Page 78 of Outlier

Florrie told her about a family of voles at Buckingham Manor whilst Claire stood frozen, watching Vicky with a pale face.

“Girls,” Margot said gently. “Why don’t you go and look at Mike’s workshop for a minute?”

“Can I use your axe?” Florrie asked me.

This girl never missed an opportunity to bargain.

“No.”

“Can I use your blow torch?”

“Right,” Lottie cut in with an eye roll. “Come on, you two. Clearly, unsupervised workshop access is a bad idea. Let’s go.”

“I’m sorry, Vicky,” Claire said once the kids were out of earshot.

“Sorry for what?” Vicky asked with genuine confusion.

“Sorry for being a bitch to you when you were just a kid. Sorry for carrying all this resentment around. Sorry for not being a better sister.”

“Half-sister,” Vicky corrected, as if it was a reflex.

Claire closed her eyes as if in actual pain. “I started that too, didn’t I?”

“Started what?”

“The half-sister, half-brother thing. I used to correct you. Christ, I’m so sorry, Vicky. I was pissed off that Dad had an affair; then I was sad that he died and I never made up with him, and then I was jealous of the attention Ollie paid to you.ThenI was angry that you avoided my shitty husband.”

Vicky shrugged. “Claire, you don’t like me,” she said simply. “That’s okay. You don’t have to apologise for not liking someone. I’m not all that likeable.”

“Idolike you.”

Silence met that statement.

Vicky rolled her lips between her teeth as if to stop herself saying anything.

Margot was still crying.

Vicky did the awkward arm pat thing again.

“Listen, I’m not really sure what you’re all apologising for,” Vicky said. “It’s very kind that you are concerned, but it’s not your fault that I was assaulted. And, as a child, I was very grateful that I was allowed to spend some time here every summer. You were always much, much nicer to me than my family was.”

“Nicer than your emotionally and physically abusive mother and sister?” Ollie said sharply. “I’m not sure that’s much of an endorsement.”

“I’m still grateful that you tolerate me being involved in your family now.”

“Tolerate you?” Ollie sounded horrified. “Vicky, we don’t just tolerate you.”

There was a pause before Vicky spoke again. “Okay.”

It wasn’t agreement, and it was said in that resigned, slightly defeated tone Vicky used when she was retreating from a confrontation that she didn’t understand. She stepped back toward me, and I pulled her into my side. When she sagged slightly in my hold, indicating just how exhausted she was, I decided I’d had enough.

“Right, well, you can all fuck off.”

“Mikey!” Florrie shouted from my workshop. “There are minors present!”

“She’s got bat ears when it comes to swearing,” Ollie muttered.

Florrie and Hayley ran around the house to face us all then.