Gaëlle chuckled and shook her head. “Unless things have changed a lot over the years, Heather...I mean, Britten, will want to spread her things all over the bathroom. Dale’s bathroom is too compact for his sister’s needs, so she’s better off in her old room with access to the original bathroom.”
“Good point. And you’re sure Dale won’t mind?”
“I’m sure. Please make yourself at home.” Gaëlle turned away, then stopped. “Have you had any supper? I can easily fix something.”
“No, thank you. We stopped at the Four Corners Café for a bite.”
“Good. My sister-in-law Eileen works there; I often drop in for supper. I don’t think she’s working tonight, though.”
There goes that theory. I guess Eileen didn’t call with a heads-up. “Actually, she was our waitress. She and Britten had a little disagreement about your daughter’s name.”
“That’s Eileen, all right. She’s a kind, generous, giving woman, but she’s set in her ways and has no use for airs. Britten will always be Heather Ann to her aunt.”
“But not to you?”
“My daughter has the right to be called by whatever name she chooses. I rather hope she doesn’t adopt Persephone or Gertrude, however.”
With a chuckle, Gaëlle went to her daughter’s room, and Lee went downstairs to retrieve the rest of the luggage. On her return, she mounted the last stairs, only to encounter Gaëlle, who turned to let her by.
“Please don’t feel you have to stay up and keep us company, Lee. Britten and I have lots to catch up on.”
“Would you mind if I just stretch my legs a little before I retire?”
“Not at all, but do be careful if you go into the fields north of the house. A winter storm this year took down the old fieldstone barn, and the debris is all over back there.”
“Geez, I’m sorry. I hope no one was hurt in the collapse.”
“No, we hadn’t used that barn in probably thirty years. Other than a lot of startled field mice, it was really a non-event. Though I do have to get around to cleaning it up now that the snow is gone.”
Lee dropped off the rest of Britten’s suitcases and tossed her own bag into the suite. As much as she’d have loved to crawl into bed, she wanted to do a perimeter sweep and assessment before retiring. She also needed to text Willem. So Lee headed back outside into the cold night air and began a slow amble around the house, her keen eyes raking over what she could see of the landscape. Other than the shelterbelt providing potential cover for interlopers, the house’s isolation provided decent sanctuary, though she intended to do a more careful assessment in the daylight.
Lee stopped under the exterior light. Checking her phone, she was relieved to see she had access, and she quickly sent Willem a text. With that task done, Lee put her phone away and tilted her head back. The vast panoply of the clear prairie sky took her breath away.
Lee had no idea how long she stood watching the stars. It was only the cold piercing her jacket that finally forced her to return to the house. As Lee approached the porch stairs, a curtain moved in the front window. But when she entered the house, all was quiet.
Lee descended the stairs early the next morning. She doubted that she’d slept as well in years, probably since before a routine check-up had heralded Dana’s final odyssey. Whether it was the fresh air or fatigue after the long drive, Lee was simply grateful for her renewed sense of energy.
The house was quiet, but it was barely seven o’clock, so Lee stepped outside for a smoke. On the porch, Lee lit up and inhaled deeply.
“I always used to enjoy that first one of the day, too.”
Lee spun and saw Gaëlle sitting in a chair in the far corner. “Damn, I’m sorry. I’ll just put this out.”
“Not at all. At least don’t do it for me. I finally managed to quit not long ago, but a couple of my brothers-in-law indulge now and then. There’s a butt can in the corner.”
Lee took up a position near the can, leaning one hip against the porch railing. She looked sheepishly at Gaëlle. “I do intend to quit again; I just haven’t quite gotten around to it.”
“When you don’t need the habit anymore, you’ll stop.”
“I wish it were that easy. My wife—” Lee stopped abruptly, inwardly cursing herself. It wasn’t that she was in deep cover, but she had no idea how her hostess would react to details of her personal life.
