Contents (57)
- Prologue
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Acknowledgements
- About the Author
- Also by Sharon Gosling
‘Better that it be preserved by people who really know what they’re doing rather than Eveline’s legacy being lost,’ had been her exact words, and Rachel had loved her for them.
‘That’s good,’ McNally said, now. ‘Because besides the preservation work, there’s also additional work that will need to be done to the building to bring it up to Trust standards.’
‘I see,’ said Rachel, but didn’t really. She looked around and realized that McNally was probably talking about the work that would be needed to remove the bookshop. ‘Although, if you mean you intend to gut the bookshop, we were already expecting that. We’re due to close down as a business this weekend – today, actually – after which the plan is to begin clearing the stock. I’ve been lining up bulk buyers from other bookshops.’
‘Actually,’ McNally said, ‘if the Trust takes it on, that won’t be necessary.’
Rachel’s brain stalled. ‘It won’t?’
‘No. According to what you told us, the lighthouse was originally built as a library, wasn’t it? We don’t think there would be a need to do away with the adjustments that Cullen MacDonald made, which seem to be minimal and largely in keeping with what we ourselves would make anyway. No, initially at least, we would plan to keep the bookshop running.’
‘But that’s – that’s wonderful!’ Rachel said. ‘The regulars will be so happy to hear that.’
‘It’s upstairs that would need to change significantly.’
‘Upstairs?’
There was a pause. ‘Your living quarters, Rachel,’ she said, somewhat gently. ‘They’re going to have to go, I’m afraid. There will need to be an information and learning space to tell Eveline’s story.’
‘Oh, I see,’ Rachel said. ‘Don’t worry, I had expected that as well. I was already fully expecting to move on once the bookshop was cleared. Now that I don’t need to do that, I suppose that means that one way or another, this weekend is my last in the lighthouse.’
Fifty-Two
Twenty-five people gathered at the Great Dunbar register office to see Ezra and Edie tie the knot. Ezra stood with Ron at the front of the room, his beaming smile so wide that it could probably be seen from space. When Edie came in, though, her silver hair rolled back from her face and pinned up with flowers, the cream silk of her simple and perfectly elegant dress rippling as she walked towards him, he didn’t even attempt to hide his tears.
Rachel sat in the second row. They hadn’t observed ‘bride’s side and groom’s side’ rules – another tradition the couple was not interested in perpetuating. Across the small room, Rachel could see Toby. He was in a smart dark grey suit and tie, a sharp look she’d never seen him in before. She’d spoken to him only once since he’d left Newton Dunbar, calling to talk to him about Alan Crosswick’s suggestion of dismantling the camera obscura. Several times since, Rachel had found herself wondering how his new job was going. She was glad that he was here and that later, there would be time for her to find out. She must have looked his way long enough for him to feel her gaze on him because he turned in her direction, too quickly for her to pretend she’d been looking elsewhere. Toby smiled at her and Rachel found it easy to smile back. It was, after all, a day to be happy.