She was usually quick on her feet, but in that moment, she couldn’t formulate an answer.
“None of us can go back in time,” he told her.
“That’s true, obviously,” she replied. “But maybe that’s not what this is about. Maybe I just want to travel somewhere and see some of that beauty you talked about. I’d love to get a look at those horses. Maybe there’s something drawing me there because it might be a game changer for my career.”
He paused a moment, then sounded pensive. “If it’s beauty you’re looking for, Sable Island is the place to find it.”
Joanna felt a fresh flush of energy and sat forward. “Then let’s go! If nothing else, it’ll be an adventure, and something you’d be doing forme. I don’t know why, but I have a feeling this is where I need to go. Who knows where it might lead me professionally? And you’ve always been my biggest supporter.”
Finally, he exhaled in defeat. “You drive a hard bargain. Fine. Let’s go and see where it takes us.”
Joanna smiled as she opened the phone book to ring a travel agent.
“Suddenly my life feels full of suspense,” she said.
“Mine too,” her grandfather replied. “But I still think I’m too old for this.”
“Oh, tosh. You’ll be grand.”
Chapter 35
It was a six-hour direct flight from London to Halifax, after which Joanna and her grandfather deplaned, collected their luggage at the carousel, and took a taxi into the city, where she’d made reservations at a luxury hotel on the historic Halifax waterfront. After they checked in, they spent an hour in their separate adjoining rooms to relax and freshen up before dining at the Five Fishermen, a seafood restaurant that came highly recommended by the hotel manager. Then they returned to the hotel and collapsed for the night.
Fortunately, the change in time zones granted them four extra hours, so they woke early, feeling refreshed and energetic. The weather was fine—sunny with a pleasant breeze off the water—and they spent the morning exploring the downtown sector and the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, where they immersed themselves for three hours in the world of seafaring. They learned about the sinking of theTitanicand the Halifax Explosion, but it was the Sable Island displays that captured their interest.
“I can’t believe what I’m seeing,” Oliver said, walking purposefully toward a wooden white-painted service boat. Joanna hurried to keep up with him.
He climbed steps to a viewing platform. “This is exactly what they used to rescue us,” he said, awestruck. “This might even be the very same boat. I can’t believe it survived all these years.”
Joanna climbed the steps and stood beside him. “It’s just like I imagined it.”
Later, when they exited the museum, it was time for lunch, so they ate at a pub called The Lower Deck, where they ordered two bowls of seafood chowder with crusty bread, paired with a local craft beer.
Sated and full to bursting from the meal, they boarded a tour boat that took them past the Canadian naval base to the site of the Halifax Explosion, where two ships had collided during the First World War. Then they cruised toward Point Pleasant Park and rounded the point into the Northwest Arm, where they learned about the Atlantic School of Theology and the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron.
At the end of a full day on the Halifax peninsula, they returned to the hotel for dinner and to pack for their trip to Sable Island the following morning.
That night, Joanna dreamed of wild horses.
The following morning at breakfast, Joanna dug in to her fruit-and-yogurt plate. “How are you feeling about this?”
Grandad sipped his coffee. “I’m not sure.”
“You were quiet at dinner last night,” she said tentatively. “Do you regret coming?”
He poked at his omelet. “The museum yesterday brought back some memories. Not all of them are good. I didn’t sleep well.”
She reached across the table and covered his hand with hers. “I saw how it affected you, especially the service boat. You must have some PTSD from that, and from hitting the mine. Did you ever get counseling?”
He shook his head. “It wasn’t common in those days. Emma was the only person I ever talked to about it. I suppose she was the closest thing I had to a therapist.” He leaned back in his chair. “But no, I don’t regret coming. I’m looking forward to seeing Sable Island again.Sometimes it feels like it was just a dream.” He sat forward and sliced into his omelet. “I hope we’ll see some horses. That would be nice.”
Joanna watched him take the first bite and hoped she hadn’t pressured him too heavily about accompanying her on this journey.
A short while later, she checked her watch. “We should probably get going. We don’t want to be late.”
He checked his watch as well. “Good Lord. I’m a navy man. Lateness is not an option.”
They stood up and went to the lobby entrance to summon a cab to the airport.
