Page 3 of The Missing Sister

‘Of course you are,chérie. Why don’t you eat some breakfast, then go back to bed and try to sleep?’

‘No, Georg said he was coming later to discuss what we do about... the missing sister. How reliable do you think his sources are?’

‘I have no idea,’ Ma sighed.

‘Very,’ Claudia interrupted. ‘He would not have arrived at midnight unless he was sure of his facts.’

‘Morning, everyone,’ said Ally as she joined the rest of the household in the kitchen. Bear was tucked up in a papoose strapped to her chest, his head lolling to one side as he dozed. One of his tiny fists was clutching a strand of Ally’s red-gold curls.

‘Would you like me to take him from you and put him in his cot?’ asked Ma.

‘No, because he’s bound to wake up and howl the minute he realises he’s alone. Oh Maia, you look pale,’ said Ally.

‘That is what I just said,’ Ma murmured.

‘Really, I’m okay,’ Maia repeated. ‘Is Christian around, by the way?’ she asked Claudia.

‘Yes, although he is just about to take the boat across the lake to Geneva to get some food supplies for me.’

‘Then could you call him and say I’ll hop on the boat with him? I have some things I need to do in the city and if we left soon, I’d be back in time to see Georg at noon.’

‘Of course.’ Claudia picked up the handset to dial Christian.

Ma put a cup of coffee in front of Ally. ‘I have some chores to do, so I will leave you two to enjoy your breakfast.’

‘Christian will have the boat ready in fifteen minutes,’ said Claudia, putting down the handset. ‘Now, I must go and help Marina.’ She nodded at them both and left the kitchen.

‘Are you sure you’re okay?’ Ally asked her sister when they were alone. ‘You’re as white as a sheet.’

‘Please don’t fuss, Ally. Maybe I caught a stomach bug on the plane.’ Maia took a sip of tea. ‘Goodness, it’s strange here, isn’t it? I mean, the way everything carries on just as it did when Pa was alive? Except he isn’t, so there’s a gaping Pa-sized hole in everything.’

‘I’ve been here a while already, so I’m sort of used to it, but yes, there is.’

‘Talking of me looking unwell, Ally, you’ve lost a lot of weight.’

‘Oh, that’s just baby weight—’

‘No, it isn’t, not to me anyway. Remember, the last time I saw you was a year ago, when you left here to join Theo for the Fastnet Race. You weren’t even pregnant then.’

‘I actually was, but I didn’t know it,’ Ally pointed out.

‘You mean, you didn’t have any symptoms? No morning sickness or anything?’

‘Not at the beginning. It kicked in at around eight weeks, if I remember rightly. And then I felt truly awful.’

‘Well, you’re definitely too thin. Maybe you’re not looking after yourself well enough.’

‘When I’m by myself, it never seems worth cooking a proper meal. And besides, even if I do sit down to eat, I’m normally jumping up from the table to go and sort this little one out.’ Ally stroked Bear’s cheek affectionately.

‘It must be so hard bringing up a child by yourself.’

‘It is. I mean, I do have my brother Thom, but as he’s deputy conductor at the Bergen Philharmonic, I hardly see him, apart from Sundays. And sometimes not even then, if he’s touring abroad with the orchestra. It’s not the getting no sleep and the constant feeding and changing that bothers me; it’s just the lack of someone to talk to, especially if Bear isn’t well and I’m worried about him. So having Ma’s been wonderful; she’s a fount of knowledge on all things baby.’

‘She’s the ultimate grandmother,’ Maia smiled. ‘Pa would have been so happy about Bear. He really is adorable. Now, I must go upstairs to get ready.’

As Maia stood up, Ally caught her older sister’s hand. ‘It is so good to see you. I’ve missed you so much.’

‘And I you.’ Maia kissed the top of Ally’s head. ‘I’ll see you later.’