‘Ada was a volunteer at the local hospital. She spent a lot of time chatting with patients who had no family, and would help dish out the meals on the wards.’
Isla put her hand on her heart. ‘How lovely. I never knew that.’
‘I didn’t know that either,’ added Florrie. ‘How did I not know that?’
‘I’m not sure, but she loved her work at the hospital. Ada had a heart of gold and such a caring nature. She would help anyone.’
‘So true. I only recently discovered that she never charged anyone who lived in the village for funeral flowers,’ added Florrie.
‘That’s because they’re dead,’ chuckled Martha, giving her a playful nudge of her elbow.
‘Martha!’
‘I’m only joking. Ada didn’t charge because she didn’t want to cause any extra stress for the families of the deceased. Anyway, I remember Ada looked a little worried. She asked Dolores for a private word and they went outside. I didn’t mind, in fact at the time I didn’t think anything of it. I finished my drink and picked up the newspaper. Underneath was an invitation to the ball that night and curiosity got the better of me.’
‘Gran! You didn’t steal Dolores’s invitation, did you?’
‘I did. I wanted to go to the party and it wasn’t as though anyone would recognise me, as I’d be wearing a mask and a costume. I’m not proud of it, but I had a golden ticket in my grasp and I didn’t want to miss my chance. You should have seen the inside of that yacht. Everything was gold-plated, the champagne flowed and I’ve never tasted food like it. Anyway, cutting a long story short, just before midnight, when we had to reveal our identities and the masks would come off, I slipped off the yacht and took a breather on the rocks by The Little Blue Boathouse. I heard raised voices so I sneaked to take a look. No one saw me, but I saw them.’
‘Who?’
‘Dolores, Ada and Edward Houston.’
‘What were they arguing about?’
‘That I don’t know. But Edward was clearly in turmoil, begging them for something. I slipped away, not wanting to be seen. All I know is that Dolores and Ada never had a good word to say about that man after that. They avoided him at all costs and snubbed him whenever they were in his company. In fact, they never spoke to him again.’
‘Really? That is interesting . . . and they never mentioned to you what went on that night?’ probed Florrie.
Martha shook her head. ‘Nothing, but I’ve known Ada and Dolores a very long time and they’ve never snubbed anyone before or since. They’re kind, genuine people. Whatever went on, it was big, and it’s never been resolved.’
‘Why did you never ask Dolores and Ada what went on that night?’ asked Isla.
‘Because if they wanted me to know they would have told me.’
‘Do you think that if you asked Dolores now, she would tell you?’
‘No. If she hasn’t mentioned it to me in all these years, it’s for one of two reasons.’
‘Which are?’
‘Firstly, that there’s nothing much to tell or secondly, there’s a huge secret with consequences.’
‘And which do you honestly think it is?’ asked Florrie.
‘The latter,’ replied Martha.
Florrie poured tea. ‘All this is very interesting. I wish I could get to the bottom of it.’
‘I don’t think there is much chance of that,’ admitted Martha.
‘On a brighter note,’ added Isla as she pointed to the TV on the wall, ‘Gran recorded your TV debut so you can watch it back. Honestly, you were brilliant.’
‘I’m not sure I want to watch myself.’
‘You have to!’ Isla picked up the remote control. ‘Are you ready?’
The familiar image of the TV studio flashed up on the screen and Florrie realised it looked larger than in real life.
