Eva and the Hidden Diary (12 page)

Chapter Twenty

W
e all ran outside and watched as a car with two women inside pulled up in the lane between Kate’s house and ours. As a woman stepped out of the driver’s seat, I recognised Daisy from the photograph I’d seen on the internet. I gasped as I looked at the other woman and saw that, except for the fact that she was clearly younger, they could have been twins.

Daisy stood there for a second. She ignored the welcoming committee and gazed at her old home. I tried to see it through her eyes, and wondered how much it had changed. I thought
of all the things that had happened since she’d last stepped through the front door. No one said anything, as tears began to well in Daisy’s eyes, and drip down her wrinkled old cheeks.

Then, Simon, who was in his Dad’s arms, leaned over and touched her face.

‘Lady sad,’ he said.

Daisy smiled, and for a fleeting second, I could see a glimpse of the young girl I knew from her family photo.

‘No, darling,’ she said. ‘The lady isn’t sad. She is very, very happy.’

After that, everything was easier. Martha stepped forward and introduced herself.

‘Oh my,’ said Daisy. ‘Little Martha is all grown up!’ Everyone laughed.

Martha introduced everyone else, and Daisy turned to the woman beside her, and stroked her arm.

‘This is Nell,’ she said. ‘My … sister.’

She said the word ‘sister’ in a soft, breathy
kind of voice, almost like she couldn’t believe that such a thing was really possible.

I looked at Simon and Kate. Simon was pulling her hair, and she was tickling his tummy to distract him. Suddenly I realized how very, very glad I was that Kate and Simon were going to grow up together. They weren’t going to need a big reunion when they were old and grey. They were going to be best friends forever.

‘Would you like to see the house?’ asked Mum, who had brought Monica’s keys with her.

‘I would like that very much,’ said Daisy, and we all trooped up the path.

Daisy guided Nell. ‘Be careful here,’ she said. ‘There’s a loose stone and it’s easy to trip. And mind your shoes, it’s rather mucky on this bit.’

‘Oh dear,’ said Nell. ‘You’ve only been my big sister for a day, and already you’re bossing me around.’ Then they held hands for a minute, and gave each other soppy looks, like they had known each other all their lives.

I smiled. This was all easier and nicer than I had expected.

At first, Daisy seemed stiff and slow, but when she got to the stairs leading to what used to be her bedroom, she speeded up, and practically galloped up the steps. She almost ran to the window. She pulled back the lacy curtain and gazed out at the view that must once have been so familiar to her.

‘It’s all the same,’ she said. ‘It’s all the same. Except … except … I expect to see Daddy working in the field, and Mammy hanging the washing on the line.’

Nell took her hand again and squeezed it tightly. I could feel tears coming to my eyes, as I gazed at the sisters. One had lost everything she loved, and the other had never even known that it existed.

‘Why don’t we let you two alone for a bit?’ said Mum.

So the rest of us went back downstairs leaving
the sisters to share their sad and happy memories.

Later we all went across to Kate’s place. Roma and Lily showed up, and everyone settled down for tea. Once again, Zoe had made an amazing cake. All the edges were decorated with perfect yellow and white daisies, and it had ‘Welcome home, Daisy & Nell’ written on the top.

‘This is far too perfect to eat,’ said Daisy, but the rest of us ignored her as Zoe sliced the cake up, and it was gone in minutes.

While my mum tidied up the plates and cups, Daisy showed us the letter she’d got from the president’s office, declaring that Jean-Marc was innocent.

‘Daddy was right,’ she said. ‘Justice was done in the end. Such a pity it took so long.’

I’d have been really, really angry, but Daisy just looked sad.

‘Are you bitter about all the people who
believed your father was guilty?’ asked Zoe, getting straight to the point as usual. ‘You and your mum and dad had such a hard time here – in this place where you’d thought you had friends – where people should have stood by you.’

Daisy didn’t answer for a long time. Then she shook her head slowly. ‘No,’ she said. ‘I’m not bitter. Being bitter wouldn’t make me happy. My great aunt used to say that holding on to resentment is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.’

‘Cool,’ said Kate.

Daisy smiled at her. ‘Things were different back then,’ she said. ‘People were secretive and superstitious. They weren’t used to thinking for themselves. What happened to my family was very sad, but being bitter won’t help me. I’ll never forget, but I think I can forgive.’

