‘Here he is. Here’s Sam,’ she said, her voice thick with love for the stranger in the photograph, which I’d placed in the locket just thirty minutes ago.
Mum’s mouth was opening and closing like a goldfish. She was clearly struggling to know what to say. From her expression, I knew she recognised the picture in the locket as being the same man Amelia had sketched over and over again the previous day.
‘Later,’ I whispered softly in reply to the question in her eyes.
*
‘And this man, this stranger, he let you take his photograph? Why would he do something like that?’
Out of all the questions my mother asked, that was the one I hadn’t really considered until this moment.
‘Because I asked him to?’ I suggested lamely. Now that I heard the words out loud, it did seem rather peculiar. ‘Maybe he’s just a really decent guy who likes helping damsels in distress.’
Mum gave a classic harrumph that she’d clearly inherited from my grandmother. ‘You’re not exactly the helpless damsel type – nor is Amelia. Well, not usually,’ she corrected sadly.
‘I don’t know why he did it, Mum,’ I said, looking up as a ping announced the arrival of the lift. ‘I’m just glad that he did.’
Amelia had been so intent on studying the photograph of her fake husband, she’d scarcely looked up when I told her I was going to accompany Mum down to the foyer and see her safely into a taxi.
‘And you’re sure this man doesn’t actually know Amelia?’
‘As sure as I can be,’ I said, shuffling closer to the far corner of the lift to make room for incoming occupants. ‘There was absolutely no recognition on his face when he saw me.’ Mum nodded slowly. ‘Although I do think it’s likely Amelia has seen him on the beach at some time, even if it was only in passing.’
‘But how would she remember a total stranger in such detail?’ Mum asked, playing devil’s advocate. All those hours of watching TV detective shows had certainly sharpened her interrogation technique.
‘I don’t know. Because he’s really good-looking?’ I suggested. ‘Or maybe it was his dog that caught her attention.’
‘Barney,’ said Mum.
‘Mabel,’ I corrected.
We reached the foyer, where beyond the revolving doors I could see Mum’s taxi already idling at the kerb. ‘I’ll speak to the charge nurse before I go home and tell her about the locket,’ I said, kissing Mum’s cheek and trying to ignore the vague look of reproach on her face.
What had I done?
*
There was a change to Amelia that I didn’t need the bank of monitors to confirm. She looked calmer and more at peace. Both her heart rate and her blood pressure had lowered and if that was in any way because of the photograph in the locket, then I could happily live with my deception.
The necklace was now around her neck, the stranger’s photo as close to her heart as the spaghetti tangle of wires would allow. Every now and then Amelia’s fingers would reach up and caress the silver trinket, as though to reassure herself it was still there.
‘I suppose this will have to do until he gets back from New York.’ A frown creased her forehead. ‘Are you absolutely sure I didn’t mention any details about the silent retreat place he’s gone to?’
I have a habit of flushing when I lie, and I only hoped Amelia was so absorbed in staring at ‘Sam’s’ photograph, she wouldn’t look up and catch me out.
‘No, you just said that he’d be out of touch for two weeks.’
Amelia shook her head. ‘I can’t even remember having that conversation, but Mum said exactly the same thing earlier.’ She sighed and brought the photograph to her lips, kissing the stranger’s face.
‘I’m so glad you found the locket though,’ she said, leaning back tiredly on the pillows when I later bent to kiss her goodbye. ‘Thank you, Lexi. I knew you wouldn’t let me down.’
‘Never,’ I said, embarrassed to hear the catch in my voice.
She reached for my hand and curled her fingers around mine, and for just a moment everything in the world felt right again.
*
The wind was howling ferociously, whistling around Amelia’s cottage and reminding me ofThe Wizard of Ozright before the house went airborne. I peered through the window, but the beach was pitch-black and torrential rain made it impossible to see anything.
