‘Oh, Juliet,’ Leo said. ‘But what about —’
‘Of course, Juliet.’ Clementine shot Leo a warning glance. ‘You do whatever’s best for you both.’
Juliet still looked teary. Myles came up behind her. She leaned back against him, taking the hand he put on her shoulder. ‘I’m sorry, Leo. I know I said I’d stay until the weekend. And I know it means I’m leaving you all with the cleaning and —’
‘Juliet, it’s fine,’ Eliza said. ‘We’re fine. We’ll manage.’
‘Speak for yourself, Eliza,’ Miranda said. ‘You couldn’t rustle up a quick dinner for us before you leave, Juliet?’
There was a sharp intake of breath from Eliza. Clementine glared at Miranda. Even Leo was shocked. ‘Miranda, please —’
‘It’s just a joke,’ Miranda snapped. ‘Remember jokes? Those lines of words with something funny at the end of them?’
Juliet didn’t seem bothered. ‘You’re right, Miranda, I’m sorry. It is selfish of me.’ She let go of Myles’s hand and moved past them all to the refrigerator. They watched as she opened it, leaned inside and took out a round glass dish. Without a word, she carried it across, took off the lid and emptied it over Miranda’s lap. ‘There’s your dinner, Miranda. One hour in a moderate oven. Bon appetit.’
She walked out, Myles following. They left behind a room of shocked people. Miranda looked down at her white linen pants, her silk top, now covered in tomatoes, herbs, pieces of chicken and red wine.
‘Has she gone absolutely mad?’ She glared at the others. ‘Don’t just stand there. Do something.’
Clementine did. She started to laugh. Two seconds later, so did everyone else.
Over the next half an hour, the house was all movement. Doors opening and closing, bags being fetched from the cloakroom under the stairs. Maggie helped Miranda clear up most of the tomato mess. They had just mopped the floor when Eliza appeared again. She was carrying her suitcase.
‘I’ve decided to go today too. I’m going to get a lift to the airport with Myles and Juliet and try to change my flights when I get there.’
Leo appeared behind her. He looked sad and old. Eliza had obviously just told him. ‘It’s an exodus,’ he said. ‘Maggie, Gabriel’s going to go with them. It makes sense, I suppose.’
Maggie just nodded. She felt Clementine’s presence behind her, felt a touch on her arm.
‘Clementine, do you want to go today as well?’ Leo asked, his expression forlorn. ‘Miranda, do you? Maggie?’
They all shook their heads.
Even if Maggie had wanted to leave, she couldn’t. There’d been no chance to talk to Leo about Sadie yet. He would be desperate for news, she knew that. There had been no chance to talk to Gabriel either. Either by chance or design, he’d stayed out of the way during Juliet and Myles’s confrontation. He was now back in the living room, packing the lighting equipment away. She couldn’t read his expression from where she sat. There’d be no chance for privacy even if she did go in and talk to him. The others kept walking back and forth through the room.
She was too confused to know what to say to him, in any case. She knew she had no right to be upset with him. It had been a fake engagement. And of course he had a girlfriend. It would have been more surprising if he was single. She just wished he hadn’t kissed her that afternoon. That she hadn’t felt so attracted to him. That she hadn’t begun to imagine that he was attracted to her too.
They were all soon ready to leave. Myles was anxious to get going, to try to make the early evening flight to Manchester. The farewells were hurried. Maggie managed just a few minutes alone with Juliet, and even less with Eliza.
Juliet hugged her close. ‘I’m sorry about Gabriel, Maggie. I can’t give you any advice, either. I obviously don’t have a clue about relationships myself.’
‘Don’t worry about me. Are you all right? Will you and Myles be all right?’
‘I don’t know yet. I didn’t know he felt half of the things he said. I want to hear everything and I can’t do that here.’
Maggie hugged her again. ‘I’ll ring you when I get back to New York.’
‘I’ll probably ring you first.’
Eliza hugged her too. ‘Don’t forget my offer, will you? I want to help you as much as I can.’ She didn’t mention Gabriel. It was as if she had wiped him out of her mind already.
