A Finer End

studied her friend. ‘Fiona — there was something else, wasn’t there?’
    ‘I painted the child. Again. But it was different this time. She seemed protected, cradled by the Abbey itself. And,’ Fiona went on, ‘I heard singing. You know what a visual person I am... I don’t hear things, I see them. But this — it’s so frustrating, because I’m not musical, and I can’t describe it. Even worse, I can’t hear it in my head. I just know it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever experienced.’
    ‘But Jack and I — we—’
    ‘I know. Jack told me about your chant. What I don’t understand is how I fit into it — or why you were coming to see me that night.’
    ‘I wish I could remember!’
    ‘Winnie...’ Fiona’s brow creased. ‘I’m sorry about Garnet. I know you were friends.’
    ‘I can see how people might have thought her difficult. She was...’
    ‘Strong in her opinions.’
    ‘Yes. There was something elemental about her. But you and Bram knew her too. I’d forgotten.’
    ‘Garnet was passionate about issues even in those days — but of course it was more fashionable then to be radical. I suppose we should give her credit for remaining true to her convictions, unlike most of us. Bram and I gave up our causes for middle-class comforts.’
    ‘I saw her that afternoon. In the café, but I only know that because I’ve been told it. I feel as though I’ve been robbed...’
    ‘A last memory?’
    Winnie could only nod.
    ‘Let’s try something,’ Fiona suggested briskly. ‘What’s the very last thing that’s clear in your mind before the accident?’
    Winnie felt herself colouring.
    ‘You can skip that part,’ Fiona said, laughing. ‘Did Jack stay the night?’
    ‘I — I don’t know.’
    ‘Did he usually?’
    ‘No. Not at the Vicarage. I thought I had to maintain some sort of propriety. But now... I wouldn’t give a toss.’
    ‘Well, we can ask him. He’ll remember. What about the next morning? Was it rainy or clear?’
    ‘Clear,’ Winnie said instantly, then stared at Fiona in surprise. ‘How did I—’
    ‘What did you do when you got up?’
    ‘Morning prayer. That’s easy.’
    ‘Okay. Then what did you have for breakfast?’ "Ibast and tea.’
    ‘Then you got dressed. Why did you take your bike instead of your car?’
    ‘Because I — because it was a beautiful day.’
    ‘So you got on your bike and started off. It was still cool, and the morning sun felt good. Where did you go?’
    ‘Glastonbury.’ Winnie laughed. ‘This is amazing! I knew that without thinking.’
    ‘From the Vicarage, you’d have come into the roundabout at the bottom of Wearyall Hill. Did you turn to the right, towards the Tor? Or did you continue on into town?’
    ‘I went straight on, into Magdalene Street. The Abbey! I went to the Abbey. I — I — I can’t bloody remember! There’s just a blank after that.’
    ‘Shhh. Don’t force it. We’ve made some progress.’
    Winnie sank back into the pillow. ‘Why would I have gone to the Abbey?’
    ‘Maybe we should back up again. What about the dinner party—’
    Andrew! You know how beastly Andrew was to Jack!’ Winnie felt a cold weight in the pit of her stomach as the scene came flooding back. ‘He’s been behaving so oddly. He hasn’t even been to see me since I got out of intensive care. And when he came before, when I was unconscious, he wouldn’t come in. The nurses told me. He’s changed, Fi.’
    ‘Has he? Or could it be that you’re just seeing things you’ve managed to ignore until now?’
    ‘I — I don’t know. I suppose he’s always been a bit too attached to me, and easily hurt... When our mum and dad died, we went to live with my father’s parents. But they were elderly — my father was a late only child — and they were so overwhelmed by their own grief they had no emotional room for us. I became mother and sister to Andrew. He was so lost.’ How he had clung to her, begging for reassurance when he woke from the nightmares that plagued him for years— ‘How old were you?’
    ‘Thirteen. Andrew was eleven. After that, he was so terrified of losing anything he cared about — I suppose that’s what sparked his interest in the past. It couldn’t be taken from him.’
    ‘You formed a very special bond,’ Fiona mused. ‘And neither of you married.’
    ‘I never thought— We were such good companions, I never felt the need. I didn’t know — I never expected Jack to come into my life.