Page 47 of The Sisters at the Last House Before the Sea

Maisie suddenly remembered Caitlin coming along to parents’ evenings at school, even though that involved being told how disappointingly Maisie was doing. And she’d been the one in the Head’s office, asking them to reconsider Maisie’s suspension after that stupid practical joke. Caitlin’s pleas hadn’t worked but that wasn’t her fault. At least she’d tried.

An awkward cough signalled the arrival of Beth, who poked her head into the room. ‘There you are, Maisie. We’re about to leave and Ryan and Freya are bricking it, thinking you’ve wandered off and are freezing to death somewhere.’ She glanced nervously at Connie. ‘Is everything all right in here?’

‘Fine, thanks,’ said Maisie, moving past the old lady to stand with Beth in the doorway.

‘We’ve left the cat food and some other stuff in the kitchen for you,’ Beth told Connie, still sounding nervous.

‘Good of you. Is there any soup?’

‘Um, I don’t think so.’

When Connie scowled, Beth muttered ‘Sorry’ and beat a hasty retreat along the hallway. Maisie followed her but stopped and retraced her steps. Connie was still standing in the middle of the room, staring at the door.

‘Bye,’ said Maisie. ‘It was nice to meet you.’

Connie raised a hand in acknowledgement but said nothing.

Maisie looked back as the truck slid away from the house. Connie was standing at the window, watching them go. She cut a lonely figure and Maisie felt a shiver run down her back.

Beth chattered on while they made their way back to the village. She seemed nice enough and Maisie felt less of a Billy-No-Mates now she at least knew someone of her own age in Heaven’s Cove. Beth even wrote her phone number on the back of an old receipt and handed it over ‘in case you fancy hanging out some time’. Maisie didn’t think she’d be in Heaven’s Cove for long enough to ‘hang out’, but she was touched by the gesture and thrust it into her pocket.

‘Thanks so much for your help this morning, Maisie,’ said Freya, as the truck moved slowly along the snowy lane that led to the quay. ‘We love having younger members of the residents’ association. People like Beth, and there’s Ryan’s daughter Chloe, too, who’s in bed with a cold at the moment. If you move down here permanently, you’ll have to join us.’

‘Yeah, maybe,’ murmured Maisie, quite sure that she wouldn’t be moving to Heaven’s Cove anytime soon, even if she wanted to. Which she didn’t – even though the village looked stunning in the snow, and it might be quite nice living by the sea in the summer.

She suddenly caught sight of Caitlin, who was sliding along the lane with some random bloke.

‘That’s my stepmum,’ said Maisie, wishing she hadn’t after spotting that Caitlin was wearing the most hideous pair of wellington boots she had ever seen.

‘She looks nice,’ said Beth. ‘Does she know Sean?’

Maisie didn’t reply because she had no idea who Sean was, though presumably he was the tall guy wearing a black puffa jacket who had just given Caitlin a wave and walked off.

Caitlin watched him go before pulling her phone from her pocket and stepping back from the traffic trying to negotiate the narrow street. Her eyes met Maisie’s and her jaw dropped as the truck drove past and pulled into a parking spot a little further down the road.

Maisie puffed out her cheeks. What was the betting she was about to get a lecture on stranger-danger and getting into people’s vehicles? Pretty high, she reckoned, as Caitlin hurried along the street towards them, slipping and sliding in her appalling footwear.

19

ISLA

There was definitely something wrong with Caitlin, thought Isla, holding out her arms for balance as she negotiated a patch of ice. It wasn’t just the loss of Jessie, or being away from London and her husband. She’d hardly mentioned Stuart since she’d arrived, and he hardly ever seemed to phone her. Plus, she seemed even more money-minded than usual. She was certainly still very off with Isla for not wanting to sell Rose Cottage.

Isla sighed and wiped a fat flake of snow from her nose. Whatever was going on, Caitlin didn’t seem keen to tell her the truth, which was upsetting. Once they’d been so close and reliant on each other. Whereas now, they never spoke about anything personal. It was sad, thought Isla, trudging on through a deep drift. She missed the wonderful sister she’d once had.

Isla pulled the scarf tighter that her grandmother had made for her. Jessie had knitted it last winter, when she was starting to fade, and there were dropped stitches and small holes, here and there. But it was a riot of colour and Isla knew she would wear it for ever – it felt like being hugged by her grandmother, who would have loved this unexpected snowfall.

What would her gran have made of the latest revelations about Edith’s death? Isla wondered. Or was she aware that the aunt who’d died before she was born had been killed by exposure on wild Dartmoor? Perhaps that was information they were meant to find: a clue towards solving the riddle. Don’t get in a spin, girls, though mistakes can cost you dear. This one brings good fortune and, I hope, will make you cheer.

It still meant nothing to Isla, who felt sure she was missing something obvious and letting her grandmother down.

She gulped back tears and walked on towards the beach, keeping her eyes peeled for a grumpy, cold teenager. To be honest, it was unlikely that Maisie would have taken herself off to the cove on such a freezing day. But Isla knew someone who might be there, thanks to her conversation on the phone with Rosie.

The resting snow was surprisingly deep in places as she walked along the lane that led out of the village towards the beach. The wind had moulded mini-drifts that piled knee-high against the hedgerow and a robin, its breast a splash of red, hopped along beside her for a while.

She walked past Liam’s farm, its yard littered with footprints, human and animal. And on towards the beach whose sand was coated in white until you got close to the sea.

Isla spotted Ben immediately. He was standing with his back to her, gazing at the water that was eddying close to his feet. His head was down and his shoulders slumped.

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