Up On Cove Bay

Prologue

The arguing had gone on most of the night. In her room just three doors down the hall from her parents' room, Rachel had been able to hear the sound of raised voices, but not the words. It wasn't the first time they'd fought recently, yet this time something felt different. The noisy exchange itself and fretting about it kept her awake most of the night.

Until she walked downstairs just after the sun rose and saw suitcases in the front hallway, Rachel hoped she'd only imagined the difference, that the knot of dread that had formed in her stomach was no more than her overactive imagination making something out of nothing. Now she knew better. Someone was leaving this time—quite possibly forever, judging from the pile of luggage that sat by the door.

She tried to quiet her panic, reminding herself that her dad, Ian, left all the time. An internationally acclaimed chartered accountant, he was always going here, there and everywhere for a new job. Again, though, this felt different. He'd only been home a few days from his last trip away and it was very rare of him to come home and then be off on his travels more or less straight away.

"Rachel!" Her mother sounded startled and just a little on edge. "What are you doing up so early?"

Rachel wasn't surprised that her mother was caught off guard. Most teenagers, including Rachel and her brothers, hated getting up early on weekends. Most Saturdays it was close to lunchtime before she finally made her way downstairs.

Rachel met her mother's gaze, saw the dismay in her eyes and knew instinctively that Marion had hoped to be gone before anyone got up, before anyone could confront her with uncomfortable questions.

"You're leaving, aren't you?" Rachel said flatly, trying not to cry. She was seventeen, and if she was right about what was going on, she was the one who was going to have to be strong for her younger brothers and sisters.

Marion's eyes filled with tears. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Finally, she nodded.

"Why, ma?" Rachel began, a torrent of questions following swiftly after. "Where are you going? What about us? Me, Erin, Jen, Scott and Martin? Are you walking out on us, too?"

"Oh, sweetie, I could never do that," Marion said, reaching for her. "You're my babies. As soon as I'm settled, I'll be back for all of you. I promise."

Though her declaration was strong, Rachel saw right through it - right to the fear that was underlying in the words she spoke. Wherever Marion was going, she was scared and filled with uncertainty. How could she not be? She and Ian had been married for almost twenty years. They'd had five children together, and a life they'd build right here in Aberdeen, the city that Ian himself had helped keep afloat during times of trouble. And now Marion was going off all alone, starting over—How could she not be terrified?

"Ma, is this really what you want?" Rachel asked, trying to make sense of such a drastic decision. She knew plenty of kids whose parents were divorced, but their mums hadn't just packed up and left. If anyone had gone, it had been the dads; and this seemed a thousand times worse.

"Of course it's not what I want," Marion said fiercely. "But things can't go on as they have been." She started to say more, then waved it off. "That's between your father and me. I just know I have to make a change. I need a fresh start."

In a way, Rachel was relieved that Marion hadn't said more.  Rachel didn't want the burden of knowing what had driven her mother to go. She loved and respected both her parents, and she wasn't sure how she would have handled careless, heated words capable of destroying that love she felt for either one of them.

"But where will you go?" She asked again. Surely it wouldn't be far. Surely her mother wouldn't leave her all alone to cope with the fallout? Ian was helpless with emotions. He could handle all the rest—providing for them, loving them, even going to the occasional game at Pittodrie—but when it came to everyday bumps and bruises and hurt feelings, it was Marion they all relied on.