‘If it was my turn this time, it could have been you then, and I’d say you were a right ould rip,’ Brigid joked and the pair of them burst out laughing. They were still laughing when the landlady popped her head around the door. ‘The ferry’s heading up to the pier. I was keeping an eye on it for yae. Yae’ll be away tae Iona after all, ladies. Yae need to pack up.’

A chorus of delight greeted the news and they left the conservatory in a flurry of light-hearted excitement to gather their bits and pieces for the next step on their Magdalene Trail, free at last from all that had divided them.

CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

The sea was emerald green, topped by foamy whitecaps. The sky had cleared. The gloomy rainclouds were now a distant bank of grey out on the horizon. It was what Marie-Claire called a Simpson sky. Patches of blue dotted with white scudding puffballs. Fionnphort grew smaller behind them as the jetty in Baile Mòr came into view, and the abbey to their right, dominating the landscape of the small island of Iona.

‘Baile Mòr – big town – it’s the same as the Irish version. Scottish Gaelic and Irish Gaelic are practically the same,’ Imelda observed, relieved that she would soon be off the rocking ferry that was ploughing through choppy sea. Still it was a very short journey and she didn’t feel queasy. In fact, she felt quite exhilarated. Free! she thought in awe. Released from the prison she’d created for herself, she felt an unexpected wave of happiness. She wasn’t an outsider with Keelin, Brigid and Marie-Claire the way she’d always felt she was. Now she truly was part of the quartet. Sharing the truth of their lives with no more secrets and façades. She wished she’d shared her burden years ago. Imelda inhaled the salty sea air, watching the spray dance ahead of the bow as the ferry dipped and rose in harmony with the sea. She felt alive and excited.

‘Are you OK there, Mam?’ Keelin came and stood beside her at the rail.

‘I am now, Keelin. I feel like an awful heavy load has been lifted from me. This is a day I’ll never forget.’

‘I’ll never forget it either. A turning point for us all,’ Keelin dropped an arm around her mother’s shoulder. ‘Mary Magdalene certainly cleared us all today.’

‘Keelin, will you tell Armand I’m sorry for those terrible things I said. I’ll phone and say it myself to him on the landline when I get home. I can always hear better when I’m on it,’ she said hesitantly. She knew how wounded her daughter had been by her harsh, unkind words to her son-in-law.