Chapter 41
The middle of nowhere (fifteen miles from St Aidan), Cornwall
No surprises
Sunday
‘Okay, I give in. This place must be so boutique, it’s not even on Google!’
Lando drove us half an hour to beyond the middle of nowhere, parked the car, and now we’re tramping across a grassy area that’s so huge even Nemmie doesn’t know the word for it. And out beyond the edge of the land, the sea is shimmering all the way to a sky the colour of duck eggs.
The smile lilting around the corners of Lando’s lips suggests he’s enjoying the tease. ‘It’s not a hotel.’
Nemmie chips in. ‘Give her another clue.’
Lando looks even more pleased with himself. ‘We might be lying on our stomachs.’
I’m frustrated. ‘But you already ruled out spa treatments. And anyway, where’s your tux?’
Lando pulls a face. ‘I was wondering when you were going to ask that.’ He wrinkles his nose. ‘How would you feel if I told you the shorts were a red herring to throw you off the scent?’
I don’t pull him up on mixing his metaphors, but I look down at my outfit and consider. ‘Apoplectic. Furious beyond belief. Hoodwinked and betrayed.’
Nemmie’s arm links through mine. ‘Don’t be a drama queen, Mum, we just want you to enjoy the suspense.’
Lando’s smile fades. ‘I like your shorts. You should wear them more often.’
There are times when I give up. ‘I’ve got a good idea. Why don’t I wear them on the days my Barbie skirt is in the wash?’
Nemmie looks at Lando. ‘She doesn’t mean that. When she looks at the clouds like that, she’s being ironic.’
Lando smiles. ‘Thank you for explaining that, Anemone. My news is, once we’ve climbed the next fence, we’re almost at our destination.’
As I jump to the ground on the other side of the rails I’m still protesting. ‘So we’re heading for a cliff top, with no way down to the beach, and nothing but emptiness in every direction. Is this one of those satnav errors that ends with us accidentally jumping into the sea?’
Lando puts his fingers to his lips. ‘It’s not, but it’s best if we keep the noise down from now on.’
We follow him in silence as he turns and walks another hundred yards or so to where the cliff edge veers inwards. And then he stops, steps towards the edge, and beckons us to follow.
He peers over, then watches as we approach.
I follow his gaze, then I see what’s on the beach below, and my heart melts.
‘Seals? You’ve brought us to see seals?’ I barely breathe the words, and as I take in the beach below covered in silver-grey spotted bodies, my face is wet with tears.
I scrape my fingers under my eyes, rub my hand over my nose and sniff.
‘I have no idea why I’m crying. I’ve just never seen so many together before. ’
Nemmie whispers. ‘We thought you’d be happy!’
I gulp. ‘I am, Nems. I’m crying because this is one of the nicest things anyone’s ever done for me. And because it’s so much better than anything I was expecting.’
Nemmie murmurs, ‘So the herrings did work. Lando promised us he’d bring us here that first day at the beach hut. We’ve been asking ever since.’ She shakes her head. ‘The others will be so cross they’ve missed it.’
Lando pats her shoulder. ‘We can come again.’ He’s dipping in his bag, his voice still low.
‘I’ve brought binoculars so we can take a closer look from up here with no risk of disturbing them.
’ He hands us each a pair, then spreads a rug on the grass.
‘This is in case you want to lie down to get a better view.’
And of course, we do, so we line up along the rug, and prop ourselves up on our elbows.
Then we clamp the binoculars to our eye sockets, and as we listen to the regular swish of the sea foam frilling up and down the beach, with the occasional low cries from the seals, we watch their mottled bodies and whiskery muzzles as they lollop in and out of the water, and up and down the sand.
Some of them have their heads raised; others are playing; some are lying on their sides.
After a very long time I sigh out loud. ‘How can I get so much pleasure simply watching seals?’
Lando’s lying beside me. ‘That’s exactly how I feel every time I come here.’ He nudges me. ‘Look at those two sniffing each other, that’s their way of saying hello. They come up onto the rocks at low tide to rest on the sand while they digest their food.’
I only hope the animals below aren’t aware of force fields, because the electricity is sparking every time he touches my arm or his leg brushes against my bare one. As for how fanciable he is for pulling off this amazing excursion, that’s off-the-scale too.
Nemmie’s voice is full of awe. ‘They’re like a big seal family, chilling together.’ She laughs quietly. ‘These are grey seals, Mum. They have their pups any time from September onwards, so next time we come we might spot some youngsters. They’ll be white.’
‘Baby seals.’ I groan inwardly at the power Lando’s wielding here.
Lando laughs. ‘One of the research teams I work with tracks and identifies them; some of this group have been around this coast for more than twenty years.’
Nemmie’s looking along the clifftop. ‘They’ve lived here longer than I’ve been alive. And it’s entirely deserted of humans.’
Lando smiles. ‘Remember, I told you there aren’t many of these seals in the county?’
Nemmie nods and looks at me. ‘There are fewer grey seals in England than there are red squirrels.’
Lando carries on. ‘There are some dedicated viewing points where everyone can see them, but this land is part of a wider sanctuary that gives them protection so they can get on with their lives and breed without humans disturbing them.’
