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‘Oh.’ Rosie’s eyes opened wide. ‘Did something happen with Corey? Did the two of you…? I mean, are you two…?’
‘No.’ Lettie shook her head. ‘Nothing happened with Corey.’
She’d wanted it to, though. When he’d come into her room and kissed her goodnight, she’d wanted more. But instead, she’d snooped through the writing desk and now he thought she was a money-grasping cheat.
‘It’s all right. You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to. Is there someone you could ring and talk to? Your sister, maybe?’
Lettie shook her head more vehemently. Daisy was the last person she wanted to talk to right now. She could imagine what her sister would say: You what? You almost drowned trying to save a dog, and then you snooped through an old desk in the middle of the night? What on earth’s the matter with you, Lettie? Or even worse: Good old Iris! Take the land and run – you know that’s what she would have wanted.
But Lettie had no idea what Iris would have wanted from this complicated situation and there was no way of ever asking her. She was gone for good and would never see Cornelius’s letter.
When tears began to roll down Lettie’s nose and drop onto the table, Rosie dragged her chair across the tiles and put her arm around her shoulders.
‘It’s OK,’ she soothed, pushing the mug of chamomile tea towards her.
‘I’m sorry,’ sobbed Lettie. ‘You’re the owner of Driftwood House, not an agony aunt. You seem so together and sure of things. I bet you’ve never been a weird mess like me.’
‘You’d be surprised,’ murmured Rosie, giving Lettie’s shoulders a squeeze. ‘Is there anything I can do to help? You’re probably still in shock after what happened yesterday.’
‘No, I’m fine, honestly,’ sniffed Lettie, ‘but thank you. You’ve been very kind. Actually, I need to leave Heaven’s Cove today.’
She picked up the steaming tea and took a sip because Rosie had gone to all the trouble of making it.
‘Can’t you stay a bit longer? You’ve booked until Sunday.’
‘I need to go now, but I’m not asking for any money back.’
‘Oh, I’m not bothered about money,’ insisted Rosie, getting up from the table. ‘I just hate to see you leaving when you’re so upset. Does Simon know you’re going? Is he the reason you’re so upset?’
‘No, it’s nothing to do with Simon. Nothing at all. And I think you’re right that I’m still upset about yesterday but I’ll be fine when I get back to London.’ Lettie pushed her chair back and stood up. ‘Thank you for the tea but I need to go and pack my things.’
Upstairs, she threw her belongings into her case and checked on her phone for trains from Exeter to Paddington. There were a few later that day so she rang for a taxi to take her to the station.
It felt like running away. It was running away, but she’d go back to her little life in London, find a new job, nod at her neighbours, endure her family’s matchmaking, and apologise profusely for not making the rainbow cake for Elsa’s birthday. Like Iris, she would never mention Heaven’s Cove again and, also like Iris, she would never forget the village. Just as she would never forget the expression on Corey’s face when he’d accused her of deceit.
‘I should never have come to Heaven’s Cove, Iris,’ said Lettie into her empty bedroom as she snapped her case closed and lifted it off the bed. ‘I solved the mystery but just added to the heartache.’
She was about to carry her case downstairs when her phone beeped. It was a number she didn’t recognise and she was about to ignore it when it beeped again. She opened the first message:
Hello Lettie. This is Esther. I’ve changed my mind and would like to see Claude. Could you pick me up and bring me to Heaven’s Cove? You said you were there for a few more days.
The second message, sent just a minute later, said: If you don’t mind, of course. I don’t want to be a bother but I’d feel better if you were with me.
Lettie sat down heavily on the bed. She’d reply and explain that she was leaving Heaven’s Cove. Esther could get a taxi or maybe someone else would bring her over. She’d already rescued Claude’s dog and she wasn’t responsible for his love life too.
She carried the case down the two flights of stairs but hesitated in the hallway. What if Esther cried off when Lettie said she couldn’t collect her? She and Claude would never meet again. What would Iris want her to do? If she’d had the chance to see Cornelius one more time, she would have jumped at it.
‘Oh, dear,’ said Lettie, softly. She put her case down next to the grandfather clock and called into the kitchen. ‘Rosie, I’ll be leaving later but need to go somewhere first if that’s OK.’
‘Of course.’ Rosie poked her head around the kitchen door. ‘Are you all right now?’
‘Yes, thank you. I will be.’
Two hours later,Lettie’s taxi arrived back into Heaven’s Cove with Esther sitting next to her in the back seat.
‘I haven’t been here for forty years but everything looks much the same.’ Esther craned her neck to see along the lane that led to the church. ‘The shops are different, but the buildings are the same.’ She twisted her pale hands in her lap. ‘It was very kind of you to collect me, Lettie, especially in a taxi. But I’m beginning to wish I hadn’t contacted you at all.’
‘Do you feel nervous about seeing Claude again?’
