Chapter Ten
“Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner”
Saturday passed in a blur, and the tension in Ellie’s shoulders never fully abated – somehow, every path crossed with Alex Tremayne was intrinsically linked to Will, be it the old memories, the aftermath of the split or the more recent sighting of them together here in the cove.
On Sunday, with Nicki at a bridal fair in Truro, Ellie was kept busy with Liam and Jason, coaxing them into doing their homework and promising ice cream afterwards, then tackling the ironing basket, which seemed to generate a pile of clothing every time she looked at it.
In the end, Ellie was relieved to return to Westerleigh when her cousin came home.
It was strangely quiet still, with them all away, so Ellie curled up on a sofa to listen to the voice notes Marcus had sent over, sending a quick message to clarify a few things.
She settled with her laptop on her knees, drafting some diary entries for him to look over, and checked all her batteries were on charge, chuckling when Heathcliff came over and tried to clamber into her lap as well.
‘Much as I find a lap cat more fun than a laptop, Heathcliff, I need to get on.’
With the cat eventually curled by her side, and comforted by the purring vibrations against her leg, Ellie ploughed on, and it was gone eleven before she realised the time.
She let Dougal out for a run around the garden as she made a hot chocolate, then scampered up the steps to her attic bedroom and – for the first time since arriving in Polkerran Point – enjoyed a fairly undisturbed night’s sleep, waking at dawn to the staccato pounding of rain on the roof.
Ellie walked down into the village with Nicki the next morning, where they dropped the boys at school and nabbed a quick coffee in Karma.
The rain had stopped, but the pavements were wet, puddles forming in the uneven cracks, the first fallen leaves mushy where they gathered at the kerbside.
‘Here, have a look through these.’
Ellie airdropped a selection of images to her cousin’s phone, and Nicki put down her mug to skim through them. ‘They’re fab! How have you managed to make me look content and wistful all in one go?’
Confident she’d achieved her purpose, they agreed on the best one to use. ‘Can you do an Insta story, tagging me?’ Ellie pocketed her phone. ‘I can then do some reels and posts, give my details and so on. See if I can interest a few people in a mini-session.’
Nicki left for work shortly after, feeling much more upbeat as half-term approached because her parents’ arrival for the duration of the school holidays promised some free time for Nicki.
Once Ellie’s duties were done for the day, she prepped and posted a social media blast about the mini photo sessions, including a sign-up link.
Hopefully, the raw authenticity and vulnerability of Nicki’s face would create just the vibe to represent Ellie’s style of photography and generate some bookings.
By the time she was done, a watery blue sky – dusted with strands of wispy grey cloud – hosted a weak but determined sun as it draped its weary rays across the hillsides surrounding Polkerran. It was as though the heavy rainfall overnight had drained it of all energy.
As soon as she’d fed Dougal and Heathcliff and taken the former for a chilly walk, Ellie grabbed her Canon and Fuji cameras.
There were pools of water everywhere, the air crisp with autumn vibes, and Ellie navigated her way around a large dirty brown puddle which had formed at the bottom of the hill, before guiding Fifi into the track climbing uphill towards the field hosting the site.
Slinging both cameras across her body, she tucked a spare battery into her coat pocket and made her way carefully to the edge of the field, loving the rain drops still glistening on the uncut grass.
Cobwebs hung suspended from the metal sign, droplets of water sparkling like strands of diamonds as the weak sun touched them, and Ellie took several close-ups.
Swapping to the Canon, she snapped specific portrait images of the newly installed shepherd’s hut and angled photos of the site’s signage, offset by the pale blue sky behind it.
Walking back to the car later, Ellie checked the time.
Nicki was taking the boys over to visit Hamish that afternoon before heading into Port Wenneth on their return to go bowling.
Bella was knee-deep in research at her cottage, wanting to have a certain piece finished for Oliver’s return on Tuesday.
‘It looks like you’re in for a lonely lunch,’ she warned, stamping her feet on the gravel to try and remove the mud, well aware she wasn’t remotely hungry.
Perhaps a walk on the cliff top would stir her appetite? A stiff breeze blew across the exposed field, and she looked around, espying a public footpath sign. Adjusting the cameras on her body, she headed towards it.