Nell leaned over and squeezed her sister’s hand, and everyone coughed and rubbed their
faces and pretended not to have tears in their eyes.

After that, everyone chatted for a long time. Daisy told us a lot about her children, and her life in America. It all sounded strange and foreign, and very, very different to what her life would have been if she’d stayed in Seacove. It was totally weird how one lie from George Eades had made so much difference to so many people.

I hadn’t noticed Kate’s dad slipping away, and was surprised when I heard another car pulling up outside.

‘Are we expecting someone else?’ asked Kate.

Zoe just smiled at her, but didn’t reply.

Then the door opened, and Kate’s dad wheeled Rose into the room. Daisy was telling Nell all about her job as a children’s nurse, and she didn’t see her at first. Then she looked up, and her face went pale. I thought it must have been at the shock of seeing her friend all old and
frail and in a wheelchair. That would have to be a big shock for anyone.

‘Rose!’ gasped Daisy. ‘You’re here. It’s really you. And you haven’t changed at all.’

She ran over and stroked her face, and hugged her, and they both laughed and cried and then laughed some more.

And all at once I realized that Daisy wasn’t seeing the wheelchair or the wrinkles or the thin, scraggly grey hair. All she could see was her dear old friend from so many years ago.

Daisy and Rose chatted for a long time. They told Nell all about Florrie and Jean-Marc. Then they told Kate and me about the many hours they spent in Manning’s field.

‘We call that field the Island of Dreams,’ said Kate.

‘How sweet,’ said Rose.

‘Mammy used to make us picnics,’ said Daisy.

‘We’d go off for hours,’ said Rose. ‘We’d lie on the grass and watch the clouds and talk about our foolish dreams.’

‘And you climbed Jeremy?’ I asked.

Rose and Daisy looked puzzled.

‘The big tree,’ I said. ‘Kate and I call it Jeremy.’

I was starting to feel a bit stupid, but changed my mind when Daisy gave a big smile. ‘Jeremy,’ she said. ‘A perfect name. I wish I’d thought of it myself.’

‘We could bring you to Manning’s field if you like,’ said Kate. ‘So you can see what it’s like now.’

But Daisy sat back, suddenly looking old and tired. ‘Maybe later,’ she said.

‘This must have been an exhausting few days for you,’ said Mum.

Daisy smiled. ‘Exhausting, but wonderful,’ she said. ‘Everything has been simply perfect.’

I saw my opportunity. ‘There’s just one more thing,’ I said.

Everyone watched as I reached into my bag and pulled out the old, red, leather-bound book.

‘I don’t believe it,’ said Daisy. ‘It’s my old diary. The one Mammy and Daddy gave me for my thirteenth birthday.’

I nodded.

‘I thought it was gone forever,’ sighed Daisy.

‘Eva and I found it in the shed,’ said Kate. ‘That’s what started this whole thing. That’s how we knew about what had happened to your dad.’

Suddenly I felt embarrassed. ‘I read it, Daisy,’ I said. ‘I’m sorry about that. I know that diaries are supposed to be private. It’s just that …’

Daisy patted my hand. ‘Don’t apologise, child,’ she said. ‘I’m sure most of what’s inside here is just girlish foolishness. And if you hadn’t read the diary, none of us would be here now. Daddy would never have been exonerated, and I would never have found my lovely sister. I am so very happy that you read my diary.’

She took the diary, and for a long time no one said anything. We watched as Daisy turned the pages slowly, sometimes smiling and sometimes wiping away a small tear. Finally she got to the last entry. She looked at it for a while, and then she reached into her handbag and took out a pen. I held my breath as she turned to the next blank page. In perfect, familiar letters, she began to write.

JUDI CURTIN grew up in Cork and now lives in Limerick where she is married with three children. Judi is the author of
Eva’s Journey, Eva’s Holiday
and
Leave it to Eva
as well as the best-selling ‘Alice & Megan’ series. With Roisin Meaney, she is the author of See
If I Care.
She has also written three novels,
Sorry, Walter, From Claire to Here
and
Almost Perfect.
Her books have sold into Serbian, Portuguese, German, Russian, Lithuanian and most recently to Australia and New Zealand.