There was that word again, thought Martha with a small jolt. Loyalty. It was yet another example of it being wholly misplaced.

For all the questions and suspicions the day had raised, there was one certainty Martha was glad of. That she and Willow had been lucky enough to have such a wonderfully loving mother.

Chapter Sixty

It was a glorious afternoon in early March. The sky was the colour of bluebells and bright sunlight spangled the swelling surface of the water. In the distance a motorboat could be heard chugging into the harbour and as always, there was the ever-present call of seagulls and the rhythmic push and pull of waves on sand and pebbles. The fresh spring air was fused with salt and seaweed.

Naomi and Ellis had been sitting on the beach in companionable silence for some minutes, each lost in their thoughts while relishing the simple pleasure of being together. After a hectic few days, it was lovely for it to be just the two of them. Not that Naomi hadn’t enjoyed having a house full of family and friends staying with them. But relaxing here in the sun-warmed sand dunes with Ellis and sharing a picnic of leftover party food, including two slices of Christening cake and a bottle of wine, was just heavenly.

The double baptism two days ago at St Saviour’s for Serenity and six-week-old baby Eliza had been a wonderfully joyous occasion. Tom had asked his sister and brother-in-law to be Eliza’s godparents and, much to Willow’s delight, when she’d asked her friends Lucy and Simon to be godparents to Serenity, along with Lucas, they had readily accepted. A couple of months away from the birth of their own baby, they had put the unpleasant incident with their cat behind them now. It was possible that because of the way Rick died they felt it inappropriate to hold a grudge against Willow any longer.

Just as he’d flown over to spend Christmas at Anchor House, Lucas had taken another flight to be with them for the weekend, timing a work commitment in London to coincide with his visit. He had stayed at Waterside Cottage with Willow and Serenity, and whether he stayed in the spare bedroom or not was absolutely no one’s business but their own. Whatever the relationship was between the two of them, Naomi and Ellis were determined not to enquire. On the face of it, Willow and Lucas behaved like a pair of close friends, or brother and sister, but both Naomi and Ellis knew from personal experience how friendship could so easily tip into something quite different.

Brian and Geraldine had also been with them for the weekend and it had been good to see them happily bickering amongst themselves. Some things should never change, Naomi had told them, and their marriage was one of those things.

Both grandchildren had risen splendidly to the occasion and behaved extraordinarily well during the baptism service, although Eliza had appeared to frown and raise a tiny fist as if in protest when the Reverend Veronica Carlyle had splashed water onto her forehead. A sign of things to come, Naomi had thought with a smile. Later, while watching her daughters taking selfies of themselves with their adorable babies, she was overcome with love for them. With all that had happened in recent months, combined with motherhood, they were now closer to each other than they’d ever been.