To Lee’s great relief, Gaëlle simply cocked her head curiously. “Your wife would what?”
“She’d kill me for starting up again. It took me almost a year to quit the first time, and Dana said I was as grouchy as a grizzly.”
“So why did you start again?”
Lee sighed and extinguished the cigarette. “Dana died, and nothing mattered anymore, not even the deplorable state of my lungs.”
“I’m sorry.”
Lee shifted uncomfortably, recalling that this woman had lost her husband and son many years before. “Me too. I mean about Dana and your family, too. Britten told me what happened.”
“Mmm. That was long, long ago now. Britten was only eight months old at the time.”
“Still, it had to be terribly difficult.”
“It was the worst day of my life.”
Lee and Gaëlle’s eyes met. Lee knew instantly that here was someone who understood, who had been through the same crucible but apparently emerged far more intact than Lee had.
Before she could say anything more, Gaëlle rose and pulled her coat more tightly around herself. “Please excuse me. If you want breakfast, I left a pot of oatmeal on the stove. If that’s not your pleasure, help yourself to anything you can find in the fridge or pantry. I’ll be back in a while.”
Lee watched Gaëlle walk down the stairs and follow a path around the house. When she could no longer see the woman, Lee went inside in search of the kitchen.
At the back of the house, overlooking an expansive deck, the large country kitchen was flooded with the first light of morning. A piece of paper sat next to a table setting. Noting her name at the top, Lee stopped to read it.
Lee,
Britten will probably sleep well into the morning. There is coffee in the pot and oatmeal on the stove. Bread and English muffins are in the fridge, cold cereal in the pantry. Please help yourself to anything that strikes your fancy. I will be back about eight or so.
Gaëlle
“Oatmeal, eh? God, I haven’t had that in years.” Lee laughed aloud as she remembered how she’d had to bribe Eli to even try it, loading his bowl with raisins, brown sugar, and double cream. Even that hadn’t been enough to make him like it. After finding what she needed, Lee sat down with a large bowl. “Yum. This is not instant, that’s for sure.”
True to her note, Gaëlle returned within the hour. Lee had washed her dishes and tidied the kitchen and was sitting in the living room, wondering how she was going to fill her time for whatever duration they would be there.
Gaëlle shrugged out of her coat and gloves and put them away in the closet. “She’s still sleeping, is she?”
“I haven’t heard a peep from upstairs yet.”
“Enjoy the quiet while it lasts. Britten said last night that she was going to contact her old girlfriends and have them over today. They’re a pretty shrill bunch when they’re all together.”
Lee hoped her face didn’t reflect her dismay, but Gaëlle’s amused expression indicated otherwise.
“I need to go into Donegal on a grocery run after I throw some laundry in. Care to come along?”
“I...I’d better stay here.”
“Your call. In that case, would you like to make use of my library? I’ve got a decent selection of books that might break the monotony for you.”
“Please, yes. I’d like that.” More than anything else, Lee hated being bored. She would rather have gone with Gaëlle, but as unlikely as the need seemed, her client was paying for personal protection, and Lee didn’t feel at liberty to leave.
The stairs to the basement were o
n the other side of the stairway to the second floor. Lee followed Gaëlle down the short flight to a door. Above the door hung a small sign with letters burned into the wood reading “Momy’s offis and libery”.
Gaëlle touched it like a talisman before opening the door. “Owen made this for me when he was seven. We’d given him a woodworking set for his birthday. He wasn’t the world’s best speller, but there’s nothing I cherish more in this house.”
Lee understood completely. For the past year, she had slept—when she slept—with a scarf Dana knitted her for their first Christmas together under her pillow. She’d rarely worn it while Dana was alive, but the love in each unskilled stitch comforted Lee in a way nothing else could.