In the kitchen, Miranda was still in her tomato-covered clothes, dabbing at them with a sponge, cursing under her breath. ‘No, I’m not changing yet. Let Juliet see the consequences of her actions. I’ve a good mind to send her the dry-cleaning bill.’
Maggie glanced out the kitchen window. Gabriel was outside, leaning against the wall, looking out across the sea. She couldn’t let him go without talking to him. She’d have to be quick. Myles was already at the car, loading in the bags. Juliet was in the living room saying goodbye to Leo. Eliza was looking for her jacket on the crowded coat-stand. This was her best chance, while everyone was occupied.
She was just opening the door to go out to him when she heard a voice.
‘Don’t, Maggie.’ It was Miranda.
‘I need to talk to him,’ Maggie said.
‘What on earth is there to say? Be dignified about this. He’s the one who should be seeking you out. Let him crawl to you.’
‘I just want to say goodbye.’
‘I didn’t trust him and I was right. He’s a liar and a cheat.’
‘He’s not. He’s an honourable, kind, lovely man.’
Maggie moved to go outside. Gabriel was standing in the doorway. If he’d heard what Miranda or Maggie had said, he didn’t show it.
‘I’ve come to say goodbye,’ he said, looking only at Maggie.
‘Make it snappy, then,’ Miranda said. ‘Maggie wants to get on with her life.’
He ignored her. ‘Maggie, I’m sorry it ended like this. Especially after today.’
‘Why?’ Miranda said. ‘What happened today?’
Maggie spun around. ‘Miranda, could you please give me some privacy?’
‘No,’ Miranda said. She crossed her arms. ‘I want to hear whatever he’s got to say.’
Maggie turned back to Gabriel. ‘I’m sorry too. Especially after today.’
He hugged her. She hugged him back. He felt so good. She heard a whisper in her ear. ‘Bravo, fantastic performance.’
She pulled back, startled. ‘What?’
Miranda was watching everything. ‘Don’t listen to him, Maggie.’
He kept his voice low. ‘When are you back in New York?’
‘Sunday,’ she whispered, confused. What did it matter to him now?
‘Don’t fall for it, Maggie.’ Miranda’s tone was stern.
Outside, Myles started the car. ‘I’d better go,’ Gabriel said, picking up his bag. ‘Goodbye, Maggie.’
She wanted to hug him again. ‘Goodbye, Gabriel.’
‘Goodbye, Miranda.’
‘Goodbye, Gabriel.’ She said it in a mock-sincere voice. ‘Let me give you a tip before you go. Next time you think it might be fun to cheat on someone, don’t.’
‘Thank you, Miranda.’ He turned to go, then turned back. ‘Can I offer you a tip too?’
Maggie tensed.
Miranda glared at him. ‘Go ahead.’
‘Salt and soda water on those stains. My mother swears by it.’
Maggie smiled. Miranda didn’t.
The house felt instantly different after they drove away. From eight people to four in less than half an hour. Leo was overly cheery. Maggie knew he was also desperate to talk to her. She didn’t want to put it off any longer either. She also didn’t want to hear her mother and aunt discussing Gabriel.
‘Miranda and Clementine, Maggie and I are going for a walk. She needs some grandfatherly advice. If we’re not back in three hours, come looking for us.’
She walked alongside him, their pace slow. She realised for the first time that he was getting frail. Not in manner, not in energy, but physically. Sh
e hadn’t noticed it in New York.
He took her hand, gave it a squeeze and then released it. ‘Let’s wait until we’re out of earshot.’
They walked up the laneway, the late-afternoon sun warm on their faces. The hedges on either side were heavy with bright-red fuchsia flowers and blackberries.
They reached Leo’s favourite spot, the stone wall that was not just a sun trap but a perfect leaning point, with views over the sea and valley. They stood there silently for a moment, side by side. Maggie felt an unexpected rush of sadness. How many more times would she get to spend moments like this with Leo? It felt even harder, knowing she was about to lie to him.
He turned to her. ‘We have a lot to talk about, you and I, but before we do, let me say thank you. I thought you and Gabriel managed beautifully the past few days and I’m very grateful to you both. It worked a treat. I got to have everyone around me even if it was just for a few days. I’m only sorry he had to leave so quickly. I’m going to ring him in New York and thank him myself.’
