Page 77 of Outlier

“Hey, Vics,” Ollie said softly.

She gave him a small wave but made no move to go to him.

“Darling, I—” Margot said, but then her face crumpled, and she started openly crying.

Vicky moved then, squeezing past me at the door to go to Margot’s side. After a moment’s hesitation, she patted Margot on the arm awkwardly. “Er… Margot,” she said quietly. “Are you quite alright?”

Margot sobbed even louder. “You’re asking me ifI’malright?”

“Yeah,” I grunted. “She tends to do that. Welcome to my world.”

Lottie moved forward to Vicky, paused for a moment for Vicky to give her a small nod, then pulled her in for a tight hug. “I’m so sorry,” Lottie said into Vicky’s hair, her voice sounding a little choked as well.

“How do you know—?” Vicky started to ask after receiving more hugs from Ollie and Margot.

“Your mum, love,” I told her, and she nodded.

“I expect Mum’s very angry. Actually, I’m surprised she hasn’t rung me or?—”

“I blocked her, Vicky,” I told her.

Vicky blinked at me. “You… blocked her?”

“Yes, love.”

“I-I-I don’t understand. She’s my mother. I can’t just?—”

“You’re never to speak to that woman, ever again,” Margot snapped.

Vicky turned back to her with a confused expression on her face.

“But, Margot, you told me I shouldn’t turn my back on my family. That they were the only family I had, and I should accept that.”

“What?” Margot said in a horrified whisper.

Vicky shrugged. “When I was nine, and I didn’t want to go back to Mum, I hid in the cellar.”

“Oh darling.” Margot’s voice was pained now, seeming to anticipate what Vicky was going to say.

“When the staff found me, you were really angry.”

“I wasworriedabout you and?—”

“You told me I had to go back to my real family. That I belonged with them.”

Margot’s eyes were wide. “Oh my God, Vicky,” she breathed. “I…” She broke off and more tears filled her eyes.

I hadn’t even been aware that Lady Margot Harding was capable of this level of emotion.

“Darling, I was very worried, so I got angry, and I didn’t handle it very well. I didn’t mean any of that.”

“I’m not very good at telling the difference,” Vicky said simply. “So I took you at your word.”

“And at my word too,” another voice came from behind Margot, Ollie, and Lottie. Margot moved to the side to reveal Claire standing with Hayley and Florrie. “Sorry, the girls wanted to come and see Vicky,” Claire explained in a tight voice. “They were worried. They could tell something was up.”

Both girls sprinted up the steps of the deck when they spotted Vicky, screeching to a stop in front of her to pause for her nod before they hugged her.

Vicky had already crouched down anticipating this move.