AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Aleksey was casting off the lines and climbing gingerly into the cockpit. ‘Oh, I intend to teach you many things, grasshopper. What’s wrong?’ Ben had paled.
‘I’ve just thought. Three weeks. This is a…holiday. We’re on a…one of those things we decided we’d never risk again.’
‘As opposed to what we’ve been on since we left home?’
‘No! That was a recce!’
He’d not thought about this before. He sat abruptly. ‘Oh, this isn’t good.’
Ben sat alongside him. Untied from the dock, they started to drift.
Aleksey rose and started the engine, backing them out cautiously.
‘But we’ll be okay, yeah? I mean, it’sourisland.’
‘Our house.’
‘Yeah.’
‘Only three weeks in the Scilly Isles, Ben. That does not sound…ominous.’
‘Don’t say that word!’ They were beyond the harbour entrance now and swells began to hit them.
‘What? Scilly?’
‘No! For God’s sake, don’t becretinouslikehim. I meantominous. Don’t poke anything, Nik. Nothing. It’s three weeks. We can do three weeks in Cornwall without death and destruction. Wecan.’
Aleksey wanted to point out that he’d nearly died within shouting distance of their glass house—or at least arthritic, blind-dog limping distance—but he couldn’t, because the swells had just given him another reason to decide he didn’t need alcohol in his life anymore.
He was too busy vomiting violently over the side.
* * *
Chapter Forty-Three
Aleksey cheered up immensely when, nicely empty and with the boat now turned into the wind and less vomit inducing, Ben produced bottles of cloudy lemonade, homemade on St Mary’s, to revive him. They were powering along easily, but cautiously, because they were crossing the major sea lane from UK waters to the Atlantic. Once or twice, huge super-tankers loomed close, and their thirty-seven footer suddenly didn’t seem so big after all.
Aleksey was fairly sure that it wasn’t the size of the vessel that dictated who had right of way at sea, but speed. So in theory, as he tried to explain to Ben, they should hold their course, being slower. It wasn’t a presumption either of them wanted to test, however, and so they skirted behind these vast ships, slamming up and down unpleasantly in their wake.
After an hour, they’d left the busy lanes behind, and were entirely alone on the vast ocean.
Except, of course, for Light Island, which was ahead, a green jewel still in this endless expanse of blue. Once more, a flash of light flicked from the glass of the lighthouse, and this time it felt like a beacon welcoming them home.
They unloaded everything to the dock. Ben had made an effort with the food supplies to bring only fresh stuff, and most of that healthy. He’d hoped they would make the trip from St Mary’s to Light Island fairly easily, and so had planned on repeating this pleasant outing every other day or so. They’d also bought a few books to pass wet days and batteries and lanterns in case they couldn’t find the generator. If they did discover its location, then diesel was top of the list for the next trip to the shops.
St Mary’s had a number of very good ship’s chandlers, not surprisingly, and Ben had gone into one and bought some tools to do a better job on the roof of the pavilion.
He’d also bought some rope.
Aleksey had not commented on it.
He’d been more focused on some sheets and blankets so they could, as he put it to Ben, ditch sleeping bags and act like civilised men, whilst actually meaningso I can feel your skin against mine while I sleep.
It was almost like coming back to a well-loved friend. The house was denser somehow, even more settled in its little niche amongst the multitude of trees and flowering shrubs. Once more, Aleksey had the strange impression that Guillemot was an old man happily listening to the tales told about his great adventures in the past: when he’d been young and vital. He shook himself lightly as he watched Ben carrying bags from the boat and generally unpacking and making things tidy, doing a bit of cleaning where necessary and arranging the dogs’ mattresses and their new blankets. Finally, he caught him as he passed and squeezed him tight. ‘Shall we take a…picnic…to the lighthouse?’
Ben grabbed his head and shook it slightly, ‘Yesss.’ Then he let go and added slyly, ‘Your present is still in the boat though. You’ll have to wait for it.’ Aleksey chuckled because, for once, Ben wasn’t talking about gifting him the thing he most liked to receive. Ben had bought something which he was keeping well away from prying eyes in the bottom of a very large carrier bag. If it was a sex-toy, which he’d teasingly told Aleksey it was, then his problems with walking wouldn’t be from his leg.
He was intrigued though.