‘You are?’
‘It was good timing in a way, I suppose, that his girlfriend rang. It makes it easier for you, doesn’t it? You don’t have to come up with any explanation about the two of you breaking up. I’m glad Myles arrived when he did as well. I’d be heartbroken if he and Juliet separated. Tessa would have been too.’
Tessa again. Her ghost, and the subject of Sadie, was hanging heavy between them. Maggie tried to find the words to tell him. Leo beat her to it.
He put his hand on hers. ‘Tell me, Maggie. Tell me everything that happened in Dublin. It wasn’t good, I know that. I can see it in your face.’ He paused. ‘That woman in Dublin wasn’t Sadie, was she?’
Maggie turned. ‘How did you know that?’
‘Because you would have rung me if she was. I knew you would. I kept my mobile with me, I stayed near the other phone, and when you didn’t call, I knew.’
She nodded. Lie number one. ‘I’m sorry, Tadpole. She did look like Sadie might have. I could see it straightaway. And she was Australian, from Adelaide originally. She’s been living in Ireland for years, with her husband and daughter. She’s about to become a grandmother, in fact. But it wasn’t Sadie.’
‘You met this woman? To make sure? Asked her all the right questions?’
Maggie nodded.
Leo gave a deep sigh. ‘It was too much to hope that Sadie would be here in Ireland. I should have known better. I was thinking that Tessa was sending me messages, thinking how perfect it would have been if we’d found Sadie while we were all here. I’m a foolish old man, Maggie.’
‘You’re not, Tadpole. You’re not.’
‘You finished reading the diaries too, did you?’ The anxiety was obvious in his face.
She was thankful for one thing. She could tell him that Bill wasn’t Sadie’s father. That much was true. Yes, she had finished, she told him. And he had nothing to worry about. He was most definitely the father of all five of his daughters.
He smiled, a radiant smile that broke her heart. Then his expression changed as he realised something. ‘But what could Sadie have read then? There must have been something there. She mentioned the diaries the last night I saw her. She said I must have known.’
‘I don’t know what she meant, Tadpole. There was nothing in there that I could imagine upsetting her. Tessa mostly wrote about people she’d met, things she’d done, the funny things her daughters did and said. The funny things you said.’ Lie after lie after lie.
Leo smiled again. ‘I bet it was a good read, Maggie, was it? She could be so funny. She had a real gift with words, I thought.’
Maggie had to tell him now. She couldn’t wait any longer. ‘Tadpole, I’ve got some terrible news about the diaries. Something bad happened when we were in Dublin.’ She told him quickly, speaking in a hurry, hoping the lie wouldn’t feel as terrible that way.
He was shocked, she could see it. She wasn’t sure if he believed her, either. ‘You’re sure you didn’t just leave your bag somewhere? In the guesthouse? In the car? Oh, Maggie, after I’ve kept them for all these years, for this to happen. Are you sure you looked everywhere?’
She felt sick inside. For one moment, she wished she hadn’t done it. But in the next second, she pictured the scene. If she did still have them, what would be happening now? Would she be handing the diaries back to Leo? Would he start reading them that same night? Reading all she had read? That thought was worse. She could live with the guilt more easily than she could live with the thought of Leo being so hurt. ‘We looked everywhere, Tadpole, I promise. We reported it to the police; they said it’s happening all the time at the moment. It was my fault. I left my bag on the seat. I’m to blame.’
He asked more questions. Was the car damaged? Did anyone see anything? What else was stolen?
She answered each one, just as she and Gabriel had rehearsed, speaking quickly, desperate to convince him. ‘I’m so sorry, Tadpole.’ Another lie. She was sorry about many things that had happened the past two days, but not about getting rid of the diaries. ‘I know how much they meant to you. I know you would have read them now yourself.’
‘They meant a lot, Maggie, yes. But I wouldn’t have read them.’
She stared at him. ‘But I thought you wanted to. I thought it was only because of Bill and Tessa that you hadn’t.’
