Chapter 1

South Africa

Charlotte sent a text to her mother, Sarah.
We need to talk about my sister.
This was the moment the Kampen de Steen family unit began to disintegrate. Uproot the truth and reveal the details of action taken in the past to maintain the status quo. The illusion of a happily married couple and their perfect daughter. A family who had it all.
Rumbling under the surface was the imperfection that had no place in the world of perfection – the world of Sarah Jane Raymond.
Sarah and Charlotte took the jeep and travelled out to Baviaanskloof, the valley of the baboons. They hiked their way up the mountainous region. It was a trip that would change the dynamics of their mother–daughter relationship, a trip of truth.
‘We should pitch the tent here until the morning,’ Sarah suggested. They snacked on crackers and tinned fish. Once replete, seated on the ground, Sarah took her beloved daughter’s hand in hers and began the story of her firstborn.
‘The child’s name was Georgette. Don’t ask me where the name came from – probably Hori’s brother George? It was all a blur to me.
‘If I had given birth to your father’s child, I would still have been depleted from the experience, as this child was enormous. The fact only I knew of her origin killed my spirit.
‘As she grew, I tried to like her, ensure she ate properly, do the right thing by her. Nanny was a godsend, although I thought Nanny allowed her to eat the wrong food for an easy life. We let Nanny go. Georgette was six years old for goodness’ sake. That was my first and biggest mistake.
‘I thought the girl was lonely. She stuck to me like glue. She had a negative attitude, constant complaints, overeating the wrong foods, lazy.
‘I found her the most marvellous school, Charleston School for Girls. To provide companionship, good diet, education and physical activities to get her into shape. Also to free myself of her. She was like a leech. She bled me dry with her constant neediness.
‘The school tried to rise to the challenge, for four years. She was impossible to manage. Georgette’s eating disorder was the last straw. The board insisted on expulsion – she was using up staff time and resources – therapy, monitoring.
‘She had got her own way. Back she came to create division and misery in the household, to me.
‘She was always an obstinate girl, bumptious, loud, and, dare I say it, ugly. A squat, obese, piggy-eyed girl with wiry, fizzy hair, and a personality to match. She would defy me at every turn; those dark, pin-prick eyes bore into me, defiantly.’
Sarah took a deep breath.
‘The child was the bane of my life. I couldn’t be rid of her.
‘I placed all my hate, anguish and fear upon her.
‘Georgette was my scapegoat. I wanted to cast her out into the wilderness.
‘So, I did.’
Charlotte put her hand to her mouth.
‘Where did she go? What did you do?’