Chapter 10 - part ii

[girlyswot]

Patrick looked on, amused, as Nicola set about making ready to sail.  The tired, bemused Nicola-on-land had disappeared and the supremely competent, vividly full of life Nicola-at-sea had taken over.  Once they were out on the water, she came to sit beside him.

'What?'  she grinned at him.

'You, doing your Navy thing,' he teased.

'You, doing your Navy thing, sir!' she responded in kind.

He slipped an arm round her waist and kissed her hair.  With his other hand, he reached into his backpack and extracted a small, battered-looking, leather box.

'Here.  It was my grandmother's ring.  My mama gave it to me last week, "just in case I should need it anytime".  I'd really like you to have it, Nick.'

She opened the box and smiled.  A single, pale-pink diamond sparkled in the reflected light.

'It's beautiful, Patrick.'  He took it from the box and slid it onto her finger.

'Too large,' he said, ruefully.

'Doesn't matter.  I think it's perfect.'

 

It was a perfect day, pottering about the coast, dropping anchor in a secluded bay where they swam, diving from the yacht.  They ate their picnic, washed down with a rather good bottle of wine Patrick had extracted from his father's cellar.

'Who does she belong to?' Patrick asked suddenly.

'Windfall?'  He nodded.  'I… D'you know I hadn't thought about it at all?  Mr West's friend I s'pose.  Gosh, how awful.  What if he wants her back?  Or if he sells her?'  She looked horrified.

'What I thought was, why don't we ask him if we could buy her?'

'But how?'  Nicola sounded excited but not too hopeful.  'She cost thousands and thousands when he bought her.'

'Yes, but she's not worth anything like that now.  She's pretty bashed about.  Anyone who wanted a yacht like this would get something in better condition.  Plus, I bet he'd be happy to do you a favour.'

Nicola chewed her lip.  'He's already done me the most enormous favour.  But Miranda said they were all wildly excited when I got back and they want me to go and stay for a week so's all the business types can meet me and hear all about it.  Maybe I could ask him then.  Patrick?'  She looked at him shyly.  'What are we going to do?'

'Do?'

'Yes.  You know.  I mean, you've got your job on the estate but that's not enough for us both.  And I haven't got a job at all and no clue where to look for one.  And where will we live and how can we afford to get married and all those things,' she ended in a rush, looking down at her toes.

'Oh.  Those things.'

'Why, what other things are there?'

He looked embarrassed.

'Well.  My pa's bound to say it so I'd better know what to tell him.  Nick, you absolutely don't have to, but he'd like it if…  actually I'd quite like it, too… if you'd convert.'

'Convert?  Become a Catholic, you mean?'  He nodded, turning pink.  'Gosh.'  She sat back on her heels and thought for a minute.  'Well, I could.  I mean, there's Grandmother for precedent.  And I did quite see the point of it, that time I came to Mass with you.  Only…'

'Only what?'

She paused, trying to find the words to express her hesitation.  'Only I don't know if I'd be any good at being sure all the time, like you are.  Mostly I don't really know what I think except I know I want to properly think it, not just be told to, if you see what I mean?'

'I think so.  Look, if you'd like, we could go and talk to Father Thomas.  He's better than me at explaining.  I s'pose the one thing you'd have to agree is that if we have children, they'd be Catholics.'

'I don't think I'd mind that.  But, Patrick, what about all that other stuff?'

He took her hand.

'Let's just take it one step at a time.  Who knows what will come up?  Specially once we've told them.'

 

Nicola told her family that evening.  She found her mother before supper.  Mrs Marlow seemed unsurprised but not completely happy.

'It's not Patrick.  Daddy and I both like him, very much.  We just think you're both a bit young.  And do you think now is the best time to be making such big decisions?  When you're still coming back down to earth?'

Nicola bit her lip before she answered.  'I haven't just made this decision in the last two days, Ma.  I've been thinking about it every day for sixteen months.  I don't know anything I want in my future except I'm sure I want Patrick.  More sure than I've ever been about anything.'

'Well, if that's how you feel, darling, congratulations.'  She leant and kissed her daughter.

'I'll write and tell Daddy tomorrow.'

'Yes, darling.  And, I think he'd like it if Patrick wrote as well.'  Nicola nodded and held out her hand, the ring temporarily on her middle finger to keep it safe.  Mrs Marlow smiled, and held it tightly, her eyes shining very brightly.

 

Nicola rose early the next day, filled with a desire for activity.  She dressed quickly and left the house before six o'clock, without knowing quite where she was heading.  She walked briskly, enjoying the coolness of the morning air, watching the changing colours of sky and land.  Eventually she reached the clifftops and sat, gazing out to sea, letting memories flood back.

 

A gull squawked up above, rousing her from her reminiscences.  She looked at her watch and was startled to find it was nearly nine o'clock.  Suddenly realising how hungry she was she jumped to her feet and began to make her way home. 

 

She walked into the kitchen, expecting to find Mrs Bertie beginning on lunch, to find breakfast still very much in evidence and Lawrie showing signs of recently having been crying.

'The Prodigal returns,' remarked Rowan drily.  Ginty shot a daggers look and left the room.  Mrs Marlow was looking harassed.

'Nicky, darling, where have you been?  Come and eat some breakfast.'

Nicola sat obediently and reached for cereal and milk.  'For a walk.  On the clifftops.  Why all the hoo-ha?'

Rowan answered, 'Because, my idiot sister, this one here,' she nodded at Lawrie, 'woke up to find your bed empty and immediately decided you must've run away.'

'Run away?' echoed Nicola.  'Why on earth?  Surely you'd've just thought I'd gone round to Patrick's?'

'All of us except poor, deluded Lawrie here, did think that until Patrick phoned to enquire, ever so politely, whether anything was the matter because he'd been expecting you in the hawk-garden at seven and there'd been no sign.  He thought you'd overslept.  He didn't sound overly concerned when he heard you'd disappeared.'  Nick grinned, wondering what exactly Patrick had said to Rowan or Rowan to Patrick.  'When you chose to make your appearance, we were just deciding whether to phone the police or the coastguards to tell them to look for your body.'

'Muchos grattas,' said Nicola, now munching her way through a piece of cold toast spread with marmalade.

'Why did you go out so early?'  demanded Lawrie.

'Woke up early.  Forgot I'd said I'd go round to Patrick's.  I'd better phone him.'  She looked at her twin, measuringly.  'Want to come out on Windfall later, Lal?  Might as well make use of her while I can.'

Lawrie nodded, wondering if p'raps she'd made rather a fool of herself.  Only she'd been so miserable while Nick was away.  And then finding out she was going again.  Natch she'd still see Nick even if she was married but it wouldn't be the same and it was no good pretending it would be.

'Well, if we're all safe and sound, I have work to be getting on with.'  Rowan made as if to go.

'Give us a lift down to the harbour later?' asked Nicola, hopefully.

'Not me.  I'm behind already.  Ask Ann, why don't you?'

'Ann?  You can drive?'  Ann blushed and replied that she'd thought she might as well learn and that she'd give the twins a lift so long as they were ready by eleven o'clock sharp because she had to be in Colebridge at half-past.