Page 5 of Family Secrets in Inishbeg Cove

‘I can see that!’ Madeleine cried, then instantly regretted her outburst as she looked at her daughters’ distraught faces. ‘When did she⁠—’

‘Around an hour ago,’ Noleen said. ‘I’m sure you’ll be glad to hear that she went very peacefully.’

‘I’m so sorry…’ Madeleine began. ‘I came as quickly as I could but – well … er…’ She broke off, knowing that now was not the time to tell them about her ordeal.

‘It sounds like you’ve had a long journey to get here. Why don’t I get you a cup of tea and something to eat?’ Noleen said, excusing herself.

‘Thank you,’ Madeleine said gratefully. It was only when her stomach growled at mention of food that she realised she hadn’t eaten anything since before lunch.

Noleen left the room, leaving Madeleine alone with her daughters.

‘I’m so sorry, girls.’ She moved to hug Lucy first, who was standing closest to her, then Faith, but they both remained stock still in her arms. They’ve had a shock, she told herself, trying not to feel upset.

‘I can’t believe you didn’t get here in time to say goodbye to her, Mum.’ Faith shook her head sadly.

‘I did my best,’ Madeleine said, defending herself. ‘The journey was a nightmare.’

‘If you had left when we called, you would have made it on time,’ Lucy said. ‘It doesn’t take that long to get here from Dublin.’

‘Well, I had to finish a meeting first…’ she admitted.

‘You’re never there when we need you!’ Lucy blasted.

‘Now, hang on…’ Madeleine tried to calm her down. She understood their emotions were running high. They had lost a person they dearly loved, but this wasn’t the time to have a go at her.

‘When are you going to stop putting your work first?’ Lucy went on.

‘I came as quickly as I could,’ Madeleine defended herself. ‘But the bloody roads here are more like dirt tracks, and don’t get me started on the tractors … then the Gardaí impounded my car. I tried to ring you, but my phone is dead.’

‘You always have an excuse!’ Faith accused, backing up her sister.

‘When are you going to see that your job isn’t more important than your family?’ Lucy went on, her face contorted in fury.

‘Girls, of course my family is important to me.’ Madeleine was affronted. ‘But I am the marketing director of one of the biggest PR companies in Ireland. My job is important too.’

‘This isn’t helping anyone,’ Faith said, dabbing at her eyes with a crumpled tissue. ‘Nanna has just passed away.’

‘You’re right,’ Lucy agreed, calming down.

‘I’m so sorry, girls,’ Madeleine tried. ‘I know how close you both were to her.’

‘She was amazing.’ Lucy began to weep once more. ‘I can’t bear to think that we won’t get to see her ever again.’

Madeleine watched desperately as Lucy convulsed into sobs, her body quivering with grief. Although Madeleine and her mother-in-law had had their differences over the years, she still admired and respected the woman and knew how close her daughters were to her. Her own relationship with Elizabeth had been different. It was more complex. Tricky. Her mother-in-law had had her own views on parenting, and sometimes they had clashed with Madeleine’s. Elizabeth had been traditional: she believed a mother’s place was in the home and had never understood Madeleine’s career or her commitment to her job. Her world view had been simpler, and over the years they had often argued about it. Madeleine knew how much her daughters adored their grandmother, so she had never told them any of this – and besides, she knew they would never understand.

The clock on Elizabeth’s bedside table read almost midnight. It had been hours since she had last checked her phone, and it felt like someone had chopped off her arm. God only knew what was going on with her team in Dublin. Were they all still in the office, working late, running around like headless chickens scrambling to finalise the last details for the launch, or had they gone home, content that everything was under control? She really didn’t want to upset the girls further by asking if either of them had a charger, but she desperately needed to get her phone turned on so she could check in with the team.

Just then Noleen returned to the room and stuck her head around the door. ‘Madeleine, I’ve a nice warm cuppa and a sandwich with your name on it in the kitchen.’

Madeleine followed Noleen down to the kitchen, glad to escape the tense atmosphere in the bedroom. It was obvious that the girls weren’t happy with her, but they didn’t understand how stressful her day had been. She sat down at the table and when Noleen placed the warm tea and sandwich in front of her, she immediately began devouring it.

‘You’re hungry,’ the nurse remarked as she ate.

‘You’ve no idea.’

‘It’s time for me to head on and leave you and your family alone together,’ Noleen said as she slipped her arms into the sleeves of her raincoat, ‘but I’ll check in with you all in the morning.’

‘Thank you for everything,’ Madeleine said gratefully through a mouthful of bread as the nurse let herself out through the back door.