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He hesitated, and Hugh jumped in. “Yes, he does.” He looked at Joseph. “You said you’ve stopped the leak for now, so have a coffee and I’ll come back with you and we can look at it together.”
He pulled Esme up from her sunbed and they settled around the table, Joseph next to Iris. She couldn’t help being conscious of theheat emanating from his body. The sun was intense; a trickle of sweat formed between her breasts and she pressed the cloth of her dress to her chest to absorb it.
“How’s Laure doing?” Joseph asked quietly as Gabriel poured coffee.
“It’s hard to tell.”
“Has she been able to speak to Pierre, find out why he didn’t turn up?”
“Nobody has been able to speak to him, so we don’t know what happened, what made him change his mind about seeing her,” Iris replied. “I’m not defending Pierre but it’s obvious he’s going through some sort of crisis. He would never normally behave in such a way.”
“You have to feel sorry for Laure, getting her hopes up, then having them dashed. She’s lucky to have you and Gabriel.”
Gabriel turned to them. “Did I hear my name?” he asked, and Iris felt a spark of annoyance at his interruption.
“I was saying how lucky Laure is to have you and Iris looking out for her,” Joseph explained.
“It’s about doing the right thing,” Gabriel said, a little pompously, Iris thought. “Laure’s like family, we would always be here for her.”
Iris couldn’t help herself. “Talking about doing the right thing, have you decided whether or not to meet Charlie’s mum?”
Gabriel stared at her with such disbelief that Iris wished she could take the words back. The uncomfortable silence was broken by Esme laying a hand on his arm.
“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. But maybe we can help?”
His hands clenched and for a moment, Iris thought he was going to push away from the table. But then his shoulders sagged.
“I had a letter from the counselor who is helping Charlie’s mum. Apparently, she—Charlie’s mum—wants to meet me.”
“How do you feel about that?” Hugh asked carefully.
“I don’t know.” Gabriel rubbed his chin. “I mean, I don’t see what good it would do. It would be painful for both of us.”
“But it might give you both some sort of closure,” Iris interjected,repeating what she’d said when she and Gabriel had first spoken about it.
“I don’t see how it can ever be closed. It’s not as if either of us is ever going to forget Charlie.”
“But it’s understandable that his mum wants to meet the person who was with her son when he died,” Iris persisted.
“From a mother’s point of view, I would want to, if it were me,” Esme said gently. “Just to say thank you for being there, for my son not dying alone.”
“She’s already passed on her thanks, via the police. Anyway, I don’t need her thanks, I didn’t do anything.”
“You allowed him to tell his mum he loved her,” Iris said. “That’s huge.”
Gabriel looked at her with such loathing that she physically flinched. She didn’t know why, but she had gone too far.
“There’s no obligation for you to meet his mother, is there?” Joseph said, breaking another uncomfortable silence.
Gabriel looked as if he had been thrown a lifeline. “No, no obligation.”
“Then stop putting yourself under pressure. Do what’s best for you.”
Iris frowned. “Shouldn’t it be about doing the best for a mother who’s lost her son?” There was a flare of panic in Gabriel’s eyes. “I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “I really shouldn’t have brought this up. Can we change the subject?”
“Good idea.” Hugh clapped Gabriel on the shoulder. “Why don’t you and Joseph show me how the walled garden is coming along?”
Iris waited until they’d left. “I shouldn’t have said anything,” she groaned, putting her head in her hands. “It’s just that I can’t believe Gabriel is refusing to meet Charlie’s mum. It seems cruel. And Gabriel isn’t cruel, he’s the kindest man I know.”
