Chapter Twenty-Six
“The Apprentice”
Nicki phoned early the next morning.
‘I’ll take the boys down. I don’t need to start until ten; had a cancellation. Fancy a quick coffee in Karma when I’m done?’
Ellie grabbed her bag and the Canon and headed into town, her head still mired in the thoughts that had taken up residence overnight and the conflict they presented over leaving Polkerran Point.
‘Snap out of it,’ she scolded herself as she approached the stone bridge over the River Polwey. ‘Just weeks ago, you were worried sick about meeting your household bills. Now you can go home and life will revert to normal.’
Except it wouldn’t.
Ellie leaned on the parapet. It was mild for early November, and a hazy sun caressed her cheeks.
A pale, cloudless sky became a misty blue as it merged with the distant ocean.
They were as one, the sea and the sky at that moment, and Ellie closed her eyes, relishing the sounds of early-morning Polkerran: the chug of a fishing boat leaving the harbour for the day, the clunk-clunk-thud of the gig rowers going out for a practice, the continuous tap-tap of a mallet from the boat yard and the constant mewling and cawing of seabirds soaring across the water and then upwards towards the trees, which continued to turn all shades of brown and gold.
The cove had taken its hold, much as it had twelve years ago. She’d fallen in love with it all over again.
And Will? her mind whispered.
‘No,’ she enunciated clearly into the soft autumn air as she set off across the bridge again. ‘I didn’t need to.’
Ellie had come to realise a profound truth: she’d never stopped loving him.
It had been buried deep, but it had shaped every relationship since, because there was no one but Will.
He was the real reason she didn’t want to leave.
They may no longer be lovers – they weren’t even friends – but just being able to see him, hear his voice after all this time, brought some form of solace to her bruised heart.
She didn’t care any more about what he had or hadn’t done. They may never be together, but she wanted Will to be happy…
‘Hey, how’s it going?’
Ellie looked up as Matt joined her by the wall. ‘Good, thanks. I—’
‘Hold on,’ he cautioned, a warning hand on Ellie’s arm. He’d narrowed his dark eyes as the woman Ellie had spotted the other day strolled along the street in front of Karma, still trailing a reluctant dog, stopping to talk to the people sat outside.
‘What’s up?’
He huffed out a breath. ‘Just a nagging suspicion. Leave it with me.’ He flashed his attractive smile at Ellie and set off along the front towards where she could see Mrs Lovelace and Old Patrick chatting to one of the fishermen unloading his catch.
‘There you are!’ Nicki waved as Ellie approached the cafe, the woman and the dog now much further up the street, talking to Phyllida as she cleaned the windowsill of the book shop.
‘I stopped to admire the view.’
‘Hard not to,’ Nicki said dryly. They walked up to the counter and ordered their drinks.
‘So. I’m calling at the rehab centre as soon as my shift is over to find out the discharge process for Hamish, and what needs doing to set up his continued physio.
Oliver says Bella’s handing the keys back end of next week, and once the cleaners have been in, he’ll set up the downstairs bedroom for us. ’
‘I’m so happy for you, Nicki.’ Ellie hugged her cousin before they took their favourite squashy leather sofa by the window.
‘It leaves you free to go home. I’ll never be able to thank you enough for what you’ve done.’
Ellie’s brow furrowed. ‘But you still have your shifts, and Hamish isn’t mobile enough to take the boys to school.’
‘I think Liam’s old enough to take himself; he’s heading to big school in September next year. If I can’t drop Jason off, Anna has said she can do it short term. Hamish will be able to get around a bit on his crutches, too. We’ll be fine.’
Nicki’s pretty eyes scanned Ellie’s features.
‘You look… unhappy. I thought you’d be keen to escape. You know, especially with Will in town.’
‘I thought so too.’ Ellie stirred in her seat, skin warming at every mention of him.
‘Before I came back here, I assumed I’d hate the place…
associate it with the despair that followed on from such intense happiness.
It took me a while to work it out, but I think it’s because the unhappiness didn’t happen here, did it? ’
At least, not until now…
Ellie drew in a short breath. ‘Besides, I’m committed to completing the photography for Tremayne Manor.’
Which is almost done…
‘Will it set you right for money, with the extra from that job?’
‘Yes, I’ll be fine,’ Ellie reassured her.
‘Right.’ Nicki drained her mug. ‘I need to get to work.’
So did Ellie. Time to forget the past and focus on the future, and that meant dedicating herself to her business.
Pointless dreams would have to take a back seat.
That evening, Ellie met Marcus by the harbourmaster’s office, where he’d managed to find a parking space, and she sent him an encouraging smile as he emerged from the car.
‘Come on,’ she said, linking arms with him as they made their way down the narrow street towards the harbour itself. ‘Let’s get this lovely wind whipping some colour into those cheeks. Otherwise, she’s going to think she’s dating a ghost.’
‘It’s not a date when there’s four of us! Is it?’
Trying not to chuckle at Marcus’s petrified countenance, Ellie urged him along, talking as soothingly as she did to Dougal and Heathcliff, pleased when she managed to elicit a laugh from him just as they came to a halt opposite the bistro.
‘Good pitch, not going for Harbourmasters. A pub would be too casual, as if it didn’t matter, and the formality of the restaurant might feel a bit too pressured.’
Marcus drew in a slow breath and turned to look out across the water. ‘You do know it was your suggestion? I don’t think I’ve held a sensible thought in my head since we set this up.’
‘It’ll be fine . Besides, Phyllida’s the one who suggested you both take a friend. She’s at least as nervous as you, if not doubly so.’
Marcus stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets. Then he took them out again. ‘So… is it a date, or isn’t it?’