Gaëlle turned on the light, illuminating a large room with bookshelves, battered filing cabinets, an old wooden desk, and a map of Africa that covered a third of one wall. Stickpins were scattered about the map, the majority of them in northwestern Africa. The small windows didn’t admit much light, but any shadows were dispelled by the abundance of lamps and the powerful ceiling light. Three leather recliners formed a triangle in one corner, abutting a low table stacked with books.
In contrast to the elegant suite in which Lee had spent the night, this was a warm, restful, unpretentious room. It invited the user to relax with a good book or get some administrative work done in peace and quiet. Lee loved it.
“Stay as long as you like. Feel free to browse my library and borrow whatever interests you. I’ll be back by noon. You won’t hear anything down here as I had the ceiling padded for sound reduction years ago, so you might want to give Britten a wake-up call about eleven. She’ll need time to put herself together before her friends arrive at one.”
Lee was already lingering over the wide selection of books, so she nodded absently, barely noticing when Gaëlle left. Maybe this won’t be so bad after all.
God, how bad is this going to get? Lee hunched in her corner chair, overwhelmed by the noise emanating from the six women and seven children. After the briefest of introductions, Britten ignored her completely in favour of her old friends, all of whom treated the ex-model as a returning celebrity and Lee as a non-entity.
Lee had briefed Britten before the gathering to caution her friends not to post anything on social media about her triumphant return. Because Britten was adamant that her mother not know the truth of her situation, they’d come up with a plausible cover story to justify the discretion, but Lee had also sent Willem another text requesting that he check for any cyber-leakage in the next few days.
Raucous laughter burst from the gaggle, and Lee briefly wondered what she’d missed. Given that not a word had been addressed to her all afternoon, she decided not to worry about it. However, a small boy with a runny nose that he wiped on his hand and then on Lee’s knee was the last straw. She gently propelled the boy back in the direction of his oblivious mother, sidled around behind the women, and headed for the front door.
As Lee emerged into the crisp afternoon air, she felt as if she’d just surfaced after too much time underwater. She drew in great gulps of air and took out her pack of cigarettes. She was about to light up, when she stopped and stared at the pack for a long moment. No time like the present. Slowly, she slid the cigarette back into the pack and tucked it in her jacket pocket.
“Congratulations.”
Bemused, Lee turned to face the far side of the porch where Gaëlle was sitting in a chair. “Are you always this quiet?”
“I only seem quiet in comparison to them.” Gaëlle inclined her head toward the living room.
“They certainly are...excitable. I’m sure they’re just glad to see your daughter again.”
“Britten was queen bee when she lived here. Her friends all knew they would stay in the area, marry, and raise children, so when Britten went to Europe to be a model, they lived vicariously through her; they worshipped from afar. They’re beside themselves that their idol has returned.”
Lee was impressed by the calm, non-judgmental assessment. This was not a woman who would be easily fooled.
“Lee, what are you doing here?”
“Uh, I needed some time away from my life in Calgary, so I volunteered to keep Britten company on her trip home.”
Lee was acutely conscious of Gaëlle studying her. Her heart dropped when Gaëlle slowly shook her head.
“I expect that’s partially true, but you’re no more a friend of Britten than a hawk is friend to a sparrow. Her sorts of friends have always been hapless, besotted boys and those types of women currently crowding my home. I would guess that you’re a bodyguard of some sort. My daughter has gotten herself into trouble, and your job is to protect her—am I right?”
Lee absolutely did not want to lie to this woman, but she was also deeply conscious of her client’s right to privacy. “Gaëlle...I...”
“No, it’s not fair to broach you with this. All I ask is that you tell me how much trouble my daughter is in. Do I need to take steps to secure our home?”
Lee shook her head as she decided how much she could legitimately reveal. “I believe your daughter’s situation has been somewhat overblown. I doubt it will go on for an extended period.”
“I see. So I should relax and enjoy having her back for a little while, is that it?”
“That would be a good assessment.”
“Thank you. For what it’s worth, I think Britten’s safety is in good hands.”
Lee smiled her appreciation, grateful that Gaëlle was willing to leave it at that. “Can I ask you something?”
