Blue Skies Over Wildflower Lock (The Wildflower Lock)

Chapter 30

It was hard to believe they were travelling through an estuary and not the sea, given how wide it was, but a quick check of the location on her phone and Daisy could see that they were well and truly in the middle of the Thames Estuary. Because of the depth of the river water, they stayed near the centre, where they didn’t have to worry about the tide going in and out. In fact, they were moving at an impressive speed, and while there were plenty of sailboats out enjoying the summer sun, the fact that they were substantially more spread out than they had been the day before meant Daisy could actually enjoy the view as they passed the beachfront at Southend-on-Sea, complete with its long pier and funfair.

This was very different from the first couple of days when they were only able to travel for a couple of hours. They were moving non-stop now and didn’t even have the option of mooring up most of the time. After Southend came yet more towns and villages, which grew farther and farther apart.

‘I guess you should make us some lunch,’ Yvonne said, a little after midday when there was absolutely no mooring in sight. ‘We’ve still got a way to go.’

She wasn’t joking. It wasn’t until late afternoon, when the clouds were thickening in the sky, that Yvonne pulled out a pair of binoculars and looked off into the distance.

‘This is the place I was thinking of. Glad it’s still here,’ she said, staring proudly at the scene in front of them.

‘I thought we were heading to a marina?’ Daisy asked, confused by the expanse of wide-open wilderness that spread out in front of them. ‘Where are we supposed to moor up here?’

‘The jetty, obviously. Don’t worry, you’ll see it in a minute.’

The marshland that surrounded them was dense and low and could have been an entirely different country. Although, as they kept going, Daisy could see that Yvonne was indeed correct. A single jetty stretched out from the marshland. This was going to be the most remote place she had ever moored, that was for sure.

One other boat was moored up, but as they got closer, Daisy saw the rust patches that covered its hull and the thick layers of grime coating its broken windows.

Daisy had always thought she would need someone – ideally a boyfriend – to go on adventures with. Instead, she was here, taking control of those adventures in her life, and she’d never been more excited. Perhaps she would do three entries in the painting diary that night – entering the Thames, the fairground they passed, and here in the wilderness. They would certainly all bring something different to the collection.

As Daisy tied a knot in the rope, a rustling in the grass caught her attention. She tensed. It seemed an unlikely place for people to be out wandering or walking their dogs and her immediate thought was of adders. They were found near water, weren’t they? Panic struck and her pulse soared. What would happen if she got bitten by an adder somewhere as remote as this? She looked around her. There were still plenty of hours of sunlight left. Perhaps she should suggest to Yvonne they find somewhere a little more populated to moor up. Yes, she considered, as she crouched down to untie the knot. That was what they should do. Only the moment her fingers touched the rope, a loud bark shot out into the air. A moment later, the animal appeared from out of the rushes. Daisy blinked and tipped her head to the side. The dog was covered in mud, clearly having waded through marshland, but there was something incredibly familiar about it, a familiarity that deepened as it jumped onto the jetty and walked towards her, wagging its tail wildly. When it reached Daisy, it stopped and dropped a stone by her feet.

‘You have to be joking?’ she said.

Now she was close up, she could see just how thick the mud was. All the way up its front and back legs, and even across its face, too. And yet there beneath it all, two features were clear. Two dark Vs, one across his back, and one on his face.