The Faithless - Martina Cole [103]
So, as useless as her mother was, Gabby would welcome her into her daughter’s life and take whatever her mother had to offer, for as long as it lasted. Gabby was so desperately lonely, and she needed other people in her life. At this point, even her mother was preferable to no one. She knew her nana would think she was mad, but what could she do? This was Cherie’s grandmother and she owed it to her to try and build a few bridges. As bad as her mother could be, she appeared to be enamoured of her grandchild. That was enough for Gabby, who, alone in the world with a new baby, was desperate to have a family again.
They had buried Celeste, and they felt her loss keenly, especially Mary who had always had a soft spot for her younger child. She had tried, in her own way, to make their lives easier. Now Mary had to watch her granddaughter forge some kind of relationship with her mother – the same woman who was responsible for the death of the daughter Mary had buried this day.
Chapter Ninety-Four
‘It’s not like that, Nana!’
Mary shrugged aggressively. ‘How is it then, Gabby? Tell me and your granddad. We’re interested. Only your mother was never what we would call a frequent presence in your life, so we’re amazed at how often you seem to be seeing her.’
Gabby couldn’t explain how hard it was to walk away from her mother these days. She believed she had genuinely changed, and she wanted to make amends. But her nana and granddad couldn’t see that. She knew they had reason to feel like they did, but this was still her mother they were talking about, Cherie’s nanny. In producing this child she felt, for the first time in her life, like she had done something good in her mother’s eyes, and she was enjoying that feeling. It was almost as if Cynthia was loving her through her baby, and that felt good. All her life Gabby had felt there was something wrong with her; if her own mother couldn’t love her, then who could?
‘Oh, Nana, I know you think I’m wrong, but she has changed. She loves little Cherie like we do! Please, Nana, don’t ruin this for me.’
Mary was shocked at those words. As if she would ever ruin anything for this girl, or the child she had produced. The only person who had ever ruined anything for her she was now welcoming back into her life with wide open arms. And no good could come of it, she would lay money on that.
She understood why Gabby was desperate to make some kind of connection with her mother, even after everything had happened. When all was said and done she was her closest kin. Mary was being forced to sit back and wait and then eventually pick up the pieces, because unfortunately she knew, as sure as she knew her own name, that this reunion could only end in tears.
Chapter Ninety-Five
As Jack Callahan looked at his wife, he felt the power of her, as he always had. She was stronger than he would ever be and it had taken her heart attack to make him appreciate just what a good woman he had bagged all those years ago.
Now he could see she was hurting. She had buried a child – something no parent should ever do. It was the wrong order of things; a child should bury its parents, not vice versa. And it had upset her that Gabby was all over her mother like a cheap suit.
‘It can’t last, Mary. You know Cynthia like I do – she’ll fuck it up and Gabby will see her for what she is.’
Mary shook her head sadly; if only that was the case. But she had seen Cynthia looking at her grandchild, and she recognised that look. She had felt it herself many years ago. Cynthia saw an opportunity to make up for her mistakes; all the wrongs she had committed counted for nothing now that child was there. She thought of that baby as a new page to be written on, a new canvas to paint in her own image. Cynthia would not let this baby go, not now. Not when she had an in on its life.
Mary had felt the same when Cynthia had produced Gabby and James Junior. It was like a