Chapter Forty-Six
CHAPTER
FORTY - SIX
‘I still don’t understand why low tide is always early!’ exclaimed Felicity as she examined the tide tables again.
‘Presumably it’s twice a day and isn’t always early at all, but I suppose mudlarking at dawn is better if you have a job you have to go to during the day,’ said Violet.
Felicity sighed.
‘Really, you don’t have to come with me,’ said Violet. She was driving Henry’s car and Felicity could tell she was concentrating really hard, although there was very little traffic around at half past five in the morning. ‘I could have managed on my own. I’m not looking for a valuable piece of jewellery along the tideline, I’m looking for a person, and if I don’t see one, I’ll just wait until the tide starts to come in and anyone out there will come back. I’ll be safe, I promise.’
Felicity shook her head. ‘I need to be there. I think I feel responsible. And of course I want to help you and Henry.’
Felicity wasn’t sure why she felt so responsible. Of course she wanted Violet to be safe and they both knew how dangerous mudlarking could be if you weren’t paying constant attention to what the water was doing. But it was more than that. It was tied up with her feelings about Oliver in such a complicated way she couldn’t begin to unravel it. Did she love him? Enough to forgive him?
Half an hour later, Violet parked the car in a side street and together they walked to where the river lay between banks of mud glistening from the retreating tide.
Felicity took a heartening breath and looked over the wall. Then her knees went weak as she saw him.
‘It’s Oliver,’ she said, hardly able to speak.
‘How do you know? It’s hardly light and he’s miles away!’ Violet sounded incredulous.
‘It’s him. I know it is.’
Violet pressed her lips together, obviously wondering what to say. ‘Do you want to go to him?’
Felicity shook her head. ‘No. I don’t. I’ll stay here. Look, the steps are there. They lead down to the foreshore. Oh, and Violet, don’t tell him I’m here, will you?’
It took Violet a couple of minutes to put on her gumboots. Felicity almost offered to go instead, but the thought of having to confront Oliver stopped her.
She watched the scene from the wall, prepared to duck down behind it if Oliver gave any indication that he knew she was there. But Violet was steadfast. She approached him, and Felicity saw Oliver stiffen as he realised who it was approaching him in the dark. They appeared to be deep in conversation for a long time but eventually Felicity saw Violet hand him a bit of paper. Then they obviously said goodbye and Violet turned and came back up towards the steps.
Felicity ran to meet her. ‘How did it go? Will he show you the place where we found the tile?’
Violet nodded. ‘Yes. He’s said he’ll go and look for some more signs of the palace. Maybe more tiles – whatever he can find.’ Violet took a breath, obviously about to say more, but then she didn’t.
‘Was it awkward?’ said Felicity.
Violet nodded. ‘A bit. It was bound to be. He asked after you.’ She paused. ‘I know this probably isn’t helpful, but he obviously still loves you.’
‘I’m not sure he knows the meaning of the word.’
Violet didn’t reply for a while and Felicity felt the weight of the words not spoken.
‘He’s going to arrange a time to search the site with Henry. I’ll go and watch from the safety of the steps, ready to run to the nearest phone box to ring the lifeboats, or whoever I’d ring if things go wrong again. Although I’m sure Oliver will keep a close eye on the tide this time.’
Felicity’s heart turned over at the memory. ‘Presumably Oliver would know who you should ring.’ She paused. ‘I’ll come with you.’
‘Darling, that is so kind of you to offer, but I know how distressing it would be for you—’
‘I won’t go mudlarking, but in a strange way I’d like to go back to the site, to get the memory of the first time out of my head.’ This sounded very logical, she thought; she even half believed it. But she knew, deep down, that really she wanted to be near Oliver again, however much she tried to pretend otherwise.
‘Come with us by all means. You can keep me calm when I’m panicking that Oliver and Henry are about to be drowned in front of our eyes.’
Felicity laughed. ‘I’d be very happy to do that. We could take a little picnic and a flask of brandy, to keep our spirits up.’
A few mornings later, they were back on the side street where a narrow metal door divided the bustling City from the river, and Oliver produced the key. It looked exactly the same as it had done before, but the first time Felicity saw it, she’d been full of anticipation. Now, she was full of doubt and nerves.
But at least no one commented on how far out she’d been when she’d tried to find the place before. They had driven there with Felicity sitting in the back of the car with Violet. Oliver had been in the front with Henry.
She and Oliver had exchanged curt nods, not speaking or smiling. Oliver was looking older, strained, worried. Was he thinking about the last time he was here? If so, it was kind of him to agree to come with them, she realised. But she mustn’t let her heart soften towards him. That was the last thing she should ever do.
As they had driven along in silence Felicity wondered if Oliver’s stomach was churning like hers was. It was awful to care so much about someone when you’ve resolved never to speak to them again.
