What else could Celia do but promise to help?
‘I’ve written the letter and left it with my sister Celia,’ Elsa explained to Maggie. ‘She’s contacting the friends I know at the base and by hook or by crook, that letter will find its way to Freddie.’
‘What did you tell him?’
‘Everything. I’ve told him everything,’ Elsa said, the rasp in her voice laced with emotion. ‘And if he doesn’t reply now then I’ll know there’s nothing left for me to live for.’
‘Please don’t say that. I know how daunting it must seem but don’t give up. Believe me, I know how easy it is to convince yourself you can’t do it because that’s what everyone’s telling you, but you have to believe in yourself, Elsa. We both do.’
‘I have to face facts. I can’t work and look after a baby at the same time. I can’t provide for both of us.’ As Elsa spoke, a cold breeze bit into the nape of her neck. She raised a hand to the back of her head for protection and her fingers touched cropped locks. She was such a disappointment to her parents.
‘I really hope your hero comes back on that motorbike of his.’
‘And if he doesn’t? The thought of handing my baby over to someone else … It’s breaking my heart already.’ Elsa cast her gaze over the lake. The day was bright but the spring sun was not yet warm enough to chase away a lingering mist that covered it like a shroud. She imagined the water would be deathly cold. ‘I can’t see the swans.’
Maggie turned her head as if to follow Elsa’s gaze. ‘No, there are no swans,’ she said hesitantly.
‘Would it be so bad if the lake swallowed me up and I spent the rest of eternity with my baby?’
‘That isn’t the answer,’ Maggie said, turning away from the lake. ‘Listen to me, Elsa. You can’t think like that. You’ve got to stay strong. I just wish there was more I could do for you.’
Rummaging in her bag, Maggie pulled out a small card and handed it over to Elsa. It had pretty swirls of colour printed on it and a delicate script.
‘What is it?’
‘My business card, but don’t get me wrong, I’m not touting for work,’ Maggie added quickly.
Elsa squinted at the print. Reading was never her strong point and she couldn’t quite work out the letters. ‘Aroma …’
‘Aromatherapy. That’s what I do. I could give you a complementary treatment if you like, something to ease your aching joints. But call in anyway, even if it’s just for a chat. I’m not always there but the opening times are printed on the back and it has my mobile number too. If ever you feel like there’s nowhere else to turn, turn to me. Please, Elsa.’
The numbers and symbols on the card were indecipherable but Elsa understood the sentiment perfectly. ‘Thank you. You really are so very kind.’
‘I’m not being completely selfless in all of this. If I can persuade you to believe in yourself, then maybe I’ll start believing in myself again, too.’
Maggie’s words of kindness were too much for Elsa and it didn’t help that Harvey was staring at her so intently. The look of sadness in his eyes took the last remnants of her self-control and Elsa reached out to grasp Maggie’s hand. For a fleeting moment, they held on to each other but then Maggie recoiled from her touch. The look of horror on her face was unmistakeable.
‘I’m a monster, I know I am!’ Elsa cried. ‘If I’m the kind of person who can give up her baby without a fight then I don’t deserve Freddie and I don’t deserve to be happy.’ Her whole body began to shake as the weight of her guilt pushed the air out of her lungs. ‘I can’t stand this any more.’
Elsa stood up so quickly that she frightened a family of nearby ducks. The world around her erupted into chaos and above the angry quacks, the flapping of wings, and the furious splashing of water, Elsa barely heard Maggie’s desperate pleas as she stepped closer to the water’s edge.
6
The splashing was thunderous but didn’t quite drown out the more frightening sound of Elsa’s wracked sobs. Maggie rushed towards the noise, not hesitating at the water’s edge or stopping when the cold water rose up over her ankles and then her knees. Once she was waist deep, she used her arms to propel herself forward, all the while calling out to Elsa. For a moment, Maggie grabbed hold of what she thought was Elsa’s hand but it was deathly cold and the skin papery thin. She cried out, imagining it was the hand of a long-forgotten corpse trying to pull two young women towards a watery grave. Maggie staggered backwards but lost her footing on the slimy floor. She managed to call out to Elsa one last time before the lake swallowed her up as surely as it had her friend. All was lost and the silence coiled itself around her body and pulled her down towards the abyss. Maggie didn’t fight it, not until she heard the urgent heartbeat of her unborn child.
