Harkett's Haven (20 page)

‘Hey sleepy head.’

‘Everything’s going to be alright Dad. I know it is.’ Her voice was soft and certain.

Eric smiled at her and nodded.

‘We’re going to be just fine. You, me and Rachel.’

He spoke directly and firmly and Rachel could tell by the tone of his voice that he believed, he truly believed, that this was the truth. His confidence was infectious and Rachel found herself excited about the future for the first time in a very long time.

She had been miserable while she was with Tom, feeling trapped with nowhere to go. When she had eventually left him, she had felt hunted. She had led a quiet and simple life, taking each day one at a time, always expecting the knock on the door, not daring to think about tomorrow.

She knew where Tom was and she knew that if he found out where she had gone, Eric would be there for he
r. She wouldn’t have to face Tom alone.

They were interrupted by the hostess
offering lunch and they all ate well, Esme now fully awake and talkative.

Eric held her hand and stroked her arm absently, seeming not to want to let her move from his touch. She found this touching, this simple gesture of love.

‘I feel kind of excited nervous about going back to Halifax.....I used to love the place....’

His eyes were bright and wistful and his boyish excitement took years off him.

‘Sometimes this all feels like a dream Eric.....our meeting on the beach......giving up my job and coming here with you. It doesn’t seem real.’

He bent his head to kiss her again.

‘Does that feel real?’

She smile
K smp>
d at him and then closed her eyes. A gentle calm descended on her and the gentle hum of the aircraft engines and soft conversation around her lulled her into a dreamless sleep.

‘Rachel......Rachel....’ Eric
’s soft whisper and gentle kiss woke her and for a moment she wondered where she was.

‘
God. I was completely out of it.’ Rachel rubbed her eyes and yawned.

‘We’re nearly there!’
Esme could hardly contain her excitement.

The discomfort in her ears told her they were descending, the pressure in the cabin changing and the sound of the engines changing from the dull, low level hum to a higher pitched whine.

She became aware that Eric was watching her and smiling.

She smiled back and asked, ‘What? What is it?’

‘I can’t believe you’re here with me...’

She rolled her eyes
and smiled at him again.

‘God Eric..,’ she
chastised him, turning her head away from him smiling, embarrassed but flattered by his attention.

She never liked landing
and when the fasten seatbelts warning light came on and the air steward checked they were all seated and strapped in, Rachel gripped the arm rest and closed her eyes again.

‘Are you OK Rachel?’

She answered him without opening her eyes, ‘I’m not the greatest of flyers.’

Eric held her hand, running his fingers up and down her ring finger. She opened her eyes slightly to watch him. His face was contemplative
, thoughtful.

The plane jumped slightly and she pulled her hand from his and curled her arms around herself.

She felt his hand stroke her hair and then Esme’s small voice,

‘Don’t worry Rachel. We’re nearly there. I can see the cars on the road.’

The plane jolted hard as they landed and the engines screamed as reverse thrust was engaged.

It was all over and passengers were clicking off their seatbelts and retrieving luggage from the overhead compartments.

Rachel opened her eyes to see an amused Esme watching her.

‘I’m a real wimp when it comes to flying
Esme, sorry. When I was your age I used to love it.’

Esme
jumped into her arms, flinging her arms round her and kissed her on the cheek.

‘Wow. That was special. What was that for?’

‘I’m just so happy we’re here and you’re here.’

Rachel hugged her back before Eric picked her off Rachel and lifted her to the aisle.

‘Come on Esme. We don’t want to be the last off the plane.’

Rachel stood and stretched.
She was excited to be here. Thrilled to be here with Esme and Eric. Eric wrapped his arms round her from behind and held her tight for a moment before collecting their luggage. His touch and warmth told her more than any words.

After an impatient wait to get through passport control and collect the rest of their luggage, Eric took them to the airport exit.
It was a beautiful day, the sun bright, hardly a cloud in the sky.

‘
Weather’s meant to be great for today....but there’s a storm heading our way. We’ll enjoy it while we can.’

A large 4x4 Lexus was parked in a pull-in and as they approached an elderly uniformed man jumped out to greet them.

‘It’s been a long time Mr Harkett. Too long.’

Eric shook the
man’s hand smiling. With every step of this journey, Rachel could see Eric’s troubles fall from his shoulders. The elderly man helped load their luggage.

‘Jump in Mr. Fredericks. We’ll give you a lift back to the house.’

‘No Sir. No. I have some business to attend to in Halifax. I’ll make my own way back. But thank you anyway.’

Eric nodded and as he turned away
he added, ‘Your parents are delighted you’re back Sir’

Rachel noticed a momentary pause in his step before he lifted
Esme into her seat and closed the door.

‘Sir?’
Rachel asked quizzically, smiling at him.

He put his arms round her and pulled her close.

‘Yeah....... Mr Fredericks has been with the family a long time and..... old habits die hard. The house is staffed so you’ll meet all the old faces when we arrive.’

