Page 35 of Family Secrets in Inishbeg Cove

‘Please don’t go to any trouble; it’s enough just to have the three of us together,’ Faith said.

‘Well, as I always say, if you’re going to do a job, you may as well do it properly.’

They all knew that Madeleine was a perfectionist and whenever she focused on something she gave it one hundred per cent – and it seemed her family was now the sole benefactor of that attention. ‘I haven’t cooked a Christmas dinner in so long, I’m actually looking forward to the challenge. I’ve been getting so much inspiration online. Who knew tablescaping was a thing?’ she said giddily.

Faith smiled. ‘It’ll be lovely, Mum. Although we’ll desperately miss Nanna, it will be lovely spending it together with the three of us.’

Lucy’s heart filled with heaviness and she blinked back tears.

‘Are you okay, Lucy?’ Faith asked, full of concern.

She nodded. ‘Yeah, I’m just thinking about Kyle.’

‘Have you heard anything from him?’ Madeleine enquired.

Lucy shook her head. ‘Not since he went back to Dublin.’

‘Why don’t you give him a call?’ Madeleine suggested. ‘He’s probably at home, just as miserable as you are. Tell him how you’re feeling. I’m sure he’s feeling the same way. You’ve both had some space and time to think, and maybe you’ll be able to compromise.’

Lucy shook her head stubbornly. ‘I can’t compromise on something as major as having a baby, and Kyle was pretty adamant that he was finished trying, so I can’t see us ever finding any common ground to sort this out without one of us making some pretty big sacrifices.’ Emotion overtook her and suddenly she was sobbing. ‘And soon it’ll be Christmas and it just makes everything feel worse…’

‘Oh, darling.’ Madeleine pulled her in tightly. ‘Christmas can be a tough time if you’re going through anything difficult. It heightens everything. I remember the first Christmas after your dad died – I just couldn’t see how I was supposed to go on. The ads on TV and in magazines were full of happy families and it used to make me so angry. I couldn’t understand how life was still carrying on and how people could actually be celebrating. Everybody seemed to be full of cheer and looking forward to their lovely family-filled Christmases whereas my family had just been ripped apart. It made me furious. Every morning when I woke up, I didn’t know how I was going to get through the day. That’s the honest truth. You were too young to understand what had happened, and all you wanted to talk about was what Santa Claus might bring.’

‘That must have been so tough, Mum,’ Faith said, full of sympathy. She put her arm around her mother’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. Their mother had never opened up to them before about the grief she had felt when their father had died. She tended to put a brave face on things, and they weren’t used to seeing this more vulnerable side of her.

‘It was an awful time. When I look back on it, it’s a blur, but I got through each day and eventually the sadness lifted a little and life didn’t seem so bleak. You girls kept me going. I had to stay strong for you two.’ She smiled lovingly at her daughters.

‘I don’t know if we’ve ever really appreciated how difficult it must have been for you back then – struggling with grief, raising two little girls while keeping a roof over all our heads,’ Lucy said, wiping her nose with the back of her hand.

‘Well, you do what you have to do, I definitely wasn’t a perfect mother and I made mistakes but when I see how well both of you turned out, I think it all worked out okay in the end, didn’t it?’

They smiled at her. ‘It did, thank you, Mum,’ Faith said.

Madeleine lumbered over and, balancing on her crutches, put an arm around her daughter. ‘No matter what happens, you’ll get through this, love, and Faith and I will help you.’

Faith joined them and the three of them embraced. ‘Us Brennan ladies are strong; I promise that everything is going to be okay.’

Lucy knew that life came with no guarantees, but she was so fragile right now, they were the soothing words that she needed to hear.

27

It was the day of the carol service in Cavendish Hall. Lucy, Faith and Madeleine sat into the car and set off for the stately home. They had been down in Inishbeg Cove earlier and every place they went, the carol service was the main topic of conversation. It seemed as though the whole village was going.

Dusk was falling as they drove along the headland. A soft mizzle landed on the windscreen and Lucy had to use the wipers to clear it. They soon reached the imposing acorn-topped pillars that marked the entrance to Cavendish Hall. They drove slowly along the avenue, which was lined with ancient oak trees. In the half-light they saw grassy fields rolling down towards the sea. Soon the magnificent sandstone house came into view.

‘Wow,’ Madeleine gasped. ‘This place is splendid. In all my years coming to this village, I’ve only ever seen the house in photographs. It’s even more spectacular in real life.’

Two buttermilk-coloured wings spread out on either side of the stately home, and they caught a glimpse of a stable yard around the back which had recently been refurbished into accommodation for guests.

They parked the car and made their way towards the house. Candles inside glass lanterns flickered, lighting the path. They climbed the limestone steps, where two stone lions kept watch. The door was opened for them and they stepped into the magnificent entrance hall, where Grace and her father Patrick were waiting to greet their guests. Lucy took in the dark mahogany panelling and sweeping staircase and felt as though she had stepped back in time.

‘It’s so good to see you again.’ The sisters hugged Grace warmly. ‘You’ve done an amazing job on the renovation. I feel Iike I’m in Downton Abbey,’ Faith said.

Grace laughed. ‘Thank you, Faith. It’s been stressful, but we’re so pleased with how it’s turned out.’ She turned to her father. ‘Aren’t we, Dad?’

Patrick smiled dotingly at his daughter. ‘It wouldn’t have happened without this one. She had the vision. I just did as I was told.’

They all laughed.