Chapter 36
Freddie said, ‘Thank goodness we found Lorna! I mean, it’s a lovely beach and all, but The Beach House can’t literally be on the beach – can it? I hope she knows where she’s going.’
‘Of course she does.’ Walking at a pace beside him, along the beach, Angel looked at Freddie, and added, ‘Lucky that we stopped at the pub in the village, and the barman said to park at the beach car park and walk it.’
‘Yeah, otherwise we wouldn’t have found Lorna’s car.’
‘Or Lorna.’ Angel pointed at Lorna, who was marching along a little way up the beach. ‘We could catch up with her.’
Freddie shook his head. ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea. We should hang back a bit, keep a little distance.’
Angel nodded. ‘You’re right.’ They exchanged a knowing glance, aware that Lorna would not be happy to see either of them.
‘Hey, look up ahead!’ Freddie pointed.
‘There’s a lot of people.’
‘I smell barbecue food.’
Angel glanced at Freddie. ‘Me too. Is that a beach party?’ She smiled. She was enjoying the walk along the beach, and the warm sunshine, but wished they were visiting under different circumstances.
She gave Freddie a sideways glance, wondering if she should tell him what was really going on with Briony – forewarn him. But it’s not my place to give away Briony’s secret. He had to hear it from Briony,Angel decided. Although she was afraid it would be the end of their friendship, the end of the possibility of something more, when he found out she’d known all along.
Angel didn’t want to think about that. He’d know soon enough, if Briony was at The Beach House. Instead she said, ‘They’re lucky with the weather. Last of the Indian summer today, apparently.’
Freddie paused for a moment to look at her. ‘Are you seriously talking about the weather right now?’
Angel shrugged. ‘Just saying.’
They resumed walking, gaining on Lorna. ‘Rather than talk about the weather, I’d like to talk about the elephant in the room,’ said Freddie.
Angel knew what he was talking about – that kiss. ‘I don’t think now is the right time to talk about it.’
‘I’m going to see Briony about this letter.’
‘Yeah, that’s my point. It’s not the right time.’
‘Well, it is – for me.’
Angel could feel his eyes on her as they walked along the beach.
He said, ‘I’m confused.’
Angel wasn’t – not at all, but she didn’t let on. She said, ‘It was just one kiss.’
‘Yes, I know that!’ Freddie sounded irritated. ‘Didn’t you feel something?’
Angel looked at the letter in Freddie’s hand. ‘I think you need to deal with that first.’
He looked at the letter too. ‘Yeah, I guess so. It doesn’t make sense. She seemed perfectly happy with me before she went away, then I get this completely out of the blue. And what’s she doing here, anyway?’
Angel stared at Freddie, feeling uncomfortable.
Freddie continued, ‘I know she said her grandmother had an op, and so I assumed she’d come here to look after her post-op. But now I’ve gone over that conversation in my mind, the one I had with Briony at the train station when I found out she wasn’t going to the Galapagos Islands, I realise she didn’t actually say much at all. I mean, it’s a big deal that she gave up her trip to come here – right?’
Angel nodded.
‘But something doesn’t add up. For starters, why doesn’t her mum know she’s here?’ Freddie paused. ‘What is she doing here, really, Angel? I know you know something …’
Angel didn’t dare look at Freddie; he’d already worked out in the car that there was something she wasn’t telling him. Instead, she kept her eyes fixed dead ahead as they neared a crowd of people, some standing and chatting, others sitting in deckchairs. There were children running around, and two guys standing at a barbecue, flipping burgers.
‘It is a beach party,’ Angel said enthusiastically, forgetting for a brief moment the circumstances that had taken them there.
Two of the children were barefoot, throwing a ball to one another.
‘Oh, look at that,’ said Angel, grabbing Freddie’s arm, so they both came to a halt. She pointed at a building. It looked quite stunning, with its floor-to-ceiling picture window looking out to sea. ‘I wonder if they holiday-let the property. Wouldn’t it be fantastic to spend a holiday here? If you two get married here, perhaps you could spend your honeymoon right here, in her grandmother’s beach house.’
‘Are you serious?’ Freddie looked at the letter in his hand miserably. ‘Somehow I doubt there’s going to be a wedding any time soon.’
Unless it’s ours. Angel raised her eyebrows wondering where that thought had come from – it had only been one kiss.
As they drew closer, she noticed another building – a white house with dormer windows in its roof. It looked like a chalet bungalow. She raised her eyebrows. ‘So, there are two beach houses?’
Freddie replied, ‘I guess the small one is like a summerhouse, or something.’
Angel came to a halt behind a row of deckchairs.
They both spotted Lorna making her way through the crowd of people, searching for her daughter.
Angel said, ‘This is not going to end well.’
Briony stepped outside and was immediately confronted by Emily and Clarissa. ‘There you are!’ Clarissa exclaimed.
‘We were looking for you,’ said Emily, taking her arm.
Briony said, ‘I need to find Joss.’
‘Yes, he’s over there with the rest of the guests, waiting for you and Troy to cut the ribbon,’ replied Emily.
Briony had forgotten all about that.
Clarissa took her other arm. ‘Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten about the ribbon-cutting ceremony!’
As she was led away from The Beach House, Briony glanced over her shoulder helplessly at Troy, who was following behind, holding Willow’s hand.
Clarissa leaned in and whispered, ‘Ah, you were with Troy. That explains a lot.’
Briony rolled her eyes. ‘Look, I really need to speak to Joss.’
Emily said, ‘Honestly, Briony, if it’s about the letters, which I imagine it is, can’t it wait until the party is over?’
Briony shook her head vehemently.
‘All right, well, at least wait until after the ribbon-cutting ceremony.’
