‘But,’ continued Nolan, ‘I do feel Martha might know more than she’s letting on. It wasn’t anything in particular, it was just more of a vibe she was giving off. When she was looking into the ball she hesitated at one point and pulled her veil over her head. She mentioned my grandfather passing away and if I wasn’t mistaken, she looked upset.’
‘Maybe she doesn’t like speaking of people that have passed because she knows it upsets people to think about those they’ve lost.’
‘Possibly. But apart from taking a closer look at that painting I’m not sure what else I could do now. She did say one thing that confused me though.’
‘Which was?’
‘That my family was going to help me make a decision.’ Nolan shrugged. ‘As I told her, I haven’t got a family. It’s just me and my boat.’
‘The case runs cold for Hemingway and Fernsby then. Maybe it’s best just leaving it as the perfect memory it is right now – an ideal summer of love that two people shared once upon a time long ago. Whatever is written in the letter isn’t for us to know. Unless, of course, curiosity gets the better of you at some point,’ Bea added, trying to lighten the mood.
‘It won’t,’ he said, smiling. ‘Even though, I have to confess, I did hold it up to the light once to try and see if I could read anything, but I couldn’t,’ he admitted. ‘And I felt very guilty afterwards.’
‘And so you should,’ agreed Bea with a grin. ‘And did Martha give you any idea what your future held?’
Immediately, Nolan’s thoughts turned to Hannah and Martha saying she would have wanted him to be happy. From time to time, Nolan had felt Hannah’s presence. On a couple of occasions, it had even stopped him in his tracks when he’d thought he’d smelled her perfume. There was just something about completely letting go and moving on with another person that he was struggling with.
‘No, not really,’ he said. It was a little white lie. He didn’t know why, but as soon as the words left his mouth, he felt restless about it.
‘There was nothing at all?’ probed Bea.
Nolan was quiet. There was something about Bea that he liked. She’d been the first person he’d ever opened up to about Hannah and the more time he spent with her, the more time he wanted to spend with her ... but was that just going to make it more difficult when it was time to say goodbye?
He swerved the conversation in a totally different direction. ‘I saw you had a visitor to the boat this afternoon.’
‘I did. He wants me to go home and make yet another fresh start.’
‘And how do you feel about that?’
Bea shrugged. ‘It’s a difficult one. He’s all I’ve ever known. I know what I’m going to get and—’
Nolan interrupted her. ‘Do you not think you deserve more?’
Bea exhaled. ‘He’s part of the family.’
‘Is he though? As an outsider looking in, I’d say he was a man you dated and decided to live with. If that relationship breaks down, surely your family would stick by you, their blood. They would have loyalty.’
‘You’d think so, wouldn’t you?’
‘You put your trust in him and your loyalty. Did he give you the same back?’
Bea heard Nolan’s point loud and clear.
‘Sorry, I shouldn’t be saying any of this,’ he added. ‘It isn’t any of my business.’
‘It’s okay. I agree with you, but going back to my “real life” is what people expect me to do.’
‘People?’
‘Emmie and Carl. They think I’m out of my mind to just up sticks and move here. They think I’m deluded and that I’d never cope with the change of routine or living away from the town I grew up in.’
‘You deserve to be treated like you’re the only girl in the world.’ Nolan looked at her with such warmth that her stomach gave a tiny flip.
‘But it won’t be you that treats me that way, will it? You’re going to sail into the sunset and leave me broken-hearted.’ She brought her hands up to her chest and pulled a sad face. Even though she was saying it in jest, there was a tiny part of her that hoped Nolan would change his mind. But deep down she knew he wouldn’t.
Hearing a woof behind them, Bea turned and saw that Woody, Julia’s blue roan cocker spaniel, had spotted a newbie in the garden and was racing towards the hammock. He stopped metres from Nolan and playfully stretched out his front paws, barking at him.
‘Woody, it’s okay,’ said Bea, laughing. ‘He’s not sure about you!’
