Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
Waking groggily, it took Lily a moment to register the hand on her forehead.
“I was concerned you might have a fever?” Marcie said. “Are you feeling okay?”
“I think so,” Lily said, fighting the urge to roll over and go back to sleep.
“You don’t feel hot, but I’d like to look at your hand again and make sure the wound isn’t infected.” The dark rings under her eyes showed she probably hadn’t got much more sleep than Lily.
“I didn’t hear you coughing in the night,” she said, “so I guess your lungs are clear. Does your breathing feel normal?”
“Yes,” Lily said, sitting up and prodding at the bruise on her forehead.
“Did you hit your head too?” Marcie asked.
“Yeah. It’s not bad, just a little sore.”
“Lovely,” Marcie said sarcastically. “So we need to watch for signs of concussion as well as symptoms of secondary drowning and infection.”
“I really think I’m okay,” Lily said. “I’m tired and sore, but I feel fine.”
Marcie shifted the pillows behind Lily, then passed her a plate of toast from the bedside table. “There’s coffee too,” she said with a flick of her head. “After you’ve eaten and drunk something, we’ll decide what to do next.”
“I’m going to see Clara,” Lily said. “That’s what’s happening next.”
Marcie’s features softened as she smiled. “You sound like Clara, that’s for sure. What I really meant was figure out whether you can get yourself there, or if I should drive you.”
“Thanks,” Lily said, then bit into the buttery toast. “I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
“I put your clothes from yesterday on a quick wash. They’re in the dryer now.”
“Thank you.” Lily tilted her head. “Have you slept?”
“I got a couple of hours,” she said, but it sounded like a lie. Lily would swear she’d been up all night keeping guard.
“Thank you,” Lily said. “For everything.”
“You’re welcome. Just be sure to let Clara know how well I looked after you. I’ll need to earn back brownie points after she finds out you’ve been in the village for days and I didn’t tell her.”
Marcie stood, talking about making herself a coffee.
“Did you know my parents?” Lily asked when she’d reached the doorway.
“Yes.” Slowly, she turned back. “Very well.”
Emotions clogged Lily’s throat.
“Good people,” Marcie said fondly. “It was terrible, what happened to them.”
“Do you think it was an accident?”
“I did at the time, but too much has happened since then. Every time someone looks into it, something bad happens. I don’t believe that’s a coincidence. Whatever happened, someone doesn’t want the truth of it to come out.”
“I’m going to figure it out,” Lily said.
“I hope you do,” Marcie muttered as she walked away.
Half an hour later, Lily and Marcie left the house together. Ignoring Marcie’s advice, Lily didn’t pack up her things. She was going to meet her grandmother, and then she was going to buy a new phone. But she’d be back in Malporth that evening and didn’t intend to leave until she’d got her answers.
Tiredness hit her on the drive to Falmouth. She could hardly even fathom that she was on her way to meet her grandmother. Her emotions were rioting, and all she wanted to do was call Flynn.
She hadn’t got an email reply from him, so she was slightly nervous that he hadn’t got her message, but he’d probably had a busy shift and fallen straight into bed afterwards. He’d respond when he got up.
As her destination got closer on the sat nav, she felt increasingly nauseous. Was she really about to meet her grandmother?
When the thought of it made her lightheaded, she forced herself to focus on the road and not lose concentration.
The housing estate on the outskirts of Falmouth consisted of redbrick houses – a mix of detached and semi-detached, all with compact gardens beside their driveways.
Lily slowed right down and let the car crawl to a stop in front of number fifty-four Willow Drive.
Whether her stomach was churning from nerves or excitement she couldn’t say, but the sensation wasn’t pleasant.
It could also be from all the grimy water she’d swallowed yesterday, but it was probably best not to dwell on that.
The handbrake clicked when she pulled it on. Her eyes shifted cautiously to the house. Lily had stayed with her grandmother after the fire – that’s what Richard Harper had said.
Not this house though, her instincts told her.
Habit had her scanning the car for her phone before remembering its fate.
The car door closing sounded loud on the quiet street. She grabbed her backpack and felt eyes on her as she straightened up.
A well-dressed woman stood in the doorway, looking at her curiously.
For a moment, Lily stared back at the woman in jeans and a crisp white blouse with discreet ruffles at the collar and cuffs. Her grey hair was neatly styled.
She looked younger than Lily had expected. Mid-sixties maybe. When Lily started towards the house, she stepped outside, her head tilting slightly while her brows knitted together.
“Clara?” Lily asked, her voice surprisingly even.
“Lily,” she whispered. “Are you really here? I’m not dreaming?”
“No.” Lily took one tentative step after the other until her grandmother’s outstretched hand met hers. “I’m really here.”
“My sweet Lily,” she said, her chin wobbling as she pulled her close and wrapped her arms around her. “You’re the image of your mum,” she said as she held Lily tightly. “I wasn’t sure I’d ever see you again.”
“I thought you were dead,” Lily said, a lifetime’s worth of pain bubbling up in her.
“Derek said you were dead.” She pulled out of the embrace as unexpected anger exploded in her chest. “I had no one. I thought I was completely alone – but you were here all this time. Why did he let me believe you were dead?”
Tears streamed through the blusher on Clara’s cheeks. “I imagine he thought I was dead. When he took you away, I wasn’t expected to live.”
“Why didn’t he check? And why didn’t you find him once you were better?” Her brittle voice was laced with hurt. “Why didn’t you try to find me? Didn’t you want to know I was okay?”
“Yes,” she said forcefully. “I did. I tried to find you.”
“You obviously didn’t try very hard.”
She reached for Lily’s hand and pulled her towards the door. “Come inside. We’ve lots to talk about and it’ll be better if we don’t do it in the street.”