Will didn’t speak. He had known Dido. Not for long, but long enough to have struck up a sort of friendship, to have been welcomed into her home for tea and biscuits, to have helpedaround the property, to have been trusted. If Lucy reached up, touched his hand in comfort, would he want that? She had no idea so she chose not to.
They sat in the churchyard and as the evening grew cold Will looked down at Lucy. ‘Come on,’ he said sadly. ‘We can’t stay here all night. I think it’s time for that drink.’
Chapter 40
A week later Lucy sat on the bench in the far end of the garden as the estate agent, thankfully not the one she’d had the awful date with, showed round the family of five that he’d mentioned were on his books and had been requesting a house this size for a long time. She’d intended to be gone from the house for the appointment, but was still putting the finishing touches to the rooms, fresh flowers in vases, Classic FM in the kitchen because it was playing lovely songs from old movies that felt quite atmospheric. She’d watched a video on how to dress a house for sale and had styled it with a smattering of home wares that wouldn’t have looked out of place in a glossy homes magazine. As such, she’d missed her chance to leave and so had greeted the family and excused herself to let them have a better look around without her breathing down their necks.
She’d watched the husband hold hands with his wife and the three children run past their parents, almost pushing them over, laughing, teasing each other.
‘I’m going to choose my room. You can’t have the biggest. That will be Mummy and Daddy’s. I get the second biggest because I’m older than you and …’
Lucy laughed as she heard them, two girls and a boy, breathing immediate, much-needed new life into Deux Tourelles.
The father half-scolded, ‘We’ve not made an offer yet and they’vechosen their rooms already,’ he said as the estate agent opened the back door and let the couple go out first. Lucy looked away, not wishing to embarrass.
Please buy the house,Lucy pleaded silently.Please buy the house. You’re just what this house needs.
The woman looked around the garden. Lucy hadn’t quite done everything she’d wanted to out here, but she’d pruned, taken all the cuttings away to compost and it was presentable enough. It would take someone more capable than her to bring it fully back to life. She caught the woman mouth to her husband, ‘I love it.’
Lucy gave herself a silent pat on the back.
‘So tell me the history of the house,’ the husband asked the estate agent.
‘First time it’s come up for sale in three generations,’ the estate agent said, launching into a spiel. ‘Bought by the family in 1911 from the larger estate house nearby. This used to be the Dower House and …’ They went out of earshot. That wasn’t the real human history behind the house, but Lucy thought there were parts of this house’s past even she would never know. And for those she did, it wasn’t her story to tell.
Chapter 41
Clara, John and Molly arrived early with a bottle of Champagne the next day. As Lucy greeted them, John led Molly through the kitchen and into the walled garden at the back. It felt suspiciously as if John was keeping Molly out of earshot, leaving the sisters alone.
‘So …’ Clara started.
‘So …’ Lucy echoed, her shoulders slumping. She knew she was in for another earful but dutifully followed her older sister into the kitchen. She could sense something coming. And then, instead of waiting for it, Lucy steeled herself, looked Clara in the eye and asked, ‘On the pier, that day, that argument. Why did you slap me? I couldn’t believe it.’
‘You hit a nerve,’ Clara said simply.
‘I got that.’ Lucy folded her arms and waited but Clara was an expert at playing Lucy’s game of stay silent and the other person will speak. Actually, Lucy was sure it had been Clara’s game originally.
When the silence grew uncomfortable, Lucy asked, ‘Is it because I mentioned you’d stayed behind and given up on life too soon?’
‘No. It’s not because of that. Can’t you read between the lines?’
Lucy was lost. Already.
Clara continued. ‘You said that from what you could see I didn’t even like John and that I didn’t need to marry him. You said otherawful things and you were right that I didn’t need to marry him but I wanted to marry him because we were in love. We are in love. But not only that, we were also pregnant. And I was angry with you for so many things. Your words stung far too much and I just wanted you to stop bloody talking.’ Clara looked at Lucy hard.
Throughout Clara’s speech Lucy had turned cold. ‘You were pregnant?’ she whispered.
Clara nodded. ‘And then I lost the baby.’
‘Oh my God,’ Lucy cried. Her hand flew to her mouth and she almost fell into a chair as she tried to sit down. ‘I’m so sorry. How far along were you?’ Lucy didn’t know what was appropriate to ask and what wasn’t.
‘I wasn’t at three months.’
Lucy couldn’t speak at first and then: ‘How awful.’
‘Yes.’
‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ Lucy repeated.
