Page 66 of The Inn on Bluebell Lane
Tears stung Ellie’s eyes as she answered the last one in a whisper. “I think she was unhappy,” she whispered. “And maybe even depressed.” She’d known that, really, but she’d insisted to herself—and to Jess—that things would get better. Why hadn’t she really listened?
“Nine times out of ten, a teenager shows up after causing a bit of worry,” the dispatcher told her, but the words were far from comforting. What about the tenth time? Where could Jess possibly be? “We’ll send two police officers over to your house. Just in case.”
Ellie had only just ended the call when Matthew burst through the front door. “Is she home?” he asked, the words torn from him, and Ellie shook her head miserably.
Ava, Josh, and Ben, all three of them now sensing the severity of the situation, clustered around nervously, Ava tugging on Ellie’s sleeve, Josh leaning into her, and Ben scowling.
Matthew raked a hand through his hair. “Where could she be?” he wondered out loud, just as Ellie had.
Where would Jess possibly go? How would she get there? What if, Ellie wondered with a clutch of fear, her little girl was wandering the streets of a city somewhere—Abergavenny or Cardiff, or even London, adrift and alone as darkness fell? The thought was utterly terrifying. Jess didn’t have any real street sense. She was a suburban, and now a village, kid. She’d never even taken a train on her own, or a bus, without Ben. She’d never gone on her own anywhere before, so where would she go now, in a country that was still so unfamiliar to her?
A sudden thought slammed into Ellie, leaving her breathless. “Matthew,” she said, “do you think… do you think Jess would try to go…” Home.
Before she’d said it, Matthew’s eyes had widened in understanding.
“Back to America?” he ventured.
As Ellie and Matthew stared at each in growing fear, the lights of a police car washed the room in blue.
CHAPTER 34
GWEN
“Mum?”
Gwen’s eyes fluttered open, and groggily she tried straighten in her hospital bed at the sight of Sarah, looking uncharacteristically and rather endearingly uncertain.
“Sarah,” she said, her voice warm as she blinked the sleep from her eyes. “I’m so glad you’ve come. I was meaning to ring you last night, but unfortunately events overtook me.” Gwen smiled wryly, but her daughter didn’t return it. Sarah looked completely miserable as she perched on the chair next to Gwen’s bed.
“I should have been the one to ring. And I should have come earlier. Matt texted me last night…”
“It’s all right, Sarah,” Gwen told her gently. “I know you’ve been angry with me, and you’re right to be. I never should have said what I did yesterday. I’m so sorry. Please believe me, that I never meant to hurt you.”
“It’s not that.” Sarah’s eyes filled with tears and surprised by this uncharacteristic display of emotion, Gwen reached for her hand. “I mean, it is, I suppose, in a way, but I’m not angry. I was just… hurt.” She confessed the emotion in a shuddering breath; Gwen knew how hard it had to be for her.
“I’m so sorry I hurt you,” Gwen said quietly. “I shouldn’t have—”
“But that’s the thing, Mum,” Sarah interjected. “You should have. The last thing I want to be is hard work to you. I really was trying to help, even if I wasn’t. I’m glad you’ve told me, even if I wasn’t at the time.”
“You’re not hard work—” Gwen protested, and Sarah let out a wobbly laugh.
“I obviously am.” She managed a rueful smile as she freed her hand from Gwen’s to wipe her eyes. “And you know what? I know I am. Deep down, anyway. I know I fuss, and nag, and try to boss everybody around, and I even know it annoys you. But I just feel like I have to do something. Because if I don’t…” She trailed off, biting her lip and shaking her head.
Gwen smiled tenderly at her daughter. “I know,” she said softly. “Sarah, darling, I know.”
“And the truth is… I wanted to seem in control of your treatment because everything else in my life is going a bit pear-shaped. I couldn’t handle anything more going wrong and that was selfish of me, I know.”
The problems Sarah had referenced yesterday, Gwen realized. “Sarah, what’s been going on?” she asked with a frown. “Will you tell me now?”
Sarah sighed unhappily. “Yes, I suppose, although, I didn’t want to say before. I didn’t want to admit anything was going wrong at all. But the truth is, Owen is having trouble in school, and Mairi has fallen out with her friends. Or rather, they’ve fallen out with her. She’s miserable, poor thing. And Nathan…” Sarah paused. “Nathan’s got a new boss who doesn’t like the way he does things. He’s in constant fear of losing his job, and we can’t manage without it, so there’s that stress, as well.”
“Oh, love…” Gwen had suspected something was going on with her daughter, but she hadn’t realized there had been so much. She was glad Sarah was willing to tell her now.
“I didn’t want to burden you with any of it,” Sarah continued, “and the truth is, I didn’t want anyone to know I wasn’t coping perfectly well. You seemed so busy with the bed and breakfast, and with Matt and Ellie…” She let out another shuddery breath. “And frankly, I was jealous.” She ducked her head. “I hate admitting that, but it’s true. I’ve been here all along and you’ve never asked me to help with the B&B.”
Gwen opened her mouth and Sarah held up a hand to stop her shocked protest.
“I know, I know. I never acted as if I wanted to help. I never even acted as if I was interested in it, and I was always so busy. And maybe I didn’t want to help, Mum, I can be honest about that, but I suppose, in a rather childish way, I wanted to be asked, which makes me very contrary, I realize. And ridiculous.”