‘But she’s seven months pregnant,’ said Stella, doing a quick calculation on her fingertips. ‘She can’t leave you now.’
‘She can and she has and she wants half the house. I’m going to have to sell Trencarrow.’
Stella felt a hot flush of rage.
‘She can’t have Trencarrow!’ she snapped. ‘You’ve been there forever, it’s your home! God, she’s such a gold-digging cow.’
‘Stella, please. That’s unfair.’
‘Whose side are you on?’ she exploded. ‘She’s trying to take you for every penny you have and you’re defending her?’
She could hear a faint echo down the phone; either it was a very poor line or he was crying.
‘Dad, please. Come on, everything is going to be all right,’ she said, feeling helpless, guilty and sad, wishing she could be there with him to nurse him with a hot toddy and a hug.
‘Yes,’ he said so faintly she could barely hear it.
‘I’m going to come down tomorrow.’
‘Please don’t. I want to be on my own.’
‘Dad. I’m coming. I’ll call you tomorrow. You just try to get some sleep, OK? I love you.’
Stella hung up the phone gently, thinking of her father all alone in his dark farmhouse in Cornwall.
‘What did he want?’ asked Johnny, taking a long swig of beer and glancing away from a boxing match on television.
‘Chessie’s left him,’ said Stella softly.
Johnny looked up and seeing the expression on her face, turned down the sound.
‘Shit. What does that mean?’
‘It means he’s heartbroken,’ snapped Stella. ‘It means he’s going to lose the house he loves.’
‘Well, I hope it doesn’t mean that you’re going to have to look after him.’ He took another swig of beer and turned back to gaze at the TV. ‘I’m dreading it when my folks start getting really old, although my dad took so many drugs in the Seventies he’ll probably cark it before he’s sixty.’
She sat down on the arm of the sofa and looked at Johnny. It was just typical of him to turn the conversation around to himself.
‘Well, I’m going to have to go to him,’ she said. ‘He sounded distraught.’
‘What about his other kids?’
‘My stepbrother and – sister live in Scotland. I haven’t seen them in ten years. I’ll speak to them tomorrow but they are both pretty useless. They see Dad less than I do.’
Hearing the wobble in her voice, Johnny finally put down his beer and moved over to her, putting an arm around her shoulders.
‘But baby, it’s only fair you share the load, you can’t take the weight of everyone’s troubles on your shoulders. Just because you’re a wonderful person, don’t let people take advantage of you.’
‘He’s my father and his wife has left him,’ said Stella firmly. ‘That’s hardly taking advantage.’ She was beginning to realize that Johnny wasn’t thinking about the situation entirely altruistically. She looked at him, her eyes pleading.
‘Can we drive down tomorrow in your car? Mine is in the garage having a service.’
‘To St Ives?’ said Johnny, frowning. ‘Out of the question, honey. It’s at least four hours each way and it’s my mum and dad’s dinner party tomorrow night. Sam Mendes is going to be there, I can’t miss that, can I?’
Stella stood up, shrugging his arm off. She was losing patience rapidly.
‘You don’t have to come,’ she said. ‘Can’t I just borrow the car?’