CHAPTER 9

Taking a deep breath, Louisa continued her speech, "Now I know it's going to be a shock, but please let me finish before you say anything." She paused as everyone nodded in reply. "As I said before, I am Louisa Pennykettle and I'm a descendant of Guinevere. I believe I'm your sister, Liz. A sister you've never met, nor heard of. There was a mix up when I was ten, you must have been around three at the time. Mother had married a year after you were born, but then Aunty found out and made Mother divorce the man. Aunty isn't one for marriages because then they tend to find out our family secret," Louisa explained.

"When the paper work was being done, they thought I was the man's child. Something to do with the fact that they had been seeing each other for a few years around the time I was born, before he moved away. So they thought I was his child that he hadn't known of until Mother and him had married and where back together. They knew you couldn't be his because you had been born before they got back together. So I was whisked away with the man, his name was Winston Hedge, and became my father. He was a nice man and I loved him for that. He actually believed I was his child, which was fine by me. It wasn't until Aunty came for me, for her teachings that I saw Mother again. She told me you were fine, my little sister, and soon it'll be you're turn for Aunty's teachings," Louisa said, directing this part to Liz.

"Aunty groaned on and on at how stupid human kind were to mix me up as the offspring of Winston. But anyway. After Aunty had finished teaching me I did some travelling. I visited Winston and Mother often. I was going to look to for you, but things kept holding me back. Like my job, I was an art teacher at a primary school, and then I was expecting a child. Twins actually. Rosie and Daisy. Funny really, they were born the day of a local flower show. So it's taken me a long time before I could find you."

"Wow," Liz murmured.

"That's a lovely story, Louisa, but why am I here? And James? And how exactly did you find Liz?" Olivia asked.