EPILOGUE
I’d always known it wouldn’t be a walk in the park.
But now, as we approached the foot of Blencathra in the Lake District and I surveyed the sheer drop on this side of the ridge called Sharp Edge, I was beginning to have serious second thoughts.
‘You okay?’ Danny turned and smiled at me. ‘Still want to do it?’
‘Absolutely.’ I made a scared face that suggested otherwise. ‘No, really, I need to do it,’ I added firmly. ‘I want to do it. Mark dreamed of traversing Sharp Edge and doing a silly dance on the ridge, but he never got the chance. So I’m going to do it for him. But maybe not the dancing!’
Danny smiled and nodded, and we walked on in companionable silence.
I didn’t really have to explain. That was the lovely thing about Danny. I knew he understood.
He knew that Mark would always be in my heart. He would probably have thought it strange if I didn’t still love him. After all, Danny had loved him, too.
The amazing thing was, over the past few months I’d discovered that it was possible to love more than one person at the same time. The love you felt might be different but that didn’t mean it couldn’t be just as deep and all-consuming and wonderful...
I turned to Clare, who was bringing up the rear of our intrepid little party. ‘Come on. We’re nearly at the top. You can make it!’
I was trying to be encouraging but I could tell from Clare’s face that it really wasn’t working.
She could have gone with Jackie and taken the less dramatic route which wound more gently up to the top of Blencathra, but she’d insisted on tackling Sharp Edge with Danny and me.
Right now, though, panting and out of breath, and with a face as red as an over-ripe tomato, it was clear she was already struggling – and we hadn’t even started the scary bit of the climb yet!
The climb had brought out her competitive spirit. If I was going to climb Sharp Edge with Danny, then Clare was bloody well going to do it as well, even if it killed her in the process!
I admired her perseverance, though, especially as the closer we got to the ridge, the scarier it seemed to be.
But the weather was calm, with just a whisper of a breeze, and I could feel Mark cheering me on. We were going to do it!
Danny was leading the way, carrying the all-important back-pack. But on nearing the ridge, he stopped to let Clare and me go ahead, and I soon realised why. We’d arrived at a section where we’d have to literally scramble up onto the ridge.
Clare and I exchanged a look of horror. The mountainside sheered away below us.
‘Still time to change your mind,’ said Danny.
‘No! I want to do it,’ said Clare.
I nodded. ‘Me, too. I have to do it for Mark.’
‘You’ll be fine,’ smiled Danny.
I nodded, knowing I could trust him. With Danny behind us, we’d be okay.
And we were.
It was the work of seconds to scramble up, and Clare and I clutched each other in delight as at last we were standing together on the ridge.
With Danny’s guidance, we navigated our way along it, stepping carefully over the rocks until we reached the section where Mark had planned to dance. We took it in turns to pose on the spot, laughing as we did, and I wished so much that Mark could have been with us...
Walking on, we finally reached the summit of the mountain with its stunning views in every direction.
Jackie was already there, sitting on a rock near the very top.
‘Shall we do it now?’ I asked Danny.
He nodded and took off the back-pack. Then carefully, he drew out the urn containing Mark’s ashes.
‘He made it to the top at last!’ said Jackie, smiling through her tears.
We took it in turns to scatter the ashes and the breeze carried them away, up into the endless blue sky. Then Danny cracked open the fizz and as a few clouds gathered overhead, we sat on the grass and toasted Mark and talked about our most precious memories of him.
On the way down, a light rain began to fall. Clare and Danny were chatting, and I found myself walking with Jackie.
It could have been awkward. But she squeezed my hand and said, ‘I’m really happy for you and Danny. You make a great couple.’
Tears sprang to my eyes. ‘Do you really mean that?’
She nodded, smiling. ‘Danny showed me the letter Mark left for him. I think Mark would be happy as well, the way things have turned out.’ She paused. ‘Let’s not be strangers anymore, Rosie?’
I nodded, unable to speak because my heart was so full at that moment. The tears I’d been holding back finally spilled over, but there was a lot of joy mixed in with the sadness.
Then Danny dropped back, and Jackie gave my hand another squeeze and walked on with Clare.
‘Glad you did it?’ Danny asked, looping his arm around me.
‘Yes.’ I smiled up at him. ‘And the best part was doing it with you.’
We stopped and kissed deeply, and when we broke apart, I gasped when I saw that a rainbow had appeared in the sky.
It seemed fitting, somehow . . .