Chapter 32

We were so taken up with our new relationship and trying to plan for the future that we almost forgot about our exam results. We had asked to receive them over the internet because we could access it through our ipad. It came as a bit of a shock to both of Katy and I when we saw them in our in box. We were elated to find that we had each achieved five Highers at 'A' grade which meant we had fulfilled the standard needed to obtain our promised place at Edinburgh University. Alice was elated that we would be joining her there.

We immediately phoned up Joe and Isa at their office to let them know that we had been successful and would be going to Edinburgh University at the start of the new term. Like us they were very pleased and congratulated us on our success. We also contacted the university to let them know we would take up the places they had provisionally offered us provided we achieved the results they required. We were not sure what would happen now but we expected they would write to us confirming our acceptance.

Over the next few weeks we became more accustomed to being a ménage a trio. In the past Katy and I had regularly had sex at least three or four times a week and occasionally managed more because we had the youth and the fact that we were horny teenagers on our side. Now having to cater for both Alice and Katy I was finding myself called upon to have sex with one or another of them nearly every day. I was glad that they were also lovers which besides satisfying them, sometimes inspired me to take one of them on those occasions they sex together.

Alice, more so than Katy would often slip into her naughty girl act with either Katy or myself, so that on those occasions whomever she had offended would, as her master or mistress, have to punish her. As you might expect that always led to having sex with her to the mutual satisfaction of both parties. I suppose when this sort of holiday, honeymoon period is over and we have other things to do things may well settle down to a less demanding routine, not that I am complaining about being in this situation. I really can't believe how lucky I am.

As the holiday drew to a close over the last few days we had a house cleaning session to make sure that we left everything ship shape and Bristol fashion. It was not just the house, but the pool area and the lawn. Although Joe had arranged with one of the other expatriate Britons to cut the grass and make sure the pool was in order, we felt we had to leave everything as we found it. This led us into two days of quite hard work.

It was with a touch of regret on the last day we closed the outside shutters on the windows, attached an iron grill to the front doorway and put the car in the one of the barns, before locking it. We had arranged with one of the small local firms to hire a car. They had a slot at the airport to leave it and an incoming hirer would pick it up and drive it back. It was not one of those plush new ones you get from the normal hire firm but an older model he obviously kept for this purpose. He told us he did this quite regularly for people from Britain who had bought houses in the area. It was a sideline from his garage business.

During the flight home we discussed how we were going to behave with regard to Joe and Isa since we did not want them to discover the nature of our new relationship just yet. It was not going to be any great hardship to do, as they were both at work during the day and they dropped of Sinead at her nursery. This meant we had the run of the house while they were away and could use that time to express our love for each other whenever we felt like it. We had not thought what do about out Jim and Ellie however, since they were our closest friends. There was also our relationship with Dianne and Jenny and their boyfriends. We would have to make up our minds how much we would reveal to each of them. After some discussion we decided that we would keep this secret for the time being.

Dianne and Charlie were going to Stirling University, while Jenny was doing fashion and design at Galasheils College which was a branch of Heriot Watt University. Her boyfriend was going to Strathclyde, so we would not see much of them during term time. The question we were left with really concerned Ellie and Jim as we were closer to them than our other friends. Like us they would be staying in Edinburgh and attending Heriot Watt University. We decided not to think long term on this one and to wait and see how things panned out.

It was just after two pm when Joe and Isa with Sinead in tow met us at the airport and there were hugs and kisses all round. They seemed genuinely pleased to see us and in the car on the way home were keen to find out how we had got on in the house after they left. We each took turns of telling them what we did and how much we enjoyed our stay. Just before we arrived back home Isa told us they had invited the Macleans and Morag to dinner, which meant we would see Jim and Ellie and be able to catch up on their news. She hoped we would not be too tired to face this after our journey back from France. We assured her we would look forward to meeting our friends again and to eating a meal that someone else had cooked.

