while.’
Maggie shook her head. Her mother had been here three days last week too, but it had been difficult for them both. Mum loved her, but she had loved Livvy too, and every word the older woman spoke was tinged with reproach.
‘I want my little girl back,’ she told Howard. ‘I’ll stay here and wait.’
‘It could take weeks. It might not happen at all,’ he said helplessly. ‘When people are lost at sea... we don’t always get them back.’
Maggie knew there was no way she could leave Cove Cottage without Olivia. She would stay here until she was an old woman if necessary. Because if Howard was right, then Livvy was just a few yards away outside. In the sea.
‘I’m waiting for her,’ she said, and he nodded.
‘I’ll see myself out.’
Maggie remained slumped in the armchair. There was nothing more to do now.
Chapter Ten
Mid September
Phillip pushed the wheelchair through the hospital park, where tall palm trees were providing welcome shade to those patients well enough to be outdoors. Even halfway through September it was still hot. It was great that Gran was well enough now to come down here again; he loved to see her with more colour in her face. The radiotherapy had made her tired and sick, but the course was over now and she had been for a scan that morning.
‘Let’s sit by the bandstand for a bit, have an ice cream,’ he suggested, pleased when she smiled and nodded. If the radiotherapy gave her a few more ‘quality’ months he would definitely bring Jennifer over. A long holiday would do them both good, well away from home and all the unhappy memories.
He parked the wheelchair under a tree and went for the usual strawberry cornets. They sat in companiable silence, the old lady eating her ice cream with a dreamy, far-away expression in her eyes. Phillip glanced at her uneasily. She had always been such a chatterbox and these new silences were unnerving. It was almost as if she was slipping away from him already. She was better in that the side effects of the radiotherapy had gone now, but somehow she didn’t seem to be the same person. Or maybe he was expecting too much too soon. Maybe she simply needed more peace and quiet and time to do normal things. Exactly what you didn’t get in a hospital.
His thoughts turned to Jennifer. How could he best persuade her to come out to California? She had always hated long haul flights, her aversion almost amounted to a phobia and God knows he didn’t want to stress her. But she had to come, she had already been alone since the beginning of July, and now that she’d moved to Polpayne, Thea wouldn’t be around every day to keep an eye on things.
At least the new house was giving Jennifer something constructive to do, but it was difficult to know exactly what was going on. It
was
strange that Jennifer hadn’t waited for his return before tackling such a big project. Was she coping? She hadn’t spoken to her mother for months so he couldn’t ask Bea how things were, and none of their old friends lived anywhere near Polpayne to check up on Jennifer. She must be feeling pretty isolated. Phillip came to a sudden decision: if Gran’s scan results were good, he would go over for her at the weekend.
It
would
be alright. Jennifer always sounded busy when they phoned, she was organising the house and settling into the village... she was talking and laughing, telling him stories about the new front door and the garden. Surely she wouldn’t be doing that if she wasn’t alright.
Tears rushed into Phillip’s eyes as he remembered her terrible silence at the start of the Black Patch, and he blinked them away before Gran noticed. All this time, and he still couldn’t face the awful thing that had happened to them.
They’d been in Turkey, in a beautiful hotel complex near Side. It was the first holiday abroad they’d had for a couple of years, since Hailey had been born, in fact. Jennifer had booked it, and as usual her judgement had been
Maggie shook her head. Her mother had been here three days last week too, but it had been difficult for them both. Mum loved her, but she had loved Livvy too, and every word the older woman spoke was tinged with reproach.
‘I want my little girl back,’ she told Howard. ‘I’ll stay here and wait.’
‘It could take weeks. It might not happen at all,’ he said helplessly. ‘When people are lost at sea... we don’t always get them back.’
Maggie knew there was no way she could leave Cove Cottage without Olivia. She would stay here until she was an old woman if necessary. Because if Howard was right, then Livvy was just a few yards away outside. In the sea.
‘I’m waiting for her,’ she said, and he nodded.
‘I’ll see myself out.’
Maggie remained slumped in the armchair. There was nothing more to do now.
Chapter Ten
Mid September
Phillip pushed the wheelchair through the hospital park, where tall palm trees were providing welcome shade to those patients well enough to be outdoors. Even halfway through September it was still hot. It was great that Gran was well enough now to come down here again; he loved to see her with more colour in her face. The radiotherapy had made her tired and sick, but the course was over now and she had been for a scan that morning.
‘Let’s sit by the bandstand for a bit, have an ice cream,’ he suggested, pleased when she smiled and nodded. If the radiotherapy gave her a few more ‘quality’ months he would definitely bring Jennifer over. A long holiday would do them both good, well away from home and all the unhappy memories.
He parked the wheelchair under a tree and went for the usual strawberry cornets. They sat in companiable silence, the old lady eating her ice cream with a dreamy, far-away expression in her eyes. Phillip glanced at her uneasily. She had always been such a chatterbox and these new silences were unnerving. It was almost as if she was slipping away from him already. She was better in that the side effects of the radiotherapy had gone now, but somehow she didn’t seem to be the same person. Or maybe he was expecting too much too soon. Maybe she simply needed more peace and quiet and time to do normal things. Exactly what you didn’t get in a hospital.
His thoughts turned to Jennifer. How could he best persuade her to come out to California? She had always hated long haul flights, her aversion almost amounted to a phobia and God knows he didn’t want to stress her. But she had to come, she had already been alone since the beginning of July, and now that she’d moved to Polpayne, Thea wouldn’t be around every day to keep an eye on things.
At least the new house was giving Jennifer something constructive to do, but it was difficult to know exactly what was going on. It
was
strange that Jennifer hadn’t waited for his return before tackling such a big project. Was she coping? She hadn’t spoken to her mother for months so he couldn’t ask Bea how things were, and none of their old friends lived anywhere near Polpayne to check up on Jennifer. She must be feeling pretty isolated. Phillip came to a sudden decision: if Gran’s scan results were good, he would go over for her at the weekend.
It
would
be alright. Jennifer always sounded busy when they phoned, she was organising the house and settling into the village... she was talking and laughing, telling him stories about the new front door and the garden. Surely she wouldn’t be doing that if she wasn’t alright.
Tears rushed into Phillip’s eyes as he remembered her terrible silence at the start of the Black Patch, and he blinked them away before Gran noticed. All this time, and he still couldn’t face the awful thing that had happened to them.
They’d been in Turkey, in a beautiful hotel complex near Side. It was the first holiday abroad they’d had for a couple of years, since Hailey had been born, in fact. Jennifer had booked it, and as usual her judgement had been
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