I was about to reply that three-star reviews tended to come across as worse, as people were more likely to dismiss truly horrendous reviews as being written by picky whiners, but she hadn’t finished, yelping, ‘And it would be really, very helpful if for one blessed minute, you stopped kicking my bladder!’
‘It’s not baby’s fault,’ Jack said, frowning as he scooped out the last bit of his egg.
‘Sorry, baby. Sorry.’ Lily waved one hand at everyone, the other rubbing her bump. ‘It’s all catching up with me, you know? Once tomorrow is over with and we can focus back on this place I’ll feel a whole lot better, but I honestly think that up until then, one more issue could send me tumbling right over the edge.’
‘The edge of what?’ Jack asked. ‘Intowhat?’
His mum shuddered ‘Let’s just pray we never find out.’
I looked at Lily, checking a packet of venison before squashing it into the fridge, her face pale, hair in a bedraggled bun, a smear of something unidentifiable across her backside.
I left my phone in my pocket.
After boiling myself an egg and waving the kids off to school and nursery with Malcolm, I helped Lily organise all the ingredients, and then we got to work.
It was going to be a long day of mixing flour and fat, rolling it gently, layering the pastry into perfect flakiness, then adding the fillings and transporting one hundred pasties to the farmhouse where they would be stored overnight in the chest freezers usually reserved for cuts of beef before being freshly baked early afternoon, ready to be served from four o’clock.
It was a blissful distraction from everything else, including not only Celine but the most recent email from Gregory requesting I call him immediately to discuss amendments to the new contract, for example reducing the time allowed for closure from ten to three days.
The very thought of hunkering behind that kiosk all day made my insides wither.
Lily spent most of the day multitasking like a pro, dealing with issues on speakerphone while scooping out ladles of mushy peas, negotiating an even fiercer discount with the florist when they dropped off the decidedly droopy bouquets as the dance video Celine had sent through played in the background.
The last pasty was sealed and glazed at five on the dot.
Malcolm took one look at the piles of dirty pots and trays and sent his wife for a nap in the hammock. When I picked up a tea towel to help with the washing up, he was equally insistent in ordering me out of the house.
‘It’s another gorgeous day. Tomorrow, you’ll be sweltering in the farmhouse kitchen. If that’s going to be your last day on this strange little paradise, make the most of this one while you can.’
‘Okay…’ I stood awkwardly by the sink. ‘Have you got any suggestions about what to do? Or where to go?’
‘Here.’ He pulled out his phone and pointed out a road that ran straight across to the east coast to the island’s second village.‘You can’t go without visiting the bustling metropolis that is Lithin.’
‘How far is it?’
‘About an hour’s walk. Or you could cycle.’
‘Yeah. It’s been a pretty full-on day…’
‘Of course!’ Malcolm shook his head. ‘Walking three miles along a path you don’t know, to a place you’ve not been before, is not a restful evening. Hang on.’
He opened another app.
‘The bus will be passing the end of the road in twenty minutes.’
‘Presuming there aren’t any escaped animals, or Connell gets distracted chatting?’
Malcolm grinned. ‘This is our primitive equivalent of live journey app. He posted a photo of himself by the harbour two minutes ago. Looks like it’s one of those rare occasions when he’s almost on time.’
I took fifteen minutes to hastily shower off the scent of braised meat, swap my shorts for a sundress, brush my hair and pack a bag.
Flora met me in the hallway. ‘Aren’t you going with Da to the farmhouse?’
‘He’s insisted I enjoy a few hours off,’ I replied, moving out of the way as Malcolm hurried past carrying a box.
‘Uncle Pip will be there, getting the Old Barn ready. Celine is helping, too.’
‘Yep. I heard her talking about it with your mum.’ Of course it had crossed my mind, but the thought of popping up at the same place as Celine made my lungs seize up with anxiety.
