* * *
The following afternoon, Ralph checked his watch.
‘Not long now, we should land in about twenty minutes. Did you book a taxi?’
Edie nodded. ‘Hopefully they’ll be there, waiting for us.’
She gazed out of the aeroplane window at London’s densely packed streets far below, hoping to recognise some key landmarks.
Her heart skipped when she spotted the winding River Thames, and it leaped again, on the final approach, when the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace came into view.
‘I can’t wait to get home,’ she said with feeling.
‘Me too.’
‘Do you think Maisie will come and see us tomorrow?’
Ralph stretched his back and shoulders and groaned.
‘She said she would. We’ve got a lot to tell her. We won’t know where to begin.’
‘I’ll pick up Dilly in the morning.’
The dog had been staying with the pet-sitter she always went to when they were away.
‘Good idea. I bet she’ll be pleased to see us.’
The flight attendant passed by with a black bin bag, and Edie popped in her sandwich wrapper and an empty can of Coke.
Glancing over to her left, she spotted Hannah, staring out of the window, while Mac’s head was turned the other way and his eyes were closed.
Jessica was two rows in front of them, with her nose stuck in a book. Edie had wondered before the flight if she’d offer to switch seats with either Mac or Hannah, as the two weren’t speaking, but of course she’d done no such thing.
The truth was, she was so wrapped up in herself it probably wouldn’t have even occurred to her. And if one of them had asked, she’d have said no, she wanted her own space.
Thoughtful acts and selfless gestures weren’t her thing at all. With Jessica, it was all about Number One. The rest of the world could go hang.
The sounds of the engine changed from rattles and whirrs to a loud rumbling as the flight spoilers on top of the wings were employed to slow the plane down.
Edie’s ears popped just as the cabin crew were told to prepare for landing and she regretted not having asked for a sweet to suck on. It was too late now.
Landing was her least favourite part of flying and she closed her eyes and reached for Ralph’s reassuring hand. Her stomach lurched when the wheels touched down and she was forced forward in her seat by the plane’s rapid deceleration.
When they finally stopped moving and the lights came back on, she turned to her husband and smiled.
‘Thank goodness that’s over. I can breathe again now.’
It felt strange, stepping off the plane, and walking down the long passageway towards the terminal, without saying anything to Jessica or Hannah.
Jessica was way ahead, marching purposefully towards the baggage reclaim area, while Hannah lagged a few metres behind her.
As far as Edie could tell, there was no love lost between them. Hannah’s hero worship had clearly come to an abrupt end.
Perhaps she now blamed Jessica, to some degree at least, for destroying her marriage. Edie doubted she’d ever admit to herself or anyone else the part she’d played. Bullies like her rarely did.
Edie and Ralph stayed close to Mac while they went through passport control and waited for their bags to arrive. Edie felt protective of their friend and hoped Hannah wouldn’t lose her rag and cause an upsetting scene.
As they passed through the arrivals gate, she noticed Hannah gaze at Mac with moist, puppy-dog eyes, trying to attract his attention. Edie grabbed his arm, hustling him along as fast as possible, and luckily, he didn’t notice.
