Rebecca sat in St Mary’s, listening but not hearing, as Father Aiden delivered his sermon during the funeral service for Paul Maitland. Simon and Jarvis sat beside her, solemn expressions on their young faces. John’s parents, sitting with heads bowed and hands in their laps, were on the other side of the boys. Her own parents sat next to her in the pew.
Three rows in front of them, Lorna Maitland sat with her sons, two boys of a similar age to her own who no longer had a father. Beside Lorna, Paul’s parents sat like statues in dark clothes. The whole scene appeared a little surreal to Rebecca, as she took in the sight of the congregation of silent mourners in the soft glow of light the church’s stained glass windows allowed into the building.
She glanced at the coffin. Although John was
