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‘I’m here on behalf of Claude. I do hope it was all right me coming to see you but he asked me to see if I could find you.’
Esther studied her hands in her lap and her fingers went to the wedding ring that shone brightly on her bony hand.
‘Did he now? And why would he do that?’
‘He’s always wondered what happened after you left Devon and went to live up north. He didn’t realise that you’d come back to the county.’
‘That’s because I didn’t tell him.’ She shook her head. ‘Forgive me for being abrupt but I made my bed a long time ago. If he told you about our friendship, I assume you’re close to him, Miss Starcross?’
‘Please call me Lettie, and no, Claude and I aren’t close at all. I only met him a short while ago but…’ Lettie paused. How could she describe the way her heart had gone out to the grumpy, slightly strange man she’d only just met? ‘He’s got under my skin, I suppose.’
‘He does that,’ said Esther quietly. ‘This is all rather awkward. I assumed that he’d forgotten all about me. Does he know that I’m here?’
‘No. I haven’t told him yet. I thought I’d better talk to you face-to-face first.’
‘That was considerate of you.’ Esther closed her eyes for a moment and let her head rest against the back of her armchair. Then she sat up straight. ‘Did Claude tell you about the two of us?’
Lettie glanced at the cross prominently displayed above the fireplace. Claude had said Esther was religious and ashamed of their relationship, even though it all sounded very chaste. ‘He hardly told me anything at all,’ she told her, ‘but I do know that he’s never forgotten you.’
Esther shook her head slightly and gazed out of the window.
‘Has he ever married? Does he have children?’
‘No, he’s never married and he has no children that I’m aware of. He still lives in Lobster Pot Cottage on the quayside in Heaven’s Cove.’
‘On his own?’ When Lettie nodded, Esther murmured, ‘Always on his own. Oh, Claude.’
She suddenly covered her eyes with her hands and Lettie began to regret coming today. What was she doing, getting involved in all of this? She was meddling in other people’s lives, just as Daisy and her mum did all the time.
‘I’m so sorry to upset you. Perhaps I shouldn’t have come. I should leave you in peace.’
‘No, please don’t go. I’m glad you’re here. I’ve often thought about Claude and wondered what happened to him. It’s just a shock knowing that he’s trying to find me.’
Lettie settled back into her chair. ‘How long have you lived here?’
‘Not very long. My husband, Terry, and I came back to Devon three years ago. Then he died, and our son lives in London, and, well, I needed to move into this place so I wasn’t alone.’ She gave a sad smile. ‘I thought about moving to London to be near my son, but I’ve always been a Devon girl at heart and I’m glad to be back here. I like being closer to the sea.’
Esther sounded content with her decision, and Lettie could understand why. It had surprised her how much she’d loved being close to the sea over the last few days, even though she was too scared to go in it.
‘Do you live in Heaven’s Cove?’ asked Esther, ignoring her cooling tea.
‘No, I’m just visiting. I live in London and am in Devon on holiday.’
‘Have you fallen in love with the village?’
Lettie smiled. ‘I suppose I have a little bit.’
‘It’s a beautiful place, or it always was. I could have imagined myself living there all those years ago. If things had been different. I haven’t been back there since I returned to Devon.’
‘The village is still really beautiful and probably pretty unchanged from the last time you saw it.’ Lettie put down her untouched tea and picked up the photo closest to her. ‘Is this your son?’
‘That’s right, with his children. I don’t see my grandchildren very often but they talk to me on the phone, sometimes.’
‘That must be nice,’ said Lettie, thinking how different Esther’s life with a family had been from Claude’s.
‘It’s lovely to speak to them but I must admit that sometimes I do get rather lonely. The other residents keep themselves to themselves, and though the woman who keeps an eye on us all has a cup of tea with me sometimes, she oversees other sheltered housing places as well, so rarely has the time.’ Esther sighed quietly. ‘Take no notice of me, Miss Starcross. I wasn’t always so… worn down by life. When Claude knew me I was very different. But the life we have is the culmination of the choices we make and, with hindsight, I didn’t always choose wisely. I chose duty over love, head over heart. But there you have it.’ She turned her palms to the ceiling. ‘It’s far too late to change or to dwell in the past, and I have a son whom I love and marvellous grandchildren I wouldn’t be without. Tell me, how did you come to know Claude?’
‘I’m trying to find out more about my great-aunt Iris who grew up in Heaven’s Cove, and Claude has been helping me.’
