“None of it was your fault,” she told Maddy. “You went away because he was giving you a difficult time and you needed to think. And I accepted his offer because I was not told what had happened between the two of you. I don’t believe we had any part in what happened between those two. It was always on the cards that at some time or another, they would face each other; two bad people wanting what the other had.”

But Maddy seemed not to have heard. With wide, shocked eyes she stared straight ahead, unseeing, her mind shattered with the terrible news.

Mortified at having deceived Maddy in such a cruel way, Ellen had to remind herself of how Alice had known Maddy far better and longer than she had. And if Alice was so desperate for Maddy to be told this untruth, it must be for the girl’s safety, and that of her unborn child.

And so, Ellen consoled herself with the belief that she had done this for the best reasons. Maddy was beside herself with grief at the moment, but in time she would get through it and survive. For survival was what all this was about.

Either way, it was done, and there was no going back.

And with that thought in mind, Ellen felt oddly comforted.

It was a long, lonely night for Maddy, and even though Ellen was in the room next door, waking at Maddy’s every move, the knowledge that Alice and Jack were both gone had left the young woman distraught beyond belief.

Hour after unquiet hour, the questions rampaged through Maddy’s tortured mind. Was it somehow her fault? Or was Ellen right, when she had said that none of us have any control over what happens?

Yes, that was it. And hadn’t she seen it in her own life so far – that no matter how much we fight and struggle, life sweeps us along, whether we like it or not?

But what about the new life inside her – a life for which she alone was now responsible? How could she ever take care of that tiny mite, without work, or even a place to call her own?

Placing the palm of her hand on her abdomen, she murmured, “I’ll take care of you, my baby. Whatever happens, your mammy will always put you first; always keep you safe.”

It was a daunting prospect, but Maddy had been through many trials in her thirty years. This was simply one more.

The most important one of all.

Nine

As morning broke the skies, Maddy remained resolute. There were urgent matters to be attended to, and decisions to be made. None of them easy, but all necessary.

Hearing Ellen moving about downstairs, and smelling the delicous aroma of bacon, she quickly washed and dressed and made her way down to the kitchen. It seemed odd, being here in a strange house, with someone she had known for such a short time yet with whom she had so quickly bonded.

For now though, all she could think of was Alice… and Jack; both kind and good, both murdered, simply because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

As she entered the kitchen, Ellen was there, looking tired and worried. “Maddy!” Rushing forward, she wrapped her arms about her. “How are you feeling? Did you manage to get some sleep?”

“Sort of…” Maddy gave a half-smile. With Alice gone, she wondered if she would ever sleep contentedly again.

Ellen walked with her to the table; she had seen the dark circles under Maddy’s eyes and she noticed how Maddy occasionally clenched her fists, as though warding off an attacker. There was no doubt in Ellen’s mind that the news she had so cruelly imparted to Maddy, had scarred her deeply.

“Look, come and sit down and have some breakfast,” she urged her friend. “I can see that you haven’t had much sleep. I daresay you’re still in a state of shock. Food and drink should help.”

“Thank you.” Maddy needed to talk with her, “Afterward, there’s something I have to tell you.” She knew Ellen would be appalled at what she was about to say. But she had a debt to pay. She owed Alice that much.

Ellen told her that she had been out to the corner shop to buy in some food. She had fried up some bacon and mushrooms, and there was a pile of hot buttered toast and a freshly brewed pot of tea. When they were each seated and were tucking into their meal, Maddy explained what was playing on her mind.

“Alice was divorced, and there are no children or close relatives, except for an elderly half-sister who passed on some two years back.”

“What are you getting at?” Ellen asked, pouring them both a second cuppa.

Maddy hesitated; it all seemed so unreal. “What I’m saying is, someone…” When her voice began shaking with emotion, she composed herself before going on. “Someone has to make sure Alice is put to rest.” She stopped to wipe the tears from her eyes.

Realizing that Maddy must have thought long and hard about this, Ellen simply listened and made no comment. Outwardly calm, inwardly her brain was working overtime as she wondered frantically how to cope with this new challenge. It was understandable that Maddy felt the need to take on such a responsibility. Alice had been her closest and dearest friend, and because Maddy was a warm and loving human being, she would see organizing the funeral as her bounden duty.

“Someone has to take care of everything,” Maddy insisted, “and if I don’t do it, who will?”

“So, you’re doing it because you believe there is no one else, is that it?” Ellen asked, seizing on this.

“That’s part of it, yes.” Then there was that deep-down need, to gaze at Alice’s face, in the undertaker’s parlor, for the very last time.

“Maddy?”

“Yes?”

“If you thought there was someone else who would make the arrangements, would you think again?”

“I might – I don’t know. But there isn’t anyone.”

“What about Raymond?” Before Maddy could say anything, Ellen went on, “From what I saw in the short time I was at the Pink Lady, it was obvious that Raymond adored her. Alice knew it too. In fact, I got the feeling that she was learning to love him back. Jack said, they were always chatting and laughing, and you know how shy Ray is. He was confident with her. They were two old friends who were getting closer with every day that passed. I bet the poor man is gutted.”

Maddy too had witnessed the growing affection between Alice and Raymond; though whenever she mentioned it to Alice, the woman would laugh it off. But Alice’s denials had only served to make Maddy more curious.

“You’re right about Raymond,” she admitted to Ellen. “I’ve always known he was besotted with her. But I was never sure about her feelings.”

“But you did have suspicions, didn’t you?”

Maddy nodded slowly. “Yes, that’s true, I did.”

“So, given another few months or so, Raymond might well have taken Alice for his wife?”

“It’s possible.” Maddy found the idea both comforting and sad.

“So, why don’t you give Raymond the choice?” Ellen gently persisted. “Why don’t we ask him if he would like to take on this final duty?”

“I don’t know, Ellen. I’m not sure if it’s the right thing to do.”

“Look, Maddy, I know you and Alice were close friends, and you loved her fondly,” Ellen acknowledged. “But Raymond seems to have loved her in a different way, not so much as a friend but a sweetheart. And I believe, if he’d had the courage to ask her to be his wife, Alice would probably have said yes.”

Maddy smiled at that. “Yes, all right, I know what you’re saying,” she conceded. “But I feel I owe it to her to make sure she’s laid to her rest with dignity.”

“So, you don’t feel that Raymond would want the same?”

“I didn’t say that.”

Taking a deep breath, Ellen played her last trump card. “Don’t you think Alice would rather you kept your promise to her?”

Struggling with her conscience, Maddy remained silent.

“You don’t always keep your promises, Maddy – that’s what you told me. So, when Alice begged you to save yourself and the baby, and you gave her your word, did you never mean to keep that promise either?”