‘Sorry,’ Bridie apologised to the waitress, not to Jade. She rather felt she deserved it after what she’d said.
‘Barney!’ Bridie grabbed his collar and said, ‘Down!’ for the umpteenth time.
Barney immediately let go and retreated under the table.
Jack finally turned away, Jade tugging him toward an empty table.
Bridie stared at the wood grain on the café table, her vision blurring. Shame, like a sour taste, rose in her throat at the thought that they’d seen her last performance on stage. She couldn’t imagine they’d been there in person, but that didn’t make her feel any better.
Oliver touched her arm. ‘Ignore him,’ he said softly. ‘He’s an arse. Nobody likes him here. He buys up property, tears down lovely old houses, and builds horrible flats, then sells them to out-of-towners for ridiculous prices. No respect for the community at all.’
‘I want to leave,’ Bridie whispered. She wasn’t sure in that moment whether she meant leaving the café, or Suffolk.
Oliver shook his head. ‘Don’t leave because of him. Heisa bully. A wealthy one. And people like him think they can treat everyone like rubbish.’
Bridie swallowed hard. ‘He wasn’t like that before.’
‘People change,’ Oliver said quietly.
‘You haven’t,’ Bridie said, managing a smile.
Oliver smiled too. ‘And neither have you. Still, the same sweet-natured Bridie.’ Oliver glanced over at Jack and frowned. ‘He’s no friend of mine anymore.’
She nodded, unable to meet his eye. ‘But you heard what he said. About the … the episode.’
Oliver reached across the table again and gently took her hand. ‘I don’t care,’ he said. ‘Whatever happened in London stays in London as far as I’m concerned.’
Bridie looked up. In his eyes – steady, kind – she realised he already knew. Somehow, he knew about her outburst on stage. Bridie didn’t want to ask how he found out. Perhaps it had popped up on his social media feed. Bridie imagined so. She decided not to ask.
He squeezed her fingers. ‘It’s all in the past now. Forget that. And forget him.’ Oliver glanced toward Jack’s table. Bridie followed his gaze.
Jack was staring at them – at their joined hands – his expression betraying something raw and unexpected. He looked rather angry.
Bridie blinked. What on earth wasthatabout?
‘So. The question is …’ said Oliver, drawing her eyes back to his kind face. ‘What are you going to do now?’
Bridie looked at the envelope, gripping it in both hands like a lifeline. ‘I suppose,’ she said, heart thudding, ‘that I’m going to Ipswich.’
Chapter 26
As the bus passed through villages on its way toward Ipswich, Bridie’s stomach tightened with every passing mile. Barney was at home with Hannah, who – after Bridie had told her everything – had all but pushed her out of the door with strict instructions not to overthink things.
Easy for her to say, Bridie thought.
Bridie clutched the solicitor’s letter in her lap, the envelope now soft at the corners after another week of being shoved into pockets and bags. It was Friday, and Hannah had given her the morning off work to attend the pre-arranged appointment.
Bridie hadn’t spoken to Reggie since she’d found out the contents of the letter. She had been busy, it was true, but that was just an excuse. She hadn’t exactly gone out of her way to visit him across the yard again since finding out that she owned the theatre.
She knew that it was silly of her. She wanted to see the shoebox full of photos and memorabilia that Hannah had mentioned was in Reggie’s possession, especially after Maisie had described it to her. Bridie had met her for the first time one morning when she’d arrived at the shop with her mum before school. She knew that Reggie and the contents of that shoeboxmight shed some light on who had owned the theatre and the reason they had left it to her.
When she had crossed the yard after closing time one evening, to introduce herself as Hannah’s new shop assistant, and to tell him she was living above the shop now, he’d been overjoyed to see her, and to find out she was his new neighbour. But he had been on his way out to meet a friend, and so Hannah hadn’t had a chance to see the old photos and memorabilia or ask him what he knew of the theatre’s previous owner.
Reggie had told her to call in again after work and he’d be sure to show her what he had. He’d been keen to chat some more about the old theatre.
But finding out that she now owned the theatre had put Bridie off going to see him. If Reggie found out, he would have questions she wouldn’t be able to answer. She didn’t want anyone other than Oliver and Hannah to know about the letter until she’d seen the solicitor and found out exactly what was going on: who had left her the theatre – and why?
She could have travelled to Ipswich by car, but now she was living and working in Aldeburgh, and there was really no need for a car – parking her car in the town all day, every day, would cost her a small fortune – she’d left her car back at her parents’ house.