He saw the worried look on her face.

‘It’s OK Rachel. You’ll hardly notice anyone’s there I promise.....and I can assure you I want all the privacy I can get.’

She rested her head on his chest for a moment as he held her close and then broke from him.

‘Come on then Sir. Show me the way to home.’

He smiled and opened the passenger door for her and then they were off.

Esme was silent in the back, drinking in the different beauty of the city and then the suburbs, the flat calm sea sparkled, dotted with a mixture of large commercial shipping and small yachts.

‘We’re heading out to St Margaret’s Bay
. The house is in a place called Anna’s Cove. Anna was my great grandmother.’

‘So your family’s had this place for a while?’ she asked.

‘A long time. The house’s changed a lot since those first days but the Cove and beach and forty acres around are ours. We used to spend the summers here when I was a kid....I loved the freedom that I got here....I could walk out the door and head into the Keadbroke frforest, go camping, barbecue on the beach, sailing.’

He sighed, revisiting the idyllic days of childhood in his mind. Rachel had a feeling that coming
back here triggered these long-buried, happy memories for him. He must have felt again the care-free times he spent here as a child and maybe coming here was his way, subconsciously, of removing them all from the stress and pains of the life they had known. Giving them all a chance of leaving the past behind. At least for a time.

The road wound through
a resplendent green land of trees and lovely homes and clear, dark lakes. Rachel was entranced. They all fell silent until they rounded a corner and in front of them lay St. Margaret’s Bay opening out onto the Atlantic Ocean. The day was beautiful and had brought out the small yachts which visited the islands in the bay and used the anchorages in the coves.

‘Dad!
It’s................ amazing!’ Esme gasped from the back of the car.

Rachel couldn’t help reaching out to hold Eric’s hand as it rested on the gear stick and give it an excited squeeze.

He looked at her and grinned.

‘We don’t have far to go now. We
’ve to get round to the Aspotogan Peninsula on the other side of the bay. It’s a beautiful drive. The beaches lose their sand in the winter but at this time of year the sand’s back and it’s quite the seaside resort.’

The
road twisted round the bay. Eric drove expertly and carefully and Rachel and Esme filled their senses with the scenery. The sandy beaches were full of families and children, the sea full of small boats and windsurfers. The hill stretching up from the Bay was carpeted in lush green forestry and there were stretches of the road that climbed high above the Bay, dark cliffs plunging from the road.

The peninsula at
the far side of the Bay from Halifax was quiet and had an almost dreamlike quality Rachel thought to herself. The colours were vivid and sharp, the clarity of the air and sky glass-like. Rachel thought that if she stretched out her hand the scene might shatter.

Eric slowed the car and pulled o
ff the road onto a private drive flanked by two large, weathered granite pillars. The drive stretched in front of them, the road lined by tall evergreens. Eric slowed the car and wound down the windows. The scent of the forest hit them immediately.

‘I spent as much time in these forests as I
did down on the beach......I made a tree house when I was about your age Esme. I’ll take you both there and we can see if there’s anything left of it.’

‘That’s be
so cool Dad.’ Esme’s voice was soft and whispery now. Rachel turned to look at her but she was staring out into the forest, and Rachel knew that in her imagination she was racing through the trees, seeing the ladder into the largest tree in the wood and taking that first step.

Rachel could only watch the r
oad in front of her as it stretched off interminably in front of them. It was like slowly taking off that first piece of sticky tape on that surprise birthday present, desperate to see what it was but wanting to prolong Kng he large the anticipation. The road twisted a number of times and started to descend gradually and then, the forest abruptly stopped and in front of them stretched St Margaret’s Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.

The road descended rapidly towards a beautiful white sandy cove, nestled in the sheer granite cliffs. And there, on a natural plateau, surrounded by emerald green
grass was the most beautiful house that Rachel had ever seen.

A huge o
ld house of granite and timber with wide balconies on the upper floor, decking stretching out to the front, dominated the plateau. Rachel had always loved the view of the sea she had from her little cottage in Scotland but this.... the sparkling sea glittering in front of them, the sky an unblemished baby blue. Two small yachts cruised close to the shore and the small beach in the cover was pristine and empty.

‘Is that where we’re going Dad?’

‘Yes. That’s going to be home for a while. Do you like it?’

‘It’s......it’s....’

‘Wonderful..’ Rachel whispered for Esme and turned to smile at the excited little girl in the back seat. Her face was a picture of eagerness and impatience.

Eric grinned and took hold of her hand.

He drove the
car down the steep driveway to the back of the house and into an underground car park. Cut out of solid granite, the car park was a stunning feat of engineering, lit by lights embedded in the wall.

‘Eric. This is like something from a Bond film’

Eric laughed.

‘My parents loved their cars but didn’t
want a garage to interrupt their views. I guess it was a bit of an extravagance.’