“Oh, our foremothers in the seventeenth century did that already, dear, under James the First’s reign,” piped up Miss Eliza Radley—mistress of the WI Christmas quiz. “Nowadays we do the burning. Metaphorically speaking, of course. And metaphorically, I would say we burned you good and proper.”
Gilbert shoved hard at the henchmen to his right, and the men began to shuffle along the bench seat to get out. It was hard to make a dramatic gesture of storming out when you first had to shimmy your bottom along a velour banquette. Finally, he stood, shrugged on his longline houndstooth coat, and flicked his collar up aggressively as though poison darts might shoot out of his lapel. None did. Then, with chest puffed and chin jutted, he pulled a wad of banknotes from his pocket, slammed it on the bar, and left the pub, his hired muscle lolloping along behind him.
At the sound of engines roaring outside, the women began to laugh and high-five one another.
“Drinks, Troy!” shouted Betty. “Fast as you can, please. We’ve got a winter solstice festival to conquer next.”
“Coming right up,” came Troy’s answering call. “Orders, please, ladies. These are on the house!”
A cheer went up, followed by a stampede toward the bar. Maggie was dumbfounded. Vanessa gave her a smile. “You look thunderstruck.”
“I am. Did what I think just happened, actually happen?”
Vanessa laughed. “Yes, it did.”
“But how did you . . . ?”
“Well, I won’t lie, it was a bit of a rush. Betty activated the phone tree as soon as she left Simone and Star in the shop.”
“The phone tree?”
“Yeah, you know; we each have a list with everyone’s phone numbers on it. In case of emergencies, the person at the top of the list calls the next person and they call the next and so on, until everyone on the list has been informed.”
“I feel like I need to join the Women’s Institute.”
“You really do. So anyway, Miss Radley set up an emergency Zoom, and we all jumped on and, well, you know the rest.”
“I had no idea about the covenant.”
“I’d assumed Augustus would have told you all, otherwise I would have mentioned it. It didn’t help that I wasn’t aware of your eviction notice.”
“In fairness to me, it’s not the sort of thing you want publicized. I have my pride.”
“Lot of good it did you. And anyway, it’s not public, it’s us, your friends, the people you and your kids have grown up with.”
“I had no idea the Rowan Thorp women were so well connected.”
“They’re like gangsters, but with cake and fundraisers instead of organized crime.”
Evette came over holding three sherry glasses. “To congratulate you and warm your cockles ahead of the solstice. It’s freezing out there.”
“Drinking before lunch?” Maggie raised an eyebrow.
“It’s a special day.” Evette shrugged.
“Were you in on this?” Maggie asked her sister-in-law.
“No, I simply did as I was told and got you here.”
“Where are my sisters? They’ve missed all the fun.”
“They’re getting everything ready for tonight. I think they wanted to take some of the pressure off you.”
Maggie felt a twinge of guilt. “I need to get over there. I’ve wallowed enough for one day.”
She swallowed her sadness about Joe and stored it in the way that all good women trying to balance a million things had done for centuries: repress now, take antacids later. There was much to be thankful for. She could keep her home, she could keep her business going, more than that, she was on her way to owning her home, something she would never have imagined possible. Of the many emotions vying for her attention in that moment, it was gratitude for the women of Rowan Thorp that bolstered and empowered her to forge ahead with the day.
48
Maggie was halfway to the shop when she was intercepted by Gerry.
“Ah, good, glad I caught you. Don’t suppose you’ve tuned in to Bird Brother today, have you?”
“To be honest, Gerry, I really haven’t had the time.”
“No, quite right, that’s what I thought. Thing is, I was just going back over last night’s footage—there’s a lot of activity at night—and I came across something that I think you ought to see.”
Gerry pulled out his iPad and angled it toward her. Intrigued, she leaned in. The clock at the bottom of the screen read 5:52 a.m. The picture was grainy, but she could make out the outlines of the trees and the decorations gently swinging in the breeze. A mouse scurried along a branch and out of sight. There was a rustling somewhere out of the camera’s range and then a face came into view. It was Joe. He was looking straight at the camera; the night vision made his eyes look strangely bright. Maggie’s heart gave a jolt.
Joe cleared his throat. “Um, I don’t really know where to begin. Since you’ve blocked my number, bird cam seemed like the best option.” His voice was a scratchy whisper. “Maggie, I’m sorry. I messed up. And then instead of just asking for your forgiveness, I got defensive like a complete douchebag and turned things around onto you. You’ve done nothing wrong.
“I need you to understand how this all happened. It is true that I had been doing some freelance marketing for Gilbert and Marks. I had nothing to do with the lettings side of things; my role was to make the agency look appealing to landlords looking for a managing agent and to potential renters. I stopped working for my uncle when he conned my mum into handing over her shares of the business. I swear to god, when I applied for the job with you, I had no idea that he was your landlord.” Joe paused to adjust his collar against the wind.
“By the time I discovered the link it was too late—how could I have told you without you thinking I had targeted you on purpose? Then when he started eviction proceedings, I knew I had to act. I even tried suing him for wrongful eviction. I was always on your side, Maggie.
“You are the kindest, most patient, most unselfish person I have ever met. You take everything onto your own shoulders so that the people you love have less to carry. I guess a part of me wanted to be your hero, wanted to prove to you that I was worth keeping around. I thought I could make things right, and instead I made a right hash of everything. Whatever you may think of me, I need you to know that I was never, ever in cahoots with my uncle. No matter what, I will always be on your side, fighting in your corner. Even if you never want to see me again. I love you, Marguerite North, and that won’t change, however far apart we are.”
Joe stared out of the screen for a few seconds and then he was gone. Maggie continued to stare at the dark outlines of the trees as though waiting for Joe to return. He didn’t. Gerry stopped the video and tucked the iPad back under his arm.
“Shit!” she murmured under her breath. She was in daze; her heart was doing all kinds of wild things.
“Quite,” Gerry agreed.
“As apologies go, that was pretty up there.” She bit her lip. This morning had been a lot.
“Don’t know what young Joe has done, but he seems like a good sort to me.”
“He is a good sort,” she agreed, feeling distant and muddleheaded.
“Probably shouldn’t have let him go.”