Clarissa and Emily deposited Briony outside the outbuilding door with the bright red ribbon taped to the door. Clarissa made sure Troy was standing beside her so that they were ready to cut the ribbon together.
‘Now, you two stand real close,’ said Clarissa, handing them a pair of scissors.
Briony looked at Clarissa in a deadpan manner. She could tell her friend was enjoying herself. She was probably a bit drunk too. Briony wasn’t sure how – all there was to drink was lemonade and orange squash. And any other drink that people have brought along to the party, thought Briony. She’d noticed a large cooler beside the barbecue and imagined there were a few beers inside.
Briony stood awkwardly, very close to Troy.
Emily noticed Willow was about to step aside. ‘No, it’s all right sweetheart, why don’t you stay right there, next to Troy, and you can officiate—’
‘Um, what she means,’ said Clarissa, ‘is that you can check they cut the ribbon.’
When they were all in position, Clarissa passed the scissors to Briony, and placed Troy’s hand on hers, so they cut the ribbon together. Clarissa got everyone to gather round for the opening ceremony.
Briony heard Troy whisper, ‘I need to speak to you after the ceremony.’
She nodded, although she wasn’t focused on Troy, but the large group of people gathered around them. She was feeling self-conscious. She glanced at Emily and Clarissa, wishing one of them could do the honours instead, wondering who had come up with this ridiculous idea. She couldn’t wait for the ribbon-cutting ceremony to be over.
Clarissa and Emily opened the ceremony by introducing their new friend, Briony, and saying how much they had been enjoying meeting up, along with Willow and Luna, as part of the Wolf Girls Club.
‘Now, without any further ado,’ said Emily, smiling, ‘I’ll hand you over to the lovely couple, Briony and Troy, to cut the—’
‘What the hell is going on here?’
People looked about them in surprise, wondering who had shouted out, rudely interrupting proceedings.
Briony stood stock still, her eyes wide, thinking, No it can’t be. I must have imagined my mother’s voice. Then the crowd in front of her parted to let someone through.
Briony dropped the scissors. ‘Oh, god – what are you doing here?’
‘What am I doing here?’ Lorna said, hands on hips. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘That’s what I want to know!’ said Freddie.
Briony felt her knees buckle when she caught sight of him and Angel. They walked up behind Lorna and joined her at the front of the hushed crowd.
Briony’s eyes darted from her mum, to Angel, and finally to Freddie, who was not staring at her, but at Troy.
Troy said, ‘You’ve got no right, barging in like this, and ruining—’
‘What have you done?’ Lorna asked, ignoring Troy.
Troy mistakenly thought Lorna was talking about the outbuilding. ‘She’s had it renovated – what does it look like? Excuse me, but who are you?’
‘I’m her mother.’
Briony shifted her shocked gaze from her mum to Freddie, who was still staring at Troy, as was Angel.
Freddie pointed at Troy. ‘So, this is why you sent the letter?’
Briony looked at Freddie, confused. ‘I don’t understand … what letter?’
‘This letter!’ He held it up.
Briony gasped when she saw it. ‘I never sent that!’
‘Oh, so that’s why it’s in an envelope with your handwriting, addressed to me, with a first-class stamp on it.’
Briony fell silent, still in shock that they were right there, standing in front of her. And Freddie had received her letter in the post. Some blooming good Samaritan must have found it and posted it.
Worse still, there was a large crowd of people standing there, in hushed silence, clearly not sure what to make of it all.
Neither was Briony. She could feel her face flush bright red. She didn’t know where to look, or what to say. She stole a glance at her mum, who after her initial outburst, just looked too shocked at finding her there to say anything more.
Troy said, ‘Will someone please tell me what’s going on?’ He pointed at Freddie. ‘And who are you?’
Briony wanted a chasm to open up beneath her feet and swallow her whole.
Freddie stepped forward. ‘So, she hasn’t told you about me. I’m her fiancé, whom she dumped in a letter!’
Troy looked at him, bemused. ‘I’m sorry – what?’ He turned to Briony. ‘You were engaged to be married?’
Briony didn’t want to answer that question. She stole a glance at Angel, wondering whether she’d told Freddie and her mum the reason she was there rather than on the research trip.
Freddie looked up at the outbuilding. ‘Looks like a nice pad. Was the plan to move in here with him?’
Troy turned to Briony. ‘Really, that was the plan?’
‘I … I don’t know!’
‘With the baby?’ blurted Angel. She immediately slapped a hand to her mouth, shocked that she had said that out loud.
‘Baby?’ said Freddie, Troy and Lorna all at once, the three of them turning to look at Briony.
She looked at each one of them in turn while Angel kept saying, ‘I’m sorry,’ over and over, until Briony couldn’t stand it any longer. She stamped her foot. ‘All right – I’m pregnant! There – my secret is out! That’s why I decided not to go to the Galapagos Islands, and come here instead, to see my grandmother. But that didn’t exactly work out! She’s in hospital, in a coma, after a stroke! But then I met lots of wonderful people, and a wonderful person in particular,’ she stole a furtive glance at Troy, ‘and all I wanted to do was stay here with my baby.’
‘Is it mine?’ Freddie asked in a hushed whisper.
‘Yes – it’s yours, Freddie!’
Troy grabbed Willow’s hand. ‘Come on – we’re leaving!’
‘I don’t want to go!’
‘The party is over, Willow.’
Briony turned to the door, clawed at the stupid ribbon adorning it, and felt for the door handle. Her eyes were so full of tears that she could barely see. She launched herself inside and slammed the door shut behind her.
Leaning her back against the door, she heard Troy’s angry voice shout out, ‘The party is over everyone – go home!’
Briony stood there in floods of tears, thinking that it well and truly was.