‘No!’ she screamed, and her arms began to flail in a bid to escape the water that had taken the form of a cotton sheet.
Muscular arms wrapped tightly around her. ‘Shush, shush, it’s all right, Maggie,’ James whispered into her ear and his gentle rocking eased her slowly from the nightmare.
When Maggie was able to speak, all she said was, ‘Sorry.’ She didn’t need to explain further. She’d had the dream half a dozen times already. Her night terrors were forcing her to relive that heart-stopping moment in the park when she had thought Elsa was going to throw herself in the lake. She hadn’t, but her latest encounter with Elsa had left Maggie even more unsettled than the first. Her instincts told her that all was not as it seemed. Elsa had been talking about shops that didn’t exist, not in modern-day Sedgefield at least, but while Maggie’s mind focused on the contradictions, her heart clung to the similarities. They were kindred spirits.
James kissed Maggie softly. ‘Don’t be sorry,’ he said. ‘I’m always going to be here to save you.’
Maggie squeezed her eyes shut to hold back the tears. She felt blessed to have James in her life but she also felt guilty. Who would save Elsa?
‘I’m going to have to insist you have a smile on your face before you come into this salon, Maggie Carter,’ scolded Kathy. ‘You’ll frighten away the customers with that scowl.’ As Maggie drew closer to the reception desk she added, ‘And I should also insist that you’re dry. Have you been wandering through that park in the teeming rain?’
Maggie’s visits to the park had become more of a daily pilgrimage in the last three weeks but once again her hopes of crossing paths with Elsa had been dashed. She forced a smile. ‘Morning, Kathy.’
‘That smile reminds me of the one I had fixed on my face all weekend.’
‘That doesn’t sound good.’ The smile on Maggie’s face, false or otherwise, faltered as her mind raced ahead to the possible cause. ‘You were going home, weren’t you?’
Kathy had moved to Sedgefield in the late seventies but Nantwich would always be her home town. ‘To see my mum, yes, and before you ask, no, I didn’t see Judith. I’m keeping a safe distance until she comes to her senses otherwise I may not be responsible for my actions. She has a habit of speaking before she thinks and I have a habit of acting before I think. Not a good combination.’
‘I don’t want you two falling out over me,’ Maggie warned, ‘but we have to accept that she’s not likely to come to her senses any time soon. The news about the baby might have come out of the blue but she reached the conclusion that James was throwing his life away by marrying me a long time ago.’
‘Which I take as a personal insult since I was the one who brought you two together. Maybe I should have a word.’
Maggie shook her head. ‘James was over there the other day and he says they’re slowly getting used to the idea. I doubt that’s true but it’s what he wants to believe and I’d rather leave it at that for now. But enough about me, tell me about your troubles.’
‘Oh, it’s nothing I can’t handle. Mum has me running round in circles, that’s all,’ Kathy said with an uncharacteristic sigh of resignation. ‘She’s not getting any younger and whether she likes it or not, she needs more support.
But my mum can be quite single-minded when she wants to be.’
‘I wondered where you got it from,’ Maggie said. ‘You’ll have to bring her over to the salon some time, I’d love to meet her.’
‘Getting her to Sedgefield is part of the problem. I’ve suggested she move in with me and Joe but she’s refusing point blank to leave her friends,’ Kathy complained before adding, quickly, ‘We haven’t all been blessed with mums that were as easy-going as Joan. But we’ll find a compromise somehow. If Mum won’t move here then I’ll simply have to convince Joe that it’s time for us to downsize. We could always look for somewhere with a granny flat nearer Nantwich.’
