Chapter 15
Muirporth Quay, a couple of miles north of Duncoorie, was home to a handful of boats, one of them belonging to Mack, the guy who ran the whale-watching tours. Rocco was rather looking forward to this, although he would have been looking forward to it even more if Giselle had been accompanying him.
Squeezing past several people, he chose a spot to the right of the bow and settled down to enjoy the trip.
The sea was calm initially, but as the boat chugged further away from the shelter of the quay, the waves grew.
It was blustery out on the open water, the wind tugging at the fabric of his recently purchased Gore-Tex jacket and flecking the waves with white, as seagulls swooped overhead, wheeling through the sky on the unseen air currents with raucous cries.
The smell of diesel from the engines was mixed with brine and the peculiar seaside smell reminiscent of his childhood.
Feeling like a kid, Rocco revelled in the slap of the boat through the waves and the exhilaration of being on the open water.
Mack kept up a running commentary for the passengers, pointing out things of interest, and to Rocco’s amusement one of them was Coorie Castle.
Seeing it from this perspective made him realise anew how impressive it was, and he felt an entirely misplaced sense of pride as an elderly couple sitting next to him exclaimed over it.
‘It’s very picturesque,’ the woman said. ‘I’d love to see inside. Is it open to the public?’
‘I don’t think so,’ her husband replied.
Rocco couldn’t resist. ‘Sorry, I couldn’t help overhearing. The castle has a craft centre where you can watch artists at work, and there’s a gift shop and a lovely cafe.’
The woman smiled broadly. ‘Did you hear that, Frank? They’ve got a craft centre! We’ll have to call in on the way back.’
‘Did you have to tell her? She’ll buy half the damn shop.’ The man rolled his eyes.
‘I love a craft centre,’ she said. ‘And we need a little memento of our holiday, don’t we, Frank?’
‘We don’t,’ Frank sighed, ‘but she’ll buy one, anyway.’
Mission accomplished, Rocco’s attention returned to the scenery.
The boat was sailing parallel to the shore, and he was thrilled when he saw several grey shapes sprawled on the rocks.
Then he noticed the sleek head of a seal bobbing in the water, gazing at them with huge dark eyes, and his heart melted.
Gradually, the boat moved into deeper water, and soon it was in the middle of the loch. Rocco scanned the surface incessantly, but he couldn’t see anything even remotely resembling a fin.
Mack was in the middle of explaining that the conditions weren’t ideal for whale spotting when a shout went up from one of the crew. ‘Harbour porpoise to starboard!’
‘That’s to your right, for all you landlubbers,’ Mack informed them over the speakers.
Rocco craned his neck. He couldn’t see anything for a second, then a stubby grey dorsal fin curved out of the water before disappearing, followed by three more.
The animals were about a metre and a half long (according to Mack; Rocco couldn’t tell) and had grey backs, with lighter sides and white underbellies.
Mack explained how porpoises differed from dolphins, and that both species used echo location to hunt fish. Rocco was also fascinated to learn they could hold their breath for up to twelve minutes.
The boat kept pace with the animals for a while, until Mack said, ‘I think we’ll leave them in peace now,’ and the boat veered off. The porpoises quickly disappeared, but for Rocco, out of sight didn’t mean out of mind.
‘That was brilliant. Thank you,’ he said to Mack when they were back at the quayside. ‘Giselle says hi, by the way.’
Mack gave him a slow nod, his gaze assessing. ‘Don’t hurt her.’
Surprised, Rocco lifted his chin and gazed steadily back. ‘I won’t. It’s not like that. We’re friends, that’s all.’ And even if they were more than friends, it was none of this guy’s business.
Mack’s eyes were hooded. ‘Let’s hope she sees it that way.’
‘Sees what? There’s nothing to see.’ Last night’s almost-kiss flashed across his mind. There would have been something if she’d let it. ‘Just friends,’ he repeated firmly.
A spark of jealousy lit him from within before subsiding as he remembered that Mack had a girlfriend, a flame-haired potter called Freya.
One big family, Giselle had said, so maybe the man was playing the role of a big brother.
He clearly had her back, and Rocco realised he was glad she had people looking out for her. And envious, too.
One big family… Giselle was fortunate, indeed.
Two coaches and a car park full of cars and motorhomes greeted Rocco
when he returned to the castle, and both the cafe and the gift shop were
doing a brisk trade, he was pleased to see. Despite his intention to
sell the estate, wages and bills still had to be paid, so any money in
the till was welcome. If the craft centre had been making a loss, he’d
have no hesitation in winding it up immediately, but since it was paying
its way and making a decent profit, it made financial sense to keep it
going, and although he wouldn’t be there to monitor it, Cal would carry
on as the estate’s manager until the castle was sold. After that, it
would be up to the new owner to decide whether they wanted to keep the
staff on.
