The Woman In Blue: The Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries 8 (26 page)

‘All these people,’ he says to Clough. ‘It’ll be standing room only.’

‘It’s Easter,’ says Cassandra. ‘If you only go to church once a year, you go at Easter.’ She’s looking beautiful in a flowery dress and pink cardigan. Clough, as always in her presence, seems about to burst with pride.

‘Is Michelle coming?’ asks Cassandra. Rather to Nelson’s surprise, the two women get on well.

‘She stayed at home,’ says Nelson. ‘She didn’t want to leave the puppy.’

‘That dog will rule your life,’ says Clough. ‘You mark my words.’ Clough had a dog when he was with a previous partner, Nelson remembers. He once told Nelson that he missed the dog more than the girl.

‘I’ll go and save us a seat, shall I?’ says Cassandra. She disappears into the gloom of the church. Nelson goes to follow her but Clough puts a hand on his arm.

‘Just a minute, boss. Something I want to tell you.’

Nelson looks at him in surprise. For one awful moment he thinks that Clough, too, is about to ask for a transfer. But Clough is looking too happy for it to be bad news.

‘Just wanted you to know before it’s all round the station. Cassie’s pregnant. I’m going to be a father.’

‘Congratulations,’ says Nelson, shaking Clough’s hand. ‘Are you getting married? No, forget I said that. It’s the sort of thing my mum would say.’

Clough laughs. ‘That’s OK. My mum said it too. Bit rich, coming from her, seeing as she didn’t marry my dad or Mark’s. But, yes, we want to get married. We’re going to have the baby first, though. Cassie says she doesn’t want to look fat on her wedding day.’

‘Congratulations,’ says Nelson again. ‘It’s wonderful news. You’ll be a great dad.’

‘I’m going to try.’ Clough suddenly looks serious. ‘I really am.’

Fatherhood changes you, thinks Nelson, as he follows Clough into the church. It makes you the sort of person who gets emotional about news like this, for a start. Nelson rubs his eyes. He hadn’t cried, but it had been a dangerously close thing.

*

Ruth had intended to sit a long way away from Nelson but, before Ruth can stop her, Kate runs across the church to sit next to him. Ruth follows, aflame with embarrassment. The congregation smile benignly and move up to make room. After all, Ruth can see them thinking, it would be a shame to break up this happy family. Kate sits on Nelson’s knee and Ruth is squashed uncomfortably between Nelson and Clough.

‘This is cosy,’ says Clough. His girlfriend, an irritatingly glamorous actress, gives her a superior smile. Ruth, unable to take off her jacket, can feel herself getting red in the face all over again.

The first hymn starts almost as soon as they have sat down. They scrabble to their feet again, looking for their places in the hymnbooks. Clough sings loudly in a fine tenor. Nelson mumbles the words, keeping his arm around Kate.

‘Christ the Lord is risen today . . .’

It is the first time that Ruth has seen the Reverend Larry Westmondham, and she finds him rather an uninspiring speaker. He obviously feels it all very deeply, his round face gets quite anguished when he talks about purgatory, but he seems rather embarrassed about imparting any insights that he might have. Ruth is left with a general mumble of thoughts about life, death and rebirth, together with a vague idea that it might be good if we were all nicer to each other. The church is lovely, though, possibly twelfth century, with a rood screen and some beautiful stonework. There are flowers everywhere and incense swirls from a silver orb on a chain which is being swung enthusiastically by one of the altar servers. Kate flaps her hand, but doesn’t say anything. Cassandra coughs and Clough pats her on the back, whispering solicitously.

Ruth doesn’t see Hilary until they are all filing out at the end after another rousing hymn (‘Thine be the glory’). Hilary is with Freya, and they are both wearing dog collars. Some of the congregation are looking at them suspiciously, but Larry, passing them on his way out, makes a point of shaking their hands. Bearing in mind his membership of the Brotherhood of the Madonna Lactans and the incense, Ruth assumes that Larry is fairly High Church and may be opposed to women priests. If so, he’s making a pretty good job of appearing welcoming. Behind the priests, Ruth sees Janet Meadows, resplendent in a patchwork velvet coat, and Tanya, who is accompanied by a blonde woman whom Ruth doesn’t recognise.

There are so many people leaving the church that Ruth, Clough and Cassandra get trapped in their pew. Nelson has managed to escape, but Ruth holds Kate firmly by the hand. Opposite them, a similarly trapped woman smiles and waves.

‘That’s his wife,’ hisses Clough. ‘The one who was attacked.’

When the crowd shuffles forward Ruth finds herself next to a pretty, fresh-faced woman in jeans and a blue jacket. She’s holding a baby and has a girl of about six by the hand. Two slightly older girls hover behind her, one of them wearing a choirgirl’s surplice.

‘Hi, Daisy,’ says Clough, behind Ruth. ‘You’re looking good for someone who was strangled the day before yesterday.’

Daisy laughs. She doesn’t seem fazed by this typical Clough humour.

‘I’m fine,’ she says. ‘The hospital discharged me that night. I just had a few cuts and bruises. Thanks to you and DS Fuller and DCI Nelson getting to me so quickly.’

‘Thanks to your little dog,’ says Clough. ‘Where is she?’

‘Daddy says she can’t come to church,’ says one of the older girls resentfully.

‘What does Daddy know?’ says Clough. ‘Daisy, let me introduce my fiancée, Cassandra, and my friend Ruth.’

Daisy shakes hands with them both, while Ruth thinks
fiancée
?

‘I’ve heard lots about you,’ says Daisy to Ruth. ‘I’m a friend of Janet Meadows. You must come to tea one day. Bring your daughter.’

