Slowly, Sue shook her head.
‘She told you about Singapore, didn’t she? And about my father?’
‘Yes, my love.’ Sue sighed and gave a sad smile. ‘And that’s why I’m here.’ Her tone became hushed and confidential. ‘While she was in hospital, your granny told me that she had something to get off her chest, something that she’d never told anyone. She said she was going to tell you when you came in the next day, but . . . ’ She trailed off and gave a sigh.
‘She never got the opportunity,’ Annabel finished for her.
The older lady’s brow furrowed in thought. ‘I don’t know if she knew her time was nearly up, but I could tell it was important to her to share whatever it was. She asked me if I would listen and I said I would.’ Sue gave a little shrug. ‘Dotty was such a sweet old thing that I was happy to. So I stayed on after my shift that afternoon, made us both a nice cup of tea and she told me her story. But to be honest, it all sounded so fantastical that I wasn’t sure if she was making it up, losing her marbles, maybe?’
Annabel chuckled. ‘I think Dotty kept every one of her marbles right up until the very end!’
‘But it wasn’t all true, was it? All that about living in Singapore with that good-for-nothing husband, the war, the baby, the prison camp?’
Annabel gave a wry smile and nodded.
‘Well, blow me!’ Nurse Sue said, her face a picture of surprise. ‘She said she hadn’t told any of the family,’ she continued. ‘Made me swear to keep it secret until she’d passed, but then to letyouknow. She was quite insistent about that. “Tell Annabel,” she kept saying. “She’ll understand”. She loved you so much, my dear.’ The nurse reached out and squeezed Annabel’s hand. ‘So that’s why I came today, to see you again. Dotty wanted me to tell you everything.’ She gestured to the church and the guests, ‘Not now, obviously, but maybe we could have a cup of tea one day and I could tell you what she said. But it sounds like you already know a lot of it?’
Annabel smiled fondly and nodded. ‘Thank you, Sue, I’d like that. And thank you for being there for Dotty. She hadn’t told us anything. But I found some old letters and photographs in her desk and curiosity got the better of me. I went out to Singapore a few weeks ago and managed to piece together her story.’
Sue’s mouth dropped open. ‘Oh lovey, you went all that way, halfway around the world? You needn’t have gone on a plane, you could have just come over to Bodmin and I would have told you everything!’
Annabel burst out laughing at the irony and gave her a spontaneous hug. They swapped phone numbers and agreed to meet soon.
‘Before I go in, I just want to tell you two things that Dotty kept saying, over and over,’ Sue said. ‘First, she told me that taking your father as a baby was the best thing that ever happened to her.’
Annabel felt a lump in her throat and fresh tears pricked at her eyes.
‘Second, she asked for forgiveness for what she did. I think you probably know what I mean. It’s sad to think that she carried that guilt and shame with her until the very end.’
Annabel’s face fell as she thought of the suffering her grandmother had gone through.
‘Oh, poor Dotty,’ she sighed. ‘The guilt wasn’t hers, Sue. It wasn’t her fault, I found that out while I was in Singapore.’
‘Oh, really? Well that’s marvellous!’ Sue chuckled, her face breaking into a wide smile. ‘What a relief! Well, you’d better tell her that, my love, then your grandmother can rest in peace!’Sue looked up at the blue sky and smiled.‘Look, a skylark!’ she said, pointing to a small bird high above them. ‘Don’t often see them around these parts. Now, that’s a good sign!’ She squeezed Annabel’s hand encouragingly one last time, then made her way into the church.
Left alone, Annabel looked up at the skylark hovering above. ‘Rest easy, Dotty, you don’t need any forgiveness. We love you,’ she whispered. And at that moment, the skylark began to sing.
‘What was that all about?’ William asked, coming over.
‘I’ll tell you later.’ she smiled, wiping her eyes.
He pulled her close in a hug. ‘I think it’s time to get this show on the road. Everyone’s here.’ Then he looked up, over her shoulder. ‘Oh, I spoke too soon; one last straggler cutting it a bit fine! Who’s this?’ His brow furrowed. ‘I don’t recognise him.’
Annabel stepped out of his embrace and turned to see who was coming up the path towards them. Dressed in a smart, black suit, the tall, dark figure was instantly familiar. But it couldn’t be. Could it?
‘Oh!’ she gasped, her face a picture of confusion and surprise. ‘What are . . . How did . . . ?’ but she didn’t manage to finish any of her questions.
‘Hello, Annabel,’ James said, a nervous smile on his lips.
‘Hi!’ she managed to croak, staring at him. Her heart was thumping and she seemed to have momentarily lost the ability to speak.
William eased the tension with a cheerful introduction. He shook James’s hand, told him it was good to meet him, and thanked him for helping Annabel with her research in Singapore. Annabel was grateful for her brother’s easy, relaxed manner as, at that moment, she was feeling anything but relaxed.
Introductions made, William excused himself and went to join the pall-bearers in the car park, where the hearse was arriving. It was almost time for Dotty’s final journey. Annabel’s heart felt heavy at the prospect.
She continued to stare at James. What on earth was he doing here? She had briefly mentioned the date of the funeral to him in a text, but had no idea that he would come. She was surprised and confused, but strangely pleased.
Annabel took a deep breath to steady herself and smiled up at him. ‘I’m sorry, I’m just so surprised to see you.’ She paused and gave a sigh. ‘But it’s so good to see you, James, it really is.’
