The Storm Sister (The Seven Sisters #2) (13 page)

‘Theo!’

‘Okay, okay,’ he agreed. ‘I understand it’s not for now.’

It wasn’t, although later that afternoon – and perhaps just as Theo had intended – I took out Pa’s letter from the back of my diary where I’d secreted it and reread
it. Maybe, I thought, one day I should go and follow the trail he had left for me. And at the very least, find the book he’d mentioned, that was sitting on a shelf in his study at Atlantis .
. .

As we neared the end of our time together, I felt as though Theo had become part of me. When I repeated this phrase to myself, I could hardly believe it was me saying it. And
yet, even though it was a romantic notion, I really did feel as though he was my twin soul. With him, I felt complete.

And I only realised how scary this newfound status might be when, in his normal calm way, he discussed the logistics of leaving ‘Somewhere’ – which I now knew to be the island
of Anafi – and heading back to reality.

‘Firstly, I have to go and visit my mum in London. Then I’ll pick up the
Tigress
from Southampton and sail her over to the Isle of Wight. At least that will give me a chance
to get the feel of her. What about you, darling?’

‘I should go home for a bit too,’ I said. ‘Ma does a very good job of sounding okay, but without Maia there, or Pa, I feel I should be with her.’

‘So, I’ve been looking up flights. Why don’t we sail to Athens together on the
Neptune
at the weekend, then you take a flight to Geneva? I looked online and
there’s availability on a lunchtime flight, which leaves around the same time as mine to London.’

‘Great. Thanks,’ I replied brusquely, suddenly feeling horribly vulnerable – scared of being without him and of what our future would bring. Or even if there would
be
one after ‘Somewhere’.

‘Ally, what’s the matter?’

‘Nothing. I’ve had a lot of sun today and I should go and get an early night.’ I stood up and made to leave the terrace, but he caught my hand before I could.

‘We haven’t finished the rest of the conversation, so please sit down.’ Planting me back firmly in the chair, he kissed me on the lips. ‘Obviously, we need to discuss
plans for way beyond our flight home. For example, the Fastnet. I’ve been thinking about it a lot since we’ve been here, and I want to make a suggestion.’

‘Go ahead,’ I said, sounding contrary even to myself. These weren’t the kind of ‘plans’ I was interested in hearing about just now.

‘I want you to come and train with the crew. However, if I feel weather conditions are too dangerous to have you aboard for the actual race, or if you begin the race but I tell you at some
point that you’re going ashore, you have to swear you’ll obey my orders.’

With effort, I nodded. ‘Aye, aye, skipper.’

‘Don’t be facetious, Ally. I’m serious. I’ve told you before that I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to you.’

‘Isn’t it my decision to make?’

‘No. As your skipper, let alone your lover, it’s mine.’

‘So
I
’m
not allowed to stop
you
if I think it’s too dangerous to sail?’

‘Of course not!’ Theo shook his head in frustration. ‘It’s me who will make the decision. For better, for worse.’

‘What if it’s “for worse” and I know it is?’

‘Then you’ll tell me, and I’ll hear your warning, but ultimately, I’ll decide.’

‘So why can’t I? It’s not fair, I—’

‘Ally, this is getting ridiculous. We’re going round in circles, and besides, I’m sure none of this will happen. All I’m trying to say to you is that you have to listen
to me, okay?’

‘Okay,’ I agreed sullenly. This was the nearest the two of us had come to an argument and with so little time left in this perfect place, I was loathe to let the situation
deteriorate further.

‘And more importantly’ – I saw Theo’s eyes soften as he reached out a hand towards me and stroked my face with his fingers – ‘let’s not forget
there’s a whole future beyond the Fastnet. Really, this has been the best few weeks of my life, despite all the trauma. Darling Ally, you know it’s not my style to descend into romantic
verbosity, but it would be great to work out a way that we could always be together. What do you think?’

‘Sounds good to me,’ I mumbled, unable to switch from ‘extremely irritated’ to ‘let’s spend our life together’ within the space of a few seconds. I
almost glanced over to the papers Theo had with him to see if ‘Discuss future with Ally’ was noted on the schedule.

‘And old-fashioned as it seems, I know I won’t ever find another you. So given that neither of us are spring chickens and we’ve both been round the block, I’m just
telling you that I
am
sure. And I’d be over the moon to marry you tomorrow. You?’

I looked at him, trying to take in what he was saying and failing. ‘Is this a Theo-style proposal?’ I snapped.

‘I suppose it is, yes. Well?’

‘I hear what you’re saying.’

‘And . . . ?’

‘Well, to be blunt, Theo, this is hardly a scene out of
Romeo and Juliet
.’

‘No. It isn’t. I’m no good at the big moments, as you’ve seen. I just want to get them out of the way and get on with . . .
living
, I suppose. And I really would
like to live with you . . . I mean, marry you,’ he corrected himself.

‘We don’t have to get married.’

‘No, but that’s where my traditional upbringing kicks in, I suppose. I want to be with you for the rest of my life, and therefore, I must formally propose. I’d like for you to
be Mrs Falys-Kings and to be able to say “my wife and I” to people.’

