year.” Rebecca looked away from him as she spoke. Her voice was not
celebrating the new relationship she had forged with her parents. It was as if
she were embarrassed more than anything.
“Things have changed. That’s a good
thing. How are you getting on with them? How is Peter getting on with them?”
“I’m getting on better with them. It
was easier not living there, not being privy to…” she took a breath to
continue. “I’m glad I went to live with Peter in England. I had to do it. Peter
wouldn’t see them when they came. He said that they were only interested in us
because I had Jonathan as a suitor, and they were only there to see what they
could gather up for themselves.”
Christopher didn’t answer, just
looked back at her. The wind was picking up and sweeping in across the channel.
It was a smell as familiar as any he knew. They were on the beach now, the wet
sand hard beneath their feet. “I missed you so much when you left, and when I
found out that my father had kept your letters from me I felt that I’d let you
down, that I’d said I’d always be there for you no matter what.”
“You were fifteen years old, you did
so much. I never would have made it through without you.” She took his hand and
the guilt of the pleasure he felt at the touch of her spread through him.
Sandrine came to him and the rational part of him tried to focus on her, not
Rebecca, but Christopher dismissed those thoughts as quickly as they had come.
He watched her mouth as she spoke again. “I thought about you so much back
then. I never forgot you. Jonathan had a lot to live up to.” She almost
laughed. “I never thought it would come to this, you and I here, back on this
beach, and me living back with my parents.”
“And you getting married to the son
of the richest man on the island?”
“Yes. It seems like a dream
sometimes. I feel like I’ll wake up and we’ll be back in the tree house with
Alexandra.”
“It’s still there. It’s still hanging
on for dear life. Uli did a good job. You know he’s married now?” They spoke
about Uli and his wedding for a few minutes. Her reaction to the news was
similar to his, as he still couldn’t believe Uli was married. They talked about
when they were children. Christopher did not ask about the wedding, about what
kind of a man her husband would be or even how they met. The truth of it was
that he didn’t want to know and he had only found that out himself earlier that
day. Each minute with her was a pathway to discovering emotions that he had
tried to drown within him, but which had somehow learned to swim. He longed for
her to reach across to him, to take his face between her hands and kiss him but
she didn’t and instead they just talked for another ten minutes or so until
Jonathan came to get her for their lunch engagement.
Christopher shook both their hands
and they left him standing alone on the beach. As they walked away Rebecca
turned and smiled at him. Christopher stood there alone, watching them leave
until they disappeared into the house and a squall blew in off the sea and the
rain set in again.
Chapter 9
It was two days later when
Christopher found the letter pushed under his door. Tom was bending to pick it
up when Christopher stopped him. It was a single piece of paper folded. There
was only one sentence written.
Gunde
de viznay bin lion’s mane xes
It wasn’t signed. It didn’t need to
be. Christopher held the letter tight and stared out into space. He smiled as
he thought of her and the unreasonable thoughts of romance that were ghosting
through his mind. In less than five seconds, he had already broken up the
wedding and run away with Rebecca, not
celebrating the new relationship she had forged with her parents. It was as if
she were embarrassed more than anything.
“Things have changed. That’s a good
thing. How are you getting on with them? How is Peter getting on with them?”
“I’m getting on better with them. It
was easier not living there, not being privy to…” she took a breath to
continue. “I’m glad I went to live with Peter in England. I had to do it. Peter
wouldn’t see them when they came. He said that they were only interested in us
because I had Jonathan as a suitor, and they were only there to see what they
could gather up for themselves.”
Christopher didn’t answer, just
looked back at her. The wind was picking up and sweeping in across the channel.
It was a smell as familiar as any he knew. They were on the beach now, the wet
sand hard beneath their feet. “I missed you so much when you left, and when I
found out that my father had kept your letters from me I felt that I’d let you
down, that I’d said I’d always be there for you no matter what.”
“You were fifteen years old, you did
so much. I never would have made it through without you.” She took his hand and
the guilt of the pleasure he felt at the touch of her spread through him.
Sandrine came to him and the rational part of him tried to focus on her, not
Rebecca, but Christopher dismissed those thoughts as quickly as they had come.
He watched her mouth as she spoke again. “I thought about you so much back
then. I never forgot you. Jonathan had a lot to live up to.” She almost
laughed. “I never thought it would come to this, you and I here, back on this
beach, and me living back with my parents.”
“And you getting married to the son
of the richest man on the island?”
“Yes. It seems like a dream
sometimes. I feel like I’ll wake up and we’ll be back in the tree house with
Alexandra.”
“It’s still there. It’s still hanging
on for dear life. Uli did a good job. You know he’s married now?” They spoke
about Uli and his wedding for a few minutes. Her reaction to the news was
similar to his, as he still couldn’t believe Uli was married. They talked about
when they were children. Christopher did not ask about the wedding, about what
kind of a man her husband would be or even how they met. The truth of it was
that he didn’t want to know and he had only found that out himself earlier that
day. Each minute with her was a pathway to discovering emotions that he had
tried to drown within him, but which had somehow learned to swim. He longed for
her to reach across to him, to take his face between her hands and kiss him but
she didn’t and instead they just talked for another ten minutes or so until
Jonathan came to get her for their lunch engagement.
Christopher shook both their hands
and they left him standing alone on the beach. As they walked away Rebecca
turned and smiled at him. Christopher stood there alone, watching them leave
until they disappeared into the house and a squall blew in off the sea and the
rain set in again.
Chapter 9
It was two days later when
Christopher found the letter pushed under his door. Tom was bending to pick it
up when Christopher stopped him. It was a single piece of paper folded. There
was only one sentence written.
Gunde
de viznay bin lion’s mane xes
It wasn’t signed. It didn’t need to
be. Christopher held the letter tight and stared out into space. He smiled as
he thought of her and the unreasonable thoughts of romance that were ghosting
through his mind. In less than five seconds, he had already broken up the
wedding and run away with Rebecca, not
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