‘I know how much you love that house of yours but maybe it’s for the best,’ Maggie offered, recognising that moving house wasn’t going to be as easy as Kathy made it sound. She lived on the outskirts of Sedgefield in the kind of house that was big enough to be split into apartments and had been a nurses’ home before Kathy took over the place. It was half-empty now that the kids had grown up and moved away but despite being careworn and high maintenance, was much loved and it would be a wrench for Kathy and her husband to leave it.
Maggie and Kathy’s soul-searching was drawn to a swift conclusion by the tinkle of the bell above the salon door as someone came in. Harvey, who had been sitting patiently next to Maggie, stood up and sniffed. He took in a lungful of hairspray-tainted air and quickly snorted it out before sitting back down. Maggie surmised that the person wasn’t someone he, and therefore she, knew particularly well. She stepped to one side as the stranger approached.
‘Afternoon, ladies,’ the man said. ‘Could you sign here for me please?’
A package had been placed on the counter and Kathy signed for the delivery. In a moment, the courier had disappeared but he had been enough of an interruption to remind the two women that they had work to do.
‘I suppose I’d better start setting up for my afternoon appointments. I’ve got two new clients today and the first is due any minute now,’ Maggie said. She had flipped up the cover on her tactile wristwatch and was horrified to discover how short of time she was. It wasn’t only meandering through the park that had made her late; she had lingered too long at home too. She and James had spent the weekend clearing out the spare room and that morning had been her first opportunity to get a feel for the place so she could start planning the theme for the nursery. Preparing for the future was still frightening, but she could either sink or swim and thanks to her recurring nightmare she had already chosen which.
‘Make sure you dry off first and I’ll let you know when Mrs Smith arrives.’
There was an inflection in Kathy’s tone and Maggie latched onto it. ‘Did you take the booking? Do you know anything about Mrs Smith? Is she pregnant by any chance?’
‘What is it about this Elsa woman that has you so obsessed?’
‘I’m not obsessed, I’m just concerned.’
Before Kathy could interrogate her further, the door jangled again. Harvey stood up and began to wag his tail furiously but it was the aroma of chamomile and cloves that gave away the identity of the salon’s latest arrival.
‘I didn’t expect to see you here on your day off. Is it a social call or have you chipped a fingernail?’ asked Maggie.
‘Neither,’ Jenny replied.
Maggie waited for her to explain further but Jenny was being reticent for a change. ‘Don’t tell me Mark’s getting his hair done,’ Maggie asked as she turned her attention to the person she heard soothing a grumbling Lily.
‘There’s no way I’m handing over my gorgeous husband to one of these vixens. No offence, Kathy.’
‘None taken,’ Kathy replied. ‘In fact, I think my girls would take it as a compliment.’
Mark cleared his throat to get their attention. ‘Actually, I’m on babysitting duties this afternoon.’
The growled response from Jenny was no doubt as he intended. ‘It’s not called babysitting when it’s your own daughter.’
‘You should be grateful he’s willing to help you out at all,’ interjected Kathy.
‘This joke is wearing very thin,’ Jenny warned.
‘Who was joking?’
‘Will you two stop teasing her,’ Maggie said before Jenny started hyperventilating. ‘Now is someone going to tell me what’s going on? If you’re here to see me then I’m afraid I can’t hang around. I need to get ready for Mrs Smith …’ Her voice trailed off as she finally recognised the deceit. ‘You’re Mrs Smith?’
‘I’m being treated to a day of pampering by my darling husband and that includes a relaxing massage.’
Maggie folded her arms and gave them a stern look. ‘So why go to the trouble of booking an appointment under a false name – and a pretty unimaginative one at that.’
‘I picked that,’ Kathy added curtly.
‘Did you know?’ Maggie asked, redirecting her glare at Kathy.
‘Jenny wanted you to treat her like any other client – or should I say, charge her like any other client. If it was left to you to manage your own business affairs, you’d have gone bankrupt in the first month.’
‘I’m not so busy or desperate that I can’t help out a friend now and again.’
‘Except half of your clients would end up being treated like friends if you had your way,’ Kathy insisted.
