Gilly had never known Helena to be wrong about things like this. If she said someone was whoevershe said it was, it was them. One hundred per cent. ‘So why wait until now to tell me?’
‘Because I wanted to find out more about it. He may well have been taking a sick child to hospital.’
‘We would have seen if there’d been a child in the back of the car.’
‘Not if it was lying down! Or it might have been an animal he was taking to the vet?’
Gilly’s head was spinning. What a horrible coincidence! A coincidence that it had been Leo driving – one she would never have known about if it wasn’t for her daughter’s uncanny ability. They’d always joked about her having a superpower but its effect was far from super now. She felt sick. ‘But how would anyone be able to find out anything like that! It’s not possible!’
Helena nodded. ‘You’re right. But my friend did find out other things about him, things you ought to know too.’
‘Gossip, in other words!’ Gilly was cross now and glad to be. It was so much better than being devastated.
‘No, not gossip. Facts that can be proved.’
Gilly realised that Helena was as upset as she was but she still wanted to kill the messenger. ‘Like what?’
‘He did time in prison for embezzlement.’
‘Well, that’s not murder, is it? And he’s served his sentence. Does he have to be treated as a criminalfor the rest of his life?’ Gilly got up from the table and started flinging things in the dishwasher in a way that she knew meant she’d have to reload it later but not caring. She was shocked and angry and wanted to make a lot of noise.
‘Mum! I’m not telling you what you should do with the information, but when I found out I couldn’t not tell you.’
‘But why were you even looking?’
‘You know why.’ Helena was very quiet, possibly a bit tearful now, but Gilly didn’t care.
‘Because of your stupid “thing”,’ said Gilly. ‘Why can’t you find out something nice with it from time to time!’
Helena got up. ‘I’m going now. I’m really sorry to have upset you. And if Leo is the love of your life I’ll learn to get on with him.’
Helena went to Gilly as if to embrace her but Gilly kept her arms by her side, refusing a hug from her daughter for possibly the first time in her life.
‘I’ll ring you,’ Helena said and walked out of the kitchen, leaving the soup still steaming.
Tears were pouring down Helena’s face as she drove back to her studio. She felt as awful as she could feel given that nobody had died. Jago came across when he saw her getting out of her car.
‘Not go well?’ he said, taking in Helena’s tear-streaked face and tragic expression.
‘As badly as it could have gone, given that we didn’t actually come to blows. I was as tactful as I could be but Mum was just devastated. I could have tipped a barrel of water over her and she’d have been less shocked. Honestly, Jago, I think I’ve made a terrible mistake telling her. I should have just kept it all to myself. She’ll never want to speak to me again.’
Jago came forward and took her into his arms, pressing her face into his old Guernsey jumper. It was dusty, a bit smelly and scratched her face. She didn’t ever want to move away.
‘Look, it seems terrible now but you and your mum love each other. You’ll be friends again in no time. It’s just the shock of it. When she gets used to the idea of it all she’ll think about it and realise you only did it for the best.’
‘I know,’ Helena told his jumper. ‘But I’ve shattered her dreams, and for what? If she loves him, she’s going to stay with him. It’s just me she’ll hate.’
‘Come into the house and have a cup of tea,’ said Jago.
‘You’re busy. You haven’t time for tea.’ Reluctantly Helena let go of Jago’s jumper; she’d been unaware of clutching it.
‘If I haven’t got time to give a friend a cuppa when they’re in a state we might as well give up. Come on.’
He put his arm round Helena’s shoulders and took her into the house.
‘I’m so sorry to cry all over you like that,’ said Helena, sitting down at the kitchen table. ‘I hope I haven’t got snot on your jumper.’
‘My jumper would be honoured and besides, it’s had far worse. Fish guts being one example.’
