Chapter Thirty-One
When the aurora kisses the sea, love rises with the light …
Three hours into their departure from ?lesund, the Emerald Dream left Norway and the magnificent mountains, bathed in darkened skies, as the captain set sail through the North Sea on her homeward journey to Newcastle.
Inside the French restaurant, the icy world outside felt far away as candles flickered, and the raw tones of édith Piaf’s ‘La Vie en Rose’ drifted from a speaker.
Henry sat on a red leather banquette in the corner, perfectly positioned with a clear view of the room’s entrance.
He fiddled with the edge of his shirt cuff, then adjusted his tie for the umpteenth time, and checked his watch.
He’d arrived fifteen minutes early, wanting to be there first so Joy wouldn’t have to walk in on her own.
But every minute stretched unbearably as he patiently waited.
On the dot of eight o’clock, Joy entered the room wearing her gold-coloured dress, and as he stood to greet her, Henry caught his breath. The low hum of surrounding conversation and the soft chink of cutlery seemed to fade as she smiled and came towards him.
‘Henry, you’re here,’ she said.
Her dress caught the light of the candles, casting a shimmer across the walls and he thought how lovely she looked, as Audrey’s voice whispered in his ear. Don’t mess it up!
They made themselves comfortable and decided on wine, and a server placed a little dish with tiny cheese puffs before them. ‘These are delicious,’ Joy said as she licked her fingers and pushed the plate towards Henry. ‘Now, tell me, how was your day?’
As wine was poured, they both spoke of ?lesund and how much they’d enjoyed wandering around the pretty art nouveau town. Henry sipped from a demitasse cup, and as a velvety vichyssoise, drizzled with truffle oil, melted in his mouth, he summoned his courage.
‘Joy,’ he began, ‘I’m so glad that you decided to join me tonight and what a coincidence that our messages crossed.
’ Tentatively, he smiled, and his fingers reached to touch hers.
‘What I am trying to say is that I really enjoy your company and am so glad that I’ve met you, and I wondered, if …
when the cruise ends … we might meet up? ’
Joy moved her fingers away. ‘Lady Eleanor has invited us both to Ireland for the New Year, and I am certainly going to go,’ she replied.
‘Yes, me too, but perhaps we could get together …’ Henry trailed off, noticing that Joy’s gaze was fixed on the tablecloth, and she didn’t meet his eye.
‘Henry,’ she said suddenly, ‘I need you to be completely honest with me.’
‘But of course …’ he replied, sitting up straighter.
‘Please, just tell me what Audrey means to you. Are you in a relationship with her?’ The words tumbled out.
‘S … sorry, did you say Audrey?’ Henry frowned, genuinely baffled.
‘Yes, you talk about her all the time.’ Joy’s eyes finally met his.
Henry blinked, then let out a surprised laugh.
‘That is the second time someone has asked me about Audrey today. Oh, Joy, Audrey is eighty-three, a retired art teacher, and my friend, a very dear woman who lives next door to me. Most importantly, she is a proud lesbian who sadly got financially ripped off by a lover and cannot afford to travel these days.’ He took a breath.
‘She is extremely opinionated, drinks a great deal of gin, and is a fascinating soul whom I feel sure you would adore.’
Henry felt Joy stare, her expression momentarily frozen. He thought that she was about to speak and held up his hand.
‘To conclude, I take photos and make notes because she enjoys reliving my holidays.’ He paused. ‘Did you really think that I was dating my octogenarian neighbour, who thrashes me at chess, beats me at Scrabble, and invariably drinks me under the table?’
He saw Joy blush as she shook her head. ‘I feel so silly,’ she quietly whispered.
Henry reached out and took her hand in his, and this time she didn’t pull away. ‘Please don’t’, he said. ‘Audrey will be delighted to know that she’s been mistaken for my lover, she’ll dine out on that with her rainbow wrinklies for weeks.’
They stared at each other and both began to laugh.
Their meal was served, and as the candles glowed, any tension melted away like ice in a summer drink. For the first time since he’d met Joy and she’d quietly slipped into his heart, Henry felt everything ease into place.
Joy felt herself blush when it became painfully clear that Audrey was no more than a friend.
