“I can do it. I’m used to an audience,” Mimi offered.
Evelyn shook her head. “He was my soulmate, not yours,” she said firmly and took her place at the front. She looked around the room timidly, but her voice came out surprisingly strong.
“The thing about being part of a family is...” she started, touching the lettering on her sweater. “Their happiness is your happiness, and their pain is your pain. They’re there to celebrate with you when things go right, and to lift you up when they go wrong. I know that Bertrand wouldn’t want my sadness to be contagious because, although our time together was short, it was also very happy.”
Evelyn paused to gather more strength. “This day should have been a happy occasion for Tom and Carla, and I thank them for the beautiful space they’ve given me to say goodbye to the love of my life.”
Carla turned and briefly met Tom’s eyes. He gave her a half smile then looked down at his hands. She caught sight of Aaron watching them both.
Evelyn continued, “I think Bertrand would like us all to eat and drink together, to talk about the weather, and wool, and our favorite books. He’d like this to be a goodbye but also a hello, to friends and family we haven’t seen for a while, or who we haven’t yet met.” She smiled at Bertrand’s cousins.
Her voice faltered and she wiped away a tear, stepping to the side as if to sit down. But then she changed her mind and looked out at the gathering, her voice growing louder. “There’s something else that it’s very important for you to know and I’d like to invite Carla up here to share it with you.”
Carla froze at the sound of her name and she pressed her hand to her chest. Me? she mouthed.
Evelyn nodded. “For decades, there’s been conjecture about a curse running through our family,” she explained. “I’m sure there’s talk of it here today, and it’s time we all listened to the true story.”
Carla stood up and her legs felt spongy as she made her way to the front. She felt like invisible dry ice was puffing around her, reminding her of the first time she’d met Adam, and it made her want to choke.
Evelyn bent her head to whisper in Carla’s ear. “Lucinda told me all about Agatha and Lars. I don’t want to become a sad footnote in our family history, like Agatha, and I don’t want anyone else to be afraid. Our family is gathered here and it’s a chance for them all to listen and learn.”
Evelyn sat back down and Mimi proudly squeezed her hand.
When Carla faced all her relatives, the inside of her mouth dried. “I’m here to tell you that there is proof that a curse existed in our family...” she said into the microphone.
A crescendo of whispers and mutters immediately rose from the mourners.
Carla lifted a hand to quell them. “The story I’m about to tell you isn’t rumor or gossip. It’s the truth, and it’s important we change our narrative, to give us and the ones we care about a better chance of accepting each other.”
She proceeded to share the account Myrtle had given her, about how two young people had fallen in love one hundred years ago and battled against the odds to be together. A young woman called Agatha Vries had outsmarted a curse and lived a long and happy life with the man she loved. And wasn’t that something to celebrate and inspire, rather than to fear?
Carla hoped the story would spread like ripples from a pebble thrown into a lake. She looked toward Aaron, who wore a proud expression, and she noted that Tom’s face was still with understanding.
“Oh,” Carla added before she sat down. “Tom and I will be donating any wedding gifts you’ve given us to Bertrand’s favorite charity, for rehoming neglected cats. We thank you for your generosity.”
The funeral officiant’s eyes were wide with bemusement when he took over from Carla on the microphone. He read a few scripted words about Bertrand, and everyone joined in a prayer and sang one of his favorite songs, “Yellow Submarine.”
After the service, everyone filed outside to head across the road to the community hall that Carla and Tom had booked for their reception. She noticed some of her relatives walking briskly around the surrounding streets, no doubt to shake off any spirits that might try to follow them.
She stood in front of the hall for a moment, taking deep breaths and thinking that she should now be Mrs. Carla Taylor, and how this should have been the happiest day of her life. Instead, she felt blank and detached. It was windy and she watched as the trees swayed, casting off pale pink blossoms so they danced in the air like confetti. People around her wore black instead of bright colors and pastels. Perhaps it was fate that this would happen, all along. Her travels and search for the mystery man couldn’t have influenced this situation. All her thoughts were foggy and she was too tired to pick them apart right now.
“Carla.” She heard a man’s voice from behind her.
She turned around to see Aaron approaching. “Oh, hi,” she said.
“I hope you don’t mind me coming along. I know I’m not part of your family any longer, but I kind of got attached to them again at your gran’s place and one of your cousins invited me. Your speech was really emotional, got me here,” he said, thumping his chest.
She smiled at his generosity. “I’m glad you came.”
“I should go, won’t outstay my welcome by sticking around for food...”
“You’re more than welcome. Honestly.” Carla looked over his shoulder and saw Diego and Babs approaching. Her heart skipped a beat and she raised her hand in a tentative wave.
Aaron followed her gaze and stepped to one side.
It was odd to see Diego wearing a formal dark suit rather than the light clothes he wore in Spain. Carla longed to embrace her dad but, out of respect for Babs, she hung back.
Babs’s shoulders were arched in her shiny black coat, her eyes swollen and pink. Diego stood beside her, his back stiff and face weatherworn.
Carla felt like pinching herself. This man was her dad. There were so many things she needed to know about him, and so many things for him to learn about her. But right now, she was concerned about Babs and the fallout of the bombshell revelation. She had no idea what to say, not knowing the outcome of Babs and Diego’s conversations on the subject. The fact they were here together today looked positive. “Um, hi,” she said, still hanging back. “Thanks for coming.”
“We’re sorry about your aunt’s friend, and about your wedding,” Diego said softly.
Babs wouldn’t meet Carla’s eyes. Her movements were twitchy and she touched her bag and her coat lapels. She unfastened a button and fastened it again. “It’s a windy day for a wedding anyway.” She tutted. “Might have blown your tiara off.”
“I wouldn’t want anyone to be hit by a flying headpiece,” Carla agreed.
“It brings to mind that baddie in the James Bond films, with the deadly bowler hat. What was his name?” Babs turned to Diego, who looked baffled by this turn of conversation.
“Oddjob,” Aaron chipped in.
Babs flapped a hand. “Yes. That’s him.” Her lips then pinched and she fixed her eyes back on Carla. “I’ll just be straight with you, petal, it’s better that way. I don’t blame you for any of this pickle. It’s Suzy I’m furious at.”
Diego opened his mouth. “Barbara, I have tried to—”
She silenced him by holding up her palm. “We were best friends. We talked about everything, but she kept all this from me.” She looked him straight in the eye. “Suzy didn’t tell me about you, or Carla. One moment we were having a great time on holiday, then she left and I barely heard from her until she had cancer...” Babs exhaled and shook her head.
Carla waited until she’d run out of steam. “I can’t speak on Mum’s behalf, but I’m sure she did what she thought was best at the time. The decisions she made must have been difficult for her. I think she loved you very much.”
