Rory clearly didn’t agree. ‘It’s not as simple as that. He’s my little brother and I love him. It’s bad enough that I’ve lied to him for this long. Have you any idea how it felt to see him again? You can’t imagine the mixture of emotions I felt. It was overwhelming. But the overriding thought was,Danny’s here.He’s not gone. I can still talk to him. God, I’ve missed him.’
‘I understand that,’ I said. ‘But if you feel that way then surely telling him you married his wife is the last thing you want to do?’
‘No,’ he said quietly. ‘The last thing I want to do is to leave here without saying goodbye. Scuttling away like a coward. Can you imagine how hurt he’d be if he found out I’d left the village without telling him? And besides, now that I’ve found him, now that I know he’s here…’
As his voice trailed off, I frowned. ‘Now that you’ve found him what?’
He exhaled slowly. ‘Okay, now that I’ve found him I don’t want to say goodbye. I don’t see any reason why I can’t come back and visit him a few times a year.’
‘You’re kidding?’ I gasped.
‘Why would I be kidding? What’s wrong with wanting to see my brother again?’ he demanded.
‘But he’s – he’s a ghost!’
‘Yes, and that’s why it’s even more important that I keep in touch with him. I’m his only link with the world outside this village. Don’t you see that? He’s spent eighteen years worrying about us all, wondering what we’re doing, if we’re okay. It’s not fair. I honestly don’t see why I shouldn’t do whatever I can to make things easier for him. In fact, I’m wondering if I can write to him every week. Let him know how things are going and then meet him here every season for a proper catch-up.’
‘Have you any idea how crazy that all sounds?’ I asked, dazed. ‘Who writes letters to ghosts? Who’s going to open them up and read them to him?’
‘Ah well,’ he said triumphantly, ‘apparently all the owners of this village have had the gift of seeing all the ghosts and being able to talk to them. The current owner lives at Harling Hall – you know that big, grand house we passed on the way in? I think if I could speak to her in private and explain the situation she’d be happy to read the letters to Danny if I sent them to her. He says she’s very understanding.’
I shook my head, hardly able to believe I was hearing this.
‘And what about your parents?’ I asked, thinking of Brooke’s parents and whether she’d want regular updates on them. Would she want them to know she was still around? Would Danny want Rory to tell their parents the truth?
Rory’s face clouded. ‘I don’t know. I can’t decide what’s best to do about that, to be honest. Mum and Dad have been through a lot. It might be too much for them. But I don’t know what Danny would want. I haven’t spoken to him about any of this. Let’s face it, he might not want anything to do with me when he finds out I married you.’
We both sat quietly for a few minutes, each deep in thought.
I knew Rory had a point, and I could understand him wanting to keep in touch with Danny. It would be a lovely, kind thing to do, and knowing Danny it would mean the world to him. He deserved that much at least.
From a purely selfish point of view, I was terrified. When Rory told his brother the truth about us, Danny might react very badly. Clearly, ghosts couldn’t harm us physically and Danny never would anyway, no matter what, but he might lash out verbally. He might tell Rory who I really was. What I’d done. How would my husband react to that?
I should tell him the truth now, before it was too late, but the words stuck in my throat. I couldn’t imagine ever having the courage to confess to the man I loved just what sort of woman he’d saddled himself with.
‘Well,’ Rory said with a sigh, ‘now that you know about Danny, I suppose there’s no reason for us to avoid Rowan Vale. Not after I tell him the truth.’
‘And you’re going to do that today?’
‘I’ll go and look for him now,’ he said. ‘Are you okay to stay here out of sight until I get back and let you know it’s all clear. We don’t want to risk him seeing you before I get the chance to explain.’
I nodded. ‘That’s fair enough. Are you okay?’
Rory blew out his cheeks. ‘I don’t think okay’s quite the word I’d use, but I know this is for the best. I’ll go and see him. I know where he’ll be. He’s got a rehearsal this morning at the vintage cinema. That’s why I wanted us to sneak out to Kingsford Wold, while he was safely out of the way.’
He stood and I squeezed his hand in support.
‘Good luck,’ I said.
He nodded and left the room, while I leaned back in the sofa and closed my eyes, trying to quell the fear that was bubbling up in my mind.
It wasn’t Rory who’d need the luck. When Danny found out I’d betrayed him yet again, it was me who was going to need all the luck in the world.
24
BROOKE
Brookestoodon the stage at The Magic Lantern, doing her best not to sing too loudly as she was all too aware that her voice wasn’t the best in the world.Aubrey had just sung the first verse ofSunshine on Leith,and he’d been word perfect. The rest of them had joined in with the chorus and now it was Harmony’s turn.