Maggie raised a hand in submission. In her own mind, she offered a therapeutic service to people in need which often made it difficult to see them simply as clients and it was undoubtedly Kathy’s business acumen that kept Maggie’s accounts in the black. What had started out as a simple agreement to provide space and reception services for Maggie’s business had quickly developed into Kathy becoming a not-so-silent partner. ‘I don’t suppose there’s any point in arguing?’
‘None,’ Jenny and Kathy said in unison. ‘Besides, it’s Mark’s treat.’
‘And it’s my pleasure. I don’t know how she manages to take care of us all but even with her boundless energy, she needs to recharge her batteries now and again.’
‘You work hard too,’ Jenny reminded him.
‘Ah, but I couldn’t do what you do. I’m only a man, not good at multitasking like you ladies.’
Maggie sensed Kathy preparing to stick her fingers down her throat so she jumped in to divert the conversation. ‘Mark, do you ever remember seeing any swans in Victoria Park?’ she asked. He was the only one of the group who had lived in Sedgefield all of his life.
‘No, I can’t say I have.’
Undeterred, Maggie tried another tack. ‘Ever heard of a shop in Sedgefield called Flo’s Fruit and Veg?’ She heard Kathy sigh; she had heard these questions before.
‘No.’
‘Not ever?’
‘Ah, has it got something to do with this ghost of yours?’ he asked.
Jenny nudged Mark so hard that he let out a short gasp. ‘You’re not allowed to use the “G” word.’
‘And that would be because I don’t think she is a ghost,’ interjected Maggie. ‘A restless soul, perhaps, but not a ghost.’
‘Really?’ Jenny asked. ‘So your next question isn’t going to be whether or not Mark has heard of anyone drowning in the lake?’
‘I’m only asking in case Elsa did do something silly. I’m worried about her and I wanted to know if the lake was deep enough, that’s all,’ Maggie said, hoping only she could hear the lie.
She couldn’t blame her friends’ gentle mockery. Away from the lake and the connection she had felt with Elsa, Maggie was finding it impossible to justify or explain why this relative stranger should occupy her mind so much or why she feared for her future.
‘It wouldn’t take much water if someone was determined enough to drown themselves,’ Mark offered helpfully.
‘Thanks, Mark,’ Maggie said. She had no desire to revisit the countless theories that had kept her mind turning and her stomach churning for the past few weeks, so she made a point of checking her watch again. ‘Now I’ll be late for my second appo
intment if we don’t get a move on.’
‘Then if you’ve finished with me, I’ll be on my way,’ Mark said and turned to leave.
Maggie may have begun to doubt her senses but in some respects, she was as sharp as ever. ‘Don’t you think you’re forgetting something, Mark?’ She had heard the footsteps that marked his retreat but not the telltale squeak of pram wheels.
‘Nice try,’ muttered Jenny.
‘And don’t forget to come back and pick your wife up,’ Maggie added. ‘Now, Mrs Smith, would you like to come this way?’
The treatment room had been designed to make the most of the limited space available. There was a massage table in the centre, a small table and chairs for consultations in one corner and shelving lined up along all the available wall space. Jenny was currently reclining in the treatment chair, which took up the last of the available space.
Maggie had begun with a head massage and there had been gratifying groans from her mystery client as she dug her fingers deep into her neck and scalp in wide, curving arcs. Together they had selected a relaxing mixture of bergamot, chamomile and neroli, taking account of Jenny’s preferences and needs.
The aromas had already worked their magic on Harvey who was snoring peacefully in his bed tucked away in a corner. Jenny was another challenge entirely: between groans her chatter had been incessant. She had been telling Maggie how the property market wasn’t picking up fast enough and that Mark’s boss was considering further redundancies. Rather than relaxing, Jenny was becoming more agitated, so when Maggie moved her to the table for a full body massage, she refused to start until her friend had taken a vow of silence. She called it tough love.
By the time all the knots in Jenny’s shoulders had been kneaded away, her groans had reduced to whimpers. ‘I’ll massage your feet next,’ Maggie whispered, ‘and then that’s it.’
Where I Found You Page 6