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“Good.”
She followed Hugh from the cottage. “Do you know where he’s going when he leaves tomorrow?” she asked. “Has he got another job to go to?”
“I don’t think he’ll be leaving tomorrow, in view of the state he’sin,” Hugh said. “But no, he doesn’t have another job. He’s going to Thailand apparently. According to Esme, he spends a month in Bangkok each year, usually during the summer. He missed out this year because he was working for us, so he’s going now instead.”
They rejoined the christening group and an hour later, Esme and Hugh’s family and friends began to leave. By the time the goodbyes had been said, it was almost five o’clock.
“Thank God that’s over,” Esme said with a heartfelt sigh. “It was lovely though, wasn’t it? Despite Joseph.”
“Nobody really noticed,” Iris said. “And hopefully he’ll have sobered up by now. Come on, let’s go back to ours.”
66
Gabriel handed Iris a glass of champagne, and then gave one to Esme, his fingers shaking slightly on the stem.
“I didn’t drink at all at the christening, so I’m allowed this,” Esme said. She looked over at Iris. “Thank you for inviting us back here. It’s lovely to be able to relax now that it’s finally over.”
Iris smiled. “You deserve it.”
“It was a great day, though.” Hugh raised his glass. “Here’s to Hamish. And his mum, of course.”
“And to you,” Gabriel said. “The proud father.”
The four of them drank, and Esme gave a contented sigh. “Gosh, I’ve missed this so much.”
Hugh raised his glass again. “Iris, Gabriel, it’s been one hell of a summer. Here’s to happier times.”
A silence fell on the group. Gabriel cleared his throat. “Thank you, Hugh. As you said—”
An almighty explosion, followed by the panicked rustling of birds taking flight from the trees drowned out the rest of his words. Iris’sheart thudded, echoing theboomstill reverberating in the air. And then, deathly silence.
For a few seconds, they were a tableau frozen in time. Gabriel and Hugh standing, their champagne glasses in their hands, their heads turned toward the sound of the explosion; Iris, the alarm in her eyes mirrored in Esme’s. Even baby Hamish paused in his nuzzling, and Esme, the instinct to protect her child automatically taking over, tightened her arms around him. Reassured, he went back to drinking, his tiny legs kicking under his blanket, the only movement in the stillness.
“I hope that wasn’t the house,” Esme joked, breaking the spell the explosion had cast over them. “Not after all our hard work.”
“Maybe I should—” Hugh stopped mid-sentence, his attention caught by something. Iris followed his line of vision and saw black smoke billowing into the sky.
In the distance a siren wailed, then became louder.
Gabriel turned to Hugh. “Shall we go and take a look?”
“Good idea. It looks a bit too close to home for comfort,” Hugh added, his voice low. He looked over at Esme. “We won’t be long.”
“As long as Joseph hasn’t blown himself up,” Esme said, detaching Hamish from her breast and shifting him to the other side. “I’m so disappointed in him.” Hamish settled, she stretched out her free hand and laid it on Iris’s arm. “Thank you for taking him home before he became completely out of control.”
“I only suggested taking him home because I didn’t want everyone to see him in that state.” Iris paused. “Do you think he fell off the wagon before today and managed to hide it from everyone?”
“I don’t know, but I’m furious, and disappointed and everything else in between. I’m beginning to regret asking him to be Hamish’s godfather.” She looked suddenly nervous. “He didn’t say anything, did he, when you and Hugh took him home? He tends to shout his mouth off when he’s drunk.”
“No,” Iris said. “Don’t worry.”
“I should have been upfront with Hugh in the first place,” Esme fretted.
“It doesn’t matter now. Joseph is leaving tomorrow, isn’t he?”
“If he’s sober enough.” She moved Hamish to her shoulder and began to pat his back and, as Iris listened to her chattering about the christening, and how lovely it had been, an extraordinary sense of well-being flowed through her body. For the first time in months, she felt at peace.
“Oh, they’re back!” Esme exclaimed.
