Eva and the Hidden Diary by Judi Curtin Page B

hospital, and Daisy would never have been packed off tolive in America.’
    Georgina didn’t answer. I could see her eyes becoming moist, and a small tear slipped down her cheek.
    ‘I know,’ she said. ‘I know. What my grandfather did was very, very wrong.’
    Suddenly my anger faded away. None of this was Georgina’s fault, and it was brave of her to come here and tell her story.
    Mum patted Georgina, like she was a little puppy. Georgina didn’t seem to mind.
    ‘So what happens next?’ I asked. ‘Are you going to tell your story to the police? And if you do, do you think they’ll believe you? It’s not like you have any evidence or anything. They might just think you’re a crazy attention-seeking old lady.’
    Now Georgina smiled. ‘There’s one important thing I didn’t tell you yet. In his final days, my grandfather was even more agitated than before. The doctors said he should rest, but he couldn’tlie still. He begged me to bring him paper and a pen. He wrote a statement, describing everything that I’ve just told you.’
    ‘He wanted to make the wrong right,’ breathed Kate.
    ‘That was twenty years ago,’ I said. ‘What happened to the statement?’
    ‘My grandfather gave it to me with very strict instructions,’ said  Georgina.
    ‘Which were?’ I asked.
    ‘He made me promise to wait until he and Henry were dead, and then I should hand the statement to the police.’
    ‘So why didn’t the police do anything?’ I asked. ‘They can’t just ignore stuff like that, can they?’
    Georgina sighed. ‘Henry is still alive. He became too difficult for George to manage, so he went to live in a veterans’ hospital in England. His mind has gone now, but he is comfortable and well-cared for. He could live for many moreyears yet.’
    ‘But that means …’ I began, but Georgina put up her hand to stop me.
    ‘For the past number of years, I’ve complied with my grandfather’s final wishes. I felt it was the correct thing to do. And I had made a promise of course, and no one likes to break a promise.’
    ‘But……’ said Kate, but Georgina kept talking.
    ‘My grandfather never mentioned the existence of a daughter, you see, and I knew that Jean-Marc and his wife had died. I didn’t see the sense in stirring up old ghosts. I didn’t see how breaking my promise would help anyone.’
    ‘But then Kate and I showed up,’ I said.
    ‘And told you about Daisy,’ said Kate.
    ‘Exactly,’ said Georgina. ‘After speaking to you the other day, I knew that what my grandfather had asked me to do was wrong. I knew I had to act immediately.’
    By now Kate and I were practically jumping up and down on our chairs.
    ‘So what did you do?’ I asked.
    Mum gave me another look, but I could tell she wasn’t really cross. I could tell that she was dying to hear what happened too.
    ‘Yesterday, I took George’s statement to the main police station in town,’ said Georgina. ‘They are taking it very seriously indeed. I expect that they have already set the wheels in motion. I’m hoping that the serious wrong my grandfather did to that poor family can somehow be put right.’
    My head was full of questions, but before I could ask any of them, Georgina stood up.
    ‘I think I’ve taken up enough of your time,’ she said. ‘Thank you so much for the tea. It was very nice.’
    She shook hands with everyone, and then she walked out of the room. A minute later we heard her car drive away.
    Kate jumped up and hugged me.
    ‘We did it, Eva,’ she squealed. ‘We really and truly did it.’

Chapter Fourteen
    W hen Dad and Joey came back from their fishing trip that evening, Mum and I told them the whole story.
    Dad hugged me. ‘You clever girl,’ he said.
    ‘You’re amazing, Eva!’ said Joey.
    It didn’t seem right to argue with them.
    ‘What’s going to happen to Henry Eades now?’ I asked. ‘It’s looking like he’s the one who stole the chalice. Is he going to get into trouble for