Chapters (31)
‘It can be hard, I know, to accept the truth of what I see.’ After what had just happened, Elizabeth Lovell was having to fight to win back the audience, who might easily have turned against her. She touched the fingers of one hand against her heart. ‘Believe me, I feel her pain, but I also know that there will be comfort for her too. We talk about losing people, but the truth is that they are never lost.’
She continued in this vein for another ten minutes but there were no further visitations. Judith climbed back onto the stage and, after thanking Elizabeth and Sid, directed the audience over to the book signing. They were eager to cross to the other side – of the road, that is – and there was quite a scrum at the door. Meanwhile, Sid helped his wife down from the stage. Judith was waiting to escort them to The Georgian House, but for a moment the two of them were in front of me. Colin Matheson was on one side, Hawthorne on the other.
‘That was extraordinary,’ I said.
Elizabeth was leaning on Sid. ‘I hope I didn’t upset Anne,’ she said. ‘It’s not my choice, you know, who comes to me.’
‘She’ll be fine.’ Sid patted her hand.
‘Have you met my friend, Daniel Hawthorne?’ I asked. I wanted to introduce them because I was interested to hear what Hawthorne would say.
She held out a hand vaguely in his direction. He took it and smiled.
‘Very nice to meet you, Mr Hawthorne.’
‘And you, Mrs Lovell.’
‘Did you enjoy my talk?’
‘It was memorable,’ Hawthorne said. ‘You must find it very tiring.’
‘Oh yes. I’m quite exhausted.’ She drew herself up, still resting against Sid. ‘But I’m afraid I have to go. There are books to sign.’
‘Mustn’t keep your fans waiting.’ Was Hawthorne mocking her? I couldn’t tell.
We watched Sid and Elizabeth leave the cinema. He was guiding her with his hand around her waist.
‘Her last book sold half a million copies,’ Colin Matheson muttered, as if he couldn’t believe what had just happened.
‘Online,’ I reminded him.
Hawthorne glanced at me. ‘Yes. But she gets seventy per cent of the royalties.’
And we got much less. It was something we’d discussed more than once before, but I was disappointed that he had chosen this moment to bring it up again.
Suddenly, we were alone in the cinema with just a couple of volunteers clearing up the litter. I looked back at the stage. ‘I don’t know how she did all that,’ I said. ‘But you do realise that she’s a complete fraud?’
‘Oh yes.’ Hawthorne nodded. ‘I saw that from the very start.’ He paused. ‘But those ghosts were definitely real.’