Nemmie puts her nose in the air, and looks at me.
‘We’re only allowed in because of Lando’s work.
If you ever come across seals on a beach, the rule is to stay well away, and never, ever feed them.
’ Now she’s started she’s going to tell us everything.
‘Their eyes are specially adapted so they can see under water and on land, and their hearing is like ours. That’s why we’ve got to talk quietly. ’
I nod.
Nemmie drops her voice even further. ‘You can get seal stampedes if you scare them.’
I’m amazed she’s so knowledgeable, but it hasn’t come out of nowhere, and my alarm bells are clanging.
‘So how come you’re an expert? Have you studied them at school?’
Nemmie gives a sniff. ‘We’ve mostly picked it up from Lando when we’ve been round at his place.’ She pauses. ‘We go there for the chocolate Hobnobs, and the rest comes out while we’re eating them.’
I’m picking my jaw up off the floor. ‘And does this happen a lot?’
Lando’s wincing. ‘When your mum does the school pick up or an afternoon walk, she usually calls in on her way home.’
‘What?’ I remember the seals and lower my voice to a whisper. ‘Every time?’ I mean, some weeks lately that’s been most days.
Lando’s expression is pained. ‘I think she likes my Yorkshire Gold tea. It’s very refreshing.’
I blow out a breath. ‘Now I’ve heard everything.’
Nemmie rubs her nose. ‘She thinks you need a husband too, and she likes Lando.’
Lando’s looking as uncomfortable as me, and he gives a cough. ‘I hoped coming here would give you more of an understanding what my life is about, Maevey, what my priorities are.’
He’s certainly highlighted that. Lying here looking down on the seals having their after-breakfast naps has been beyond special.
But it’s been one blissful half hour in a lifetime.
However kind and thoughtful and lovely he is being, and however hard he’s trying, he can’t change the rest: who he is and where he comes from.
Nemmie has no idea about the insurmountable elephant-sized reasons that were always there and will always keep us apart.
Her voice is soft but urgent. ‘He brought us here and he calls me Anemone. You need to do more dates, Mum.’
I sigh quietly. ‘Ask me when the beach hut is quieter.’ Hopefully by then she’ll have moved on to something new.
She juts out her chin. ‘If you think I’m going to forget about this, I’m not.’
There’s a long silence, broken only by the haunting sound of seal mews, which are somehow even more plaintive now we’re coming towards the time we need to leave. I’m checking my phone when Lando’s voice breaks the calm.
‘I’ve got a plus one for Fi’s wedding. You could all come to that?’
It hangs in the air, like some huge appalling spectre. I try to think of anything worse, but I can’t.
‘Thanks all the same, but we can do without a day at your castle with three hundred of your closest friends and family members.’
Nemmie’s mouth drops open. ‘He’s got a castle?’
‘It belongs to my parents,’ Lando says smoothly.
Nemmie stiffens. ‘With ramparts? And towers? How did we not know this before?’ She turns to me. ‘M-u-u-u-m?’
Lando carries on. ‘It would be a good chance to look around. And one of the few occasions I’ve spent any time with my parents in decades,’ he adds softly.
I’m trying to take this in. ‘What do you mean? Didn’t they raise you?’
He rubs his forehead as he thinks. ‘Not really. There were cooks, housekeepers and gardeners living in. They were the ones who made sure we were all fed and clothed.’
I had no idea his parents were so absent, but it’s clear the topic upsets him so I don’t want to dwell on it. ‘Back in the real world, Angel and Martha need their walks, you need to drop the car back to Sav’s, and there are a hundred things to do before lunchtime.’
‘You’re right.’ Lando puts his hand on mine. ‘Thank you for coming, Maevey. It means a lot to share this with you.’
His eyes are burnt umber, and if we weren’t on top of a cliff with Nemmie I might have been tempted to jump on top of him and wrestle him until he kissed the living daylights out of me.
As it is I say, ‘thank you for the best date, ever,’ give an eye roll to suggest I could be being ironic, hand him my binoculars and scramble to my feet.
Nemmie jumps up too, then stares at my arm. ‘You’ve got goosebumps.’
I look down, and kick myself for not putting on a padded bra, but a moment later some warm soft fabric slides over my shoulders.
Lando’s biceps flex as he swings on his rucksack. ‘I’m fine in just a T-shirt.’
Engulfed in Lando’s scent, watching the gap between his jeans and his top as he strides towards the fence, I’m less good. But a few minutes later we’re over the stile and running back to the car, powered by the promise of bacon sandwiches at the Sardine Club.
And it’s probably just the thought of coffee, or it could be the specially chosen ‘This is a date so it’s time for a love song!
’ playlist brought along by Nemmie, but as I stretch my legs out in the front of the Silver Meadows vehicle, watch the sculpted shadows of Lando’s cheekbones, and listen to Beabadoobee singing ‘Beaches’, I realise I can’t remember when I last had an hour this rosy and perfect.
I know it can’t last, but for a tiny blissful slice of time, I give in and let myself enjoy it.