‘We want to get married in May,’ Kate said. ‘That’s the best time of year on the island for a wedding.’
‘So soon?’ Susannah questioned her.
‘I’ve waited long enough, don’t you think?’ Kate replied hotly.
‘Are you really sure, Katie?’ Susannah pushed. ‘You’ve never left Vinalhaven, never seen anywhere off the island. Don’t you want to go places? Meet other people?’
‘I love him, Susie!’ Kate exclaimed. ‘And he loves me. I don’t need anything else. I want to live in this house all my life and I want to raise my children here.’
Susannah had to admit, she had never heard her sister so sure about anything before. Even so, the thought of seeing Kate marry that bully made her feel sick. She couldn’t stop thinking about it on her journey back to Cambridge. How could she get Kate to change her mind?
‘You have to let it go,’ Ava advised, as soon as Susannah confided in her back in Cambridge. They were on shift together in the coffee house.
‘She could do so much better, Ava,’ Susannah said, as she sliced up the cherry pie and placed it on display on the counter.
‘But you can’t control your little sister any more than she can control you,’ Ava said. ‘What would you do if she advised you not to live with me?’
‘That’s different!’
‘Not so much,’ Ava said, as she cleaned the tables. ‘All you can hope is he turns out nicer. They want kids, right? Being a dad can really change a man.’
Susannah appreciated Ava helping her see the best of it, but her gut was telling her Matthew Young wasn’t good for her sister. She dreaded the wedding.
‘Say, would you come with me?’
Ava stopped her cleaning. Looked at her in astonishment. ‘To your sister’s wedding?’
‘Yes. I want to show you where I grew up,’ Susannah said. ‘And I want you to meet Katie. My mom too, I guess.’
‘Are you sure it’s a good idea?’ Ava said, looking wary.
‘No one will know,’ Susannah said in a low voice. ‘They’ll never guess.’
‘Okay,’ Ava said slowly. ‘I’d like that.’
Relief washed over Susannah. If Ava was by her side, then maybe she could endure her sister’s wedding to a man unworthy of Kate’s love.
23
Emer
27th October 2011
Emer was woken by Susannah’s thin cry. She immediately leapt out of bed and raced down the corridor into Susannah’s bedroom. But the bed was empty. She found Susannah on the floor of the bathroom.
‘It’s okay,’ she said as she helped Susannah to her feet.
The older woman was trembling all over. ‘I don’t know what happened,’ she said in a weak voice. ‘I never fell just like that before.’
‘You’re all right,’ Emer said, checking her over. ‘Nothing broken. Want me to help you back to bed, or in the bathroom?’
‘I’m done,’ Susannah said. ‘Bed.’
‘Why didn’t you ring your bell?’ Emer gently cajoled Susannah as she tucked her back into bed. ‘I would have helped you get up.’
‘But I was fine yesterday.’ Susannah looked at her with a shocked face. ‘I was strong enough. I… must have slipped or something.’
Morning light was filtering through the drapes in Susannah’s bedroom. Emer glanced at her clock and saw to her surprise it was nearly nine o’clock. She’d completely overslept.
‘Shall I get your breakfast for you?’
Susannah’s face creased. ‘Not hungry.’
‘Are you in pain?’
Susannah grimaced, shook her head. ‘Not too bad.’
Emer could tell she was lying.
‘Make me one of those herbal teas, will you? And when you get back you can tell me all about your night out.’
Emer winced. She still hadn’t replied to Henry’s text. She had no idea how to explain to him what had happened last night.
In the kitchen, Emer brewed a pot of slippery elm tea for Susannah and made a coffee for herself. Although she hadn’t been drinking last night, her head felt fuggy and confused. She couldn’t help thinking about Lars and glanced up at the clock. There was a ferry leaving just about now. Was he on it? Her body still hummed from his touch. For a moment, she felt angry at him. How dare he come here and rip her heart open again? She had just, only just, managed to regain some kind of relief, within the daily calm of helping Susannah type up the letters from Kate and going for walks with Henry. She doubted now she’d ever get to see Henry’s ‘top two spots’ in Vinalhaven. Lars had come storming into her new equilibrium and turned it upside down all over again.
Emer brought the tea to Susannah, who sipped it gingerly. The first time Emer had given it to her, she’d declared it disgusting, but after a bit more encouragement she’d admitted it made her feel better.
‘And at least it’s natural, doesn’t make me dozy.’
The tea was something Ethan had discovered for Orla. One of the many remedies they’d tried to cure her cancer. It hadn’t worked, but Emer still believed it had helped her sister with pain management and energy levels.
‘I was thinking,’ Susannah said. ‘Now the mornings are darker, it’s a bit gloomy and cold in my study downstairs. Shall we type the letters up here?’
‘Sure,’ Emer said, surprised by Susannah’s suggestion. She was always so keen to get up in the morning and dress – had snapped many times, when Emer had suggested a longer lie-in, that she had plenty of time to rest when she was dead.
‘We’re nearly there,’ Susannah said, ‘aren’t we?’
‘Yes, I think there’s only three or four letters left,’ Emer said, thinking of the stack inside the quilt on her bed. She still had to tell Susannah about them, but she kept putting it off. Most likely, Susannah would ask her if she’d read them, and Emer knew she wouldn’t be able to lie. She was ashamed for prying without permission, despite the fact Susannah was openly showing her the letters Kate had sent her. She’d tell her soon, she promised herself, as she cleared away the breakfast things.
After
