Edie smiled. ‘That sounds like a really lovely idea.’

‘Will you come with me?’ Gilly asked. ‘I wish – I wish she could see me. Where I am now, I mean. Living with you, doing my exams… I think it would have made her happy to know that I’m in a good place. That… I’ve got someone who cares about me.’

Gilly took a breath and looked up at Edie. The look on her face was somewhere between hopeful and broken. It made Edie want to pull the girl into a hug. She thought that might be a little like trying to pet a cantankerous cat. But she did it anyway.

Fifty

Rachel, Gilly and Ron were in the bookshop, where chat had turned from the imminent sale of the tower to focus on setting up for the wedding, now less than a week away.

‘I wish there was more space,’ Gilly said, looking around the familiar ground floor. ‘Do you really think we can fit five tables down here?’

‘We’ll have to move the chess table and chairs, and the turning bookcases,’ Ron said, surveying the ground floor. ‘It’ll be snug, but yeah. We can make it work.’

‘When are the tables arriving?’ Rachel asked.

‘They’ll be here on Friday,’ Gilly said. ‘I thought we could set them up on Friday night, after the bookshop has closed?’

‘That sounds like a good idea,’ Rachel said, trying not to think about the fact that when she shut the doors last thing on Friday, the bookshop would effectively be closing for good. ‘If we can get most of the set-up done the night before, it’ll make Saturday morning a lot easier.’

‘The flowers are coming on Friday too,’ Gilly added, with a fretful frown. ‘They’ll all turn up in boxes – I’ve bought them wholesale. It was so much cheaper than asking for a florist to do flowers for a wedding. I hope they’ll be all right.’

‘I’m sure whatever you’ve ordered will be beautiful,’ Rachel told her. ‘Besides, Edie doesn’t really seem bothered about things like colour schemes, does she?’

‘I know, right?’ Gilly said. ‘I had this argument with her when I ordered them. You don’t think that’s weird? I mean, she’s an artist. You’d think she’d be a bit more particular, wouldn’t you? I thought she was over her worries about Ezra, but maybe she’s still got cold feet.’

Rachel smiled. ‘I don’t think that’s it. I think she’s got a very good reason for leaving it all to you.’

‘Oh?’ Gilly asked. ‘What’s that, then?’

‘You’re an artist too, Gilly,’ Rachel pointed out, ‘and Edie completely trusts your judgement.’

‘Excuse me,’ said an unfamiliar voice. ‘I’m sorry to interrupt, but…’

The three of them turned to the bookshop door, where a young woman who seemed a little lost was looking around with slight trepidation.

‘Hello,’ Rachel said. ‘Do you need some help? Is there something in particular you’re looking for?’

The woman smiled nervously. ‘Um, actually,’ she said. ‘I think what I’m looking for is you. Are you Rachel?’