“Go ahead.”
“Yesterday, you seemed to know we were coming. But I know Britten didn’t call you, and you indicated that Eileen hadn’t phoned ahead. So how did you know?”
“Wally told me last week. He wasn’t specific about the date and time, but he was adamant that you’d be arriving by week’s end.”
“Wally? Wrong-Way Wally? The guy with the bike and all the ribbons?”
“My friend, Wally Woodson, yes. I don’t call him Wrong-Way. I’ve never met a soul more intent on going the right way.”
Stung by the mild admonition, Lee determined to never again refer to the man by his nickname. “Okay. So how did he know?”
“Wally often knows things that escape the average person. However, he has his own way of communicating, and few have the patience to wade through the dross to the diamonds.”
“But you do.”
“Wally and I go back a very long way.”
“Britten mentioned you were born on the same day.”
“We always have been.”
Lee thought she had heard wrong and was about to pursue it when her attention was drawn by a vehicle turning into the driveway. Lee’s muscles tensed, but she was reassured as Gaëlle rose with a smile on her face.
“Oh, it’s Jill. She must have gotten off work early today. You’ll get a chance to meet my other daughter, Lee. I don’t see my grandsons with her, but she should have my enchanting granddaughter along.”
I think I’ve had enough child-engendered enchantment for one day. But Lee couldn’t hold on to her cynicism in the face of Gaëlle’s obvious delight. She watched as Gaëlle hurried down the stairs and opened the passenger door almost before the truck stopped.
A dark-haired woman emerged from the driver’s side. Lee could see the family resemblance, but it was clear that Britten had won the genetic jackpot. “We can only stay for a few minutes, Mom. Emmy has a dentist appointment in half an hour. But I just had to swing by and see if the rumours are true. Heather Ann is actually home?”
Gaëlle swung her giggling granddaughter in her arms and wrapped her in an enthusiastic hug. “Your sister is home, Jill. Go ahead in and say hi. Emmy and I will find some cookies.”
“No cookies, Mom. Not this time. I just cleaned Emmy’s teeth, and we don’t want to spoil things for her appointment.”
Gaëlle sighed. “None of Grandma’s cookies today, squirt. But I’ll save some for you, okay?”
&
nbsp; “For Jamie too?”
“For Jamie and Nathan.”
“Not Nathan.”
“Why not Nathan? What did your brother do?”
Lee lost track of the conversation as Jill came up the stairs.
Jill stopped and looked at Lee. “Friend of my sister’s?”
“Sort of.”
Jill smiled. “Then welcome, sort-of-friend. I’m Jill, sort-of-sister.”
“Lee.”
“Nice to meet you, Lee. If you’ll excuse me, I’m off to see the prodigal.” Jill opened the door and went inside.
The shrill noise that emerged made Lee cringe as she retreated to the chair Gaëlle had occupied.
Gaëlle returned to the porch, granddaughter in her arms. “Lee, I’d like you to meet Emily Gaëlle Germaine-Hudson, or as we call her, Emmy G. Emmy, this is Ms. Glenn. Can you say hi?”
The child stared at Lee, then buried her face against her grandmother’s shoulder.
Gaëlle shot Lee an apologetic look. “Sorry. Some days she’s shyer than others.”
“That’s all right.”
“Did you and Dana have any children?”
“Dana had a son, Eli. We raised him together from the time he was eight. He’s engaged to a wonderful woman, and they’re getting married in July.”
“Ah, so you may have grandchildren yourself before too long.”
“Eli says he too young for kids yet, but one of these days he and Liz will make excellent parents.” Lee hadn’t thought much about it before, but she loved the notion that Dana’s line would continue. She decided on the spot that she was going to be every bit as besotted a grandmother as Gaëlle evidently was.
The front door slammed open, and Jill rushed out with anger in every line of her body.
Walking the Labyrinth Page 6
