Still Waters by Linda Kavanagh

Author:Linda Kavanagh [Kavanagh, Linda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781472074775
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2012-08-24T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 39

When Julia didn’t appear in the shop one morning, Fred had an uneasy feeling. Although they barely spoke nowadays, Julia was always punctual and, despite the tension between them, she still took pride in seeing that all the shelves in the shop were fully stocked.

Since they didn’t sleep in the same bedroom any more, Fred always made a point of having an early breakfast and taking a short walk. By the time he returned, Julia would have showered, had her own breakfast and opened the shop. That way, intimacy was avoided and embarrassment and hostility kept to a manageable level.

But this particular morning, the shop was still closed when Fred returned from his walk. He could see the retreating figure of one of his regular customers, and he cursed beneath his breath. What was Julia thinking of? They couldn’t afford to turn away business …

Opening the door with his own keys, Fred surveyed the empty shop. Where on earth was Julia? He had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, but before he could consider the matter any further, two more regulars entered the store and Fred quickly served them. By now, he was very worried. Could Julia have left him? Things had been strained between them for so long that he wouldn’t be surprised.

At the first opportunity, Fred locked the shop’s outer door and headed upstairs to their living quarters, two steps at a time. He might as well know the truth; perhaps she’d left him a letter …

There was no letter on the kitchen worktops or dining-room table, and Fred felt a momentary sense of relief. But now he had to approach the spare room that was now Julia’s fiefdom. The door was closed, and Fred knocked tentatively. He didn’t dare invade the space that Julia now guarded so zealously. But there was no answer, and Fred was filled with a horrible sense of foreboding.

Reluctantly, he opened the door, and immediately knew that Julia was dead.

She still looked as though she was sleeping, but he could see that her skin had taken on a pale and almost translucent sheen. Her heart was no longer beating, and he was stricken as he touched her cold, lifeless body as she lay in eternal sleep. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he thought of all the things he’d longed to say to her, but had avoided, fearing a row. Now it was too late. Oh Julia, dear Julia, he thought, I’ve failed you. You haven’t known a moment’s happiness since Joe left, and you were right to blame me for it. Now I’ll never have a chance to make it up to you. Maybe I’ve killed you by what I did to Joe …

An emotional Fred rang their family doctor, and before long the wheels of officialdom were in motion. Peggy arrived back from school shortly afterwards. Weeks earlier Fred had explained to Peggy and Danny that Julia had moved into the spare room because she was having trouble sleeping, and hadn’t wanted to wake him.

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