Page 126 of Valour

She laughed, her eyes filling with tears, and he picked her up, racing for the seclusion of the cliffs.

A voice floated on the wind. “Turn around, Charlotte, my dear.”

She peeked over Arnold’s shoulder, her heart hammering fast. She could have sworn she’d heard Ernie’s voice.

On the horizon was a tiny dot.

She gripped Arnold, hardly daring to believe it.

“Wait! Put me down. Call the crews, Arnold. Call them at once.”

Arnold set her down, frowning, then turned to look out to sea. “It cannot be. No. Not now! Why now?!”

Charlotte dropped his hand and ran for the hut, laughing wildly. “They have come for us!”

She flung herself through the canvas tunnel. “Get out here! Come quickly!”

She crawled back out, the wind whipping her pale hair. No one emerged from the hut. She called, “Hurry!” What were they all waiting for?

“This had better be good,” Fliss said, poking her head out of the canvas.

“Oh, it is good. It’s—oh, I can hardly believe it!”

The dot on the horizon was growing larger and larger with every passing minute.

Fliss grabbed Charlotte by the hands when she realised, and the two spun around, laughing. Charlotte broke apart from Fliss, grasping Arnold by the face. Tears welled in his eyes. She stood on her toes and kissed him. The poor man was obviously overcome with emotion at the sight of the rescue party.

“What’s all the fuss about?” Betty asked.

“Look!” Charlotte pointed, and soon there were shouts and cheers and the whole crew were standing on the rocks, waving as the steamship approached. Charlotte could see a figure jumping up and down on the deck, waving.

Arnold stooped over her from behind, wrapping his arms around her waist, kissing the top of her head. “We’re going home. And I am going to marry you so hard.”

Charlotte could only laugh at that.

Hester was screaming herself hoarse on the deck of the Yelcho. The multicoloured flags strung between the boat’s chimneys flapped in the wind against the grey sky, and her heart rose at the sight of the crowd of men and women gathered on the rocks along the shore of Elephant Island. Sparks snapped in the air around her as her magic leapt forth, spilling out just as surely as her love for her friends.

“We did it! And look, they’re all there. I can count them all,” she said, her cheeks hurting from the grin that threatened to split her face, gold tooth flashing.

She raced to the tender that was being dropped to the water and was the first onto the ladder to board it. “Fliss! I’m coming!” She could not wait to see them, to hug them, to tell them of their adventure and to hear how they were.

Within half an hour, the little tender landed on the beach. Hester leapt from it and dashed for Fliss, tears streaming down her face. She jumped on her greatest friend, kissing her face all over. The dogs crowded round, Snowball howling her joy.

“Are you all well?” Hester asked, her eyes searching for Charlotte.

“We are all well, Captain,” Charlotte said, a tear rolling down her cheek. “We are all well.”

40

IN WHICH THERE IS A HAPPY DAY AND A ROGUE

3rd November 1916, Havenport, Great Britain

The day had finally arrived.

Charlotte sat up in bed in Amery House, her heart aflutter and cheeks already aching from smiling. The morning sunlight spilled through the gaps in the curtains, and Marjorie stretched out, avoiding Satan, who was curled up on his very own pillow at the foot of the bed.

Oh, the bed. It was marvellous to have such luxury again after two years of hardship. Charlotte would never again complain about…well, anything at all.