Once back in the house we went off to unpack while Isa put the kettle on and prepared a snack lunch. When we came back downstairs Joe told us how pleased they were with our A level results and the fact that we had been accepted for our course of study at Edinburgh University. They felt this would keep the family together during the time Sinead was growing up. At the mention of Sinead we produced the presents we had brought back for her since we had missed her birthday which fell while we were still on holiday and we laughed as we watched her strip the packaging to see what was inside. I sometimes thought that at that age the packaging proved as interesting if not more interesting than the presents.

She was also proving to be a quick learner. By the time she was one year old she had been a speed crawler and walked shortly thereafter. Now at two she had good balance and loved running and I had mentioned to Joe and Isa that they should think about enrolling her in classes for gymnastics when she was just a bit older, or perhaps as she was also very musical and picked up songs from the children's programmes on TV. Her language skills were such that at times you had to remind yourself that this was a two year old you were talking to as she spoke in such well constructed sentences. Perhaps this was due to the fact that right since her early days none of us really spoke to her as a child and the fact that we were always around to talk to her. When it came time for her to be left in our care we were going to be looking after a walking, talking, living, doll as a songwriter once wrote. Katy agreed with me that we had a very bright child on our hands and sometimes said she was two going on thirty. It was going to be great fun watching her grow up. Although in reality she was Katy's half sister and my little cousin, because of the situation I found myself in, I knew I regarded her more as a sister than a cousin because that is what she felt like to me.

In the two weeks we had at home with them before the time came to see Joe and Isa fly off on the holiday we had arranged, we managed to avoid raising any suspicion that the two girls and I were in a sexual relationship. By the time the day arrived for the start of the holiday it was with a sense of relief that we took them to the airport and saw them off on their flight. We really felt we would have to come up with some way to broach the subject when they returned. Little did we know that events were going to supersede our thinking on this matter.

Later that Afternoon I was in the kitchen making the dinner since it was my turn. As usual I was watching the TV as I prepared it. Suddenly a news announcer interrupted a programme to bring News of an air disaster. He said that for only the second time in its history as a holiday resort there had been an air accident in the Canaries when a plane carrying four hundred passengers on a flight from Edinburgh crashed on landing. He told us that it had broken in two on the ground and the front section had gone on fire. There were survivors though the figure of how many was not yet known. He also reported that there had been a large number of fatalities though again the number was not known at this time. They gave the flight number and a telephone number for the relatives to phone if they had relatives aboard the aircraft.

I recognised the flight number right away since I had bought the tickets. It was Joe and Isa's flight and when he repeated the phone number I quickly wrote it down. I immediately turned off the cooker and went through to my girls who were playing with Sinead. They looked up and must have seen the alarm and shock on my face for Katy immediately asked what the matter was. I went over to her and told Alice to come over beside us. She left Sinead to play with her dolls and joined me and Katy.

"It has just been on the television the plane carrying Joe and Isa on holiday has crashed on landing," I said, my voice breaking with emotion. "There are survivors but there are also fatalities. "I have taken down this number. We need to call it in order to find out if Joe and Isa are ok."

Katy had gone as white as a sheet and Alice burst into tears. I took them both in my arms.

"Let's hope for the best and not fear the worst," I counselled. "Katy, I will phone the telephone number we have been given, but I think you should use your mobile and phone the MacLeans. Whatever the news, I think we are going to need support and help in making whatever arrangements we need to make."

"I'll get on to that right away, Katy said, fighting back her tears as she took out her mobile and dialled.

"Alice, darling, if you can pull yourself together, will you look after Sinead? I think we are all going to be very busy over the next few hours till we know what has happened and what steps we need to take to help Joe and Isa, if hopefully that is what is needed."

Alice looked at me and nodded and went over to Sinead who by this time was looking at us and wondering what was happening.

Drying her tears Alice gathered the little girl up in her arms and headed for the kitchen.

"Come on sweetheart, Aunty Alice is going to get you something to eat because Peter and Katy are going to be very busy for a little while."

Sinead went with Alice quite happily and sat in her high chair as she prepared her dinner.

I made my phone call but they could not tell me the names of the survivors or of those who had been killed or hurt in the accident as they were still working on the identities of the people concerned. They took our home phone number and said they would get back to us as soon as they could give us some positive news. They said they hoped to be able to do this within the next hour or so.