Cilla’s hands fussed with the handlebars. Never in her life had she disliked herself, but now she saw so many flaws, so many mistakes. And she didn’t know what to do about it.
Lachlan stopped his bicycle and pointed down and to theright. The road ran alongside a short cliff overlooking Brough Pier in a little bay dotted with a handful of boats. “Come see.”
Cilla pushed her bicycle closer. Down on the rocky, kelp-strewn beach lay dozens of grey seals and their little white pups.
“Oh, they’re darling. Look at them.”
“Anyone you know?” A smile wriggled in the corner of his mouth.
Cilla laughed and pointed around the beach. “My aunt, my nephew, my second cousin once removed. Good day, my friends! I’d join you, but this cruel man stole my sealskin.”
A pensive look replaced his smile. “And if I hadnae done?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” Her chest deflated, and she resumed pedaling. She’d told him the story many times, but this time felt different. “I planned to take the train to Tante Margriet’s house, but my papers were so badly forged, I might have been caught along the way.”
Cilla shuddered. What if she’d been captured in a railway station with dozens of witnesses? What if the press had reported it? “I’m glad you were the one to capture me, not someone else.”
Lachlan grunted, his face impassive.
A frustrated rumble released from her throat. “A fine reward you received for saving my life, yes? Being trapped in a position you hate.”
“Dinnae fash yourself.”
“Pardon?”
He tilted his head to the side. “It means, ‘Don’t fuss, don’t worry.’ As I said, I’ll make peace with it. If we can convince Yardley to focus more on salvage operations than on ship movements, I’ll make peace even faster.”
The road climbed the uninhabited knob of Dunnet Head, without a soul in shouting range. “Imogene’s reports from the station should help too—sightings of German aircraft and U-boats. All easily verified from German records.”
“Aye. I didnae want you mentioning radio direction finding at first, but it’s no longer censored. The Germans know we have it, and we’re not telling them how it works, only that it does indeed work.”
“That’s good, yes? They’ll know they can’t come here without being detected.”
“Aye.” But his lower lip pushed out. “On the other hand, the Luftwaffe has bombed and strafed some of our RDF stations—and some of our lighthouses. These reports might endanger Dunnet Head.”
Cilla’s breath came harder as they climbed. “They already know a military facility is here—they warned me about it.”
The road curved. “I hope Yardley lets you report on Free Caledonia.”
“Your brother certainly likes to talk about it.”
“Because he knows I hate it.” A growl rippled his voice.
“Is that why you’re at odds? Or have you never gotten on?”
Lachlan guided his bicycle up the rise. “We were very close as boys.”
“But when he went to prison—”
“No, before that.” He stopped and straddled his bicycle, and a troubled look overtook his face. “When we were cadets at the Royal Naval College. I was seventeen. Neil was fifteen.”
“Oh?” Something about the moment felt hushed and sacred, and she let her feet touch the road to ground her.
Lachlan’s chest expanded, and he gazed down a narrow loch, ringed by prickly gorse bushes, their golden flowers long gone. “Neil began sneaking out at night to drink. He appealed to my loyalty and asked me to cover for him. I did. Over and over, I did. Then one night, he got drunk, stole a motorcar, crashed into a cottage, and fled. They arrested a local lad, and Neil had no intention of confessing. I couldnae let an innocent lad be punished for my brother’s sins. So I told the police. The college expelled Neil.”
“Oh no. What a difficult decision that must have been.”
“Aye. I have a duty to family, but a far higher duty to the truth, to the greater good. No one should have to choose between them.”
