‘The wedding dress belonged to Matilda, and we discovered the groom she was set to marry was Nathaniel Loring. We also discovered that they both went to college with your brother, and that Alistair is Loring’s agent.’
Dorothy nodded.
‘How well did you know Matilda?’ asked Fern.
‘I know you were close when I first met Matilda,’ added Daniel.
‘We only became close in recent years,’ she said slowly. ‘In fact, I would say we became very good friends. But not back then. No, we weren’t friends at all back then.’
‘Back when she almost married Nathaniel?’ questioned Fern.
‘Yes. It’s true, Matilda went to music college with Alistair and Nathaniel. They were all a few years older than me.’ She paused. ‘At that age, even a couple of years feels like an enormous gap, and so we ran in different circles, had different interests. The residents on the island were exactly like they are now, a supportive, friendly community where everyone knows everyone. But then there was the wedding that wasn’t, and there was… a divide. A need to take sides.’
Fern leaned in, sensing they were close to something important. ‘Sides?’ she prompted gently.
Dorothy hesitated, the conflict evident in her face. She clearly didn’t relish dredging up history. But finally she said, ‘Alistair was family. Blood ties meant loyalty. Or at least, that’s what I believed back then. I was a lot younger than what you are now, and I was influenced, didn’t see things clearly. It wasn’t Matilda’s doing, it was about what happened between her and Nathaniel and Alistair.’ Dorothy’s voice softened, weighted by regret. ‘You see, after all that time… after the fallout… I realise now, none of us really knew the whole story.’
Fern and Daniel stayed quiet, not daring to interrupt.
‘Christmas Eve,’ Dorothy continued. ‘That’s when it happened. The wedding was all set. The entire island was excited. It was going to be the event of the season. Everyone was gathered at the church, and we waited for the bride and groom to arrive. Both were already an hour late. When Alistair arrived, he walked to the front of the church and made an announcement. The wedding was off. Just like that. No explanation, no details. Shock rippled through everyone. I stayed in the church for a while after, then I went home, and when I got there, Alistair and Nathaniel were pacing the kitchen. I could sense their anxiety and Nathaniel looked broken. I remember asking what had happened, why the wedding had been called off. Alistair quite clearly stated that Matilda wasn’t who we thought she was, that there had been an infidelity. He didn’t give details, but he made it clear he expected loyalty to him and to Nathaniel. He told me– actually no, he demanded– that we stand together as a family, as Nathaniel was his best friend.’
‘Did you believe him?’ Fern asked gently.
Dorothy’s shoulders slumped. ‘I did. I was young. Impressionable. He was my brother, why would he need to lie? I thought I was doing the right thing. I told myself that if Matilda had wronged Nathaniel, she didn’t deserve our loyalty.’
‘But now?’ Daniel asked.
Dorothy’s eyes glistened. ‘Now I know better. I missed out on decades of friendship with Matilda because of a lie. Or at least, a misunderstanding that festered into something uglier.’
Fern sat back, stunned. ‘You didn’t speak to Matilda for decades?’
Dorothy nodded miserably. ‘Not a word. We lived our lives side by side on this island, never bridging the gap. Until around five years ago.’
‘What changed?’ Daniel asked.
Dorothy smiled, a soft, bittersweet expression. ‘It was chance, really. Matilda had been unwell that winter. We had an early frost, and the cobbles in the village square were slick with ice. I saw her slip and fall, hard. She hit her head, she was dazed, and I rushed over without thinking.’ She paused, her voice trembling. ‘I helped her back to her house, got her into bed. She soon began to burn with a fever. The doctor was unavailable as he was over at the hospital on the mainland and the causeway was closed. No one could get on and off the island until the tide turned. I stayed the night, worried she might slip into pneumonia. I made her some broth, changed her damp clothes, sat up reading to her when she was too restless to sleep.’ Dorothy gave a soft laugh. ‘Somewhere in those long hours, something shifted. All those years of resentment, of suspicion, just melted away. We talked. Really talked, mainly about the old days, about Matilda’s hurt, and I believed her when she shared how devastated she had been after the wedding fell apart. She loved Nathaniel with her whole heart.’
Fern was spellbound. ‘Did Matilda ever say if the allegations were true?’
Dorothy nodded. ‘Matilda was never unfaithful. She was a good, honest woman. She never betrayed Nathaniel. I believed her and I was so disappointed in myself for allowing my brother to cut her dead for all those years.’
There was a long moment of silence except for the ticking clock on the mantel.
Finally, Fern leaned forward. ‘If she wasn’t unfaithful, what other possible reason could there be that they didn’t marry?’
‘Was it Nathaniel that was unfaithful?’ Daniel suggested.
‘But Alistair stayed by Nathaniel’s side. If he was friends with both of them, wouldn’t he have chosen Matilda’s side?’ Fern queried.
Dorothy’s smile faltered, just a little. ‘Alistair had just started working for Nathaniel when everything went wrong that Christmas Eve, and it was soon after that that Nathaniel became an overnight success. Alistair knew that taking Matilda’s side was never going to pay his wage; he took care of everything, contracts, deals, appearances, tours.’
‘We saw in the newspaper that Alistair will inherit Nathaniel’s wealth,’ said Daniel.
‘Yes. Nathaniel’s health has been declining for some time now. He’s actually just been moved from the private clinic back home so he can be taken care of by a team of nurses in his final weeks… possibly days.’
‘You were such a huge help caring for Matilda at the end,’ cut in Daniel. ‘I will be forever grateful for that.’
‘You’re very welcome. She was getting a little muddled but one thing she never got muddled about was how much she loved her shop.’
