Chapter 34
The following day the three Brennan women had just finished dinner and were sitting around the table, too full to move.
Madeleine had made a chicken and mushroom pie for them all, while Faith and Lucy had baked a lemon drizzle cake for dessert.
She was flying around on her crutches now and was far more mobile than she had been when she first got injured.
She had recently had her head wound checked by Dr Kerridge and he was happy with how it was healing.
The sisters were slowly coming to terms with the bombshell that their mother had dropped the day before.
They were working on repairing the fragile bonds in their relationship and were looking at their mother in a new light.
Lucy and Faith had always believed a different narrative growing up: they had thought that their heartbroken mother had thrown herself into work and got so caught up in her job that she seemed to forget she had two daughters to take care of.
They had assumed their mother’s obsession with her career was the reason why Elizabeth had stepped in to be the arms of comfort that Madeleine never was but perhaps now they needed to accept that the situation was more nuanced than that.
‘Did you hear that Met éireann is predicting a white Christmas this year?’ Faith said. ‘I really hope they get it right.’
‘That would be exciting. It’s been years since we’ve had snow at Christmas.
I can’t believe it’s only three days away!
The time has flown,’ Madeleine said. ‘When I first had my accident, Christmas felt like an eternity away. I thought I’d never last this long in Inishbeg Cove but here we are – and we haven’t killed one another. ’
‘Yet,’ Lucy added dryly.
Madeleine laughed.
‘We’ll need to make a start on some of the Christmas prep tomorrow. We’ve a lot to do but between the three of us, it won’t be so bad,’ Faith said. ‘I found Nanna’s sherry trifle recipe so hopefully we can do it justice.’
‘Your grandmother made an excellent trifle,’ Madeleine agreed.
Faith turned to Lucy. ‘How are you feeling about it all, sis?’ She knew Lucy was struggling with being away from Kyle at Christmas time.
Madeleine and Faith had advised her to tell him about the baby, but at the end of the day the decision was hers and they had to respect it.
Nobody wanted to risk another argument after what had happened yesterday.
Lucy grimaced. ‘I just want to get through it.’
Madeleine nodded and placed her hand over her daughter’s on the wooden table. ‘It’s only one day. You’re going to be okay, darling.’
Faith fell quiet. The new year was rushing in fast, and she knew it would soon be time to leave their cocoon in Inishbeg Cove and return to reality.
She was dreading it in so many ways: the thought of each of them going back to their own lives and time moving on without their grandmother was unbearable.
She knew her mother would want to return to her house in Dublin as soon as she was back on her feet, and Lucy had some big decisions to make about her future.
She herself would need to find a job and somewhere to live, as she had given up her flat in Dublin to move in with her grandmother.
Reality was creeping up like a stealthy fox.
Faith couldn’t shake off the feeling that time was running out for them.
A loud knock at the door dragged her out of her thoughts.
Faith stood up. ‘I’ll get it. You stay where you are in your condition,’ she teased her sister. Faith had been making jokes about Lucy’s ‘condition’ ever since they had learned about her pregnancy, and the girls were enjoying the good-natured banter.
Lucy stuck her tongue out at Faith as she left the kitchen and made her way down the hallway. Faith opened the door, and was stunned to see Jack standing there. Immediately her heart picked up speed. What was he doing here? She hoped things weren’t going to get awkward.
‘J-Jack,’ she stammered.
‘Hi, Faith. Sorry for calling in unannounced, but I don’t have your number. Heidi found Lucy’s coat the night of the carol service and we wanted to return it to her. It must have got left behind in all the commotion.’
Faith felt relief flood through her that she wasn’t the reason for his visit.
‘Oh, thank you. Come in,’ she said. ‘Lucy is in the kitchen. I’m sure she’ll want to say thanks.’
He followed her down the hall and into the kitchen, where Madeleine and Lucy were still sitting at the table.
‘Hi, Jack,’ Madeleine said.
‘We found this on the night of the carol service. I think it’s yours?’ He held out the coat to Lucy.
‘My coat!’ Lucy cried, standing up and taking it from him. ‘I didn’t even notice I was missing it, but I’m sure I would have been looking for it soon. Thank you, Jack.’
‘No worries. Hope you’re feeling a little better now?’
‘Much better, thank you. I … er … just had low blood sugar.’
‘Well, we’re all glad you’re doing well,’ he said.
‘It’s very kind of you to return it to us,’ Madeleine said. ‘I also feel like we owe the villagers an apology for ruining their evening.’
Jack shook his head. ‘Everyone is just glad that Lucy is okay.’ Silence fell heavily between them and he shuffled awkwardly. ‘Right, then. I guess I’d better head on.’
‘Faith will see you out,’ Madeleine said. ‘I’m still slow getting around on these things.’
Faith opened the door and Jack stepped outside, beneath the inky sky.
Although it wasn’t even 5 p.m. yet, the evenings closed in early at this time of year.
It was a cool, crisp night and the smell of woodsmoke rising up the chimney, scented the air.
He turned back around and raised his eyebrows sheepishly.
‘I … er … didn’t come here just to drop off the coat,’ he admitted. ‘I wanted to check if everything was okay between us?’
She couldn’t look at him, knowing her face would betray her. ‘Of course,’ she replied as breezily as she could.
‘Well, it’s just that you left quite abruptly yesterday. I hope I didn’t say something wrong?’
She shook her head. ‘It’s fine. I was just tired and wanted to get home.’
He nodded. ‘Well, that’s okay then. Right so…’ He lingered on the doorstep. ‘I guess I’d better head on. Goodnight, Faith.’
‘Goodnight,’ she replied, closing the door behind him.
‘What a nice young man,’ Madeleine said as soon as Faith returned to the kitchen.
‘Hmm,’ Faith grumbled. ‘I don’t think I’ll ever understand men.’
‘What’s wrong?’ Madeleine was puzzled. ‘Did something happen between you?’
‘It’s a long story,’ she mumbled.
‘Well, one thing I have plenty of at the moment is time. It’s not like I’ve anything else on.’
‘Mum’s right,’ Lucy chimed in. ‘Tell us what happened.’
Faith exhaled heavily before beginning. ‘Well, when I left yesterday – you know I went up the headland? I … um … I met Jack up there.’
‘And?’
‘Well, he suggested that we go for a drink after we got back to the village. I never should have gone, but I was so upset after learning about Dad. I guess he caught me at a weak moment.’
‘What’s wrong with going for a drink?’
‘He’s an ex, Mum, and he’s in a new relationship.’
‘But if you both know the boundaries, I don’t see why it should be an issue. I have lots of male friends and colleagues who I’d have no issues going for a drink with because everyone knows it’s purely platonic.’
‘That’s the problem, though, I don’t think his intentions were completely honourable.
I got the vibe that he wanted to be more than just friends, like we could take up where we left off.
I made an excuse and left, but it made me feel really uncomfortable, especially in front of all the villagers.
Like he wasn’t even trying to be secretive. ’
‘What a snake,’ Lucy said, narrowing her eyes in disgust.
‘Inishbeg Cove is a small place – why would he risk his relationship by doing something like that?’ Madeleine asked.
‘Who knows?’ Faith shrugged. ‘I just hope nobody saw us and tells his wife. I don’t want to get dragged into that. I don’t know why I always seem to attract these types.’
Lucy shook her head. ‘I don’t get it either.’
‘And he seemed like such a nice young fellow,’ Madeleine said resignedly.
‘It’s the nice guys you need to watch out for,’ Faith quipped.