Virgin taken on her maiden voyage

THE FINAL CHAPTER

Chapter Seventeen

'I've always loved you,' Elizabeth guiltily appealed, looking directly at Katie.

The tears now rolled unchecked down Katie's cheeks, as mother and daughter gazed at each other.

'I don't understand all of this!' Kimberly uttered, but finally seeing the striking similarities between the two, previously clouded by her justified jealousy.

Elizabeth walked to Katie, placing her hands into Katie's, 'I was so in love with your father,' she breathed heavily, 'but he warned me never to fall pregnant, because his father had physically abused him, and he had the scars on his body to prove it.' A pained expression filled her face.  'We were so in love, when I fell pregnant with you, I thought he would be happy and he would accept the pregnancy. But he gave me an ultimatum, either I have an abortion, or he will set sail with the next ship that leaves to Australia,' Elizabeth swallowed painfully. 'I loved you so much from the first day I learnt I was pregnant,' Elizabeth murmured, the tears still flowing down her cheeks.

Kimberly was dumb struck, she could not believe what she was hearing.   So if Katie was Elizabeth's daughter, there was no way Rick was involved with his own aunty?

Katie reached out and gently wiped away the tears, rolling down Elizabeth's cheeks.

'When your father learnt that I had no intention of giving you up, he left, as he promised he would without saying goodbye,' she sobbed. 'The next morning when I went to the grocer, there was a note for me from him. I didn't think he'd go through with it,' Elizabeth cried, 'I never ever heard from him ever again.'

Kimberly slowly sank onto the settee. Elizabeth and Katie hardly even noticed her presence any longer.

'Everybody knew we were in love,' Elizabeth continued, 'but nobody knew I was pregnant, so I went to live in Paris, until you were born. As you grew up you looked more and more like him each day,' Elizabeth remembered. 'Eventually I started to blame you for losing him,' she sobbed.

Katie hugged her mother, probably for the very first time in her life.

'When you were six years old we came to live with Rick because his parents died in an accident. Rick was twelve years old then and loved you from the first moment he saw you. He'd always steal two cookies, one for himself and one for you,' she whispered with a tender smile.

Katie smiled, fondly pondering on the affection between her and Rick.

Now a lot of things made sense to Kimberly.

'You were such a constant reminder of your father. It hurt so much that he deserted me, that I began to blame you for my loss,' she whispered feeling ashamed. 'When you were ten, I shipped you off to boarding school,' Elizabeth sobbed, lowering her head. She paused at length as Kimberly and Katie waited for her to continue. Now it made sense why Kimberly had sometimes seen that far away haunted look on Elizabeth's face, when she did not know she was being watched.

'I made Rick promise never to reveal your identity to anyone, and I reminded him in no uncertain terms a gentleman never breaks his word.'

'Oh my God!' Kimberly cried out.

It was as if Elizabeth and Katie had forgotten about her there. Elizabeth squirmed uncomfortably.

'I am so sorry for all the pain and suffering I cause all of you,' Elizabeth addressed Kimberly, then looked at Katie.

'You left me in the boarding school and never visited me,' Katie accused.

'I am so sorry. I did not know how to deal with my loss, especially when you reminded me constantly of your father,' Elizabeth pleaded.