Page 56 of Family Secrets in Inishbeg Cove

‘But they already tried that, remember?’ Faith rolled her eyes. ‘Kyle ended up declaring that their marriage was over and he headed back to Dublin.’

‘That was different,’ Madeleine rationalised. ‘Lucy didn’t know she was pregnant then. Her pregnancy changes everything.’

‘Did you tell him about the baby?’ Faith asked, wide-eyed. It wasn’t their mother’s place to tell Kyle about Lucy’s pregnancy, and she knew her sister would go ballistic if Madeleine had revealed the news to Kyle before she had told him.

‘Of course I didn’t!’ Madeleine was indignant. ‘What do you take me for? Although I had a hard job persuading him to come without letting it slip.’

‘But Lucy called him and he didn’t phone her back. Why didn’t he return her call if he wanted to sort out their issues?’

‘I know,’ Madeleine confessed. ‘He told me about that, but I advised him not to answer the phone to her. I was afraid it would ruin the surprise if he spoke to her on the phone and that Lucy would tell him not to bother coming – you know how stubborn she can be. I thought it would be better if they saw one another face to face.’

‘I don’t know, Mum…’ Faith was full of uncertainty about Madeleine’s scheming. ‘It’s a big risk; the whole thing might backfire and then Christmas will be ruined for everyone.’

‘It was ruined anyway,’ Madeleine said breezily. ‘Lucy was going to be miserable – at least this way there’s a chance we can still salvage it.’

‘And what about your new job? I thought you were supposed to be working today?’

Madeleine tossed her head back and laughed, a big hearty guffaw.

Faith bristled. ‘What’s so funny?’

‘There is no new job,’ Madeleine said. ‘I wasn’t sure if you believed it or not, but come on, darling – even I wouldn’t go into the office on Christmas Day.’ She tutted.

Faith frowned in confusion. What was her mother playing at? ‘So, you lied?’ She blinked rapidly trying to process it all. ‘You left here on the twenty-third, pretending to be starting a new job. You couldn’t get out of the house fast enough!’

‘I’m sorry I lied to you, darling, but it was for the greater good. How else was I supposed to get up to Dublin to see Kyle without arousing suspicion? I needed something believable, and I guess you both think I’m capable of walking out on our Christmas plans for a new job. I admit, that stings…’ She looked upset.

‘Well, you do have form there…’ Faith said, refusing to apologise.

‘I promise that spending time with you and Lucy in Inishbeg Cove has changed my priorities. I have no new job, and I’m not in any hurry to get back to the workplace.’

‘I see…’ Faith said, trying to digest what her mother had told her. ‘So, you only left to help Kyle and Lucy save their marriage? The new job was a cover story?’

‘Exactly,’ Madeleine said smugly. ‘And I did a pretty good job of pulling it off, if I do say so myself.’

‘You did,’ Faith agreed. She nodded towards the wall where on the other side, Lucy and Kyle were having their heart to heart and, Faith hoped, resolving their issues. ‘Let’s hope it’s going well in there…’ she said anxiously.

44

Lucy smiled at Kyle, still unable to believe that he was here, sitting across the living room from her. Her husband – Kyle – was here. Her heart was racing and her head spinning. It felt like a Christmas miracle.

‘So, how’ve you been?’ she ventured as soon as Faith had closed the door behind her and they were alone together.

‘Not great,’ he admitted.

She nodded. ‘Me neither.’

‘So, how did you—’ The words spilled from her mouth. ‘Did Mum— How?’ She had so many questions and she kept tripping over her own words.

‘I guess I was probably the last person you expected to see when you opened the door this morning,’ Kyle began, helping her out. ‘I was at home watching TV yesterday. I was feeling sorry for myself, if I’m being honest. Anyway, there was a knock on the door. I went out to see who it was and found your mum there. I was really confused. She told me she had got a taxi all the way from Inishbeg Cove to Dublin!’

‘Mum turned up at our house?’ Lucy repeated in shock.

Kyle nodded. ‘Anyway, she told me you were miserable and she only had to take one look at me, dressed like a hobo and sitting among discarded pizza boxes, to see I was the same.’ He laughed.

‘She told us that she was going back to Dublin because she had a new job…’ Lucy continued in disbelief. None of this made any sense to her.

‘She concocted that story about getting a new job because it was the only way she could get to Dublin to see me without arousing suspicion with you and Faith,’ Kyle explained.