The few remaining grey clouds had begun to dissipate, blue permeating the last fronds draped across the sky. The tarmac soon ran out, but the ground underfoot was relatively firm, being a combination of mud packed with stones and the occasional root from the thick hedgerows bordering both sides.
Ellie could hear the sea now, crashing onto invisible rocks. A bit further along, the hedgerow suddenly ended, and Ellie emerged onto a stretch of exposed path across the cliff top, a small gasp of delight escaping her parted lips.
The bracken adorning the headland had turned to burnished copper. There was no visible treeline, just the outcrops of cliffs as the land embraced the shimmering waters, the palest of blues now to reflect the heavens above and sporting a dusting of icing sugar sparkles as far as the eye could see.
And there, nestled in the embrace of the gold-tipped bracken, was a whitewashed cottage, a curl of smoke swirling upwards from one of its red-brick chimneys.
‘Peaches?’ Ellie essayed, softly. She could see where the name might well have come from now, with the soft, almost fuzzy haze of the colours embracing the house on all sides. She snapped away, her mouth curved upwards in appreciation at the scene, but after a while, she resumed her walk.
As she reached a particular stretch of path, however, not far beyond the cottage, her skin prickled, and she froze.
Had she walked this way before? More than once, it felt… Her curious eyes scanned the thick hedgerow bordering the edge of the cliff, which muffled the distant sound of waves pounding the rocks below. Wasn’t their beach somewhere down below?
Unable to detect a gap in the hedge – much as Will had struggled the first time he’d shown it to her – and with the ground dipping away into a hollow too soggy even for Ellie’s sturdy walk boots, she turned back, emotions jumbling inside like washing in a tumble drier, as she both sought and fought the memories.
She paused once more to admire the setting of the whitewashed cottage, taking a final burst of photos as the gentle sun finally glowed centre stage, bathing the scene in otherworldly light.
Reversing the car out of the parking space a few minutes later, unsettled by her recollections and uncertain if they deceived her, Ellie eased Fifi towards the gateway.
As she went to turn onto the track, however, a large black car came shooting past, and she spun the wheel to avoid a collision, only for Fifi to slide into the mushy verge.
The vehicle had disappeared down the driveway with the ‘Private Property’ sign, and Ellie sent its disappearing back a fierce look.
‘It’s okay, Fifi. We had a lucky escape. Let’s get home, and tomorrow I think I’d better get you cleaned!’
Except they were going nowhere. Fifi’s wheels were firmly entrenched in mud, and the more Ellie tried to rev to get them out, the deeper they went.
‘Great,’ she muttered, tugging her scarf from her neck and tossing it onto the passenger seat before climbing out to inspect the problem.
‘Can I give you a hand?’
Ellie stiffened. She couldn’t move. Or turn around.
What the hell was Will doing up here?
The footsteps slowed, and Ellie spun around to face Will. Never had anyone looked more like they wished they were somewhere else.
Ellie drew in a short breath. ‘I’m not sure what to do. I’m stuck in the mud.’
Will said nothing, and for a moment, she thought he was going to turn and leave. Where had he come from, anyway?
‘Some stupid person forced me off the road, driving way too fast.’ She glared at the ‘Private Property’ sign, and a faint sound came from the man who had crouched down to inspect Fifi’s tyres.
Ellie tried not to stare at Will’s back. He was dressed for the country, to be fair, in the usual uniform of a dark green wax jacket, cords the likes of which her dad used to wear, and was that one of those plaid flat caps poking out of his pocket?
Amused despite her jumbled emotions, Ellie stifled a small laugh, then looked away swiftly as Will glanced over his shoulder.
‘I’ll fetch help.’ He straightened, sending Fifi a patronising look. ‘It’s pretty lightweight as cars go.’
If looks were weapons, Will would be staggering down the private drive now, daggers in his back, but as it was, he walked with the loping grace Ellie remembered all too well. It did nothing to improve her mood.
Barely minutes later, Will arrived with another man – sporting paint-spattered overalls – who reversed a battered truck towards Fifi, who was soon back on terra firma.
Pretty certain Will had driven her off the road in the first place, Ellie ignored his closed-off expression and got into the car, determined not to look back as she drove away.
Although she did look in the rear-view mirror.
That was only the highway code, wasn’t it? One should always check…
The other man had disappeared, but Will remained in place, staring down the lane after the car, and Ellie dragged her gaze away to negotiate a sharp bend.