FOURTEEN
‘Shouldn’t be a problem.’ Clare was towelling herself off next to Ellie on the beach. Ellie felt amazing after her sun-sparkled morning swim; it was her fourth now, and she was still taking it easy, but she could feel her strength returning. There had been no return of the panic in the water after that first time – but Ellie wasn’t taking any chances. She walked into the sea slowly, and if she started to feel panicky, she would stop and breathe in the cool morning air until she felt better. When she was in the water, she floated or did a gentle breaststroke, just for twenty minutes or so. Nothing strenuous, but she could feel her strength and flexibility coming back every time, and she was starting to regain feeling under her arm.
Fee had started joining them now too, and the Wild Sisterhood’s breakfast back at the beach house after swimming was becoming a regular thing. No one objected to Fee’s provision of coffee and pancakes, bowls of fresh fruit and croissants after an invigorating dip in the ocean. Clare stuck to black coffee, but she liked to come for the gossip.
‘Poor Jamey. I’ve seen her around, here and there. Nice enough girl. Sadly, there’s too many nice girls that end up with less than nice men.’ She sighed. ‘Makes me grateful to be single, I can tell you.’
‘I can imagine.’ Ellie wrapped a towel around her shoulders. She still wore shorts, a vest and baggy T-shirt to swim, but she was starting to feel slightly less self-conscious about her one-sided flat chest. ‘I appreciate it. I can’t get involved professionally, but obviously I’ll cover your firm’s fee. Just tell me what I owe you.’
‘Will do. The family judge in St Ives is a good friend of mine. Rowland Hyatt. I’m actually meeting him for dinner tomorrow night, so I’ll mention it to him then. And I’ll chat to Jamey in the meantime.’
‘Rowland Hyatt?’ Ellie did a double take. ‘Of Hyatt, Rowe and Hoffman?’
‘I think so, yes. He was a partner in a London firm and then he moved down here – what, three years ago? Wanted a change of pace.’ Clare slid on her sunglasses. ‘Why, do you know him?’
‘Four years ago. Yes. I did, anyway.’
She had known Rowland Hyatt, once. In fact, he was one of the doomed attempts at a relationship her lawyer friends had tried to engineer for her. Clearly, Rowland had hated going out with Ellie so much that he had run away to the other end of the country a couple of months after they had started casually seeing each other.
‘Oh, well then, you should definitely come out with us! I’m sure he’d love to see you,’ Clare prattled on, apparently not noticing Ellie’s reddened cheeks.
They walked up to the beach house with the rest of the group, went in and sat at the table. Fee busied herself in the kitchen with Mara.
‘Oh, I don’t know if I should…’ Ellie protested. ‘I mean, it’s been a long time.’
‘Nonsense!’ Clare cried. ‘I’ll pick you up at six thirty tomorrow night. We’re going to a nice restaurant in St Ives. Do you good to get out of the village.’
‘But…’ Ellie tried to protest, but Clare flapped her hand as if to indicate the discussion was over.
‘No arguments. Legal eagles’ dinner. It’ll be fun.’
I’m not sure that it will be, Ellie thought, already wondering what on earth she was supposed to wear out to a ‘nice dinner’ that didn’t show off her mastectomy in a gruesome light. And surely the only thing worse than having to go out for dinner with an old flame was having to go out for dinner with an old flame when you’d just had some pretty unflattering surgery.
Fee placed a plate of American-style pancakes on the table and added a tall bottle of maple syrup. A dish containing some of the Cornish butter that Fee and Ellie had become addicted to sat on the table as well, with a range of non-matching mugs and a jug of filter coffee. Mara was making a pot of tea in the kitchen, and Fee went back to the counter for some bananas and a bowl of strawberries.
‘So, we got this through the door.’ Fee placed the fruit on the table and helped herself to a banana. She shook the local free newspaper, theCornish Star, in the air. ‘Says here that cancer care funding’s been cut for all the communities around here. Apparently, you guys used to have a mobile breast screening clinic come down here once a year?’
‘Yep. They did cervical screening as well. It was quite handy, really, otherwise you have to schlep all the way to Truro,’ Petra replied, taking the newspaper to look for herself.
‘Well, it’s been cancelled.’ Fee smoothed the paper out on the table, next to her plate. ‘Budget cuts.’
‘Oh, would you credit it?’ Simona swore under her breath. ‘Honestly. Whoever’s making these decisions, they’re not women, are they?’ She picked up the newspaper and read it. ‘What’re all the women with no cars supposed to do? The old dears who could just about walk down to the cove to get checked aren’t very well going to be able to get to bloody Truro on their own, are they? Truro. I ask you!’ She tutted.
‘Well, I don’t mind driving people up there now and again if needed,’ Petra offered.
‘Me too,’ Mara added. ‘But we need a better solution, don’t we? I mean, it’s all well and good being charitable but we need something more permanent.’ She frowned.
‘We could fundraise,’ Ellie suggested. ‘I mean, you can’t give the money directly to the council and expect them to replace the cancelled screening service. But a fundraiser could be done for an existing cancer charity. It’s something.’ She shrugged. ‘And in the meantime, we can lobby the council and see if we can get the screening bus reinstated.’
‘You can see ’oo the lawyer is round ’ere, can’t you?’ Esther Christie chuckled. ‘Look at you, Ellie. Takin’ on the world with two seconds’ notice.’
‘Well, it’s just being sensible,’ Ellie muttered. ‘Not that Fee and I are going to be here that much longer. But it’s worth a go.’
‘Oh no, my duck, ’course it is, I was just teasin’. Just like my Connie, you are. You young girls.’ Esther patted Ellie on the back of her hand. ‘I’ll ’elp you, my love. We can do some fundraisin’ in the museum if you want.’
‘Well, why don’t we do a sponsored swim?’ Fee helped herself to a couple of pancakes and spread them with a thick layer of soft, golden butter. ‘We could make a thing of it. Advertise it like a charity fun run or something. People would love to come and have a summer swim in Magpie Cove: I bet there’s loads of people who’ve never thought to come here. If everyone had to pay £20 to take part, then that’d probably make at least a few hundred pounds for charity. Worth a shot. I can make up some posters, if you want? And advertise on social media.’
‘I like the idea.’ Petra clapped her hands together. ‘And I’m sure we can get some catering going on the beach. We can do it from the café, or Maude at the bakery would love to help, I’m sure. Oliver would help too. He runs a private catering business,’ she explained to Ellie.
