Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
M atteo didn’t know if it was Lydia Crow’s visit or Tobias’s absence making him jumpy, but he sensed a tense atmosphere when he walked into The Rising Moon that evening. Fiona was sitting on a stool at the bar and she greeted him warmly.
Seeming to anticipate the question, she went on. ‘Hamish is with Euan. Napping. Hamish, I mean, not Euan.’
He nodded.
‘I’m staying here,’ Fiona said, leaning in to speak to him in a confidential manner. ‘It’s a bit serious over there.’ She cut her eyes to where Luke, Lewis, Esme, Hammer and Bee were sitting at the middle table.
Matteo took the stool next to Fiona and tried to think of something to say. He pulled his notebook and pen out to get ready, and Fiona glanced at him expectantly.
He’s still here.
Fiona leaned in again and Matteo savoured her closeness, and the feeling that they were forming a small unit away from the others. ‘He’s changed his mind about leaving. Luke isn’t very happy.’
Matteo nodded to show his understanding. While Luke had been desperate to find his brother, to know he was alive and well, now that he was here, he had remembered all the old grievances and irritations. Family was tricky that way. He had left his own at nineteen and not looked back.
After they had eaten, Bee called Seren, Fiona and Matteo to the central table. ‘We need to discuss something. Take a vote.’
Fiona sighed very quietly and Matteo suppressed a smile.
The tension in the room had eased, and Hammer and Luke were both leaning back in their chairs. Bee had her hands clasped on the table and had a business-like look about her. Esme was just placing her knife and fork onto her plate, and Lewis was scraping the sides of a dish of ice cream, seemingly unconcerned.
‘Do you want to excuse yourself while we vote?’ Bee asked him.
‘I’m fine to stay, if nobody minds.’ Lewis carried on scraping the dish, chasing the very last of the melted mint-choc-chip.
Matteo was surprised that Bee was giving him the choice. She had been adamant before that his presence could influence the way people voted. He wasn’t interested in rocking any boats, though, so kept his notebook to himself.
Luke clasped his hands on the table and stared at them as he spoke. ‘I propose that Lewis stay on the island for a few days. So that we can catch up properly and he has time to work out his next step. He is my brother and I don’t want him to be pushed away before he is ready.’
Matteo blinked. That was certainly a change.
Luke raised his head and looked around the table. There was something in his expression that Matteo couldn’t fathom. Uncertainty? Resignation?
‘We have no objection,’ Bee said, speaking for her sisters at the same time. ‘If Lewis is still here by our next meeting, we can discuss the situation again.’
‘That’s fine with me,’ Seren said. She was clearly itching to get up and start clearing plates.
‘What do you think?’ Hammer asked Esme. He angled his body as if to shield her from seeing Lewis and Luke when she answered.
‘He’s Luke’s family,’ Esme said. ‘And it’s only for a few days.’
Fiona looked around the table. ‘If it’s all right with Esme, then it’s all right with me.’
‘That’s decided then,’ Hammer said. He looked at Matteo. ‘Unless you’ve got an objection?’
Matteo shook his head. He suspected Hammer, like himself, might have reservations, but they were outnumbered. That was the downside of community living. You lived by the strength of your unity, but you also died by it.
After the meeting, Esme stood outside The Rising Moon and waited for Luke. Before Tobias had gone missing, she had felt so comfortable with Luke. She still felt the fizzing nerves of early courtship, but he had made everything so easy. Made his feelings for her clear. Always falling into step with her when they left the pub after dinner or lunch, always the first to invite her for a drink or to go back to the bookshop. In truth, it was still very early, too early to call it a routine, but it had felt so definite. So secure. Esme realised that she had begun to rely upon it and as she hesitated in the street, the cool damp air cut through her clothes and made her shiver.
Before she could decide whether to carry on waiting or whether to head on home, the door to the pub swung open releasing a blast of sound and warmth. Seren’s laughter cut out when the door swung shut again.
Lewis was in the middle of saying something and Esme saw Luke’s unguarded smile. The one that crinkled his eyes fully. The one that, in this moment, she realised she had come to think of as hers.
‘Were you waiting?’ Luke said, catching sight of her. Then. ‘Bloody hell. It’s got cold.’
‘I thought it was supposed to be spring,’ Lewis said.
‘Yes,’ Esme said. She knew she was being awkward, stilted.
Luke didn’t seem to notice her discomfort. He turned to Lewis. ‘I guess it’s linked to the weird tide. Freak weather event.’
‘I don’t mind about that. I’m happy to stay, even if it is freezing.’ Lewis was staring at Esme and she felt prickling across the back of her neck. Like there was somebody standing behind her. She refused to look.
‘For a couple of days,’ Esme said. ‘Then we’ll see.’
Luke shot her a confused look, as if he wasn’t sure why she was being unwelcoming. ‘You might be bored by then,’ he said, clearly trying to lighten the atmosphere.
‘I doubt it,’ Lewis was smiling at Esme. It wasn’t quite a leer, but it wasn’t entirely friendly either. ‘I can see the benefits of island life.’
Esme’s skin went hot all over.
‘We had better get home before this gets any worse.’ Luke hunched his shoulders as a freezing rain began to fall.
Esme knew that was perfectly reasonable, but she still felt the sting of dismissal. ‘Right. I’ll see you tomorrow.’
‘Count on it,’ Lewis said. ‘Sleep well.’
Luke had started to walk away, Lewis keeping step. He turned. ‘We won’t offer to walk you home.’ Then he smiled at Lewis. ‘Private joke.’
Esme forced a smile. ‘Quite right. Night.’
He had already turned away and they loped away together, the thickening rain blurring their matching shapes.
Once she was safe indoors, Esme shut all the curtains. The rain was pelting against the windows as if it wanted to come inside. It was oppressive. She thought about brewing a calming tea, but decided to brush her teeth and go straight to bed instead. She wanted the oblivion of sleep, for this unsettling day to be finally over.
Her phone buzzed just as she was settling under the covers. Her heart lifted as she saw it was a message from Luke.
Going to spend the day with L tomorrow. Hope that’s okay.
Esme typed back ‘of course’ and ‘goodnight’.
After a few seconds, a message came back. A smiling emoji and a kiss.
Esme stared at her phone screen for a little longer, willing there to be more.
She wondered if he was annoyed with her for not being more welcoming to Lewis. He knew her role, though, knew that she had to protect the island. And up to a few hours ago, he had been just as keen to see the back of his brother. What had changed?