Dead Silent (41 page)
Authors: Mark Roberts
I was with Sister Philomena during the final hours of her life, praying with and for her. And though I rejoiced that my friend and mentor would soon be joining the saints in the joys of heaven, my heart was filled with sorrow as I knew these would be my last moments on earth with her and that we had a shared anxiety. What would happen to Evette Clay after Sister Philomena’s death when, surely, St Claire’s would be closed down for good.
Eve was thrown back into the chapel at St Claire’s, looking at Philomena in her coffin and quietly begging the statue of Christ on the cross above them to open her eyes and let her lips smile just one last time.
Right at the end, in the last few minutes, I can recall Sister Philomena’s words perfectly on the subject of her beloved Eve and what she wanted me to do for her. She drifted in and out of wakefulness, but as soon as she became conscious, Philomena talked of nothing but Evette. She said, ‘Wait until Eve is old enough to fully understand and, when she reaches this maturity, be sure to tell her this. Nothing in her life has been accidental. Her battles in this world are ones for which she has been chosen because of the strength of her spirit. The rewards she has come into on this earth, the love she has found and made, are her just deserts for the courage and selflessness that she displays as a matter of course.
‘Wherever she has to go, whatever demons she has to confront – and they will be legion – she must know that I will be behind her every step of the way. When she feels most alone, at her most afraid, I will be praying for her and the ones she loves.
‘Tell her this, for now and always. She was loved and valued to the heights of heaven, she is loved and valued to the heights of heaven and she will be loved and valued to the heights of heaven forever, if only by a poor soul such as me.’
At this point, Sister Philomena died.
There were more words on the page, but Eve saw only marks on paper.
She looked up and realised that she was alone in the pew. Over her shoulder, she saw Thomas and Philip with Father Murphy, talking near the exit to the cathedral. Father Murphy held up an arm. Farewell. He walked away. As Eve stood up, Thomas came down the aisle towards her, Philip in his arms.
Many questions ran through her mind, but a single question for Father Murphy dominated her thoughts.
She took Philip from Thomas, held on to him with all her strength and felt Thomas’s arms enfolding her.
‘Why did he wait so long to show me the letter? He could have found me sooner. What did he say?’
‘He didn’t say much,’ said Thomas. ‘He said,
Tell Eve I was following the instructions that Philomena gave out as she was dying. I was waiting for her to reach the point where she fully understood.
’
A stream of blue light passed over them. Eve looked at her husband and son, understanding completely Philomena’s unconditional love for her. It allowed her to keep that love alive and pass it on to Thomas and Philip. She held on to both of them, seizing the moment of complete and selfless love, the treasures of her heart and soul.
We hope you enjoyed this book!
The next book in the Eve Clay series is coming in 2017
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I’d like to thank Peter, Rosie and Jessica Buckman, Dr Steve Le Comber, Dr Catherine Molyneux, Jagjeeth Naik, Laura Palmer and all at Head of Zeus, Lucy Ridout, Linda and Eleanor Roberts, James Roberts, Frank and Ben Rooney, and Luke Sullivan.
M
ARK
R
OBERTS
was born and raised in Liverpool, and was educated at St Francis Xavier’s College. He was a teacher for twenty years and for the past thirteen years has worked with children with severe learning difficulties. He is the author of
What She Saw
, which was longlisted for a CWA Gold Dagger.
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First published in the UK in 2016 by Head of Zeus, Ltd.
Copyright © 2016, Mark Roberts
The moral right of Mark Roberts to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. All characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
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A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN (HB): 9781784082925
ISBN (TPB): 9781784082932
ISBN (E): 9781784082918
Jacket design: kid-ethic.com
Jacket image: © ShutterStock
Author photo: Frank Rooney
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