Chapter Twenty One
Still half-tugging on my left boot as I run out the door, I curse myself for sleeping in so late.
It was five past eleven when I finally rolled groggily out of slumber and grabbed my phone from the bedside table to check the time. That woke me up pretty sharpish, alright.
Huffing and puffing like a steam engine, I sprint down the road and head toward the village centre.
God, I’m already ten minutes late!
Shaun and I agreed to meet outside the florist and walk to Maude’s house together, but if I don’t get a move on, he’ll be going without me.
I spot him on the corner of the street, glancing down at his phone, no doubt wondering where I am. Waving my arms like a lunatic, I hurry to his side, completely out of breath and uncomfortably sweaty.
‘Did you just get out of bed, or something?’ Shaun asks, amusement on his face.
‘Why, do I look awful, or something?’ I yap defensively, pulling at my baggy t-shirt. I’m beginning to wish I’d picked out something more stylish from my floordrobe.
‘Don’t be daft, you always look great.’ I tense as he reaches toward my face, and for a mad moment, I wonder if he’s going to stroke my cheek. Instead, his fingers lightly brush my hair and pluck out a small, white feather, which I suspect came from my pillow. ‘You just seem a little frazzled, is all.’
‘Look, I had Lucy round last night and she didn’t leave until one in the morning, so I went to bed late.’
‘Hey, you don’t have to explain anything to me.’ A soft half-smile curls the corners of his mouth. ‘I’m just glad you made it.’
I return his smile, and the two of us walk abreast down the street. God, I hope I don’t smell, I didn’t have chance to have a shower, only a quick splash in the sink. When he’s not looking, I try to subtly sniff at my armpit. Thankfully, I don’t detect anything funky, just the scent of my lemon grass deodorant.
Soon enough, we’re standing outside Maude’s house, and that’s when the nerves hit me. Is it wrong to turn up unannounced, especially when she told me she didn’t want to talk about Rosemary anymore? What if she simply slams the door in our faces, or worse, calls the police?
Before I can spiral into a tizzy, I knock the door firmly, three times. There’s no answer. I knock again. Still, nothing.
‘Maybe she’s out,’ Shaun suggests.
‘No, look - her car is in the drive. I bet she’s got a secret peephole and she’s decided not to answer the d-’
The door abruptly opens, cutting me off in the middle of the sentence. Maude blocks the entrance like a guard on duty, her silvery blonde hair piled high in an elegant top knot that makes her appear even more severe and stern than usual.
‘Oh, it’s you. ’ She turns her scowl to Shaun. ‘And you brought a friend.’
‘Yes.’ I step forward, feeling like a Victorian peasant with my cap in hand, begging for scraps. ‘We were hoping you might talk to us today. About Rosemary and R.C.?’
‘I already told you, I’m not discussing my former employer’s personal business anymore,’ she snaps. ‘It was bad enough when folks spread rumours at the time, now that it’s all buried and forgotten, you two want to dig it up again, ruining Ms Grey’s good name and her legacy.’
‘We don’t want to do that at all, I swear to you,’ I urge, taking another step closer as she begins to shut the door on us. ‘We just want to understand Rosemary’s story, you see … she’s become important to me.’
The closing door pauses and Maude peers at me, dubiety in her eyes. ‘What do you mean?’
‘It’s hard to explain, but I feel a connection to her. We’re both artists, both passionate about nature and though I’m not exactly sure what happened, it sounds like we both had a tumultuous love life. Her garden is a special place for me, and for Shaun.’
At my side, Shaun nods his agreement. ‘It is, I’ve found a lot of peace there. We just want to do right by Rosemary and her garden.’
I can practically hear the cogs turning in Maude’s head as she chews at her bottom lip, dithering over her decision. Eventually, she relents.
‘Alright. Come in, both of you.’
Her living room is just as comfortable and inviting as last time, which is a stark contrast to the palpable suspicion in the air. Still, I’m grateful Maude even allowed us inside at all after what happened during our previous encounter.
Shaun and I perch on the stiff sofa while Maude occupies the opposite armchair, her fingers steepled.
