Lena inhales, her head filled now with the image of a lavish wedding at High Elms, with the string quartet and the tables all set out with napkins folded in that particular way that Annabelle likes. ‘Maybe he does,’ she says. ‘But I’m not sure how I feel any more.’
‘Oh, honey.’ Shelley touches her arm and Lena gets up to fetch the wine bottle from the kitchen.
While she’s gone, and as Pearl puts another log on the fire, Shelley picks up her phone. It’s been so busy today that she’s barely looked at it. But now she sees a text notification. There are two from Joel; one joking about his mother nursing a single drink throughout the day. She smiles at that.
However, the second message doesn’t make Shelley smile. At first she thinks there’s something wrong with her phone or that it’s some kind of scam. Because it doesn’t make any sense. But no, it’s definitely from Joel. Her heart seems to stop as she reads it again.
Joel
You were magnificent that last time. Like a goddess on top of me.
It’s a message that, clearly, Joel didn’t intend to send to her. And at one minute to midnight on Christmas Day, Shelley knows for certain that her marriage is over forever.
39
BOXING DAY
He did it because the snow’s gone, he says. That’s why Theo snuck into the kitchen and found scissors in a drawer and cut down Michael’s beaded curtain. ‘I don’t understand,’ Pearl exclaims, gathering up the red, gold and orange beads. They are everywhere: under the table and fridge. Some have even landed in Stan’s basket.
‘I was bored,’ Theo states, hands plonked on hips, ‘’cause there’s no snow any more.’
‘Well, there’s stillsome,’ Lena points out.
‘You didn’t mean to do any harm, did you, sweetheart?’ Frida asks.
‘No.’ He pouts, looking down at his slippered feet.
‘What d’you mean by that?’ Shelley rounds on her.I didn’t mean it!That was something Joel said earlier. Or was it,It didn’t mean anything?
‘I mean it’s just the kind of thing children do,’ Frida clarifies.
‘It’s not, though, is it?’ Shelley glares at her. ‘This is Michael’s place and we’re supposed to be looking after it for him. And that curtain came all the way fromIndia?—’
‘Don’t shout at my mummy!’ Theo wails.
‘I’m not shouting!’ Shelley shouts as, horrified, Theo turns and clatters out of the house.
‘Oh my God.’ Shelley places her hands over her face. ‘I amsosorry, Frida. I don’t know what I’m saying?—’
‘Shell, it’s okay,’ Lena murmurs, squeezing her arm. Niall and Roger appear briefly, having taken it upon themselves to clear out the fireplace and make everything shipshape in the lounge.
‘Oh,’ Roger says with a grimace.
‘Everything all right here?’ Niall asks.
‘Not really, no,’ Frida announces, stomping to the front door and stepping out. ‘Theo, you shouldn’t be outside in your slippers!’ However, she makes no move to go after him, adjourning instead to the family room as she needs to pack. Everyone is leaving today: Niall, the Sampsons. Shelley, Pearl and Lena too. Only Pearl can be reasonably confident that her life will be pretty much as she left it when she returns home. Shelley and Lena are dreading it. If it were possible, they would stay here forever. Shore Cottage would be a perfect place to hide from life.
However, they can’t do that. Because things have to be sorted out. This realisation has turned Shelley’s heart into a cold, hard stone as, in their room now, she starts to pack. Lena is gathering together her things too, and keeps asking Shelley if she’s all right, if she wants to go for a walk or should they leave right away? Would that be better? Shelley doesn’t know what would be better. She can hardly think as she glances out at the clear blue sky and the smudge of purplish mountains beyond.
‘Shell, I promise you I’ll never see her again,’ Joel said when she called earlier, her hand shaking as she gripped her phone. ‘I’ve been so stupid. I was just flattered, I suppose. Flattered that someone like that would be interested?—’
‘Someonelike that?’ she shot back. ‘You mean someone beautiful and successful – a glamorous photographer – and not a clapped-out middle-aged receptionist in a care home?—’
‘You’renotclapped out. God, Shell, of course I don’t think that! I think you’re amazing, with all you do for everyone else. For us, I mean. For me and the kids. Youneverthink of yourself and I love you, darling. I’ll do anything to make it up to you.’ Joel swore that Martha and Fin know nothing about this other woman, but surely they’ve picked up that something’s going on?
When they touched on the kids she couldn’t talk to him any more, so she finished the call abruptly. And now Pearl and Lena are sitting with her in the calm of their bedroom, away from the guests. They bring her tea and gently pick over what’s happened. Then Shelley doesn’t want to talk about Joel any more because she needs to go home and get on with the business of dismantling her marriage. New flights have been booked, leaving from Glasgow this afternoon. Shelley clicks into practical mode, gathering up the last of her things. It’s easier than trying to figure out how Martha and Fin will react when they find out what’s happened. Anything will be easier than that.
Ever the organised one, Pearl’s case is already packed neatly, ready to go. Her special hair-drying towel and vast collection of skincare and make-up products have barely been used, bar the first day or so. It was silly to bring them, she decides as she steps outside into the bright winter sunshine and she and Niall wander towards the end of the garden to check on the hens. ‘Oh,’ he says suddenly. ‘Why’s that hen out?’
