Page 52 of The Sisters at the Last House Before the Sea

‘That’s fine. It was a long shot but worth a try. Actually, now we’re here, I’m interested to know more about Heaven’s Cove in the early twentieth century, and it might do Maisie good to learn a bit more about the village.’

Do her good in what way? Maisie wasn’t sure but she started following Caitlin around nonetheless.

Ten minutes later, Maisie had seen much of what was on display, and she had to admit it was less pants than she’d anticipated. The old photos of Heaven’s Cove were intriguing: the buildings were much the same, with the village changing very little in centuries. But the people looked odd, in their old-fashioned clothes.

There was also a gorgeous brooch that was obviously the pride of the exhibition. Set in an alarmed case, it glittered as the lights above caught the ruby at its centre and the emeralds, diamonds and a fringe of tiny pearls surrounding it.

‘That must be worth a fortune,’ said Maisie, reading the card beneath it. The brooch was eighteenth century and had been found recently in the village.

‘What do you think?’ asked Caitlin, coming up behind her.

‘Yeah, nice.’

‘Not the brooch, though it is lovely. I mean the cultural centre.’

‘Yeah, I knew what you meant,’ said Maisie, even though she hadn’t. ‘There’s a lot of history here.’

‘There is.’ Caitlin looked wistful. ‘It’s strange to think of my ancestors living around Heaven’s Cove for centuries. It makes me feel more rooted to the place.’ She cleared her throat, then asked, ‘Do you feel rooted in our house in London, Maisie?’

That was a bit left field. Maisie sniffed. ‘What do you mean?’

‘I mean…’ Caitlin’s cheeks were turning pink. ‘I don’t know what I mean, really.’ She sounded flustered. ‘I suppose I just wondered if you love our house or if it’s not that important to you.’

‘It’s all right,’ said Maisie, wondering what on earth Caitlin was going on about. Of course their house in London was important to her. Though, to be honest, she spent most of her time there in her bedroom, scrolling through social media and getting upset at her classmates’ snarky comments. School would be a nightmare when she went back after her suspension and had to face everyone. Would Madison and her friends push her to do something else unforgivable?

‘Only it doesn’t really matter where you live, does it, as long as you’re with people who care about you? That’s the important thing.’

Maisie stared at her stepmother, who was still going on about their house and not making much sense. The cold must have messed with her brain.

‘Anyway,’ said Caitlin briskly, ‘I guess we’d better get back to Rose Cottage and sort out some lunch. There’s nothing here to help us.’

Caitlin was heading for the exit, with Maisie following, when she stopped dead and squinted at a black and white photo on the wall. She walked closer to the picture, which, as far as Maisie could see, was a group of men and women in uniform.

‘What’s this?’ Caitlin asked Lettie, who glanced up from unpacking her cardboard box. She got to her feet and wandered over.

‘That’s a lovely photo, isn’t it? I put this and a few other old photos up a few days ago, to tie in with the Forties dance that’s happening in the hall over Christmas. This one is actually from the First World War but it’s such a lovely picture, I thought I’d include it. It’s local men who were fighting at the front, and a couple of local women who were nurses.’

‘Did you see this?’

When Caitlin pointed at the bottom of the photo, Lettie grinned. ‘Aha! Well spotted.’

Maisie wanted to know what they were going on about but didn’t want to give them the satisfaction of having to ask, so she remained silent. Caitlin took out her phone and began to tap and scroll.

‘What are you doing?’ asked Maisie after a while, unable to stay quiet any longer.

‘I need to check something out,’ said Caitlin, still scrolling. ‘Yes! I thought as much.’

She was being so infuriatingly opaque, Maisie decided not to ask any further questions at all, even when she took a picture of the photo on the wall.

‘I’d like to go home now. Please!’ said Maisie, feeling her shoulders slump. There was only so much culture a bored teenager could take.

‘Of course.’ Caitlin’s voice held a hint of excitement. ‘Just wait until Isla hears about this!’

21

ISLA

‘What exactly is this place?’ Ben looked around at the faux-leather banquettes and grubby floor.

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