Chapter 26: Family Dinner

Abigail arrived back just after sunset, having watched it with Mark on the beach. And she had been more than a little disappointed to leave it for home.

Mark dropped her off outside the gates, refusing her offer to come inside for coffee. Abigail was saddened, but she understood entirely. It would have been a bit strange for a landscaper to drop his boss’ daughter off at home.

So Abigail waved him off at the gate, and turned and walked to the house. It was a bit of a walk, but she found she quite enjoyed it. The house really was beautiful, with the white stone and the most of the natural beauty of the grounds left undisturbed but cared for.

If it weren’t for her stepmother, she might have actually enjoyed staying here.

All too soon, she managed to make it to the front doors. Adam, Olivia and Charlotte were standing there, watching as Lyall climbed into his car, and the driver pulled away. She breathed a sigh of relief, her timing had been just right.

“You there,” Charlotte called to her. “Girl.”

Abigail closed her eyes in resignation. Why couldn’t this woman just ignore her? Why did she have to speak to her at every turn? If she hated Abigail so much, couldn’t she just pretend she didn’t exist?

“Yes,” Abigail sighed, walking up the steps towards them. “Hi everyone,” Abigail murmured. She wasn’t really in the mood to greet anyone, but she knew where the boundaries of family were.

“It was so unbelievably rude of you to just disappear like that,” Charlotte berated her, though her voice wasn’t angry, more like a scolding mother.

Abigail knew it for what it was, though. Charlotte couldn’t scream at her right now. Not after that entire debacle with the questions, and the tantrum before that. If Charlotte just started screaming at her whenever she saw her, pretty soon, Charlotte would be branded insane.

“We had company,” Charlotte scolded. “And your father had just invited Lyall to a family lunch.”

Abigail arched an eyebrow. They were family, were they? Yesterday night she was no more than a person only claiming to be Adam’s daughter to get to the money and wealth he owned.

Abigail glanced to Olivia, who had been all too happy to help Abigail escape if it meant she could have her time with Lyall. But right now, Olivia was silent.

There was puzzle here, Abigail thought, in the way Olivia and Charlotte behaved, with each other and with others. There was a method to the madness, she just had to figure it out.

“I think next time Lyall comes over you should apologize to him, personally,” Charlotte said.

And immediately Olivia fumed, “Why must you always get so overinvolved, mother?” Olivia demanded. “With everything.”

Charlotte turned to her daughter, scandalized, “I’m only thinking of what’s best for this family.”

“No, you’re not,” Olivia challenged. “You’re only thinking of what you want.”

Abigail’s gaze swept between them, as more pieces of the puzzle started to fall into place. It was way too soon to make any assumptions, but Abigail thought she could see it clearer now.

“The selfish person around here is Abigail,” Charlotte huffed. “She couldn’t even bother to sit through one family lunch.”

Abigail well and truly thought that was the first time Charlotte had ever used her name.

“Can we go inside?” Abigail asked, glancing at them all standing on the steps of this huge mansion, arguing in the dark like the commoners. She wondered Charlotte didn’t object to that.

“Yes,” Adam agreed, finally speaking up, “And, I think a family meal is in order,” Adam said, clasping his hands together. “I wouldn’t like us to sleep with so much unsettled between us all.”

Abigail wished her father had kept quiet instead.

Abigail felt that was rather unnecessary and pointless, and just a bit selfish on her father’s side. He was, after all, the reason for the most recent arguments between them. If he had just answered Charlotte calmly, none of this would have happened.

Their situation had been cold and terrible, but now it was worse, after Adam had forced them to put on a display that insulted Olivia so much, and only made Charlotte look more depraved than she already was.

Abigail, honestly, did not feel like a family supper was the best thing for them. And judging by Olivia and Charlotte’s faces, neither did they.

But Adam seemed oblivious to everyone except himself, and by now, even Abigail had learnt it was just better to go along with what he’d said, rather than argue with him.

By the look of it, Olivia and Charlotte were having the same thoughts. No one wanted another competition of any kind.

So Adam called for one of the servants to set up the dining room, and both Olivia and Charlotte excused themselves to prepare for dinner.

Abigail decided that was probably the better thing to do, since dinner had just been ordered, and she really didn’t want to spend an hour or two with her father right now.

So Abigail also excused herself and left for her room.

She knew the food wouldn’t take long to prepare. So she just had a quick shower, changed into clothing just a little more comfortable, left her hair in a wet, messy do, and headed for the dining room.

If Lyall was there, somehow, miraculously returned, then she would look worse than her sister, at least. If he wasn’t there, then she could be more relaxed over dinner for once this house.

She found Adam, Charlotte and Olivia already seated around the table, but the food not yet brought out. Abigail sat next to Olivia, since her only other option was to sit next to Charlotte.

“Finally,” Charlotte said, giving Abigail a once over. “You’ve managed to arrive.”

Abigail placed the napkin over her lap and didn’t bother giving her stepmother an answer.

The food wasn’t ready yet, so they all sat for five minutes in absolute silence. Abigail had left her phone in the room, and even if she’d brought it, she wasn’t about to open it with Olivia staring over her shoulder. Olivia, sitting just as still doing nothing, probably thought the same.

After a few more minutes of waiting, the chefs brought out the food themselves.

And for one glorious moment, Abigail forgot everything around her, seeing the mouthwatering dishes placed in front of her. A quick glance at Olivia, told her that her sister had forgotten too.

Charlotte was still glaring at her hatefully, even as the most amazing looking food was placed before them.

Olivia and Abigail eagerly began piling their plates with food. Adam carefully selected a few things, and Charlotte sat stoic.

Abigail dished some of everything onto her plate, and even though she’d had a huge lunch with Adam, she absolutely could not pass up the opportunity right now.

“No, Olivia, don’t eat that,” Charlotte hissed at her daughter. “Carbs will make you gain weight.”

Both Oliva and Abigail stared at the woman.

“And how, dear mother, am I supposed to eat butter chicken otherwise?” Olivia shot back, trying to reach for the bread.

Charlotte shot out her hand, trying to get it away from her daughter. But Abigail was quicker, she grabbed two, one for herself and one for Oliva and put one on her sister’s plate.

Olivia picked up the bread without glancing at her sister.

The saddest thing, Abigail realized, was that if she had grown up around Olivia, she thought they might actually have been friends. Charlotte would have hated her no matter what, but Olivia, they could have had a proper relationship.

The girl was brazen and loud, obnoxious and self-centered. But all of those traits would have been tempered, if she had grown up with a sister.

They ate in silence, with Olivia passing some food to Abigail, too, but otherwise not speaking to her in any way.

Charlotte kept making comments all through the meal, about things Olivia shouldn’t eat, about how fat Abigail already was so it hardly mattered what she ate any longer.

Abigail paid no attention to either her stepmother or her sister, but her father’s silence hurt her.

Their meal continued like that, and just as the dishes were taken away, Abigail felt the effects of having eaten too much.

“I need to be excused,” Abigail said, getting up quickly. “I think I must have eaten far too much today.”

Abigail didn’t wait for any permission, but she thought she heard Charlotte say something about no control. The floor spun beneath her as she walked, and after a while, Abigail was forced to lean on the wall for support. She made it to her bedroom on her own, just opening the door, though she could barely see straight.

Her last thought was that this could not be simple overeating, and she thought back to the food Olivia had put in her plate, as she lost all sense of herself, and the floor caught her as she fell.