Secrets in the Snow - Emma Heatherington Page 0,32
Murphy unexpectedly walks in through the door.
‘Aidan?’ I say, unable to hide the surprise in my voice at his unannounced visit, but the two oversized bags he is carrying explains why he is here.
The bags contain the clothes Mabel was referring to in her message, of course – the clothes she wanted to pass on to the shop and the promise of a keepsake for both of us, as she said, lies within them.
My tender heart leaps at the thought of going through her most personal belongings, and I’m not sure if I’m prepared to deal with this so soon, and by the look on Aidan’s tired face in front of me, I’m not sure if he is either.
11.
‘Good morning Roisin,’ says Aidan, and I catch Camille swoon a little at the sight of him. ‘I was just passing, so I thought I’d drop these in. You don’t have to go through them now of course, but I found them in Mabel’s wardrobe and I’m thinking it’s another job done before I leave for New York.’
I swallow hard and stare at the bags in Aidan’s hands with mixed emotions.
As nervous as I am about seeing her belongings, I know Mabel will be smiling down on me right now, knowing that behind all the sentimentality involved today, there’s nothing more I love than a new delivery to the shop. She used to compare me to a magpie, as I am always thinking of how everything can be reused instead of just sent to the scrapheap. She’d encourage me and admire my taste for being able to spot the eternal beauty in a special dress, a hat, or a pair of shoes that could be brought back to life.
Jude, on the other hand, hated me wearing anything second-hand. He turned his nose up at the thought of wearing the same outfit twice, never mind rummaging for a gem in a vintage shop, and he’d have freaked out if he’d ever known how I used to spend hours in my favourite little streets in Dublin, piecing outfits together from next to nothing, and saving a fortune into the bargain. It was my secret hobby. It was a true passion. It was the real me that I was never allowed to show.
‘Thanks, Aidan,’ I say to him, trying to remain business-like and not let my emotions show. ‘This is Camille by the way. She’s the owner and brains behind Truly Vintage. Camille, this is Aidan Murphy, Mabel’s nephew. He’s – he’s been sorting out Mabel’s things.’
‘Nice to meet you properly, Aidan,’ says Camille, shaking his hand, all bangles and rattling jewellery as she does so. ‘I hope the jacket did the trick yesterday?’
‘It did, yes, thanks. I was lucky you open a while on Sundays,’ he says, changing the subject immediately by indicating the two huge bags in each of his hands. ‘So, these bags were carefully labelled by the lady herself to come here if you don’t mind? Just let me know where to put them and I’ll leave you both to get on with your day.’
‘No, no!’ says Camille, taking a last sip of her coffee and clearing away her coffee cup. ‘You don’t have to race away. I know this is hugely emotional for you, so please don’t feel you have to rush off.’
‘It’s fine,’ we both say in unison.
‘Honestly, it really is fine,’ adds Aidan, for good measure.
‘But it’s such a personal thing to do,’ insists Camille, looking from me to Aidan and back to me again. ‘Believe me, I cried my heart out when I finally cleared out my parents’ home after my dear papa died. It can feel like the end of the world, so Roisin, why don’t you take Aidan upstairs and go through what you think we can make use of, and I’ll man the fort down here? Take your time. Take all the time in the world, and I promise not to disturb you till you’re done, unless you need coffee.’
I shoot her a look to say I appreciate the gesture, but I don’t want to force Aidan down a path he is uncomfortable with.
‘I suppose it shouldn’t take very long, should it?’ he asks me, taking me very much by surprise. ‘She did say there’s a keepsake somewhere in here for both of us, so I guess I should probably find that before I go.’
‘OK then, let’s get it over with,’ I say to him, delighted that he’s finally taking Mabel’s instructions seriously.