Page 87 of The Key to the Last House Before the Sea

VALERIE

Valerie pushed her bag back onto her shoulder – the stupid thing kept slipping off – and waved away a wasp close to her hot face.

Why on earth Nessa had suggested meeting in the woods on the headland, she had no idea. They could have gone to a café in town, if she wanted to chat about Lily and didn’t want to come to the house.

Or they could have retired to The Smugglers Haunt, though the pub had gone downhill recently. It was always filled with sunburned tourists on days like this, at the height of the summer season.

In fact, the whole village was rammed with out-of-towners and it had taken Valerie longer than usual to make her way through the streets.

She pushed on through the trees that flanked the lower slopes of the headland, wishing she’d worn her flatter shoes.

But, she thought, her mood lifting, perhaps today was the day when Nessa would finally ask her to take on Lily full time.

She squinted into the distance. There, under a canopy of trees that formed a natural shade against the glaring sun, was Nessa. She was sitting at a picnic bench, gazing into the distance. Though all she could possibly see from there were more trees, with a flash of blue sea between the tall trunks.

Valerie quickened her pace, suddenly feeling excited. Nessa had obviously seen sense at last and was going to let Lily move in with her permanently. Why else would she want a private meeting?

Alan would moan about having Lily in the house all the time. But seeing as he never lifted a finger when Lily stayed, it wouldn’t change his life that much.

The thought of having Lily around cheered Valerie up immensely and she managed a smile when she reached the picnic bench.

‘Hello there,’ said Nessa, glancing round as Valerie approached.

The young woman had dark circles under her eyes, Valerie noticed, and she looked frail. Concern sparked inside her, but she did her best to ignore it. This was the woman who had hounded her son out of Heaven’s Cove and left Valerie broken-hearted and lonely.

Alan was always home, apart from when he was playing golf, but she was still lonely. And she had been for quite some time.

‘You found me then,’ said Nessa flatly, shifting along the bench so Valerie could sit down. ‘Sorry to drag you up here but I didn’t want us to be overheard.’

‘Alan and I used to bring Jacob here for picnics,’ said Valerie, her mind slipping back to the past. They’d done things as a family then – trips to the beach and the zoo, and long weekends in London.

But the trips had slowly petered out over the years. She suddenly remembered refusing Alan’s requests to go for a walk together by the sea. She always had too much housework to do, even when there were only the two of them at home.

Perhaps she should have said yes to Alan more often and simply let the house get dusty. But he didn’t ask any more, and it was too late now. Soon she’d have even more housework to do with Lily there full time.

Valerie wouldn’t mind. She could feel herself sliding into late middle-age, and Lily would help to keep her young.

‘How are you doing, Nessa?’ she asked, to move things along. ‘I assume Lily’s fine?’

‘Yes, she’s spending the afternoon with her friend Clara.’ Nessa shifted round until she was facing Valerie. She looked so young. ‘I haven’t seen you since I met up with Billy Gantwich so you won’t know that I’ve lost the chance of moving into the cottage at Sorrel Cove. He found out that I was away from the house for a few hours that night that Lily was sick.’

Valerie worked hard to keep her expression neutral. ‘No, I didn’t know that. I’m so sorry. But Lily was ill and needed her mother.’

‘Of course.’ Nessa narrowed her eyes but said nothing more. She looked past Valerie at the tall oak trees swaying in the gentle breeze.

When she stayed silent, Valerie said: ‘What will you do now, then? What about Lily? You can’t stay at Driftwood House forever.’

‘You mentioned a while back that you wouldn’t mind having Lily to stay with you permanently.’

Valerie felt her heart quicken. ‘That’s right.’

She pushed down a bubbling sense of guilt. This was what she wanted. It would be better for Lily, and there was no point in feeling sorry for Nessa. She could always visit.

Nessa nodded. ‘Lily mentioned something that happened when she was with you recently that I didn’t quite understand.’

‘Really?’ said Valerie, unease prickling at the back of her neck. ‘What was that?’

‘She mentioned that Billy came to your house.’

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