An irish Lovestory - the summer of Life

Family Secrets

"Why? Doesn't she know?" he asks her with wide eyes. June shakes her head and says that they both only found each other again less than a year ago and she is not yet accepted as a mother either. Carlotta's collar bursts and she stands up. "What's wrong? I don't understand anything anymore. All this secrecy upsets me so much!" Her mother pulls her by the hand back onto the sofa. Questioningly, she looks at her sister, who nods.
"Carlotta Kaichonski-Warren, there is a reason why my half-brother, your adoptive father, declared me dead. He would have been a claimant to this estate only after Pippa and I, and thus to many other properties and estates within a fifty-kilometre radius. We belong to an ancient noble family, though one that has had nothing to say for a long time since we were disgraced by your great-great-great-grandmother Mary after she slept with the guy who made a prophecy. Long story with no point... That's why you're something like a duchess, only dishonoured," June explains to her. The eyes of all three girls grow bigger and bigger. June turns to her sister and asks if there is anything else she has forgotten. Pippa shakes her head and turns to Benedict. "I only found out about her six months ago too. You know Gabrielle is an adult and as a daughter of mine she is not an heiress. In addition, she wouldn't inherit the property anyway, because she doesn't belong to the Kaichonski-Warren family, just as she doesn't belong to me, because I'm only a politician and am myself only in the family through your birth. Heinrich had never fathered any children of his own, which makes only Carlotta eligible."
Without the others noticing, Carlotta leaves the fireside room and goes outside to do some quick Googling. Immediately she gets a few hits and discovers that her mother's story is true.
A gardener comes across the path and trips over a stone. She immediately runs to him and helps him up. "My lady, oh God, it can't be! Now that Benedict has also found his way back to us, the one lost daughter also reappears." He bows to her and gives her a kiss on the hand. She lets the whole ordeal wash over her and says, "Please duck me and just call me Carlotta. I have nothing to do with all this noble crap. I didn't even know my family owned such a large estate until today." The gardener nods and walks away smiling.
Carlotta herself looks at her smartphone and instinctively dials Luke's number, but no sooner has she started the call than she regrets it. Luke takes the call and answers. "Carly, I'm so sorry about all this! I love you and you know I was wasted and then I do stupid things," Luke whispers into the phone. She hangs up without saying a word. Now she has heard Luke's voice one more time before she finally decides to stay in Ireland. Carlotta goes back inside and sets off to find her room. On the way she meets a few more servants and walks through the entire ancestral gallery. There, at the end of the long hallway in front of a door that leads into a sitting room, is the family tree on a tapestry. It is large and twisted and in some places the names are no longer recognisable. She carefully runs her finger over the names and soon even finds her mother's, with one line down and one to the side. There is no name on either line. When Carlotta looks for Evanna, she finds what she is looking for. But she can't find her name, no matter how long she looks. Benedikt's is also nowhere to be found. He and June had never been married and before the wedding could have taken place, June had a car accident. Nobody knew anything about Carlotta, at least until a year ago.

When Carlotta hears soft footsteps, she walks quietly into the living room and hides behind the sofa. Just in time, she drags her feet behind her, because June and Pippa are already coming in. They look around briefly and want to leave the room, but Carlotta's nose tickles and she sneezes. Caught, she stands up and knocks the dust off her clothes. June goes to her and gives her a tissue, while Pippa leaves the room shaking her head.
"I shouldn't have run away, should I?" asks Carlotta of her mother, who nods. "But I would have done the same in your place. Unlike us, you have to grow into it now, we've learned from birth what is proper for someone like us and what isn't!" she says before taking her hand and leaving the room, stopping two corridors away in front of a large room. June opens the door and pushes Carlotta into the spacious room. On one side is a large four-poster bed, and on the wall to the left of the bed is a large walk-in wardrobe. Opposite the bed is a large window front, behind it another balcony. There is also a desk in the room and above it hang pictures taken during the last school year. Many are from the German exchange, a few from the time when she was in Ireland. A picture of her and Luke on the day of the ball is particularly large and hung above the desk. Carlotta looks around the room and stops in front of the pictures. In the pictures she is happy and free, exactly the opposite of how she is right now. Silent tears run down her cheeks.
As if the pictures weren't enough, her mother now asks, "Tell me, is Luke actually still coming or has he gone straight home?" Carlotta turns to her and looks into her eyes. "I broke up with him! He had an onenight stand with Vera. He's probably already in Italy and will arrive home the day after tomorrow at the latest." June makes a facial expression as if to say "Told you so! He will hurt you and break your heart! but she keeps her mouth shut and takes her daughter in her arms. Her adoptive mother Ursula would never have done that, she was always against her doing anything with boys anyway.
After a few minutes June says, "Come on, get changed and we'll go eat. And then it's off to bed!"
Carlotta looks at the grandfather clock standing by the door. She hasn't noticed how quickly the time has passed, it's already just before half past six. June opens the wardrobe and pulls out a knee length dress. "Nah, definitely not, it's too depressing!" A few more dresses and comments about her later, she has found the perfect dress and leaves Carlotta alone. She changes and goes to dinner with June. Johanna and Helen were already outside looking at the other buildings.
When Helen sees Carlotta, she quickly walks up to her and whispers something in her ear. Carlotta's eyes widen and Helen nods. She would like to run straight into the outbuilding, but her father blocks her way. "First we eat, young lady! You should control your temper, otherwise you have no business here. And what kind of dress is that anyway? June, couldn't you have given her something plainer?" Pippa glares angrily at him and June punishes him with a look too. He himself is very temperamental and can hardly contain himself, even if he is playing the stern father at the moment. June hisses at him: "You're not even the head of the house and you're not really part of the family! So please let us worry about parenting!" She motions for Carlotta to sit down, then they can finally start eating.