‘All right, calm down.’ Annabel glared at her.
Their attention shifted towards the stage as the raffle was drawn. Grace glanced at her tickets, then screwed them up. Then the lights were dimmed again, the music resumed, and everyone went back to their conversations. Trying her best to absorb the carefree atmosphere, for a while Grace chattered inconsequentially to Annabel and James over another glass of wine, but she felt as though she were alone in an invisible bubble. ‘Time for another dance,’ Annabel announced a little while later, and James agreed, saying, ‘This time you’re coming too, Grace,’ but dancing was a step too far for her tonight, in front of all these people, particularly when she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being watched.
She decided she would go for a walk rather than sitting by herself next to the packed dance floor. She thought she might find a moment’s solitude in the ladies’ bathroom, but when she arrived there was a queue of women gossiping animatedly while they waited for a cubicle. So she headed back beneath the leering parade of hunting trophies, towards the main doors of the building. The old women who had welcomed them were no longer there, and she leaned against the cool stone wall, breathing in the frigid air, feeling the chill of the night seeping through her skin and into her bones.
‘Grace?’ a female voice said.
Grace whirled around. One of Meredith’s daughters was standing behind her, contemplating Grace nervously.
‘Liza, isn’t it?’ Grace queried.
‘Yes,’ the woman replied, a small jewel in her brown hair glinting in the soft light. ‘I need to talk to you. Alone. It’s about Adam.’
As Grace stared at Liza, she noticed that Liza’s stomach protruded in front of her like a perfectly rounded egg. Grace’s whole body had stiffened upon hearing Adam’s name, but before she could speak, Liza said, ‘This way,’ and headed down the steps. At the bottom she glanced back and beckoned Grace to come with her.
Grace followed in a daze, as Liza made for two soaring oak trees whose trunks stood set apart but whose branch tips bent to join each other in a delicate embrace. There wasn’t much light to navigate by, but between what little moonlight had managed to penetrate the clouds, and the glow from the hall, Grace could make out a small lake in front of her. Liza had turned right and disappeared, and as Grace came through the trees she saw there was an ornamental gazebo a little further along. Creeping plants had spun a web of stems over the wrought-iron railings, and there were a few steps leading into it.
Liza waited inside, looking out across the lake. As soon as Grace joined her she said, ‘I’m sorry to bring you out here like this, but I didn’t know how else to speak to you on your own. And I need to tell you something …’ She searched Grace’s face for reassurance.
‘I’m listening,’ Grace told her quietly.
Liza took a deep breath before she spoke. ‘I saw Adam in the library in Ockton, the day before he went missing. I’d nipped in there to browse while I waited for a bus, and I was amazed to bump into him. We recognised each other straight away, even though it’s been, what – over fourteen years … But during the summer he spent in Roseby, my sisters and I saw him all the time – he made life far more interesting for a while, I can tell you. Anyway, it was really lovely to catch up. He told me about you, Grace – said he was married and had a baby girl – he looked really proud.’
Grace felt a searing pain in her chest. She went across and leaned on the railing, studying the inky-black lake. Patchy light illuminated small parts of its glassy surface, and highlighted the dark outlines of plants and bushes surrounding it.
Liza came closer and put a hand on her arm. ‘I’m sorry, Grace. I can only imagine how difficult it must be –’
‘Why the hell didn’t you come forward at the time?’ Grace interrupted, anger sitting low in her voice.
‘I didn’t know that Adam had gone missing straight away,’ Liza explained, withdrawing her touch. ‘And when I found out, it was complicated … for reasons I don’t want to go into, but which have nothing to do with Adam. Anyway, at the time I didn’t think our conversation would be relevant – but when I heard you were back, I knew I should talk to you, just in case …’
‘What else did he say?’ Grace demanded impatiently.
‘Well, he was sitting at a computer when I saw him, with the phone book open next to him, and when I asked him what he was doing, he looked kind of sheepish and said, “Looking for my dad.”’