‘It’ll be a pleasure. It’s good to see you on your feet again. Harry said you were in a bad way.’
‘All that time in the cold water. I reckon I was bound to go down with something. But Harriet got me home and took wonderful care of me.’
‘She’s a great girl, isn’t she? Sometimes I wonder how she survived after what she’s been through.’
‘Been through?’
‘Losing her husband. Oh, I know she’s not the only widow in the world, but they had a fantastic marriage. Everyone who gets married hopes they’re going to have what those two had. We all envied them. When he died we thought she might die too, she was so crushed. But she came back fighting. I don’t reckon she’ll ever really get over him, though.’
‘But she’s a young woman, with plenty of time to find someone else.’
‘Yes, if she really wants to. But you only get something as good as that once in your life. It wouldn’t surprise me if she stayed single now.’ He drained his glass. ‘Got to be going. Nice to meet you.’
They parted on good terms.
On Friday Darius came in the late afternoon to collect both his guests. Phantom leapt into the back seat of the car as though being chauffeured was no more than his right.
‘Don’t worry, I’ve washed him,’ Harriet said.
Darius grinned over his shoulder at his four-pawed guest, who nuzzled his ear.
‘Wait,’ Harriet said suddenly, bouncing out of the car. ‘I’ll be back.’
He watched as she ran into her home, then out again a moment later, clutching a small black box.
‘My pager,’ she said, settling into the front seat. ‘It has to go with me everywhere in case the lifeboat gets called out.’
‘You’re on call tonight?’
‘Lifeboat volunteers are always on call. The only time that’s not true is if we’re ill, or have to leave the island for some reason. Then we give them notice of the dates and report back as soon as we return. But normally we take the pager everywhere and have to be ready to drop everything.’
‘Everything? You mean … even if … suppose you were …?’
‘At work or in the bath,’ she supplied innocently. ‘Yes, even then.’
That wasn’t quite what he’d meant, and her mischievous look showed that she understood perfectly. For a moment another memory danced between them, when the edges of his robe had fallen open just long enough to be tantalising. By mutual consent they decided to leave it there.
‘What made you want to be a lifeboat volunteer?’ he asked as he started the car.
‘My father. My mother died when I was very young and Dad raised me alone. When he went out on a call I used to love watching the boat go down the slipway into the water. All that spray coming up seemed so thrilling. He was a fisherman and I often went out with him. He taught me to be a sailor and bought me my first boat. My happiest times were spent on the water with him, and it was natural to follow him onto the lifeboats.’
‘A fisherman? You mean herring?’
She laughed, ‘Yes. There have always been shoals of herring in the water around here. Other fish too, but that’s how the island got its name.’
‘You’ve never wanted to leave it behind and move to the mainland?’
She made a face. ‘Never! There’s nowhere better in the world.’
‘You sound very sure? As simple as that?’
‘A s simple as that. It’s the best place on earth, and it always will be; unless something happens to spoil it.’
Darius didn’t need to ask what she meant. He had the power to do the damage she mentioned, and they both knew it. But this wasn’t the right moment.
The drive ran along the shoreline, from where they could see the sun beginning to set.
‘I’d never seen anything like that before I came here,’ he said.
‘Never seen a sunset?’
‘Not like a Herringdean sunset. I haven’t been much by the sea. It’s usually something I see looking down on from a plane.’
‘Stop the car,’ she urged.
He did as she asked and the three of them walked to the edge of the beach and stood watching as the water turned crimson, glittering as tiny waves broke softly. None of them made a sound. There was no need. Harriet glanced at Darius and saw on his face a look akin to the one she’d first seen when they met—absorbed, ecstatic. At last he gave a regretful sigh.
‘We’d better go.’
‘You can see it from the house,’ she reassured him.
‘In a way. But somehow it’s different when you’re out here with it.’
As they walked back to the car he glanced appreciatively at her appearance. Her soft blue dress wasn’t expensive nor glamorous, but neither did it send out the warning he’d sensed from her functional bathing gear. Her light brown shoulder length hair flowed freely in soft waves. She looked relaxed and ready to enjoy herself and he found himself relaxing in turn.
The evening stretched ahead of him, warm and inviting. Another new experience. When had he last whiled away the hours with a friend?
Two friends, he realised, feeling Phantom nuzzle his hand.
‘Just wait until we get home,’ he said. ‘Kate’s got something really special for you.’
‘I’m looking forward to it,’ Harriet declared.
Man and dog stared at her, then at each other. Darius gave a shrug of resignation, and Harriet could almost have sworn that Phantom returned the gesture.
‘You have to explain things carefully to women,’ Darius told him.
Woof!
‘You meant that remark about something special for Phantom?’ Harriet demanded.
‘Who else? Kate’s taken a lot of trouble with his supper. I told her he was the guest of honour.’
Harriet chuckled. ‘I guess you’re learning.’
Kate was waiting at the door, beaming a welcome. For Phantom there was the dog equivalent of a banquet, which he tucked into with due appreciation. Her mind at ease, Harriet left him to it and followed Darius into the large dining room at the back where a table for two had been set up by the French windows. From here the lawn stretched out until it shaded into the stretch of private beach where they had first met.
‘Remember?’ he asked, filling her wine glass.
‘I
