Chapter 74
‘What sort of boat?’ Sabri asked. It had been years since she’d been on any sort of boat.
‘Sailing yacht,’ Craig replied. ‘Moored at Plymouth. The skipper’s a good friend of mine who owes me a favour. If he’s free over the next few days, I’m sure he’d sail us over to St Helen’s and back. We’d have to chip in for the diesel and sort out our own food, but that won’t be expensive.’
Sabri had never been on a sailing boat. They were dangerous, weren’t they?
And the seas around the Scilly Isles could be rough, everyone knew that.
She looked around the room to gauge reaction.
She saw nervousness, suspicion, desperation in Holly’s case.
No one looked on the point of rejecting the idea outright.
Tug said, ‘We wouldn’t be at Quick’s mercy that way.’
Holly said, ‘What if he won’t agree? What if it’s his boat or nothing?’
Craig shrugged. ‘We can only ask. But if I’m right about him wanting us to come privately, he should be OK with it.’
‘How many berths?’ Tug asked.
‘Ten, I think,’ Craig replied. ‘He’s raced with it in the past so needed to accommodate a lot of hands. We could sleep on board too. We wouldn’t need a hotel.’
Sabri’s every instinct was screaming at her to say no. She felt sorry for Holly, of course she did, and obviously she hoped Charlie would be OK. But she had her own kids to think about. They needed her at home, not swanning across the Atlantic.
‘I’m game,’ Tug said, after a moment. ‘My diary’s not exactly full right now.’
Robin had been checking his phone. ‘I can do it,’ he said. ‘Nothing I can’t cancel over the next couple of days.’
‘And it will get you out of the way of our friends from last night,’ said Craig.
If half of what Robin had told them about his circumstances were true, he’d jump at the chance to disappear for a few days.
‘This coming week’s half term for my kids.’ Craig had turned to Sabri. ‘Is it for yours too?’
The leaden feeling in Sabri’s gut started to tighten. She made a show of checking her phone diary, but she already knew the answer. Jason had booked leave for the week.
‘It is,’ she admitted. ‘But things are difficult at home right now. I’m not happy about leaving my family. They’re at risk too.’
‘They could move in here while we’re away,’ Tara suggested. ‘The security’s pretty good. And we’re not far from the beach if they can brave going out.’
Sabri was touched – she hardly knew the woman; on the other hand, she really didn’t want to sail to the middle of the bloody Atlantic. She said, ‘I can’t ask that of you.’
Tara shrugged. ‘Why not? If I have to sell the place soon, I might as well make the most of it while I can.’
As Sabri was wondering how Jason and the kids would react to the opportunity to stay in Tara’s fabulous home – who was she kidding? They’d leap at the chance – Tara had turned to Cheryl.
‘How about your mum?’ Tara asked. ‘Would she agree to staying here? I’ve got a cleaning lady I can ask to help with any personal care.’
Cheryl looked uncertain; she was someone else who really didn’t want to sail to the Scilly Isles.
‘Why don’t I pop round to ask her?’ Craig suggested. ‘I can pick her up, drive her over the day we set off. Explain how important it is that we do this.’
Cheryl nodded slowly. ‘I think she might, if you asked her. And it’s safe, this boat?’
Craig smiled. ‘Of course. I’ve been on it loads of times.’ He glanced down at his phone. ‘What do you say, folks, shall I call this woman back?’