‘First of all, tell me how you know the moniker R.C.,’ she asks, her voice calm and even.
‘I found Rosemary’s journal in the garden shed, along with some of her paintings and sketches. I’ve been reading an entry almost every night since, learning all about her.’
‘But she’s surprisingly cagey when it comes to the identity of her lover, considering it’s her diary and all,’ Shaun adds. ‘She only refers to him as R.C., never by name.’
Maude nods. ‘That figures, she was probably taking precautions in case it ever fell into the wrong hands.’ She throws me a quick accusatory glance, suggesting mine might be the wrong ones. ‘What do you know about him so far?’
‘Not a whole lot.’ I shrug my shoulders. ‘She mentioned several times that it’s dangerous to be involved with him, though she never specifies why .’ As I take a sip of tea, I recall what could be a crucial detail. ‘She did say that he was working on some sort of development in the village, and that he had the garden built especially for her, but that’s all.’
Maude picks at the stitching of the armchair and sighs in resignation. ‘I suppose you know enough, you might as well hear the rest of the story.’ She draws a sharp breath, her eyes closed. I wonder if it’s been difficult for her to hold all these secrets inside for so many years. ‘His name was Ronald Clarke. A family of the landed gentry, the Clarkes have resided in Thistlewick Manor for generations. I’m quite sure his nephew lives there now.’
‘Yeah, David Clarke,’ Shaun pipes in. ‘I worked with him on a project before, he was developing a plot for the village allotments and needed my help. He’s a nice guy, very involved in the community.’
‘Well, his uncle was not quite so community-minded.’ Maude says, her mouth puckered with disdain. ‘Ronald owned several properties around Lily Vale and as far as Gladeswood, which he rented out to people at a premium. That’s when he met Rosemary, she was looking to hire a studio space in one of his office buildings just outside of the village.’
‘I thought she was going to fire me after I caught them together, but she simply sat me down and asked if I could keep a secret. I told her of course I could, and she smiled and gave me a big hug. After that, I suppose I sort of became her confidante. She didn’t tell me everything, she was still my employer, after all, but she allowed me into her world more. Now, you must remember, Rosemary was a beautiful woman, articulate and passionate, and almost twenty years Ronald’s junior. And poor Ms Grey, she was no match for his charm and his empty promises, she fell hard and fast.’
Maude shakes her head sadly. ‘She told me all about the garden he gave her, she even took me to it once, and it was just as wonderful as she’d described. Me being a young naive thing of twenty-two, I believed that it was proof of his undying love, just as much as she did. I was happy for her, truly. You see, we were more than employer and employee, especially after I discovered her secret. We were friends.’
Sensing she needs comforting, I lean over the coffee table to touch Maude’s hand and she gives me a grateful smile.
‘It all came to a head at the Spring Festival. Ronald took the stage and thanked us all for coming out and supporting the village, but he admitted he had a confession to make.
“I’ve been keeping a secret from you all,” he said, “a great love I’ve held in my heart but now I’m ready to shout it from the rooftops.”
‘Well, Rosemary lit up like the sun itself, her hands clasped in hope. I couldn’t stop grinning for my friend, this was what she had wanted for so long, his commitment. Finally, they could stop hiding in the dark.
‘He continued on, “As many of you know, I’ve been a confirmed bachelor for far too long, and there’s only one wonderful woman who could make an honest man of me. And so, Delilah Bradford, will you marry me?” ’
I gasp aloud, clasping a palm over my mouth. ‘Oh no!’
Maude gives a sombre nod. ‘Yes. He proposed to Delilah in front of the entire village, and of course, she said yes. While everyone was cheering for the happy couple, I looked around for Rosemary, but she was gone.’
‘Gone?’
‘Mh-hm, she ran from the festival the moment he placed the ring on that girl’s finger. I came to her house, but the doors were locked and the lights were out, and if she was home, she wouldn’t let me in. The next morning when I came to work, I was perturbed to find the doors were left unlocked, but there was no sign of her. None of her books, her clothes, her paintings, nothing but the furniture remained.’
‘You mean..?’
