Page 8 of Family Secrets in Inishbeg Cove

Lucy felt her chest tighten and panic crush her at the thought of sitting down with Kyle to talk things through. She felt claustrophobic at the idea of going back to her old life, and the changes that would inevitably occur. Could she forgive Kyle for what he had said? Was their marriage over? Would they have to sell their cottage in Sandymount, the home she adored and had poured her heart and soul into renovating? She knew her life was at a crossroads: she was about to head off in a new direction, where the terrain was unfamiliar, and it terrified her.

Right now, it was easier to be here in Inishbeg Cove and block everything else out.

6

Madeleine said goodnight to her daughters and as soon as they had gone to bed, she headed into the guest room, relieved that she could escape the tirade of abuse that had landed on her since she had arrived. They were upset, she understood that, but she had tried her best to get there in time to say goodbye to Elizabeth. She stepped inside the bedroom – the room she always slept in whenever she stayed with Elizabeth. She looked around at the simple bed frame and the chest of drawers that stood beneath the window. She noticed that the air smelled musty, and she knew it was a long time since anyone had last slept in this room. Whenever Madeleine had stayed here over the years, Elizabeth had gone to great lengths to make the room welcoming and homely. She would open the windows to let in fresh air, she would dress the bed in newly laundered and pressed linen, and stick a hot water bottle between the sheets to take away the chill. Madeleine noticed a layer of dust upon the mantlepiece and a dried-out sprig of lavender hanging over the bed. Elizabeth loved to scent her rooms with fresh flowers from her garden. She had always taken great pride in her home, but there were little telltale signs that she had grown too ill over the past few months to keep on top of the housework.

Now that she was finally alone, she could try and sort out the mess that was Howard O’Brien’s book launch without fear of incurring her daughters’ wrath. Madeleine took out her phone and sank wearily onto the bed as she began rereading her emails, feeling increasingly overwhelmed. Each message she read was more frantic than the last. She placed the phone face down on the bedspread beside her and groaned. Her head throbbed and her shoulders ached with stress. What was she going to do now? She took her phone in her hands once more and, although it was late, she began making calls. As expected, nobody picked up. She started firing off emails with instructions for her team to get on to the customs office once more and try everything to get the books released in the morning, but the internet was so bad, she wasn’t even sure if they had been sent. She really needed to travel to Dublin to sort this out herself, but her daughters didn’t seem to understand what a big deal this was for her. They were grieving Elizabeth, she reasoned, and she knew that grief brought all kinds of emotions to the surface. Anxiety was tying a knot around her chest. Time was ticking and she felt a growing sense of dread about the disaster that was about to take place. If she didn’t fix it, the whole thing would be a flop – and as the marketing director for her company, she would be held responsible. She had a half-baked idea to call the taxi company in Ballymcconnell that had brought her here and ask if Séamus would take her back to Dublin. She knew a fare like that would cost a pretty penny, but that didn’t matter; she would pay anything to be able to sort this out ahead of Howard O’Brien’s book launch. Her reputation was on the line. She decided that she would get up in the morning and try to reason with her daughters again; hopefully they would be more understanding of her plight. They were both exhausted, and she hoped that after a good night’s sleep they would be more rational.

She felt calmer and more in control as she pulled back the bedspread, shivering as she climbed between the chilly sheets. She would sort this. That was why she was so successful: because she always rose to the challenge. Madeleine Brennan would fix this.

7

Madeleine heard a blaring sound and bolted upright in bed. It took her a minute to get her bearings. She had lain awake for half the night fretting over what to do about the book launch, but had eventually fallen into a deep sleep. She realised the noise was coming from her phone. She felt around on her bedside table and eventually located it. When she saw Jerry Kavanagh’s name on the screen – the managing director of Interstellar PR – events came rushing back to her, jolting her awake.

‘J-Jerry,’ she began, trying to make her voice sound like she hadn’t just been asleep.

‘What the hell is going on, Madeleine?’ he began without so much as a greeting.

‘What do you mean?’ she asked to buy herself time as she jumped out of bed. She knew what this call was about.

‘I’ve spoken to your team, who told me the books haven’t arrived. They’ve been trying to get in contact with you, but no one can get hold of you. Where the hell are you and what is going on?’

Her stomach clenched and her heart flip-flopped. He was the kind of man who didn’t want to hear about problems, only solutions. He had no time or patience for excuses and was fond of saying ‘I don’t care how you do it, just get it done’.

‘I’m down in Inishbeg Cove.’

‘Inishbeg where?’ he barked.

‘Inishbeg Cove. It’s in County Clare.’

‘What are you doing down there when we have Howard O’Brien’s book launch in two days?’

‘Unfortunately, my mother-in-law passed away yesterday. I had to leave the office early.’

‘Well, I’m sorry to hear that, but where the hell are the books?’

‘There’s a minor issue in customs, but I promise you I am sorting it out.’

‘You need to get back here, Madeleine. You need to fix this immediately – our reputation is on the line.’

Madeleine winced. ‘I know, Jerry, but it’s tricky. The wake is tomorrow. My daughters are very upset, and they’ll never forgive me if I run out on them.’

‘The whole of Ireland will not forgive you if Howard O’Brien has no books to sign at his launch! Everyone who is anyone is going to be there, Madeleine – even the Taoiseach has RSVP’d. Have you any idea how bad it will look if you mess this up?’

You – the word landed like a punch in the gut. He was pinning the blame squarely on her shoulders. Warning her that this was her mess to fix.

‘Look, I’ll sort it, Jerry. I promise. I’ll talk to my daughters again… They were upset last night but maybe I could get away for a few hours today…’

‘You better, Madeleine!’ he warned.

She rubbed at her bleary eyes, desperately trying to wake herself up. ‘Don’t worry, Jerry. I have it all under control,’ she lied.

‘Well, I’m glad to hear it.’ His tone climbed down several octaves. ‘You had me in a sweat thinking I was going to have to break the news to Howard O’Brien’s agent that the launch was off.’ He laughed.

She laughed along nervously. ‘Jerry, we’ve worked together for over twenty years,’ she cajoled. ‘Would I do that to you?’

‘All right then, Madeleine, I’m up to my tonsils here so I’ll leave this in your very capable hands.’