Feeling foolish, she let Henry take her hand and his touch, his voice, and the easy kindness in his eyes melted away her uncertainties, and she realised that she’d like to meet Audrey and her rainbow wrinklies.
Their meal progressed from one delicious course to the next and as Joy tucked into a delicate king crab salad, laced with fennel, apple and lemon vinaigrette, she took a sip of chilled Chablis and let out a soft sigh. ‘This is so good,’ she murmured.
Henry offered his pan-seared halibut. ‘Wait till you try this,’ he said, gently sliding his plate towards her, and as Joy took a bite she smiled as the delicious champagne sauce, dotted with Arctic herbs, combined with the succulent fish.
They laughed at the other’s jokes and listened to each other’s stories and any tension between them finally gave way.
Conversation flowed easily as they talked about the eclectic cast of passengers they’d met on board and how they hoped that Leticia and Jim would become good friends of theirs.
Henry described the Deck Mile Club and how he’d managed to avoid Jack and Judy’s insistence that he join them, while Joy remembered the Women’s Institute meetings and how she’d struggled to stay awake.
‘I wonder if Lucinda will be at the New Year’s Eve party,’ Henry mused and thought of the eccentric artist with mild dread.
‘Oh, I think that’s a given. Lady Eleanor is very taken with her and when she leaves the ship, it wouldn’t surprise me if Lucinda did too.’
‘I don’t know if Ireland is ready for Lucinda.’ Henry frowned. ‘She told me that my aura was beige.’
‘Well, she is rather colourful in comparison.’ Joy smiled.
Over dessert, Joy talked of her teaching work and in turn Henry spoke about his days coaching history and how he loved encouraging his students.
When the cheese board arrived, Joy looked across the table towards Henry, who was studying the trio of French cheeses, and realised that she hadn’t once mentioned Tom, and Henry had instinctively known not to ask.
There was time for that much later.
One day she would tell this lovely man, who had somehow stolen her heart, that her marriage hadn’t been the story it appeared to be. But for now, Joy understood that some secrets were best kept quietly in the background, waiting for the right moment to be spoken.
If they ever need to be spoken about at all.
After dinner, to work off the richness of the meal, Henry and Joy decided to take a short walk, if the wind didn’t prove too wild.
‘We’re in the North Sea now and it will probably get quite rough as we journey south,’ Henry said.
‘I have a spare coat and my cabin is closest, and it leads out to the promenade deck,’ he added.
Joy happily accepted, and after admiring his cabin and the mirrored doors that conveniently slid back to the deck, she let Henry wrap her in an oversized coat, and they stepped into the cold night air.
Taking hold of his arm, she nestled against him as the wind nipped at their faces, and they strolled side-by-side.
‘I’m surprised Jack and Judy aren’t pounding the boards,’ Henry commented, ‘but know for certain that they’ll be out here in the morning come what may.’
It was surprisingly clear, and as they stopped to look up, any clouds parted, and the stars appeared studded like diamonds in the dark sky.
Suddenly, without warning, a flash of colour erupted, and a sweeping curtain of green, tinged with violet shimmered against the inky black sky.
Joy gasped, her hand gripping Henry’s as a symphony of purple and gold danced above them, and the aurora’s light gently kissed the sea.
‘It’s like a glowing dome,’ Henry whispered as white light suddenly burst outward, ‘and it appears to be coming down to us … Joy, I do believe this is the coronal aurora!’ He was breathless as he stared wide-eyed at the rare sight.
‘My goodness, it’s so beautiful.’ Joy was dazed, spellbound in the moment.
‘Just like you.’ Henry turned and tilted her face gently towards him.
Joy stared in wonder, while Henry’s eyes held a soft intensity, steady and full of hope. When his lips found hers, Joy leaned into him, her hand curling against his chest, feeling the rhythmic beat of his heart beneath her fingertips, and her own pulse quickened as their kiss deepened.
Overhead, the Northern Lights danced in graceful arcs, casting waves of purple and green across their skin as though the aurora itself had given its blessing, as their world finally aligned.
Joy followed without a word when Henry reached for her hand and led her gently to the warmth of his cabin. For in that moment, Joy knew, with absolute certainty, that she was exactly where she wanted to be.