‘I may not want your surname. Lots of women don’t take their husband’s name these days,’ I countered.

‘True, true,’ he agreed calmly, ‘but it’s so much cleaner, don’t you think? Sharing one name? Just for bank accounts, and it also saves explanations during
telephone calls with electricians and plumbers and—’

‘Theo?’

‘Yes?’

‘For God’s sake, just shut up! However infuriatingly practical you can be sometimes, before you analyse me out of a positive response, I’d marry you tomorrow, too.’

‘Would you really?’

‘Yes, of course I would.’ I then noticed what I thought was the beginning of tears forming in his eyes. And the part of me that was so like him realised that even the most outwardly
self-assured humans were rendered vulnerable when it came to believing that the person they loved loved them back. And wanted them and needed them just as desperately. I moved closer to him and
hugged him tightly.

‘Well, isn’t that wonderful?’ He smiled, surreptitiously wiping his eyes.

‘Considering how rubbish that proposal was, yes.’

‘Good. Well . . . even though it’s again rather old-fashioned and you can blame it on my upbringing, I’d quite like it if we could go shopping tomorrow and choose something
that marks the fact you’re promised to me.’

‘You mean, we become “betrothed”?’ I teased him. ‘Even though you do sound as though you’ve walked straight out of an Austen novel, I’d be
delighted.’

‘Thank you.’ Then he looked up towards the stars, shook his head, and looked at me. ‘Isn’t this a miracle?’

‘Which bit of it?’

‘All of it. I mean, I’ve spent thirty-five years feeling alone on the planet, and then you arrive out of the blue. And suddenly I understand it.’

‘Understand what?’

He shook his head, and gave a small shrug. ‘Love’.

We did as Theo had asked and the next morning he took me to the island’s capital, Chora, which, in reality, was little more than a sleepy white-washed village perched on
a hill overlooking the southern coast of the island. We wandered around the quaint narrow streets, where we found a couple of tiny shops selling hand-made jewellery alongside a mishmash of food
supplies and household goods, and a small street market with a few trinket stalls. Jewellery in general had never been my thing, and after half an hour of trying on various rings, I could see that
Theo was getting frustrated.

‘Surely there must be something that you want?’ he urged me, as we stopped at the last market stall.

In fact, my eye had settled on something.

‘Would you mind if it wasn’t actually a ring?’

‘Right now, I don’t care if it’s a nipple piercing, as long as I’ve got something you’re happy with and we can get some lunch. I’m starving.’

‘Okay, then I’d like that.’

I pointed to an ‘evil eye’: a traditional Greek pendant of a stylised blue glass eye dangling on a delicate silver chain.

The stall-keeper unhooked it from the display and held it out to us on his palm so we could take a closer look, indicating the handwritten price tag. Theo took off his sunglasses and picked up
the pendant between his thumb and forefinger to study it. ‘Ally, it’s very sweet, but at fifteen euros, it’s hardly a diamond ring.’

‘I like it. Sailors wear them to ward off stormy seas. And after all, my name means I am the protectress of sailors.’

‘I know, though I’m really not sure an evil eye is an appropriate engagement token.’

‘Well, I love it, and before we both drive ourselves mad and give up, can it be this, please?’

‘As long as you promise to protect me.’

‘Of course I do,’ I said, wrapping my arms around his waist.

‘Okay. Although I warn you, just for the sake of form, I might have to present you with something that’s more . . . traditional in the future.’

A few minutes later, we walked away from the market with the tiny talisman strung around my neck.

‘In retrospect,’ he said as we strolled back through the quiet streets to find a beer and some lunch, ‘I think chaining you around the neck is far more appropriate than by a
mere finger, although we will have to get you a proper ring eventually. However, I’m not sure I can run to Tiffany or Cartier, I’m afraid.’

‘Now who’s showing their roots?’ I teased him as we sat down at a table in the shade outside a taverna. ‘And just for the record, I hate designer labels.’

‘You’re right. Forgive me for showing my ingrained Connecticut country-club past. Anyway,’ he said, grabbing a plastic menu, ‘what do you fancy for lunch?’

The following day, having reluctantly parted with Theo at Athens airport, I sat on the plane feeling lost without him. I kept turning involuntarily to my surprised neighbour to
tell Theo something I’d just thought of, only to remember he wasn’t there. I admitted to myself that I felt completely bereft without him.

I hadn’t told Ma I was coming home, thinking it would be nice to just turn up and surprise her. And as the aircraft carried me towards Geneva, and I steeled myself for arriving to an
Atlantis that had lost its heart, my emotions swerved between the joy of what I had found and the dreadfulness of what I’d lost and was returning to. And this time my sisters wouldn’t
be there to fill the gaping hole Pa Salt had left behind.

When I arrived at Atlantis, for the first time ever, no one came down to meet me at the jetty, which depressed me further. Claudia was not at her usual station in the kitchen either, but there
was a freshly baked lemon sponge cake on the countertop, which just happened to be my favourite. Cutting a generous slice, I left the kitchen and climbed the stairs to my room. I slung my rucksack
onto the floor and sat down on the bed, studying the magnificent view of the lake over the trees and listening to the unnerving silence.