Chapter Thirty-Six
As I pull into the farm, I switch off the engine and just sit, letting the peace wash over me. It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy being back in the hustle and bustle of a city. In fact, I did. But now I have to face the music.
I push the door open sheepishly, hoping Sean isn’t going to roar at me as soon as I get in. It’s all quiet.
The cottage is freezing. I open up the fire and put a match to a firelighter and some kindling. Then I throw in some turf and slide the kettle onto it. I pull the money bag out of my big waterproof jacket. I can’t put it off any longer. I push open Sean’s bedroom door.
He’s lying with his eyes shut. Peaceful. I step out of the room and go to pull the door to.
‘English!’ He stops me in my tracks. ‘You came back.’
‘Of course I came back. I wasn’t stealing the van. I just went to do the market.’ He still looks very pale and isn’t moving. ‘Here,’ I set the bag of money down next to him. There’s an untouched baguette by his bed and a bottle of Coke. He sees me looking at them.
‘Nancy brought me lunch.’
‘Right,’ I say, backing out of the room again. Nancy was checking up on her investment.
‘She wanted to agree the terms for the oysters,’ he says weakly.
I have to tell him, tell him that she’s stitching him up. I take a deep breath and wonder where to start.
‘At least this way I can get Jimmy Power off my back, eh?’ he says.
My courage runs out on me. How can I tell him what Nancy’s up to now? He’ll never believe me, I think hopelessly, and what good would it do? If Nancy pulls out, he’ll lose the farm to Jimmy Power. Whatever I think of Nancy and her plan, I have to put up and shut up, for Sean’s sake.
‘I’ll unload the van and then I’ll make my way back to the town.’
‘You can’t do it on your own.’ He looks up at me.
‘Is there a choice?’ I say, looking at him in bed. ‘Unless Nancy’s coming back to help?’
‘I just feel so useless!’ He slams his hands into the duvet. I don’t know how to make this better. He leans over for his drink and I pick it up and hand it to him. ‘Where are you staying?’ he asks.
‘In Rosie’s chalet,’ I say, wondering why I’m leaving out the important bit.
‘With Dan,’ he fills in.
I hear the kettle coming to the boil. I dip out of the room, go back into the kitchen and make tea and coffee and find some more painkillers.
‘Here, take these. I’ll finish up outside.’ I hand him the tablets.
‘Yes, Miss,’ he says, struggling to prop himself up, and I can’t stop myself stepping in and helping him. ‘I couldn’t find them,’ he says with an attempt at a smile. ‘Somebody keeps tidying up.’ He takes the tablets.
‘So how did it happen?’ I need to know if I’m responsible for this too.
I put the glass of water back by his bed.
He doesn’t look anywhere near ready to get up, and I have to get back to Dan, find out about the job.
But as I’ve already left him waiting for nearly an entire day, I guess a little longer won’t hurt.
‘An accident, car crash.’
‘What, last night?’ I sit on the edge of the bed. He shakes his head.
‘Years ago. I’d just got out of prison. I was with my … fiancée.’
‘Nancy?’
He shakes his head again. ‘It was way before Nancy and I got together.’
‘Oh.’
‘I’d just got out of prison. We were out celebrating. Car hit us head on. I injured my back. It reoccurs every now and again.’ He looks into his lap.
And although I don’t really want to, I ask, ‘And your fiancée?’ He shakes his curls again. My eyes widen.
‘Died.’
I take a sharp intake of breath.
‘Of course, the gossip-mongers round here went to town. As if my uncle didn’t have enough to worry about.’
I move further on to the bed so my feet aren’t touching the ground. ‘Like what?’
He looks at me as if a piece of him has been unlocked and he’s right back there. ‘The waters around here had been declared unclean. There was a building firm, bought the land down the lane and were building that estate on the Murphys’ land. Their waste was going right into the waters.’
Finally I’m beginning to see. ‘So the Murphys sold to these builders who were poisoning the waters?’
Sean nods. He’s getting weary. The painkillers must be kicking in, maybe that’s why he’s finally talking so freely.
‘When the builders stopped the work, the waters cleaned up again, but people wouldn’t believe my uncle. The damage had been done. Local orders had been lost. A lot of people went out of business.’
‘And that’s why you sell yours abroad mostly?’ I swing my legs up onto the bed.
‘Means I don’t have to worry about local gossip. And I had restaurant sales in Dublin.’ His eyes begin to droop. ‘But now the native oysters are back. That’ll show them … Show them the waters are the cleanest possible.’
I want to make this work for him.
‘Yup, it’s different this time. They’re staying on home turf.’ His eyes shut for a moment. He looks peaceful. Grace is lying by the bed.
I want to tell him, but I can’t. I mustn’t. I go to stand up.
‘Thank you,’ he says sleepily, his eyes open again, ‘for everything.’
‘Sean, about the party. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have …’
‘No, you shouldn’t. But I shouldn’t have left you here to face that thug. I’m sorry. Happy birthday, by the way.’ He rummages around on his bedside table and hands me a little black and gold packet. I open it up and the little pearl necklace drops out. I hold it in my hand and take a sharp breath.
‘It’s beautiful.’
‘Fi, this isn’t easy, but will you come back and work for me? I can’t do it without you. You’re the only one who knows …’
‘I know, about the oysters,’ I nod, and realise that’s not true any more.
‘No, you’re the only one who knows where everything is!’ And I think that’s the closest Sean Thornton has ever come to asking for help.
I go back outside to empty the van, feeling inexplicably happy. I look out to sea and think, I could be there, America, Dan is offering me a ticket out of here. Or I could stay. It’s a no-brainer, but then I don’t think it’s my brain that’s making the decision.