Violet was nervous too, Felicity could tell. So much was riding on this for her. She wanted Henry to find traces of the palace so he could finish his book and get the job he apparently wanted so much. But then what would become of them? Did Henry know how Violet felt about him? Or was he just an academic who only cared about his work?
‘Is mudlarking always done in the dark and freezing cold, before dawn?’ Violet asked as Oliver unlocked the door.
Oliver laughed. ‘It seems like that sometimes. It’s always had to be fitted around proper jobs, for most of us anyway. I do know a couple of older chaps who’ve retired – they wait for low tides that are at convenient times!’
‘Should I have brought waders?’ asked Henry. ‘I do have some somewhere. For fishing.’
‘Definitely not. Gumboots will be fine,’ said Oliver. ‘Now, shall we get going?’
Oliver and Henry had gone down to the foreshore when Felicity suddenly said, ‘I’m going too.’
Before Violet had properly taken this in, Felicity had left her side and was at the gate. She was already wearing gumboots, Violet realised, and understood that Felicity hadn’t known if she wanted to go or not, and was waiting to see how she felt before deciding.
She couldn’t blame Felicity; the girl needed to be with the others, searching for evidence of Henry’s palace.
After a while she stopped thinking she was about to witness a tragic drowning and would need to hotfoot it to the telephone box. (She had identified where this was while Henry was parking the car. She had the right change in her pocket, in spite of knowing that 999 calls were free.)
The mudlarks on the other bank were moving slowly, using torches, looking at everything, and frequently picking up objects she couldn’t identify from that distance.
After a while, Violet began to relax and feel hungry, so she went back up the steps, through the metal door and into the bustling city. She walked along until she found a small café which sold bacon rolls to take away. She bought one for everyone and a cup of tea for herself. She drank her tea and ate her roll at the top of the steps, watching the party on their search. They had torches, bags to put finds in, and Oliver and Henry had small trowels.
How was Felicity feeling? Violet wondered. Would she be anxiously checking the water every minute? Or would she be too taken up with the hunt, as if they were looking for treasure? And in a way they were.
Part of Violet wanted to be there too. She so wanted Henry to find what he was looking for so he could apply for his lectureship and go and live in Oxford. But she realised this would take him away from her. She wouldn’t follow him to Oxford, she decided – she still had her pride – but the thought was depressing. He was a friend of her father’s, of course, and would be invited for Christmas. But would he bring a wife? A suitable academic like Dr Saunders?
Suddenly there was movement from the river’s edge. Felicity had something in her hand and was running over to Oliver. Violet saw him bend to wash the mud off the object, turn his torch on it and beckon to Henry. Henry studied it while Felicity held the torch. Then Violet saw him throw both arms in the air as a gesture of triumph. Then he cheered.
He looked over towards Violet and waved enthusiastically, giving a thumbs-up sign. Then he hugged Felicity and shook Oliver’s hand, before setting off back up towards the steps. The others followed.
‘We’ve found it! Well, Felicity found it – another two tiles with the crest on them. Broken of course, but the crests are clear. This is definitely the site of the palace.’ Then for no reason she could fathom, he hugged Violet and kissed her on the cheek.
All Violet’s previous doubts were swept away. ‘Oh, Henry – you’ve done it! I am so pleased!’ she said. ‘Only you believed there really was a palace and not just plans and now we’ve found it! I’m so happy!’ Then she suddenly stopped, aware that her joy seemed very personal. ‘Would anyone like a bacon sandwich? They’re not hot any more—’ She had barely finished speaking before the rolls were taken out of her hands.
‘That’s just made me hungrier,’ said Henry when he had wolfed it down. ‘Let’s all go for a proper breakfast.’
‘I’d love to,’ said Oliver, ‘but I have to get back to Putney and Rod. I don’t like to leave him on his own for too long at the moment. He’ll need help getting up.’
‘Come on then,’ Henry said. ‘We can have breakfast later.’
Oliver shook his head. ‘No thank you. I’d rather make my own way back. I don’t want to interrupt the celebrations or put off your well-deserved breakfast. There’s a bus—’
Henry had withdrawn his wallet and found a note before Oliver was halfway through his sentence. ‘I won’t hear of you going home on the bus! If you won’t let me drive you, I absolutely insist on you taking a taxi.’
Oliver accepted the note. ‘This is far too much.’
‘I’m so grateful to you, Oliver. Without you I’d still be chasing a dream that only I – and Violet of course – believed in. A cab home is the very least I can do for you. You can spend the change on breakfast although you will have to wait for it.’
‘Here, have my roll,’ said Felicity quickly. ‘I’ve only taken a bite out of it.’
‘Thank you,’ he said to Henry, but he was looking at Felicity.