

“I’m sorry she is upset,” Ellen said. “I’m sorry about a lot of things.”

Tom looked at Ellen knowingly. “I know I’ve been a little distant, Elle. I have just needed some space to process everything. I miss the old man so much. I can’t believe that I can’t pick up the phone and call him. None of this makes sense to me.”

“My dishonesty hasn’t helped either. I promise to be one hundred per cent honest with you in the future. Even if I think it will hurt you.”

“I know why you didn’t tell me. Once you’d determined that the baby was mine, you saw our future together, and didn’t want to ruin what was otherwise so perfect. I might have done the same thing.”

“I swear to you that I didn’t choose what happened with Kane. I don’t remember any of it. I woke up, and it had happened, in a past sense.”

“Hey, I know. You don’t need to explain again.”

“I just need you to understand that I would never choose another man over you, especially not him.”

“Elle, Kane’s not part of our life any longer, and I forgive you for what happened.”

“Do you?”

“Yes. I will always forgive you, but give me that opportunity yourself next time. Tell me immediately. Don’t make me find out from someone else. That’s the thing that hurts the most.” Tom bent down at Ellen’s feet. It was obvious there was more he wanted to say. “After what happened between Chloe and me, I will never be able to judge you for your mistakes. I’m disappointed, don’t misunderstand me. But I would have loved you and this child, no matter who the father was.”

Tears started to fill Ellen’s eyes. He loved her, and everything was going to be fine. “Can you hold me, Tom?”

“Of course.” He embraced her with an almost desperate urgency. After a few minutes, he pulled away. A new thought was written all over his face. “Elle, I was wondering something - have you spoken to Nikki since the funeral?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Mum wanted to know. She kept saying that we need to distance ourselves from their family. I hate to admit it, but I think I agree with Mother on this one.”

“Well, I hope you don’t mind then, but I did call her. I just wanted to make sure she was okay. I won’t see her or talk to her again if you don’t wish me to.” That was the least that Ellen could do.

“It’s okay. I was actually curious myself. How did she handle the news?”

“Not well. Her parents went straight to her apartment after leaving the funeral to tell her everything. It must have been quite a shock.”

“I still can’t believe it - Kane and her having the same mother. What are the chances of that?”

“A million to one. She is devastated, you know. She accepts full responsibility for Jack’s heart attack now.”

“Well, Dad knew the truth apparently. He should have told Nikki before it was too late.”

Ellen shook her head. “He would never have thought it was possible for them to...” Ellen couldn’t say the words. “Nikki
’s not sure whether she should keep the baby now, given what is now known. She is going to see a specialist next week for advice.”

“Sounds like a good idea.”

“The funny thing about this situation is that she doesn’t believe that Kane is her half-brother. She says she would know if he was. She wants them to be tested, but apparently he is still not returning her calls.”

“They don’t look anything alike - that is for certain,” Tom said.

“I was thinking that too. Is it possible that Ken and Janet could be wrong about everything?”

“Nothing would surprise me now.”

“No.”

“Anyway, Kane will have to be tested for paternity if Nikki does keep the child. She will be able to determine if they are related at that point. If needed, her lawyer could issue Kane with a court order. Hopefully he’ll do the right thing, and it won’t come to that.”

“I could hardly understand what she was saying. There was a lot of crying.”

“We can’t blame her for being upset.”

“No. But I sensed that she also feels guilty about deciding not to attend the funeral.”

“Mum would have thrown her out if she had shown up.”

“I know.” Ellen could clearly imagine Margaret throwing Nikki out of the funeral. The woman wouldn’t have hesitated for a second. “You know... she can’t believe that Jack knew that Sarah was her biological mother, and didn’t tell her. And so now, she feels betrayed by him too.”

Tom sighed. “It’s a lot to take in. I don’t know how I would handle all that.”

“I hope she is able to get past this. I mean, she’s lost everyone. There’s no one left that she trusts.”

“It shows the importance of being honest.”

“We need to remember this moment, Tom. Next time one of us is tempted to keep information secret, hold on to what we have learned here.”

Tom and Ellen’s son was born three and a half months later, and it was the happiest day of Tom’s life. Angus Robert Bradley was perfect in every way. Tom was present during the birth and stayed by Ellen’s side as she learnt how to breastfeed. They shared wonderful times together while bonding with their new son.

As happy as he and Ellen were, Tom hadn’t been able to shake the sensation that everything in his life was not as it seemed. He had felt this way for a while now, but hadn’t discussed it with anyone. He couldn’t point a finger at any one person in particular and accuse them of deceptive behaviour; everyone in his life was there because he loved and trusted them - Ellen, his mother, Hayden, Robert, Elizabeth, and Estella, just to name a few. They were the most important people in his life. Nonetheless, there had been too many strange events over the past year, and Tom was convinced that not everything in his life was as it seemed.

Of course, the two most deceptive members of his family had recently been removed from his life. Kane and Nikki were no longer welcome in his company, and as far as he knew, Ellen would not be maintaining an ongoing relationship with Nikki either. The two girls hadn’t spoken in months now. Nikki had recovered from the shock of recent events and would survive without Ellen as a friend. He had heard she had broken up her band, and moved overseas to start a new life. It was for the best.

Kane, on the other hand, wasn’t staying low to the ground. With regard to Jack’s will, Mother had been wrong to doubt Nikki’s integrity. It was Kane who was suing Jack’s estate, and the legal dispute was sure to continue for some time. It was annoying but nothing more. On principle, Tom didn’t want Kane to inherit any of the estate, but if the courts disagreed, so be it. The Bradleys had more than enough money at the end of the day.

To satisfy his own curiosity, Tom waited a couple of weeks after Angus’ birth and then ordered a second paternity test. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Ellen. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Ellen had given him a copy of the paternity test signed by Dr Walsh, and she seemed to believe the result. But he wanted to organise his own test, and tell nobody else about it. Of course the result should be the same, only... Tom had a feeling that it wouldn’t be. Every now and then when he looked at Angus, he saw something of Kane.

Although Tom trusted Hayden explicitly, he didn’t mention the test to him. He didn’t use his private physician Dr Walsh, or the highly capable skills of Elizabeth to research how such a test could be undertaken. Tom himself made the arrangements. He involved none of the people in his life that he loved and trusted, but couldn’t have explained why if someone had asked. It was all based on a feeling. Perhaps he was being silly, but he wasn’t one hundred per cent sure whom he could trust anymore.

When the result arrived in the mail, Tom put the unopened letter in the top drawer of his desk. No one knew it was there but him, so there was no rush. He would open it when he was ready. A negative paternity result wouldn’t change his feelings towards either Angus or Ellen; he loved them both more than anything. It would however, raise new questions about the people who surrounded him.

A few weeks later, Tom found himself with some spare time. Ellen was occupied feeding Angus and since he was taking leave from work, there were no papers to review. He knew it was time to open the letter. He snuck into his office and steadied his nerve by pouring a scotch with ice. He removed the piece of paper from the envelope and took a seat at his desk to read its contents.

Tom’s heart sank. The results were easy enough to understand. There was only a five per cent chance that Tom was the father of Angus. Somehow he knew that would be the result. It meant that someone in his life had lied to him. Either Ellen had lied about the possible fathers of her child, or Dr Walsh had lied with the original result, or perhaps a third person had interfered with the test somehow.