Page 76 of Secrets at the Last House Before the Sea

CHAPTER 23

Matt stood on the quayside, still as a statue, peering out across the water.

‘Where did you say it was?’ he asked.

‘Over there, on the right.’

‘I can’t see it. Mind you, I can’t see anything much in this weather.’

‘It juts out into the water in a kind of heart shape. That’s why the locals call it Lovers’ Link.’ Rosie stopped pointing. ‘It’s really pretty,’ she added for his benefit, because there was no way Matt could glimpse it through the misty haze hugging the waves. ‘It’s a prime, unspoiled location that would sell for a fortune to a property developer.’

Matt perked up at that, as Rosie knew he would, and started squinting into the distance, a deep furrow between his eyes.

Damn it. Rosie wanted to show off Heaven’s Cove at its best: quaint whitewashed cottages pretty against a china-blue sky, narrow cobbled lanes filled with happy people in shorts, and excited children with buckets and spades heading for the beach.

Instead, a sea fret was rolling in, the sky was steel grey, and any tourist daft enough to visit the village today looked miserable as sin.

‘Nope, I definitely can’t see it.’ Matt turned to her and shivered. ‘Is it always so dreadfully cold here? No wonder you’ll be so happy to come home.’ He pulled Rosie into a bear hug. ‘Now what else did you want to show me before we head back to the relative warmth of your draughty childhood home?’

‘Maybe the church?’

‘The church?’ She may as well have suggested a visit to a local abattoir from the look on his face.

‘It’s a gorgeous little church: fifteenth century with beautiful stained glass and… buttresses.’

Did it have buttresses? She wasn’t quite sure what a buttress was, but old churches probably had them.

‘That sounds totally riveting, babe.’

Rosie did not appreciate his sarcasm. ‘Come on, it won’t take long, and I can show you where Mum is buried.’

‘All right. The church it is,’ huffed Matt, making Rosie feel that she was using her mother as a bargaining chip.

It really was hopeless trying to get Matt to like Heaven’s Cove, and she wasn’t even sure why she was bothering. She’d moaned about the village often enough, but the last few weeks had opened her eyes to its beauty. What was the old saying:You don’t appreciate what you’ve got until it’s gone?Soon Driftwood House would be gone and she’d be gone from Heaven’s Cove too, with little reason to return.

‘I think my toes have got frostbite,’ whined Matt, stamping his feet on the pale, wide stones of the quay. He didn’t half moan a lot, but Rosie knew when she was beaten.

‘How about we give the church a miss and have a hot chocolate instead? I know a nice little café on the High Street.’

‘Now you’re talking.’ Matt smelled of menthol when he bent to kiss her nose. ‘Lead the way.’

The Heavenly Tea Shop was heaving and Pauline hardly acknowledged them when they stepped inside.

‘Find yourself a table,’ she shouted from the counter, raising her fleshy arm to her hot, red face. ‘If you can.’

‘The whole of Heaven’s Cove is in here,’ moaned Matt, squeezing past a pushchair to sit at a tiny table near the back of the café.

‘Most of the people in here are tourists,’ replied Rosie, disappointed that the table was too far from the window to take advantage of the fab view of the High Street, down to the sea. Though little was visible today because the plate-glass window was opaque with condensation.

Matt picked up the menu. ‘Right, let’s get those hot chocolates down us.’ He glanced across the café. ‘Isn’t that the woman who nabbed me when I first arrived in this godforsaken place?’

‘Where?’

By the time Rosie had swivelled in her seat, Belinda was upon them, crumbs of cake scattered across her ample bosom.

‘What good fortune! I’m so glad I bumped into you and your young man. We’re taking five minutes to have a cup of tea before we start rearranging the village hall, ready for this evening.’

Rosie waved at Jim, who gave her a rueful smile back.