The Secrets We Share by Emma Hannigan

Author:Emma Hannigan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HeadlinePublisher
Published: 2015-03-03T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

Clara had known she was taking a gamble leaving those letters on view in the sewing room. She was banking on Nathalie being as curious as she herself would have been in the same circumstances.

The anger and bitterness that had flooded the air as Nathalie stepped into the arrivals area of Dublin airport had been the final push she required.

Clara knew she could easily sit and tell Nathalie her parents’ story, but it wouldn’t come close to reading about it first hand. She was sorry the poor girl was so traumatised by the brutal reality of what had happened to Hannah, but she knew that her incredible example would teach Nathalie more about life than any other means.

As they began to sew Nathalie’s quilt, Clara could already see a change in her granddaughter.

‘Do you think suffering is passed on in a silent genetic thread, Oma?’

‘Ooh, how do you mean, dear?’ Clara asked.

‘Well, Hannah went through hell. I’m guessing you did too … Ava has faced her fair share of heartache and now I’m here attempting to pick up the pieces of my life …’

‘I don’t think that’s genetic, my dear. I think that’s just life. The grass isn’t greener on the other side. Nobody lives a perfect existence without so much as a shred of sadness.’

‘I guess not.’

Clara put on a classical CD and turned the music up. Words were not necessary at times and she knew this was one such occasion. Methodically they placed the cut-out squares in a pattern, swapping and changing them until Nathalie was pleased with the result. Shyly she pulled a vest from beneath a pile of fabric.

‘This was Mackenzie’s. Could we incorporate it somewhere?’

‘Sure,’ Clara said happily. ‘The best quilts have pieces that remind the owner of someone special, or indeed a time that means a lot.’

They cut the vest material and added it to the quilt.

‘By the way,’ Clara said through pursed lips, dotted with pins, ‘the quilt need never be totally finished. There’s always room to add more. So any time you find something pretty, or a scrap that has meaning, add it in. Make a new row and broaden the beauty.’

Nathalie watched like a hawk as Clara showed her the best stitch for linking the squares. The sewing machine was very different to the one she used at home and so it felt alien to her at first, but once she got the hang of how to manoeuvre the fabric, it was deeply satisfying. Lost in her own world, she was thoroughly enjoying the process of quilting.

‘I’m going to take a little trip to Gus’s grave,’ Clara said. ‘I go quite often and it gives me a sense of peace. Would you care to join me?’

‘Er … where is it?’ Nathalie asked.

‘Not far. Out the gate and left, walk for approximately ten minutes and it’s there, overlooking the sea. It’s rather beautiful really. I often wonder why graveyards are built in such wonderful locations. It’s hardly for the occupiers. It must be to keep the minds of the visitors sane.

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