However, Rocco wasn’t popping into the gift shop to check on sales. He was there to make a purchase.
Two staff were working today, Jinny and another woman, and when Jinny saw him, a look of alarm flashed across her face before being swiftly replaced with a polite smile.
‘Is there anything I can help you with?’ she asked, a note of worry in her voice.
‘I’m killing time, waiting for the lunchtime rush to subside,’ he said. ‘The cafe is full.’
‘You’ll have a long wait. It’s usually busy well into the afternoon.’
‘In that case, I’d better join the queue. But since I’m here, I’ll have a look around first. I didn’t have the opportunity to mooch last time – too focused on trying to orientate myself and get a feel for the place.’
‘Mooch away,’ Jinny said, adding, ‘Shout if you need me,’ as she went to serve a customer.
Rocco was relieved to see her go. He didn’t want her to guess what he was up to.
Seemingly at random, he dawdled around the shop, picking things up and putting them down again, pausing to admire displays and standing back to study pottery or paintings, until he came to the real reason he was here.
The large sea glass picture of the loch was still for sale. That was all he wanted to know.
Slipping outside, he reached for his mobile, dismayed when he saw the number of notifications pop up. Ignoring them, he phoned Claire.
‘Sorry to call you on a Sunday,’ he said. ‘I’ll make it quick. Could you do me a favour? Would you purchase a picture for me if I send you the details?’
‘Of course. You know you can phone me any time. I don’t mind.’
‘Thanks. One other thing,’ he added. ‘It needs to be done today, and can you be discreet? I don’t want my name used.
Could you also arrange to have it sent to your place?
’ It was underhand of him, and Giselle would be furious if she found out, but he didn’t like to see her so strapped for cash.
Hopefully, this small gesture of his would help a bit.
Claire said, ‘No problem, but do you mind me asking, why so cloak and dagger?’
‘I’m buying a picture from the castle’s gift shop, but I don’t want all and sundry to know.’
‘I can’t wait to see it. Who’s the artist?’
‘No one you’ve heard of. Let me know if there are any issues with the purchase. Speak soon.’ He ended the call without waiting for a reply and pinged her an email with the details. He’d already taken up enough of Claire’s Sunday.
Standing in line for a sandwich and a coffee, Rocco decided to buy it to go. He didn’t want to eat on his own, occupying a table a customer could use, so he’d pay Giselle’s studio a visit and eat it there, if she’d let him.
‘Make that two,’ he said, hoping to appease her with an offering of food.
If Giselle was surprised to see him, she didn’t show it, although she grabbed her sandwich and drink with enthusiasm.
‘I haven’t had a minute to myself,’ she said, unwrapping the baguette and taking a huge bite. With a hand in front of her mouth, she mumbled, ‘I’ve had people in and out all day, asking questions. I love that they take an interest, but I haven’t managed to get much work done.’
‘Can I help?’ He leant against the counter and tucked into his food.
Her expression was doubtful. ‘I’m not sure what you could do.’
‘Do you mind if I stay for a while and watch you work? I promise I won’t get in your way.’
‘If you do, I’ll kick you out,’ she warned.
Rocco grinned. ‘You won’t know I’m here.’
‘Oh, I think I will.’ Her reply was accompanied by a look that sent a wave of desire rippling through him.
It quickly receded when she explained, ‘I’m always uneasy when someone’s in my studio.
It’s a bit like how I imagine an animal at the zoo feels.
I keep waiting for someone to tap the counter to see if I’ll move.
’ She shoved the rest of the baguette into her mouth; from the way she’d devoured it, he wondered whether she’d eaten yet today.
It pained him to think she wasn’t looking after herself, which was ridiculous since she’d clearly looked after herself just fine for the past ten years without any help from him.
‘How was the boat trip?’ she asked, sitting on the stool and picking up a ball of green string.
‘I saw harbour porpoises and seals. It was awesome.’
‘I thought you might enjoy it. I’ve been out with Mack a few times, and once, we saw orcas.’
Rocco stiffened. ‘I didn’t realise you and Mack were…’ He ground to a halt. No wonder the guy had warned him off.
‘We weren’t,’ Giselle said. ‘When I said “out”, I meant out on the boat. With other people. Not just me and him.’