“Itisthelatest model,” Michael said, a little proudly.“Gwen got it for mefor our anniversary.I’m not very good with it though, I’m afraid.I just use it to tell the time.”
Now itwas the teenage girl’s turn to animate.“You are hopeless, Dad.Iset the GPS before we set off so I could link it to Facebook andshow my friends where we were.”
“Honestly, Susan—couldn’t you justtellthem?”
Trewinput out a hand.“Could I take a look at that?Dave and I are goingto be pretty embarrassed if there was a GPS marker bipping away outthere all the time you were lost.”He took the watch from Michaeland turned it over.“I must be getting old.I can’t even see thecontrols, let alone how you work them.”
“All part of the sleek, sophisticated look,” Geoff said, withan effort at geniality that didn’t sit well on him.“I used to haveone of these.May I?”
Trewinpassed it to him.Deftly Geoff manipulated the hidden controlpoints around the face.“Here,” he said, showing Trewin the screenhe’d accessed.“It wasn’t set to broadcast, but this is the recentGPS location list.”
Priddy’shands clenched in his lap.He didn’t want Trewin—or, moreprecisely, Geoff—to find out the coordinates of Lyonesse.It waslike getting the Loch Ness monster’s phone number, or an invitationto the Yeti’s cave.But Trewin was shaking his head, calling up amarine map on his iPad.“There’s nothing there.Just a lot of emptysea floor.It does show you immobile at those coordinates since theearly hours of Saturday morning.The water must have affectedit.”
“Not likely,” Geoff murmured.“They’re waterproof to onethousand feet.Still, you’re right, I suppose.”He handed back thewatch to Michael.“It’s been an unexpected pleasure, but it’s niceto have arrived in time to see all of you safelyreturned.”
Michaelnodded and beamed.“Well, we can’t thank you and your sons enoughfor taking us in.”
Kitmanaged to contain his squawk.Priddy blew out his cheeks, leanedone elbow on the arm of his chair and cast what he hoped was a lookof filial devotion towards Geoff, who had gone crimson.Trewinstepped in, grinning.“That would’ve been all right for you,wouldn’t it, Priddy-boy?A definite upgrade.Come along, everyone.Your chariot awaits, and Trelowarren is expecting us.”
Geoffrecovered himself quickly.He touched Trewin’s sleeve as the familybegan to gather itself together for the move.“I’m thinking ofchartering a boat, Flight Lieutenant.Not for a pleasure trip—moreof a research vessel.Where would you recommend I go for one ofthose, if money was no object?”
Trewinfrowned.Priddy knew that money was always a large and inconvenientobject to family men in the services.Geoff’s tone was one shadeoff my-good-man, and you didn’t ask a Royal Navy officer forboat-hire tips as if he was a ticket tout on Falmouth harbour.Goodnature won out.“If you want to spend silly money, there’s Bawden’sat Zennor.Rowe Boats in Sennen will kit you out with somethingless flash but reliable.He might make you wait a fewdays.”
“Ah.Actually I’m looking to go out straight away.”
“Wouldn’t recommend that, sir.We’ve got a big westerly blowingin, storms forecast for the next forty eight hours or so.I want toget lifted off with this lot before the front edge of it hits.”Hegave Kit and Priddy a friendly nod.“Best be off, then.Priddy, Ican’t help but notice you seem to be around a lot wherever there’strouble or weirdness these days.You’re looking well, and that’snice to see, but you keep your nose clean, all right?”
Priddywould if he could.“All right.”He watched while Trewin and Davegently hustled their strange flotsam outside.“I’d better getgoing, too.I’ve got to make my morning checks up top, and I reallyshould get dressed at some point, too.”
“Yes, yes.”Geoff was scribbling distractedly in a notebook.“Kit, did you unpack my laptop yet?I want you to find a number forBawden’s charter company.”
“Aren’t we getting the department’s boat from theInstitute?”
Kit let the question tail off, and for one mad second, Priddythought he was going to finish it withDad.Geoff too glanced up at himsternly.“They’re unlikely to send that old tub out in roughweather.Hurry up, please.”
Definitely time for Priddy to go.If Kit was getting ready tokick his stroppy new lover’s backside for him, he didn’t want toget in the way of such a healthy development.“Mind if I hang on toyour dressing gown for now?”
Geoffonly grunted, absorbed in his notes again.Priddy shrugged andslipped out through the door.The list of things he didn’t mind wasgetting longer: the chill of the cobbles under his bare soles, therudeness of guys whose politeness wasn’t worth having.The sting ofwind-driven spray from the Atlantic, because that made him think ofthe sea horse, rushing to meet her kin among the foam...
He didstill mind very much about other things, and when Kit darted out ofthe cottage and caught him up by the lighthouse door, he took hiselbow kindly.“Steady on.Does he not want his phone numbers foundor his academic feet rubbed?”
“I think he’s too busy sticking ’em in his mouth.”Kitswallowed hard.“He’s behaving like a dick, and I don’t understandwhy.I’ve never been away with him before.”
Maybe he feels free to be his own charming self now he’soff-campus.“Probably he’s just tired.Andhe never got the chance to unpack and settle in before half a dozenlost mariners landed on him.”
“That’s true.”Kit stared out to sea, hands thrust fiercelyinto his pockets.“In a way, it’s useless for me to try and thinkwhy he’s doing or not doing a thing.It doesn’t make anydifference.”
“To what?”
“To the fact that I’m in love with him.I didn’t know it wouldfeel like this, Prid.I thought I’d feel so happy.”
Priddytook him in his arms.“You will, I’m sure,” he said gently,ruffling his hair.“Oh, God, please don’t cry about it, mate.OrI’ll have to go in there and shove his royal highness’s face intothe coal scuttle for him.”
Kit gavea wet snort.“Great.Maybe I should’ve stayed home with you.Ourfling didn’t work, but we were such good mates, and we could’vebeen happy old bachelor lonelyhearts together.”
“Er...yeah.”Priddy shifted a little.Efficiently self-lubinglover as Merou had been, he’d left a warm, deep-ploughed achebehind him.“I guess we could, if...”
“If Priddy wasn’t already taken.”
