The Women Who Ran Away - Sheila O'Flanagan Page 0,91

sure that Grace had everything she needed, the receptionist returned to the reception area to bring Deira to her room on the first floor. This was smaller but equally well furnished, although unlike Grace’s, the window overlooked a narrow street behind the hotel.

Deira pottered around the room for a short while before texting Grace to ask if she wanted to meet up and search for the Cervantes statue. She wasn’t sure what the relationship between them was like right now. Grace had been kind at the service station, but Deira knew she still disapproved of the suggestion to stop off at El Pozo de la Señora. Deira hadn’t made up her mind if she wanted to try to get there herself, stay on the treasure hunt with Grace, or leave her here in Alcalá de Henares and go to Madrid for a flight home. She was going to have to face up to Gavin sooner or later. Perhaps sooner was the better option.

Her phone pinged. Grace’s reply was that she was going to have a short siesta and she’d text Deira again later.

Deira was far too restless to even think of a siesta herself, so she went downstairs and walked outside, blinking in the bright sunshine. She strolled along the cypress-lined road without any real destination in mind and eventually ended up in a large park filled with flowering shrubs and trees.

Sitting once again in the shade of a tree, she suddenly had the feeling of being outside of her own body, of looking down at herself and wondering how on earth she’d ended up here, in a place she didn’t know with a person she didn’t know when she should have been in Brittany with the love of her life. How was it that in the space of a few weeks, everything had changed so utterly? And how was it that, having loved and been loved by Gavin Boyer, she now felt nothing but rage towards him, as, she supposed, he also felt towards her?

She took a few photos and sent them to Tillie. Her friend had texted every day asking how things were going, and even when she’d had to tell her about the car, Deira’s replies had been uniformly upbeat. But right now, despite the heat of the sun and the beauty of the park and the fact that she should be feeling fine, her sense of disconnection was huge.

Out-of-the-world place, she added to one of the pictures. I feel as though I’m lucky to be here.

Tillie’s message came back immediately.

Live in the moment. Be in touch with yourself.

Easy to say, thought Deira. Not quite so easy to do.

Her phone buzzed again. This time it was a message from Bex.

Hi, Deira. There’s a bit of an issue at your house. I’ve been out since early this morning but I’ve come back now and Gavin is here.

Have you talked to him?

Yeah. I asked what he was doing and he said he’s taking his stuff.

Is he still there?

Yes.

Are you there too?

I’m outside. I didn’t want to annoy him. Lydia is with me.

I’ll call him. Don’t worry.

Deira took a deep breath, then scrolled to Gavin’s number.

Grace felt remarkably refreshed when she woke from her siesta. She’d fallen asleep almost as soon as she’d stretched out on the bed, and that sleep had again been deep and undisturbed. She appreciated it very much, as so many of her nights had been broken by images of being trapped in the car with Ken as it sank beneath the water. Even when she was awake she still imagined what it had been like for him; if, as the water had poured into the car, he’d changed his mind and been unable to do anything about it. Had he been scared? Or resigned? Had he been thinking about her and what would happen next? Or had he simply been relieved that it was nothing to do with him any more?

Grace had been grateful for the verdict of misadventure when it came. It made her feel better that other people would believe it.

But she had her husband’s laptop and his final email.

And she knew that it wasn’t the truth.

There was no immediate reply to the text she sent Deira asking where they should meet, so Grace wandered towards the Cervantes plaza. As she approached, she saw the younger woman standing in the shade of a tree, engrossed in a phone conversation. She stopped a short distance away to give her some privacy but Deira’s words