‘Are you saying that I smell?’ said Ranulph.
She gave him a weak smile. ‘I probably smell too.’
‘You don’t. Now have some rest and I’ll wake you when I get back. We need to eat.’
They found a little beach bar which gave them fresh fish, rice, lentils and salad. It was perfect with a bottleof local beer each. For a short time Cass allowed herself to imagine they were on holiday together. Although all anyone talked about was the hurricane, it was still a lovely spot. Cass thought how magical it would be if they were in a relationship, if Ranulph felt the same way about her as she felt about him. In spite of her anguish, Cass couldn’t help smiling at the thought.
‘Something funny?’ asked Ranulph, although Cass’s smile had been very small.
‘I’m just thinking how odd it is that we, virtual strangers, are together in what would be considered a honeymoon destination in normal circumstances.’ She was pleased with her quick thinking.
Ranulph laughed. ‘I see what you mean. Now, shall we have another beer? Rum punch?’
Cass shook her head. ‘Better not,’ she said.
Privately she didn’t want to find herself needing the loo in the night because of one too many beers. It was going to be very weird sharing a room with Ranulph. Would she even be able to sleep with him breathing in the next bed?
At the door of the cabin, Ranulph said, ‘I’m going to go and see if I can pick up any local news. I won’t be long. Is there anything you need that I might be able to find?’
Cass shook her head. ‘I’ll be fine.’
Being alone in the cabin would make the process of getting ready for bed easier, she reasoned. But she felt certain she’d be edgy until Ranulph came back.
Actually, she fell asleep very quickly and didn’t hear him come in, although she realised it couldn’t havebeen all that long before it started to rain. There was no question of sleeping through it. The tin roof meant the noise was deafening and the rain seemed to be made of rocks. Having checked to make sure he was there, she lay still, wondering if Ranulph could possibly be asleep. Several times the rain lessened as the squall moved away and sleep seemed possible, but then it came back, seemingly harder than ever.
‘Are you OK?’ Ranulph had to shout to be heard above the noise of the rain on the tin roof.
‘I suppose so!’ Cass shouted back. ‘But I can’t sleep.’
‘I’ll make us a hot drink. I bought supplies for us, too.’
He went into the little kitchen and Cass was aware of him fiddling about. Curious, she got up. He was boiling cocoa and evaporated milk together. He added a lot of sugar and then produced a bottle of rum and added a large quantity.
‘If this doesn’t get us off to sleep, nothing will,’ he said, handing her a mug.
It was delicious and very alcoholic. ‘Normally this would have me unconscious in seconds,’ said Cass.
‘Not now,’ Ranulph replied. It wasn’t a question. ‘But if you let yourself relax you can turn the noise of the rain into something soothing. I learnt how to do it when I was here before. It’s very loud white noise.’
Cass couldn’t help laughing a little at the suggestion that the battering sound could help her sleep but she did find herself getting drowsy.
It seemed just moments later when Ranulph was murmuring her name. It was pitch dark outside.
‘I heard last night that the ferry isn’t operating at themoment,’ he said. ‘I was told about a fishing boat that’s going, but we have to be at the port early. Put your head torch on when you’re ready.’
Cass had the quickest shower ever, aware it might be a while before she had the chance of another one. She pulled on her clothes and ate the spicy, chicken-filled wrap that Ranulph handed to her. Then they were off into the dark, stars shining so brightly it was almost as if they were artificial.
‘We’re lucky to find a boat,’ said Cass, having to jog to keep up with him.
‘Everyone wants to help Dominica,’ said Ranulph. ‘And thanks to Howard, I was able to give the fishermen quite a lot of money, which will pay for the trip and then some. They should already have the supplies we bought on board.’
It was dark and the ground was muddy and Cass wondered how Ranulph knew where to go. Then she realised he was following someone. Eventually she could see lights as they came to a jetty with lots of boats bobbing high up and down. Getting on might be a problem, Cass realised, suddenly feeling sick.
They stopped and watched boxes and crates being thrown on board, caught with casual grace and then stowed. She could also see there was a big swell at sea, presumably caused by the hurricane. Eventually it was time to get on board and she watched Ranulph jump as the boat came up. She knew she would never be able to do this, and luckily other people realised the same thing. Before she knew what was happening, she was caught up in strong arms and placed into the boatnext to Ranulph, who caught her before she could fall over.
She sat down quickly on the lockers which edged the front of the boat, already feeling sick. She was about to travel really quite a long way on a small boat. She wasn’t very keen on boats and had never been tempted by sailing. Maybe the fact that it was dark was good, she told herself, so she couldn’t see how small the boat was, or how unsafe it seemed.
‘We’re going to stop off at Marie-Galante,’ Ranulph told her, ‘and transfer to another boat. The ferry not going has saved us time. We don’t need to go through the formalities of leaving France.’