‘I’d like to,’ says Ruth. Kate and the youngest girl smile warily at each other.

‘Happy families,’ says Clough, who seems in a weirdly ebullient mood. He kisses Cassandra on the cheek, and they laugh together quietly.

*

Outside Ruth finds another happy family: Cathbad, Judy and Michael, with Miranda in the buggy. Kate runs up to Michael.

‘Did you get me an Easter egg?’

‘Kate!’ Ruth wonders if it’s possible to die of shame.

‘We’re going to have an Easter egg hunt in the garden,’ says Cathbad.

‘Easter egg hunt!’ Mad with surplus energy Kate runs off through the gravestones with Michael following. The wind has stripped the cherry trees of their blossom and the grass is full of white petals. Like confetti, thinks Ruth, although most churches seem to forbid confetti these days.

‘Watch she doesn’t run in the road.’ Ruth doesn’t have to look round to know that this is Nelson.

‘I am watching.’

Kate and Michael are now playing hide-and-seek around Doreen Westmondham’s gravestone. Ruth tells Kate to stop.

‘Don’t worry,’ says a voice behind them. It’s Larry Westmondham, still in his vestments, holding a basket full of Creme Eggs. ‘Mum loved to have children round her.’

‘Creme Eggs,’ says a voice, ‘my favourites.’ Hilary is sailing towards them. Larry proffers the basket rather nervously.

‘Thank you,’ says Hilary. ‘I’m going to do the same in my parish next year.’

‘Where is your parish?’ asks Larry.

‘Streatham,’ says Hilary, unwrapping silver paper.

‘I know it well,’ says Larry, with what Ruth, a south London girl, thinks of as misplaced enthusiasm. ‘I used to live in Croydon. I hope to go back there one day.’

‘Funny thing to hope for,’ says Ruth, and she and Hilary walk through the graveyard together. Kate and Michael are playing a complicated game of jumping over the flat stones instigated by Larry Westmondham’s youngest daughter. The curtains are drawn in Justin’s cottage. According to Cathbad, he has gone away on retreat. The police, at Hilary’s request, aren’t pressing charges. Chesterton has been booked into a cattery; Cathbad doesn’t think he’ll be asked to cat-sit again.

‘I feel bad,’ Hilary says now. ‘I felt so angry with Justin. When I got him in that headlock I really wanted to hurt him. That’s a terrible thing for a priest to say, isn’t it?’

‘It just shows you’re human,’ says Ruth. ‘Priests are allowed to be human. Male priests and female priests.’

As she says this, she thinks of Father Hennessey. She hasn’t spoken to the priest since that day in the canteen, but she did see him in the distance at the Passion Play. She hopes that, even if he does confess, the bishop will let him carry on being a priest. It’s not a job that would appeal to Ruth, but some people, Hilary included, really do seem cut out for it.

She stops to call Kate, but Nelson has already got to her and is leading her back to Ruth.

‘Thanks,’ says Ruth, when they reach her. Hilary has wandered away to talk to Cathbad.

‘What are you doing for the rest of the day?’ says Nelson.

‘We’re going to Cathbad and Judy’s for lunch. There’s an Easter egg hunt apparently.’

‘Katie will enjoy that.’

‘Yes, she will. Well, goodbye, Nelson. Happy Easter.’

‘Happy Easter.’

She moves away, but somehow she knows that he is watching her. She has the oddest feeling that they are alone in the world, and everyone else, even Kate, is just part of a dream. Is it a dream, then, when Nelson catches up with her and, just briefly, takes her hand? She thinks he says something, but she doesn’t catch the words and, before she can ask him to repeat it, Nelson is striding away through the tombstones.

Acknowledgements

As always in my books, I have made the real Walsingham into my own fictional version of the place, including real and imaginary elements. The priory, the abbey grounds, the Anglican shrine and the Slipper Chapel are all real. There is a beautiful Russian Orthodox Chapel in the old railway booking office. The snowdrops in February are justly famous and well worth a visit. However, St Simeon’s Church and Cottage are imaginary, the cottage owing much to my father-in-law’s house in Smarden, Kent. St Catherine’s Lodge is also imaginary, although similar religious institutions established to host conferences and retreats do exist. Most importantly, with one exception, the people are all completely made up. The Slipper Chapel does have a custodian, but Father Bill is a fictional character.

Last year, a woman called Jan Adams took part in a fundraising auction for the young people and children’s cancer charity CLIC Sargent. The prize was the chance to appear as a character in these pages. When I found out that Jan had been a police dog-handler I was determined that she should feature in that role. I also wanted to include her dog, Barney. Thanks to Jan, both for bidding and for all the fascinating information about the work of police dogs.

Several people have been very generous with their time and advice. These include Francesca Lewington, Andrew Maxted and Julie Williams. However, I have only followed the experts’ advice as far as it suits the plot, and any resulting mistakes are mine alone. I’m also grateful to Emma Bryant for the information about Renault key cards. Thanks to Tracy Stickland for inviting me on a pilgrimage to Walsingham, and to Father Kevin O’Donnell for sharing his knowledge of the place and explaining some of its mysteries. Thanks also to Father Kevin for recommending a wonderful book,
Walsingham: Pilgrims and Pilgrimage
by Michael Rear (St Paul’s Publishing, 2011).

Special thanks, as always, to my editor, Jane Wood, and my agent, Rebecca Carter. Thanks to everyone at Quercus and Janklow and Nesbit for working so hard on my behalf. Love and thanks always to my husband, Andrew, and our children, Alex and Juliet.

This book is for my sister, Giulia, with love.