Laura Elliot - The Lost Sister

Published by Avon an imprint of

HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Publishers in 2009 as The Prodigal Sister

This ebook edition published by HarperCollins Publishers in 2017

Copyright © June Considine 2009

June Considine asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Ebook Edition © 2017 ISBN: 9780007336852

Version: 2017-01-13

In loving memory of my close friend, Dympna Joyce-O’Byrne. Her zest for life and her tremendous courage will always be remembered

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Prologue

Departures

Chapter One

Havenswalk, New Zealand–October 2008

Chapter Two

Rebecca’s Journal–1985 1985

Chapter Three

Dublin-January 2009

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Rebecca’s Journal–1985

Chapter Six

Havenswalk–January 2009

Chapter Seven

Letters to Nirvana

Chapter Eight

Rebecca’s Journal–1986

Chapter Nine

Letters to Nirvana

Chapter Ten

Rebecca’s Journal–1987

Chapter Eleven

Letters to Nirvana

Chapter Twelve

Letters to Nirvana

Chapter Thirteen

Rebecca’s Journal–1989

Chapter Fourteen

Letters to Nirvana

Chapter Fifteen

Rebecca’s Journal–1990

Chapter Sixteen

Letters to Nirvana

Chapter Seventeen

Rebecca’s Journal–1991

Chapter Eighteen

Letters to Nirvana

Chapter Nineteen

Rebecca’s Journal–1993

Chapter Twenty

Letters to Nirvana

Chapter Twenty-One

Rebecca’s Journal–1993

Chapter Twenty-Two

Letters to Nirvana

The Journey

Chapter Twenty-Three

Havenswalk

Chapter Twenty-Four

Bangkok

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Christchurch

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Lake Tekapo

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Thirty

Cromwell

Chapter Thirty-One

Rebecca’s Journal–1994

Chapter Thirty-Two

Havenswalk

Chapter Thirty-Three

Queenstown

Chapter Thirty-Four

Chapter Thirty-Five

Chapter Thirty-Six

Milford Sound

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Te Anau

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Rebecca’s Journal–1996

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Havenswalk

Chapter Forty

Queenstown

Chapter Forty-One

Cardrona Valley

Chapter Forty-Two

Wanaka

Chapter Forty-Three

Haast

Chapter Forty-Four

Jackson Bay

Chapter Forty-Five

Rebecca’s Journal–1998

Chapter Forty-Six

Fox Glacier Village

Chapter Forty-Seven

Chapter Forty-Eight

Rebecca’s Journal–2002

Chapter Forty-Nine

Havenswalk

Chapter Fifty

Akona’s Place

Chapter Fifty-One

Kaikoura

Chapter Fifty-Two

Chapter Fifty-Three

Rebecca’s Journal–2003

Chapter Fifty-Four

Nelson

Chapter Fifty-Five

Havenswalk, Day One

Chapter Fifty-Six

Chapter Fifty-Seven

Day Two

Chapter Fifty-Eight

Day Three

Chapter Fifty-Nine

Day Four

Chapter Sixty

Day Five

Chapter Sixty-One

Day Six

Chapter Sixty-Two

Day Seven

Chapter Sixty-Three

Day Eight

Chapter Sixty-Four

Day Nine

Epilogue

Acknowledgements

About the Author

About the Publisher

21 Heron Cove

Broadmeadow

Dublin

Ireland

Urope

The World

15 April 1985

Dear Mammy,

This is Cathy. Mrs Mulvaney said to rite you a letter. Is it stupit to rite to dead people? Mrs Mulvaney said it will stop me being sad. When I sleep anjels will come and read my letter. Is that true? Are you a anjel with wings? Is Daddy a anjel to? I hope you are in heven not hell. I saw a picture of hell. It is worse than a vulkayno. Is heven far away? Mrs Mulvaney said it is not. Mr Mulvaney flys in the window at night to see her when she is in bed. I dont know what to rite. She said rite the cat sat on the mat the cat sat on the mat and the words will come good. Nero dose not chase cats now. He is fat and old and sleeps with Becks and puts hairs all over the dubay. It is 3 months since you and Daddy are dead. Our house is sad like rain that wont go away. I like Kevins house best. We play Chuki Egg on his XZ Spectum and Mrs Mulvaney make us fish fingers and chips. Lauren is home from hospotal. The doctor cut the plaster off her legs. All her brooses are gone. She looks nice again. She dont talk to me or Becks or Julie She only talks when shes sleeping and wakes me up. The doctor gave her pills to make her smile but she just stare stare stare at the wall and dont make a face even when Becks komes the notts in her hair. Gramps says Becks is our Mummy and Daddy now. If we are bold the woman with the blak case will take us away. She come lots to our house and rites things down. 2 can play that game Becks said and she has a black book now. She rites when the woman rites and they stare stare stare at each other but not like Lauren. Lauren is just the same as a zombi in a film.

We went to the grave today. Becks gave us seeds to plant. She said stop crying stop crying you are doing my head in. I see you and Daddy all the time. Then I look again and I see red dots that’s all.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX to you and Daddy

Cathy

She will ring her sisters this morning. Now, right now, while the day is still under her control. Right now, Cathy repeats to herself, before Hannah arrives for work. Right now before her son starts demanding, ‘Have you done it yet…why not…why not?’

Once yesterday, and twice the day before, she tried to ring but lost her nerve, hung up before the line connected. Today she will tap out the digits, the correct prefix, wait for the ringtone. But what then? Should she make small talk, apologise, accuse, beg, rant or sob? Should she opt for nonchalance? Whoa there, Rebecca. How’s it going, Julie? How do you do, Lauren? Remember me? It’s Cathy, your long-lost sister calling from New Zealand…yes…I know it’s over fifteen years since we spoke but time passes…and you know how it is…what can I say…?

Half-formed sentences and muddled apologies run through her mind as she walks across the lawn towards the grapefruit trees. The grapefruit is ripe and falls easily into her hands. When the basket is full, she lingers for a moment by the shore. She loves this time of morning. The pause between stillness and motion. The mist has cleared and the rising sun is pinned bright as a brooch against the throat of the mountain.