Page 31 of Family Secrets in Inishbeg Cove

‘Good morning, sleepyheads,’ Madeleine sang. Their mother was already up, a coffee in her hand. It was a strange sight to see their mother sitting idly in the kitchen; they were so used to seeing her hunched over her laptop when they woke in the morning. Madeleine was an early riser, and she had usually completed several hours’ work by the time they rose. Lucy glanced around the kitchen, but the laptop was nowhere in sight. Madeleine didn’t have her phone in her hand either. What had she been doing?

‘It smells heavenly in here,’ Faith remarked.

Madeleine gestured to the coffee pot and mugs on the table. ‘I’ve just brewed us some coffee.’

‘Thanks, Mum,’ Faith said, pulling out a chair and sitting down. Lucy took a seat beside her and Madeleine poured two mugs and passed them out.

‘How are you doing, love?’ she asked Lucy gently, clasping her mug between her palms and resting her elbows on the table. ‘Did you manage to get any sleep?’

‘Not really,’ Lucy admitted.

‘You poor thing.’ Madeleine raised an eyebrow. ‘Why don’t you give him a call later on, love? Maybe he’ll have calmed down and might see things a little more clearly today.’

Lucy shook her head. ‘I think it’s too late for that.’

‘Well, try not to lose hope. These things have a way of working themselves out – sometimes a little breathing space is required.’

‘You know we’re here for you, no matter what happens,’ Faith added kindly.

Lucy smiled sadly. ‘Thanks, you two.’

They all fell quiet until Madeleine spoke again. ‘Did you girls hear that there’s a carol service in Cavendish Hall for all the villagers next week? I haven’t been there since it was renovated, and I thought it would be nice if the three of us went together.’

Faith’s face read shocked. Had they heard her correctly? Madeleine detested the Christmas traditions that most people loved: matching Christmas pyjamas were deemed ‘cringey’; Kris Kindle presents were ‘a waste of money’; warm and fuzzy Christmas ads on TV were ‘twee’. She actively avoided community get-togethers, especially those of the festive variety, but here she was suggesting that they all go to a carol service together.

‘But you hate things like that,’ Faith said in confusion, echoing Lucy’s thoughts.

‘No, I don’t.’ Madeleine was affronted.

‘Yes, you do!’ Lucy couldn’t help but laugh, despite the heaviness in her heart. ‘You always complain about people getting overly sentimental and how there’s way too much fuss made over one day.’

‘It’s okay if you don’t want to go,’ Madeleine replied huffily. ‘I just thought it would be a nice thing to do together…’

‘It would.’ Faith caught Lucy’s eye across the table and gave her a warning look. She reached out and squeezed her mother’s hand. ‘It would get us all in the Christmas spirit. I don’t know about you two, but I’m finding it hard this year after losing Nanna and with everything else going on.’

‘I guess it would be a nice thing to do…’ Lucy conceded, knowing even if she did feel a sense of dread at the thought of Christmas, it was important to appreciate the effort that their mother was clearly making to restore their relationship.

Normally Lucy loved Christmas, but she wished she could hold it off this year. Christmas was supposed to be a happy time spent with loved ones, but this year two of the most important people in her life – Elizabeth and Kyle – would be missing from her table. She and Kyle had a tradition of buying one another the most random gifts – the more obscure the better – because they thought it was funny. One year he had bought her gloves that heated up when you plugged them into the cigarette lighter in her car and last year she had bought him an inflatable gardening kneeler. Seeing everyone cosying up around the fire with their loved ones, all those happy families on TV ads, was going to rub salt in her wounds. Her heart ached at the thought of being apart from her husband for the first Christmas Day since they had got married. Christmas was less than two weeks away and she wished she could hide away from the world and the festive joviality she would have to endure until it was all over.

‘Great, then.’ Madeleine beamed warmly. ‘I’m looking forward to it already.’

Faith and Lucy exchanged a look over her head. Who was this woman sitting before them, and what had she done with their mother?

24

Faith looked out at the blue sky beyond the window. It was a glorious winter day in the cove. The landscape was blanketed in frost that sparkled in the low white sunlight. A gull soared in an arc across the sky.

‘What a morning,’ she said dreamily. ‘I love days like this. Why don’t we join the swimmers in the cove? It’s a beautiful day for it.’

‘Are you crazy? It’s barely above freezing outside,’ Lucy barked.

‘I know, but it’ll be exhilarating on a cold day like today.’ She turned to their mother. ‘Mum, will you join us?’

‘Oh, darling,’ she said with faux disappointment, ‘I’d love to, but I’d better not get my cast wet. Such a pity.’

They all laughed.

‘I guess you’ve got a good excuse,’ Faith conceded.