‘No … and I’m being paranoid, I suppose. Contrary to the crime novels, serious trouble is incredibly rare here.’
‘Let’s stay out here until you know she’s safely home,’ Lily suggested.
Two minutes later, Elspeth herself sent a message saying she was back in her cottage and that Sam should stop worrying.
‘That’s easier said than done,’ he murmured.
‘Tell me about it,’ Lily answered. ‘Shall we go inside?’
The sky was still light at ten o’ clock and Sam had left the French doors open to make the most of the long day. The scent of the sea blew in and gradually the birds settled in their roosts, leaving only the rustle of leaves and low rumble of the sea to be heard. Occasionally, music drifted down from Morven’s room.
He turned on the lamps and they sat talking about thecottages and his plans. He also apologised for Morven’s behaviour when he was sure she was out of earshot, but Lily told him not to worry.
‘I’ve invaded her space,’ she said. ‘It’s hardly surprising she feels painted into a corner. Have you heard any news from your brother about coming home?’
‘Not since our last chat. He knows he can’t keep Morven dangling any longer. She’s got to decide what to do about her further education once she has her A-level results and needs to focus on that if she’s staying on Bryher. It’s been disruptive enough to have to board on St Mary’s in the week, without her father staying away for so long.’
‘Where did they live before he went to the States?’
‘In a bungalow near the community centre. It’s rented out as a holiday let at the moment. He was able to work remotely from Bryher as a freelance games designer. His main client was based in Exeter and Nate managed by making monthly business trips to their office. It worked well.’
‘Until he went to LA?’ Lily said. ‘Are you worried he might not come back for Morven at all?’
‘Sometimes, yes.’
‘Poor Morven,’ Lily murmured, putting herself in the teenager’s place. ‘No wonder she feels all at sea. And even her home has been taken over by strangers.’
‘You don’t mean you coming here?’ Sam said.
‘No, I actually meant that her real home – the bungalow – is rented out.’
Sam looked relieved. ‘Good, because you’re not a stranger. I invited you here as my guest – as more than aguest, as a … friend. This is my home, and Morven will have to put up with it.’ With that he got up, gathering empty mugs. ‘I’m going to put these in the dishwasher and then I think we should both get an early night.’
As Lily got ready for bed, a tingle ran through her. Sam had been adamant she was more than a guest, although she wasn’t sure that ‘friends’ covered the relationship between them. She’d replayed the kiss often and couldn’t help thinking he was ready to reciprocate.
Even now, she found it impossible not to picture him lying in bed a few feet down the hall – even closer than when they were together on Stark. Did he wear pyjamas? Somehow, she couldn’t imagine it … she hoped he wouldn’t forget that she was in the house and go wandering to the bathroom, with nothing on …
The touch of his lips …
Needing a distraction from such thoughts, Lily decided to go outside to message her parents but the lure of the screen was no match for the scene in front of her. The scent of wild honeysuckle reached her and the moon shone down, creating a shimmering path across the channel, painting Cromwell’s Castle in a mysterious silvery hue. She smiled to herself: everything surrounding Stark was mysterious.
The wind whispered against her cheek, like the brush of Sam’s lips on hers, the touch of his hand. Perhaps the moon wasn’t as beautiful as she thought, nor the honeysuckle as delicious. Perhaps she was experiencing everything with such intensity because she’d almost died or because …
‘Hey! You!’
Lily jumped.
Morven stepped out of the French doors and glared at her.
‘I presume you mean me,’ Lily said evenly, not needing her business skills to recognise a cobra about to strike.
‘We can manage without you. We did before,’ Morven said, coming closer. ‘You take over Sam’s project, you want to interfere with the craft fair, move into our house … You justhaveto be the boss of everything, don’t you? Well, the island doesn’t need you! None of us do.’
For a nanosecond, Lily thought about explaining that she’d had her arm twisted to help at the craft fair, and that Morven was being ludicrously unfair – not to mention incredibly rude.
Instead, she threw her teenage nemesis a winning smile. ‘Well, perhapsIneedit.’
Morven marched back inside and headed upstairs, turning up her music so loud that the floors were practically vibrating. Lily knew there was no point going to bed with that row going on.
