Epilogue
DECEMBER
We stand on the docks waving as the lone man aboard the little boat unfurls the sail. Multicoloured lights decorate the mast, creating jagged lines in the water as the boat clears the breakwater. The sky glows orange as the sun sinks towards the horizon.
‘Goodbye!’ Connor shouts. ‘See you in the New Year.’
Cliff raises a hand and waves.
‘Be good,’ Elspeth calls out, her words carrying on the wind. ‘I’ve got eyes on you.’
Cliff laughs and blows her a kiss. No one’s saying it, but we all know that Cliff’s permanent escape is bound to be a little shorter than expected.
‘It’s OK,’ I say to Elspeth. ‘He’ll be back soon.’
But the old woman needs no comforting. ‘Oh, I know it,’ she says. ‘We’ll be back in time for the tourist season.’
‘We?’
She gives me a sly wink. ‘In two weeks’ time, I’m flying to the South of France.
Cliff and I are meeting up to cruise the Mediterranean together.
And he doesn’t know this yet, but I’ve booked us a “package holiday” on a Greek island.
It includes a beachfront wedding. When we return, I’ll be the new Mrs Kernick. ’
‘Really?’ I act surprised. ‘You certainly are a dark horse.’
‘It’s my Cornish blood,’ she says. ‘It’s time I make an honest man of him.’
‘Good for you,’ I say, laughing. ‘But tell me – you’re not sorry you’re going to be running the inn, are you?’
‘Oh no,’ she says. ‘This is my home. And Cliff’s too, once he sows his wild oats.’
‘Definitely,’ I say, smiling. Secretly, I sometimes wonder whether Cliff and Elspeth are Old John Dog and Maggie reincarnated, or just two old people who have finally put aside their baggage, past and present, and are going all in on a life together.
Either way, if there’s anything I’ve learned from the past few months, it’s that love comes in its own time, in its own way, and it’s best if you grab it with both hands and kiss it silly.
Speaking of which… I turn to look at Will, who’s standing next to his son, Noah. Already, Noah’s become integrated into our little family; Connor sees him almost as a brother and Bridget enjoys bossing them both around and getting double the money for ‘babysitting’.
Elspeth looks at Will, then back at me. Then, she turns to the three kids. ‘Come on, you louts,’ she says. ‘I’ve got steak and ale pies in the oven for your supper. I need you to hop to it and set the table.’
‘Sure,’ Connor says. ‘Come on, Noah, let’s go.’
‘Coming.’
‘Wait for us,’ Bridget says. She takes Elspeth’s arm and steadies her as she hobbles up the steep path.
‘This is getting too much for my old bones,’ Elspeth protests.
‘Now that’s just not true…’ Bridget scolds.
Will comes over to me and takes my hand, his eyes reflecting the golden light.
‘Shall we go for a walk before supper?’ he says. ‘Watch the sunset – and make sure that Cliff is really gone?’
‘Yes, let’s,’ I say, experiencing the familiar blend of schoolgirl nerves, anticipation, and sheer joy that Will and I have found in each other.
We walk up from the dock to the cliff path and stop at the new bench I’ve put there in honour of Bess and James, looking out over Penglas Cove.
The brass plate is inscribed with their names and the words: Together beyond death.
For that is my hope for them. I turn and look out to sea, half-expecting to glimpse…
something. But all I see in the vast tapestry of sea and sky is Cliff’s boat, sailing out towards the ecliptic, becoming smaller and smaller.
Will and I sit down. The sun is a fiery ball as it sinks below the horizon, drowning in a sea of liquid gold.
The wind blows my hair into my mouth. I lean over and rest my head on his shoulder.
He squeezes my hand and whispers my name.
This is what it is to be free to desire, be free to love.
This is the message that has come to me, and I’m receiving it loud and clear.
‘Thank you,’ I say aloud.
‘For what?’ Will gives me an amused smile.
‘Well…’ I say. ‘Actually, I was talking to the universe, but I’m grateful to you too. For this…’
I sweep my hand out at the horizon, where pink-and-grey clouds are gathering, forming their own billowing sea.
Cliff’s boat is now only a small speck, hazy and fading.
As twilight sets in, I feel a familiar humming sensation within me.
And there, in the clouds, the ship appears in all her elegant glory.
But this time, she’s not a ghost ship, empty of cargo and crew.
I sense a presence. Two souls, two spirits, bound together, free to love each other to the end of time. Living on through me.
‘What?’ Will says. ‘For the sea, the sky? I don’t think I can claim responsibility for those things.’
‘No,’ I say. ‘Not that. Don’t you see it?’
‘See what?’
But even as I look again at the ship in the sky, I can already see the clouds moving, the image fragmenting. And I know it was only ever a mirage. A Fata Morgana and a trick of my mind and the light. Still, I feel a profound sense of peace and calm. And also… an inevitable sadness.
‘Nothing,’ I say. ‘It’s just, I’m glad to know that Bess and James had a happy ending. You know – a Trevelyn and a Penhelion. It was meant to be.’
He laughs. ‘I hope you’re not with me because of the family history.’
I lean over and kiss him. His mouth tastes of sky and salt and freedom.
‘Give me time,’ I say, ‘and I might be able to think of a few other reasons.’
‘I will,’ he says, leaning in and kissing me properly. ‘As long as we’re together, you can have all the time in the world.’