‘Yep, she’d left Lily Vale that very night. She must have packed up her things and fled as far as she could before dawn.’
‘Oh, poor, poor Rosemary.’ I can’t imagine how painful it must have been for her, watching the man she loved propose to another woman. Though I can imagine running from the life you once knew - and the one you dreamed of having - because I did the same thing. ‘No wonder she left Lily Vale.’
Maude rests back in her armchair, hands pressed to her lap. ‘So, now you know. I just hope you won’t use this information to drag Rosemary through the dirt.’
‘We would never do that, you know we wouldn’t,’ I promise, and the tiny but bright glimmer in her eye tells me that she truly believes me this time.
‘Do you know where she went?’ Shaun asks, his own eyes shining with intrigue.
Maude bristles and she stands from her seat, taking our empty teacups. ‘No, no one does. I’ve told you everything I know.’
‘Well, thank you for your time.’ Shaun follows suit and rises to his feet, taking the hint to leave. ‘We really appreciate you shedding light on all of this.’
She nods tersely as she heads for the kitchen, her lips pursed. ‘It was an unexpected visit, but … it was nice to see the both of you.’
We leave swiftly after that, recognising that Maude wants us gone, and fast. The moment we’re out the door and walking down the garden path, I clutch Shaun’s arm tight.
‘She’s still hiding something.’
‘Oh, Ruth, we’ve got the whole picture now.’ Hand pressed to his forehead, he shakes his head. ‘You heard Maude - Rosemary fell in love with some rich jerk who built her the garden and strung her along until he got engaged to someone else. Rosemary was so hurt she left the village and her beloved garden behind, end of story.’
‘No, not end of story.’ I persist, all but stamping my foot in defiance. ‘Maude knows where Rosemary is, I’m sure of it. Didn’t you see how shifty she got when you asked?’
‘Well, maybe it’s because it’s none of our business. None of this was our business, really.’
‘How can you say that?’ I cry, outraged. ‘We puzzled this out together, we’ve learned so much about Rosemary and her work. You’re telling me that you want to quit now, when we’re so close?’
‘I’m telling you that maybe we’ve reached the end of the line with the whole mystery. I mean, come on, we’ve harassed poor Maude enough, and we’ve pretty much got the case solved now. Does it really matter where Rosemary went?’
I open my mouth and close it, turning the question over in my mind. I suppose it doesn’t matter, not really. Shaun’s right, it’s not any of my business, I’m just a stranger who admires her work and relates to her story of heartache. And yet, something inside me longs to find her, or at least, to know where she ended up. I just have to know things worked out for her, that she isn’t spending lonely years mourning the love she lost.
‘Yes, it matters.’ I snarl, arms folded across my chest. ‘And if you can’t understand why, then I guess I’ll figure it out by myself.’
My hands balled into fists, I storm off, heels stomping on the pavement. I don’t get very far before Shaun grabs me by the elbow, halting me in place.
‘Ruth, don’t walk away.’
‘Why? You don’t get why this is so important to me. Maybe if you weren’t so unfeeling and closed off all the while, you’d see. I understand what Rosemary went through, how hurt she was. But you don’t, because you don’t know what it’s like to lose someone you love -’
Immediate regret floods through me like a torrent of frigid water and I wish I’d bitten off my stupid, thoughtless tongue. Shaun drops my arm as if it’s made of flames, his eyes dark and misty.
I swallow hard, throat tightening around my words. ‘Shaun, I -’
‘Save it.’ Cold as stone, he turns on his heel and walks obstinately down the street, his head bowed to his chest.
‘Shaun!’ I call, voice high like a bird in distress. ‘Shaun, please! I - I’m sorry.’
It’s no good, he can’t hear me, or more likely, he’s ignoring my cries. I consider running after him, but it would just do more harm than good right now. Tears pour down my cheeks and I press my hand into my aching heart. I can’t believe I said that to Shaun … I saw how much pain was behind his eyes when he mentioned his brother, how could I have forgotten that?
I choke back a raspy sob as I traipse all the way back to the cottage, a bleak, black cloud hanging over me in the otherwise clear blue sky.