AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘That’s not surprising, is it.’
When Isla shook her head, her thick hair tumbled around her shoulders and she looked so young, Caitlin wanted to give her a hug. But Isla wrapped her arms around her middle, like a defensive wall that Caitlin should not breach.
‘I found out some stuff about Edith,’ said Caitlin after a few moments, wanting to break the painful silence that was stretching between them.
‘When?’
‘Yesterday, but you were busy showing Ben around and…’ Caitlin’s sentence petered out. The truth was she’d still felt guilty for abandoning Isla in the pub, and her attempts to apologise had been rebuffed so she’d kept out of her way. ‘Anyway, shall I tell you what I’ve discovered?’ She gave Isla a small smile. ‘It’s really interesting. Promise.’
Isla puffed out her cheeks. ‘Go on, then, and it better had be interesting.’
‘I eventually managed to track down some passenger lists online for the Sylvestria. I can’t find William’s journey to England, but I found his return trip, and he made it on his own. There’s no Edith Anstey listed.’
‘So Edith never left Heaven’s Cove at all?’
‘That’s what it looks like. But there’s more.’ Caitlin walked to her handbag that she’d slung onto the sofa and pulled out a piece of paper. ‘This is Edith’s death certificate, which I ordered and fast-tracked. It arrived in the post yesterday afternoon.’
‘Why didn’t you show me this yesterday?’
‘’Cos you were being a bit…you know.’
Isla’s cheeks flushed pink. ‘Yeah, well, you know why.’
‘I do and I’m sorry. Really sorry.’
Isla narrowed her eyes and pushed out her lower lip. Then, she shrugged. ‘Whatever.’ And just like that, they were friends again. Sort of. ‘Hand it over,’ she demanded, grabbing the certificate and scanning through it. ‘Oh, my goodness!’
‘Yes, exactly. Have you got to Edith’s cause of death?’
Isla nodded. ‘I wasn’t expecting that. So, let me see…it says she died on the fourteenth of February 1922. The location of death is Higher Black Tor on Dartmoor and the cause of death is given as…’ She squinted at the paper in her hand. ‘Am I reading this correctly? I think it says that Edith died of exposure to cold.’
‘The handwriting isn’t very clear but that’s what it looks like to me too.’
‘So poor Great-Aunt Edith froze to death in the middle of February in the wilds of Dartmoor?’
‘It looks like it.’
‘That’s so sad! Poor old Edith.’
‘Poor young Edith. She was only twenty-four. So what went wrong for her? She had the chance of such a glittering life – marriage to a man who clearly adored her and an exciting new life in America. Maybe she didn’t love William back, though Edith’s gravestone says she died of a broken heart, which implies that wasn’t the case. And now we know that she actually died on St Valentine’s Day, presumably alone, in the middle of nowhere. What on earth went on one hundred years ago?’
‘I don’t know, but it sounds as if you’re getting invested in unravelling Edith’s story and Gran’s riddle.’
Caitlin sniffed. ‘Maybe. Though, as Maisie would say, there’s nothing else to do around here.’ She gave a wry smile because that was only true if you didn’t take into account the amazing walks available locally, or the cafés and shops, or the beach. ‘I guess I am a little curious about the whole thing.’
At first, she’d found the letter interesting, up to a point, and the riddle endearing, as a last hurrah from their grandmother. But the more she’d found out about Edith and William, the more she wanted to know what had really gone on in this house, back in 1919.
‘Did I send you the photo of William?’ asked Isla.
‘No. Does Ben have a photo of him?’
‘His mum sent him one yesterday during our village tour. I thought I’d forwarded it on to you.’
Isla knew she hadn’t – her sheepish expression gave her away. But she’d been miffed with her sister at the time so Caitlin let it go.
‘You must have forgotten. Can I see it now?’
Isla found the photo on her phone and passed it over. William was staring out at Caitlin from the screen – a handsome, dark-haired young man in what looked like a military jacket. Seeing his face made him seem far more ‘real’, and realising he might have once stood in this very same room gave her the shivers.