‘It’s a date.’ Ellie checked the time. ‘Come on. It’ll look better if you’re there first. Shows you’re keen.’
Marcus’s skin paled further, but at least he joined Ellie as they crossed the cobbled street. The last thing she needed was having to herd him like a nervous sheep!
‘Hello. Do you have a booking?’ A smiling young woman came to greet them as the glass door swished to a close behind them, and Ellie gave Marcus a nudge.
‘Oh, er, yes. Marcus. Table for four.’
‘Lovely.’ She fished out a couple of menus. ‘Just one of you to come, then. Follow me.’
Marcus shot a fraught look at Ellie as they entered the bistro. ‘What if the friend’s here first?’ he hissed out of the side of his mouth.
‘He isn’t. Phyllida’s already at the table.’ Ellie lowered her voice as they approached. ‘Because she’s keen .’
Marcus came to a stumbling halt at the table as the lady laid the menus by two of the places and disappeared.
Phyllida’s puzzled gaze moved from Marcus to Ellie and back. ‘Is there some sort of misunderstanding? I thought we—’ She broke off, a hand going to her face as colour shot up her neck.
Confused, Ellie glanced at Marcus, but he seemed frozen in place, hands gripping the back of his chair, so she smiled at Phyllida.
‘Marcus said you were bringing a friend, so he asked me to come along too. I hope it’s okay?’
Blinking, Phyllida lowered her hand, swallowing visibly.
‘Oh dear. I must have… maybe I wasn’t clear.’ She glanced down, under the table, and after exchanging a confounded look, Marcus and Ellie peered round to see what she was looking at.
A gorgeous spaniel with wide, soulful eyes and the silkiest-looking ears Ellie had ever seen gazed back up at them.
‘This is my best friend, Clifford.’ Phyllida’s colour faded as she looked between the two of them, then fastened onto Marcus. ‘I thought you had a dog too.’
Ellie started to laugh, even though Marcus seemed unable to say or do anything. Then Phyllida joined in, and Ellie gave the man a meaningful nudge in the arm.
‘You said you’d told Phyllida you were bringing me!’
‘I— er.’ Marcus looked down, then up again, his face awash with embarrassment. ‘I didn’t mention your name; I just said could I bring my friend, too.’
He looked from Ellie to Phyllida, but then, thankfully, his mouth began to turn upwards, and he shook his head.
‘I’m an imbecile. I’m so sorry, Phyllida.’
‘Look, guys, I’ll leave you to it.’
They both made to protest, but Ellie knew when she was surplus to requirements.
Heading back out, she informed the lady on the front desk that the full party was now in, emerging onto the street beaming.
Sometimes, life turned out just right.
The day ended badly.
Ellie had done her best to keep her spirits up, concentrating on work, finalising the last slots for the next mini-session, thankful no one else had withdrawn.
It hadn’t helped that someone had shared the image of Nicki to an Instagram story, with a caption of ‘AI Generated’ plastered across it and tagging Ellie’s photography business account.
Luckily, it had been the same account as before, which had reached a dizzying three followers somehow, but not so luckily, one of them had been one of the mums from the school, who’d taken some persuading that there was nothing fake about Ellie’s photography.
Reporting it to Instagram, but with little faith in any retribution, Ellie tried to put it aside.
Bella had been strangely evasive in a recent message about her return, despite the alleged handing over of the keys to her cottage the following week.
She’d been reluctant to confirm at all when she’d next be in Polkerran, and Ellie had gone to bed unsettled.
She’d also made the mistake, before switching off the light, of checking her websites, only to find another negative rating, which again in no way related to actual customers.
She fired off an email to the support desk but didn’t hold out much hope of finding out how something that couldn’t happen was happening.
If her mind was troubled, it was nothing to the ache in Ellie’s breast, which had felt like a permanent fixture when it had taken possession twelve years ago, and had returned with all the familiarity of an old friend, taking up residence as though it had no intention of moving out any time soon.
Ellie’s waking thought each day was of Will, and it had become impossible not to recall those heady summer nights where a new dawn had meant lifting her eyelids to the sight of his face – sometimes in repose, often simply facing her on the pillow, his gaze infused with love…
Will had become her bedtime solace too. Ellie curled into a ball, her back to the side of the bed he used to occupy when they’d been able to stay in his room at the manor, closing her eyes tightly, imagining he was simply there, that the weight of the duvet was really his body, nestled up against hers.
The following morning, however, Ellie woke to find her pillow wet with tears she’d shed in her sleep, and wiping her damp cheeks on the backs of her hands, she shuffled upright, blinking as the bright light seared through a gap in the curtains.
Whatever had caused the upset had dissipated, as dreams do, and determined to face the day with positivity, Ellie settled in the orangery after breakfast with the family and began working on the commission for Anna, but her attempt at normality was interrupted when her phone rang.
Will.
Ellie’s heart careered round her ribcage like an untrained puppy let off a lead.
Getting up, she walked over to the window overlooking the terrace, the phone pressed to her ear.
‘Hi?’ she said, warily. The small sliver of hope it might be a friendly day was shot to dust immediately.
‘I thought I’d made it plain.’ Will’s voice was edged with steel. ‘None of those photos are to be released without my approval, and definitely not before the programme is finished!’
Ellie held the phone away, giving it a confused look, then put it back to her ear. ‘You did make it plain. Abundantly so.’
‘So what the hell are you playing at?’
‘I have no idea what you’re talking about. And stop shouting!’ she all but yelled back.
Ellie turned her back on the gorgeous view, folding an arm across her waist as Will sucked in an audible breath.
‘Get a copy of the Daily Recorder . You’ll see your handiwork. Oh, and you’re fired.’