‘It was originally, but I decided in the past few days that I wouldn’t read them, no matter what you told me was in them. I always liked having them. I liked thinking about them. I liked knowing Tessa had poured her heart and soul into them. But while we were doing that filming and I was hearing the girls talking about her, I realised I didn’t need to know any more about her. I already knew the sort of person she was – so kind and funny and full of life. I didn’t need to read her diaries to remind myself of that. Besides, Tessa always said to me, “You’re not to read these. You have to burn them if anything ever happens to me. Promise me.” I’d decided I would finally honour that promise.’
‘You were going to burn the diaries?’ She couldn’t believe what she was hearing, after all the turmoil she’d felt making the decision to get rid of the diaries herself.
He nodded.
‘But what about Mum and the others? Didn’t you want them to read them?’
‘I couldn’t. If I produced them out of the blue, they would know I’d lied to them all those years ago. It would have been too upsetting for everyone.’ He reached for her hand again. ‘Perhaps those thieves have done us all a favour. They made the final decision. Who knows, they might even be sitting somewhere in Dublin right now having a good read.’
‘I’m so sorry, Tadpole,’ Maggie said again. ‘I’ve been feeling sick about telling you.’ The truth, at last.
He squeezed her hand. ‘I’m your grandfather, Maggie. Your grandfather who loves you dearly. Never feel sick about telling me anything.’ He stood up straight then. ‘Now, how about you help me back down that laneway? We can’t stay up here all day. We’ve got a film show to watch.’
They started walking back. ‘You don’t mind that you didn’t get to finish the project?’
‘We have plenty to be getting on with. I can’t wait for you to see it.’
The four of them gathered in front of the TV that night after dinner. Miranda had done the cooking. Baked beans on toast. She served it with a bottle of very expensive Italian red wine.
Leo knelt in front of the TV, checking that the cables were connected correctly to the camera, that the tape was inside, that all was as it should be. He referred to Gabriel’s notes several times, before pressing the ‘play’ button with a flourish.
Nothing happened.
He checked again, pressed ‘play’ again, then looked up, perplexed. ‘I don’t understand it. He made it sound so simple.’
It was Maggie who noticed the TV wasn’t switched on.
Leo smiled sheepishly. ‘Sorry. We’ll try that again.’
The screen flickered into life. An image appear
ed on the screen: Juliet, Miranda, Eliza and Clementine on the sofa. The composition was perfect, the lighting excellent.
Leo beamed. ‘Look at you. My beautiful girls, all in a row.’
Maggie wondered if she was the only one thinking of Sadie.
They could hear Gabriel’s voice off camera, asking them to talk about themselves. There was a minute of looking at each other, each one saying to another that they should go first. Some nervous laughter. Gabriel’s voice again, suggesting that they start with the oldest: ‘Miranda, that’s you, isn’t it?’
Maggie tried to ignore the dart of pleasure she got just hearing his voice. She had to try to forget about him, starting right now.
‘How insulting, Gabriel,’ Miranda replied. ‘With this perfect skin? How could I possibly be the oldest?’
‘You carry on like you’re the oldest,’ Eliza muttered.
‘She carries on, at least,’ Clementine smiled.
‘I am the actual oldest so I’ll go first,’ Juliet said firmly. She looked into the camera. ‘My name is Juliet and I’d like to start by sharing some memories of —’
The screen went blank. There were a few seconds of nothing, then the picture flickered. The four women were nowhere to be seen. There was a shot of the floorboards instead. A shaking shot.
Clementine looked at Leo. ‘What’s happened? Is it a loose cable?’
Leo checked. ‘No, they’re all fine. It’s not the equipment. It’s what’s on the tape. Hold on, there must have been a little hitch. It’ll come back, I’m sure.’
They kept watching. The floorboards stayed on the screen. They heard creaking sounds in the background. Then a voice. Leo’s voice.
‘Turn it up, Tadpole,’ Maggie said.
He did. They could clearly hear him. Only him. He was talking to himself. ‘It should just be a matter of this attachment here. If there was a swivelling mechanism, though, of course I would need to — ’
As they realised what was happening, Clementine and Miranda started to laugh.
‘This is what you were doing when we went down to the beach, wasn’t it?’ Clementine said.
Those Faraday Girls Page 52
