Cock & Bull - Laura Barnard Page 0,62

and turns to me, his jaw set, brow wrinkled. ‘Where are we really going? And why are you acting so weird?’

‘She’s going to help me,’ Geraldine says. ‘Tell him to put his foot down. Time is ticking away.’

Damn ghosts, thinking he can hear them. ‘Look, I can’t explain. Just that we need to get somewhere fast. Can you please just trust me?’ I plead with my eyes.

He squints at me, then sighs. ‘Fine.’

I rattle off the address Geraldine gives me and try to think of how I’m going to do this. Apparently she’s getting ready in the priest’s house next to the church. I look at my watch. Less than forty minutes now thanks to Clooney’s dawdling.

We finally arrive ten minutes later. Just thirty minutes to persuade a complete stranger to trust me.

‘You just stay here. I’ll be back soon.’

He sighs and shrugs, resigned to my mystery.

I hop out and head to the priest’s house next door to the gorgeous old-stone Catholic church. I ring the doorbell of the white cottage and wait, hopping from foot to foot. I just hope she’s with an understanding friend who will let the random stranger talk to her.

A bridesmaid in a flouncy purple dress opens the door. She looks me up and down.

‘Yes?’

‘Oh, hi. I’m here to see Nora.’

She assesses me carefully, crossing her arms over her chest. ‘You’re the English girl. Why do you want to see our Nora?’

I can hear squeals from several girls inside, obviously the bridesmaids enjoying the bubbly.

‘Its…’ I swallow down the panic. ‘It’s kind of a long story. But she’ll want to meet with me.’

I hope by being confident she’ll let me in.

She looks me up and down disapprovingly again. ‘Wait here.’ She shuts the door in my face. Well, she’s friendly, not.

‘Josephine has always been suspicious.’

I check my phone. Minutes tick by. This is torture.

The door is eventually opened back up by Josephine who seems no friendlier.

‘She says she doesn’t know you and so obviously doesn’t want to meet you just before her wedding.’

‘But can you please tell her it’s really important?’ I plead with a desperate smile.

‘Look.’ She leans closer into my personal space. ‘I know you caused that huge scene at Eamon’s funeral. I don’t know if you’re mental or what, but you need to leave. There is no way I’m letting you see Nora.’

She slams the door in my face, barely missing crushing my nose.

‘Well, that was rude.’ Not that I don’t understand. I wouldn’t let a mad woman in to see Ella before she got married.

‘You have to try again,’ Geraldine insists, and I can hear the desperation in her voice.

I scoff a laugh. ‘Are you crazy? She’s not letting me anywhere near her.’ I feel bad, but there’s nothing I can do.

‘Well, then you’ll just have to go sit in the church and get to her that way.’

‘Interrupt the wedding? Are you bloody serious?’ Disbelief colours my tone.

‘I’m very serious, young lady. I want my daughter to read this letter before she gets married and I’m not crossing over until she has.’

I cross my arms over my chest. ‘What are you going to do?’

‘I’ll haunt you for the rest of your life. And I have a few ghost friends that’ll gladly come join me. The days are long when you’re dead. We’ve all got nothing better to do than sing Celine Dion at the top of our lungs until sunrise.’

I can’t cope with that idea.

Oh my god. I clutch at my forehead. I notice Clooney staring at me from his car. God I hope he hasn’t seen me talking to myself. I do a quick wave to reassure him.

I decide to walk back to the car and try to explain away some of the crazy.

‘It actually turns out that she’s invited me to the wedding.’ I hate lying, especially to him, but it’s the only way.

‘Seriously?’ he asks, head tilted to the side. ‘I mean, I’d heard she’d invited the whole town, but I didn’t think she knew you.’

‘Oh, she doesn’t, not yet.’

Chapter Thirty-Two

‘So if she doesn’t know you why on earth would she invite you to her wedding?’

‘Err…’ he has a valid point. ‘I was just here to wish her well and Josephine insisted.’

‘Josephine?’ he stares back at me, eyebrows raised. ‘And you made me drive you all the way here just to you could wish her, a stranger, well?’

‘Yes.’ I nod. ‘I’m trying to make new friends.’

‘Okay…’. He looks stares at me, but then seems to give up trying