nice cup of tea and eating her delicious biscuits.
‘I see Daisy is becoming a bit of a local celebrity,’ said Beryl admiringly. ‘Her animal drawings are very popular.’
‘Daisy’s thrilled. She works well at the farm, with all that light and the lovely views.’
‘I went to visit Rosie Price on Saturday at her nursing home. That’s got lovely views too.’
‘Rosie’s in a nursing home?’ said Marigold in surprise.
Rosie was an old schoolfriend of both hers and Beryl’s.
‘I did tell you, Marigold, but you’ve forgotten. It doesn’t matter. She’s got Alzheimer’s. Very sad. She doesn’t remember anything anymore. She only just remembered me and that’s because I’m a very old friend.’ Marigold went cold. ‘It’s a perfectly adequate place, as nice as it can be, I suppose,’ Beryl continued. ‘Must have been a big old private house once. Not far from here, with a view of the sea. It has one of those commonplace names like Seaside Manor or Seaview House. The poor thing was just sitting there in the big sitting room when I arrived. My heart went out to her. I reminded her who I was and she did remember. Her face lit up. She was pleased to see me. We reminisced. She was surprisingly lucid about her childhood. She remembered all her dogs’ names. Imagine that? We talked about our old schooldays and she was as sharp as a tack.’
‘And her children? Does she remember them?’ Marigold asked anxiously.
‘I’m told she gets confused. Because she exists in her youth she thinks they’re her uncles and aunts. She probably can’t imagine she has children at all. She talks about her parents, who died years ago, and complains about the place she’s in and asks to be taken home. Home for her is not with her husband Ian, but with her parents, and that house where she grew up no longer exists. I was told, very specifically, by her eldest son Julian, that I wasn’t to contradict her or ask her any questions. It was a lot harder than you’d think. As long as I stuck to those rules she would remain calm and not get upset. Julian, who was there, was wonderful with her. When she said she wanted to go home he told her that they were going to have a nice lunch, take the dogs for a walk, and then they were going to go home. She was very happy to hear that. Of course, a few minutes later she had forgotten they’d even had the conversation. The trick is to make her present moment as contented as possible, because that’s really all she has.’
‘So, she won’t have any recollection of you having been?’ said Marigold.
‘No. Julian told me, as we were leaving, that if I were to walk back in again, she’d greet me as she had done when I arrived. She wouldn’t remember I’d been there only minutes before. It’s extraordinary. Lots of people get it, you know.’ Beryl sighed heavily.
Marigold shrugged. ‘We all have to go somehow,’ she said.
‘I’d like to go in my sleep,’ said Beryl.
‘Me too,’ said Marigold. ‘Just drift away, like a cloud.’
Chapter 11
A few days later Daisy plucked up the courage to tell her mother that she needed to see a doctor. It was a cold, grey morning but the daffodils gave it the colour it lacked and shone brightly through the drizzle. Marigold was out feeding her birds, talking to the robin and enjoying with the wonder of a child the sight of her feathered friends gathering in her garden.
Daisy crossed the lawn. ‘They know it’s breakfast, don’t they?’ she said.
‘They do. Although they don’t get through it as quickly as they do in the winter months. I’ll stop feeding them soon. I just want to see them through until they’ve had their young.’
Daisy thought how happy her mother was here in the garden. It was probably her happiest place, and now Daisy was going to disturb it.
‘Mum, I wonder whether you should see a doctor.’ Daisy held her breath.
‘A doctor?’ Marigold hung the feeder on the branch. ‘Why?’ But she knew and her cheeks flushed. She thought she had managed to dupe them all.
‘You’ve just been a bit forgetful lately. I’m sure it’s nothing, but I’d feel happier if you had a check-up. Everyone should have them at your age. An MOT. You know. Maintenance.’
Marigold inhaled through her nostrils, wondering how much she was going to share. ‘I’ve already been,’ she confessed, putting her hands in her coat pockets