The thing about growing up with a father like Red was you learned to expect the unexpected and take it in your stride. Thankfully this section of the garden was hidden from view of any passing cars. Having instructed him where to dig, Maura was now hovering next to Shay like a flamingo, holding the golf umbrella over her own head rather than his.
After digging for a while and finding nothing, he said, ‘Are you sure this is the right place?’
‘Red said it was here. He came out and showed me. I did try to get it myself, but the ground was rock hard back then. You should have seen the state of my nails.’ She grimaced. ‘They looked terrible afterwards. Gardening really isn’t my thing.’
Minutes later, the garden spade struck something hard. After that, it didn’t take long to unearth the biscuit tin swathed in heavy-duty plastic. The lid of the tin was securely sealed, wrapped round a dozen times with gaffer tape.
Back in the house, dripping mud and rainwater at every step, Shay rinsed off the tin and dried it with a towel. Handing it to Maura, he said, ‘Do I get to see what’s inside?’
‘No. Sorry.’
‘Are you worried it’s something that might make me think less of my father?’
Maura shook her head. ‘Not at all.’
‘Well that’s good. Although just so you know, it wouldn’t have made me think less of him.’
‘The reason I don’t want you to see it is because I don’t want you to think less of me.’ Maura spoke with what seemed to be genuine regret. ‘I try to be a good person, Shay, but sometimes I fail. Can we leave it at that? By keeping this buried in the garden, your father was helping me.’ Tears brimmed in her eyes as she tucked the tin under her arm. ‘At least he was honest about being dishonest. In so many ways, he was a better person than me.’
Chapter 41
By the next day, the storm had thankfully passed. The sun came out and a blustery wind caused playful havoc with hats and dress hems as the mourners emerged from the church and gathered around the open grave.
Didi was glad she was wearing trousers. At her side, Maura was struggling to prevent the flimsy silk of her pineapple-yellow frock from flying up and revealing her Spanx. She murmured, ‘Why don’t I hold your handbag for you?’ but her mother shook her head firmly.
‘I can manage.’
Didi took her at her word. She still had no idea why her mother had been so determined to visit Shay yesterday afternoon. It had made her yearn, suddenly and overwhelmingly, to be with him herself, just the two of them together, so she could tell him how sorry she was about everything and they could reminisce fondly about Red. But as she’d been preparing to drive over, her mother had announced that she needed to see Shay, no it couldn’t wait, and Didi would just have to be patient and wait her turn. And that had been it. By the time Maura had returned two hours later, Didi had been too busy sorting out a staffing issue to get away, and when she was finally able to escape, it was too late; having managed to get time off from filming on location in Cape Town, Caz had arrived back in Elliscombe.
Now, in the graveyard, a broad-brimmed black hat flew off the head of an elegant brunette and cartwheeled between a row of gravestones. In fact now that Didi was paying attention, it was noticeable that amongst the two hundred or so mourners there were quite a number of attractive older women attending without partners.
Well, Red had always been popular with the ladies.
Small white clouds scudded across the sky as the vicar began to speak. The attractive older women dabbed carefully at their eyes with hankies, attempting with varying degrees of success not to wreck their make-up. As the coffin was lowered into the ground, the sound of muted sobbing was audible.
Didi saw the lines of grief drawn on Shay’s face and longed to be able to comfort him. But it wasn’t her place; he didn’t belong to her. At his side, a single tear slid down Caz’s left cheek as she rested her head against his shoulder. She was looking beautiful, holding his hand supportively and gazing with ineffable sadness into the open grave as he now stepped forward to drop a handful of earth onto the lid of the wicker coffin.
The ceremony was concluded and the invitation issued for everyone to come back to Hillcrest. People began to drift away from the graveyard. Shay stayed where he was, with Caz beside him. Didi wondered if he was imagining that Red had finally been reunited with Mel, the wife he’d loved more than all the other women who’d subsequently danced in and out of his eventful life.
Hopefully they were now together forever, and Shay could add his father’s details to the black marble gravestone commemorating his mother. Watching him, Didi’s eyes misted over.
‘Come on.’ Maura tugged at her arm. ‘We don’t want to be the last ones there, do we? I need a drink.’
Most of those who’d attended the funeral went back to Hillcrest for the wake. Luckily the blustery wind died down, enabling people to mingle both in the house and outside in the sunny garden. Drinks and canapés were served, tales were told about Red, and Didi found herself recognising people she hadn’t seen for years. There was Big Gav and his wife, both knocking back the cider and helping themselves to sausage rolls. Over on the other side of the garden was Barbie, who’d once owned the florist’s shop on the market square before moving away over a decade ago.
‘Who’s that?’ Maura pointed at a dumpy woman in a tight-fitting cream trouser suit.
‘Haven’t the faintest,’ said Didi.
‘What about her over there?’
‘Mum, I’m not Google! I have no idea! Red knew people from all over the place.’
Slept with most of them too.
‘I recognise the woman with the wobbly chins.’ Layla joined them, having overheard the conversation. ‘She has a dear little jewellery shop on Garrett Street in Cheltenham. I bought Mum’s charm bracelet from there for her birthday.’
‘Ah, that’s right.’ Maura nodded a bit jerkily, her cheeks reddening. ‘That’s how I recognise her. I knew I knew her from somewhere.’
It was a while later that Didi turned and caught Shay’s eye across the garden. Caz was otherwise occupied chatting to the elderly couple who ran the funeral parlour, and Shay was briefly alone. When he half smiled and began to move towards her, she met him halfway.
She greeted him with a fleeting kiss on the cheek – oh God, it might be fleeting but it still played havoc with her heart rate – and said, ‘How are you doing?’
‘Be glad when it’s over.’ Again the crooked smile. ‘Except it won’t be over, will it? He’s not coming back.’
‘He loved you so much. And you’ve done him proud.’ She longed to hug him, but what if she started and couldn’t stop? Imagine how embarrassing that would be, in front of everyone. ‘At least he got to spend time in his old home. I was so worried he wouldn’t have the chance. He was so happy to be back here, too.’
‘I know. It meant the world to him.’ The expression in Shay’s eyes was unreadable as he glanced at her then looked away. ‘Thank goodness we managed to get the place finished in time.’
People were watching them; Didi could feel their gazes. Living in a small town where everyone knew you had its drawbacks. ‘And how about you, any plans for the next few weeks? You need to relax, take things easy.’ As she said it, Caz managed to escape from the elderly couple and crossed the lawn to join them.