www.glenbogle.com -part 4

By: SnowWhite

Half an hour after the family had left the dining room Katrina finally logged off the site and shut down the computer. She didn't know whether she felt better or worse, but something was definitely playing on her mind.

Slowly she spun the chair around, her forehead creased with thought

" You know I always felt that I was first choice and that Lexie was second. Even she thought that. But now I wonder…."

" What?"

" Well….Archie cheated on both me and Justine with Lexie." Katrina informed

Lizzie looked at her in shock, nearly choking on her drink

" What?!" she repeated again, but this time with a totally different emphasis

" Archie! How….how do you know?" she stumbled. This was not like her brother at all.

" When Archie went to London for the Glorious Twelfth he took Lexie with him to help in the kitchen" Katrina explained

" Yeah I remember hearing something about that." Lizzie answered

" Yeah well Justine and Archie had a big fight and he and Lexie took the train back home"

" So?" Lizzie deliberated. Katrina was dragging this out forever

" So, they shared a sleeper compartment. And well……." Katrina's voice trailed off leaving the rest to Lizzie's imagination

" Oh Katrina, Lexie and Archie have been friends for ages how do you know that it wasn't completely innocent?"

" Because" Katrina revealed " Your brother couldn't keep his mouth shut"

Lizzie thought about this for a moment and then nodded " That sounds like Arch."

Then added rather hesitantly " What did he say?"

" Oh you know Archie- he doesn't let much slip, but he lets just enough slip to get himself in a lot of trouble. Any way Lexie was really angry with him…. Apparently he'd promised not to tell."

" Did Justine ever find out?" Lizzie asked

" I don't think so. Archie apologised to Lexie in front of all of us and said that nothing had happened between them that he was ashamed of, or that warrants any explanation to anyone."

" Did you believe him?"

" I don't know. I never really thought about it that much" Katrina remarked " And plus that doesn't mean they didn't do anything- just nothing that he's ashamed of or that was any of our business."

" And what about you?" Lizzie asked

" Hey?"

" You said that he cheated on you too" her friend prompted

" Well. Technically we weren't together."

" Hmm, but…"

" It was just after Fergal had asked me to come to New Zealand with him, I was trying to make up my mind and Golly told me not to come to any decisions until I talked it over with Archie and found out how much he cared for me."

" Uh huh. How did my brother screw up this time?" Lizzie tucked her lugs up underneath her and contemplated her companion

" I did as Golly said. Went to the big house, got told Archie was in the kitchen. Went to find him- and walked in on him and Lexie making out."

" Ahh"

" What kind of a response is that?" Katrina demanded

" Well what do you want me to say?" Lizzie exclaimed " It's not like you were taking a vow of celibacy. You had a boyfriend at the time remember."

" That's beside the point" Katrina mumbled

Lizzie stared her down until she surrendered

" Fine. I had a boyfriend but still…."

" So you decided to go to New Zealand because you saw Lexie and Archie kissing? I never knew that. That's not a very good reason." Lizzie proclaimed bluntly

" Well I didn't end up going, did I?"

" No you didn't.

" You didn't seem very surprised that I walked in on Archie and Lexie kissing" Katrina commented

" Well you could never tell with those two. Anyway, stop changing the subject- did you ever talk to him about it?"

" About what?"

" Him and Lexie." Lizzie pressed

" No" Katrina admitted " I did have a brief talk with Lexie but"

" What did she say?"

Katrina sighed " She said that it didn't mean anything. That they were just looking for a bit of reassurance."

" Well that's one way of finding it." Lizzie replied jokingly

" Yeah but look at them now." Katrina reflected "Do I really believe, looking back on it all that those things meant nothing? It was only a few years after that they got married"

" I think that Archie did love Lexie back then." Lizzie answered "But I don't think he was in love with her- because he was too busy tying to work out his feelings for you."

" But that does make me second choice or her?" Katrina questioned

" Does it really matter? You have Sean now and things are going well aren't they?"

" Yeah" Katrina admitted " Very well."

" Well then maybe these things happen for a reason."

" Maybe" Katrina agreed softly

" So" Lizzie smiled " Are we all going to Martha's party?"

Katrina looked at her friend and sighed

" Yes we'll come. I'll ask Sean tomorrow."