Page 55 of The Sisters at the Last House Before the Sea

‘Aha! You’re being sucked into the mystery. Before you know it, you’ll be coming up with a solution to Gran’s final riddle.’

‘Your grandmother’s what?’

Isla screwed up her forehead. Damn. She hadn’t mentioned the riddle so far, not wanting to bombard Ben with too much information. Not when he’d seemed so uninterested in the letter, and would probably think the whole thing was crazy.

She took a deep breath. ‘Gran left a riddle for me and Caitlin, after her death.’

Ben shifted on his red plastic seat, looking puzzled. ‘I can imagine your grandmother leaving you her jewellery or even her cat, but not a riddle. What do you mean?’

‘Gran always loved crosswords and quizzes and riddles, and she wrote one for me and Caitlin to solve after she was gone. It’s tied to the letter somehow and it says: 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.’

Ben ran a hand across the faint stubble peppering his chin. ‘I’m beginning to think I’ve never met anyone quite like you, Isla, or your family. I mean, why would your grandmother leave you something like that?’

‘Maybe she wanted to keep me busy, to take my mind off my grief.’

Realisation dawned in Ben’s grey eyes. ‘OK, it’s all starting to make sense. You think the answer to the riddle is in the letter and that’s why you’re so keen to find out what happened to Edith and William.’

Isla shook her head. ‘That might have been true at first but the more I learn about your ancestor and mine, the more I want to know what happened to them and why. If finding that out solves the riddle, that’s great. And if it doesn’t, that’s still fine because I think it’s really important that their story isn’t lost. Does that sound bonkers?’

‘A little.’ Ben’s mouth twitched in amusement. ‘Look, I have no idea what your grandmother was alluding to in her riddle but I’m beginning to think if anyone can solve it, you can.’

‘With your help?’

‘Hmm.’ Ben folded his arms. ‘I would quite like to help you, even though I wasn’t too keen on the whole Edith-William thing to begin with.’

‘You surprise me,’ said Isla drily.

Ben threw back his head and laughed. ‘Ah, British sarcasm. I love it.’

Isla grinned, delighted that she’d made her American visitor laugh but experiencing mixed emotions. It might be fun having someone like Ben around for a little longer, someone to regale her with tales of his adventures. But it sparked a longing in her – a longing to rekindle her adventurousness that made her feel both restless and sad.

‘Anyway,’ said Ben. ‘I might as well stay another few days now because I won’t get a flight out until at least Wednesday. I did a quick check when I saw the snow this morning and everything’s very booked up. Time of year, I guess. So I’d better get back to Driftwood House and ask Rosie if I can stay longer.’

He picked up his coffee to take a sip, gave it a sniff and put it back down again. And in that moment, as he watched the condensation running down Bert’s plate-glass window, Isla saw an echo of William – in the tilt of Ben’s chin, the line of his nose and shape of his mouth.

Isla dragged her eyes away, wondering if William had been a vibrant, interesting man, just like Ben, when he was sent to the front to face horrors beyond imagination. He’d suffered so much in his short life, so what had prompted Edith to cause him even more pain?

* * *

Half an hour later, Ben pushed open the front door of Driftwood House and held it for Isla to step inside first. She’d walked up the cliff with him, enjoying the crunch of snow under her boots, and revelling in his tales of life in New York. Ben’s world sounded hectic and loud and unpredictable – everything her life here in Heaven’s Cove was not.

Rosie came out of the kitchen, bringing a blast of warm air with her. Her cheeks were glowing and today she was wearing a tight top that showed the faintest curve of her pregnancy bump.

‘I see you found each other.’ She wiped a strand of dark hair from her forehead. ‘What have you two been up to?’

‘Isla took me to a quaint place called Bert’s Bistro,’ said Ben, sitting on the bottom stair to pull off his borrowed wellies.

‘Bert’s? Really? I’m not sure “quaint” is the right word for that place.’

Rosie shot Isla a questioning glance and Isla felt her cheeks begin to burn again.

‘I thought Ben should see all sides of Heaven’s Cove before he heads back to America.’

‘Talking of which,’ said Ben, getting to his feet. ‘I was wondering, Rosie, if it’d be OK for me to extend my stay here a couple more nights?’

Rosie frowned. ‘I’d love to have you here for longer but I’m afraid your room has already been booked by another guest from tomorrow. There’s going to be a thaw overnight, apparently, and he’s rung to say he’ll definitely make it, and my other rooms are also taken.’

Ben’s face fell. ‘That’s a shame. I was planning on being here a little longer.’

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