Page 90 of The Love Letter

‘Yes. He said he’d been to stay there once, in a place by the sea.’

‘Yeah, well, a lot of Ireland’s by the sea.’

Jamie went to the window and tweaked the net curtains to see if there was any sign of his mother returning. ‘He told me where he went, showed me on the big atlas. It was a huge house, he said, surrounded by water, like it was sitting in the middle of the sea. And then he told me a story about how a young man fell in love with a beautiful Irish girl. I remember the story had a sad ending. I said to Great-James it sounded as if it would make a good film.’

Marcus’s ears pricked up. He watched Jamie, who was still looking out of the window. ‘When did he tell you this?’

‘Just before he died.’

Marcus stood up and went to the bookcase. His eyes ran along the titles until he found the old atlas. Turning the pages to Ireland, he laid the book on the coffee table. He beckoned Jamie to him.

‘Where did Great-James say this place was?’

Jamie’s finger went immediately to the bottom of the map and pinpointed a location halfway along the southern Atlantic coast. ‘There. The house is in the bay. He said I would like it, that it was an enchanted place.’

‘Mmm.’ Marcus closed the atlas and looked at Jamie. ‘Want something to eat?’

‘No, Mumma said she’d cook me something when she got back. She’s been a long time.’

‘Yes, hasn’t she? Women, eh?’ Marcus rolled his eyes conspiratorially.

‘Mumma said the lady she’s gone with is your girlfriend.’

‘She is.’

‘Will you marry her?’

‘Maybe I will,’ Marcus smiled. ‘I really like her.’

‘Then I’ll have an aunt. That’ll be fun. Well, I’ll go back to my room now.’

‘Sure.’

When Jamie had gone, Marcus took out a piece of paper and wrote down the name of the town Jamie had pointed to.

Zoe and Joanna rolled in at half past five with numerous shopping bags.

‘Had a good couple of hours, ladies?’ Marcus asked, irony soaking his voice, as he met them in the hallway.

‘Great, thanks,’ said Zoe.

‘So great we thought we’d do it again tomorrow. We didn’t quite finish everything we wanted to do,’ Joanna said with a grin.

‘It’s Sunday tomorrow, Jo!’ Marcus looked aghast.

‘Yes, and these days all the shops are open, sweetheart.’

‘We’re joking, brother dear,’ said Zoe. ‘Besides, I’ll have to give my credit card a two-week rest at a health spa after the abuse it’s taken today.’

The door opened again and there was Simon. ‘Hi, chaps.’

‘Hello. See the sights?’ asked Marcus.

‘Yes.’

‘Which sights were those, Simon?’ Joanna could not resist.

‘Oh, you know, the Tower, St Paul’s, Trafalgar Square.’ Simon looked squarely back at her. ‘I’ll see you later.’ He nodded at them, then went up the stairs.