We travelled to the airport in the same taxi together, connecting on Facebook and Instagram and swapping email addresses. ‘Lori, promise you’ll let me know as soon as you hear anything. I’m happy to come back and assist. Just let me know and I’ll be on the next flight.’
‘You’re willing to get on another plane for me?’ I laughed.
He rolled his eyes in defeat. ‘Yes. Because I really want this to succeed as much as you do.’
Chapter 16
London UK
As my plane touches down in London, I’m cuddled into my scarf and smiling to myself. Having had this time to just sit and contemplate life for all these hours, looking down at clouds and swathes of blue ocean as I’ve crossed the Atlantic today, I’m filled with hope and excitement.
I’m feeling calm and rational and thinking positively again.
My time with Tom in the rainforest on Luminaire has been illuminating to say the least.
Tom’s right. My love for Ethan doesn’t have to compromise my newly found freedom. My separation anxiety from my family has been real, but clearly, they haven’t missed me too much.
They’d simply been concerned and naturally worried for me and I for them.
I know my family is happy and living their busy lives. It’s such a relief not to have to worry.
As for my mum – well, of course she’s getting older – but we are all getting older.
And what I wish for my mum is also what I wish for myself.
Love. Purpose. Independence.
My mum has lots of friends and family who love her. She is more purposeful than most people half her age. And, of course, continued independence is a blessing for as long as it lasts.
I love my family and I love Ethan. I find purpose and independence through travel.
So fear and anxiety and guilt no longer have a purpose or a place in my backpack.
Through technology and transport, I’m able to love my family from near or far.
I’m not going to beat myself up anymore or compromise on anything.
I’ve decided I want it all. I’m going to take back Waterfall Cay. I’m going to marry Ethan.
And I’m going to embrace every single adventure in life that comes my way.
And all that starts today.
I walked off that plane feeling as light as air. It’s the weekend. Lucas and Josh and Zoey have all said they’ll come around and spend some time with mum and I this evening. We’re going to have a meal together and I expect we’ll open our gifts ahead of the Day itself because, of course Josh and Zoey, are spending Christmas in Cornwall with her family and Lucas will be with his dad. I don’t mind now. I’m over my disappointment. I’m over myself. I’ve decided I’m going to join mum serving lunch to those less fortunate on Christmas Day.
Once again, Josh and Zoey are here to meet me and to take me back to mum’s house.
Our conversation is happy and chatty and, although I’d been away for a whole week, there’s a casual enquiry as to what I’ve been doing back in the Caribbean. But I didn’t go into any details. I just explained how I’d wanted to see an interesting exhibition about butterflies and had travelled on with a friend to a couple of other islands. They didn’t ask me anything else.
I can only assume it sounded incredibly dull compared to the party scene in London this week and their own busy plans for the holidays.
On Christmas Eve, with shopping done and gifts wrapped and preparations complete, as darkness fell, our suburban street was festooned with fairy lights and Christmas decorations. Plastic reindeer and inflatable snowmen wobbled about on frosty front lawns and model Santa Claus’s climbed up rope ladders hanging from the icy guttering of the houses. All the neighbours were being jolly, despite not really bothering with each other too much all year and were offering neighbourly invitations to pop in for a mince pie and mulled wine.
Inside our little house, the artificial tree that I’d dragged from the loft a couple of weeks earlier, was decorated with baubles and lit up with tiny lights. Christmas cards where strung up over the fireplace and cinnamon scented candles flickered on the mantlepiece next to the wooden scene of the nativity that I have known all my life. I poured myself a glass of wine just as my phone pinged and I checked it straight away. Was it a text from Ethan?
I’d been hoping to hear from him all day. Willing him to get in touch.
To my surprise, the text was from Gloria Goldman.
Lori. I need to speak with you. Call me back in exactly half an hour.
I stared at the text and felt a deep concern over what this might be about.
If this had been a regular message to chat and reconnect then surely it would have contained the words ‘Merry Christmas.’ But it didn’t. Just a few words that on my phone looked ominous and foreboding. Half an hour passing felt more like ten hours as I waited to call Gloria back.
When I did, she answered straight away, and her voice sounded hushed.
‘Lori, I must warn you that Damion knows about the protection application.’
My newly subdued mood crashed to a new low with this bomb-shell.
‘He knows already? How? The offices on Tortola are now closed for the holidays.’
I’d hoped that the holidays would have provided us with a buffer period.
‘Well, we are on Tortola right now.’ She confided to me in almost a whisper. ‘As you might imagine, Damion knows someone in the government offices here.’
‘Damn,’ I said. A feeling of stone-cold dread washed over me as I wondered what Damion might do with this information. ‘So, he’s sure to have seen my name on the petition and also the name of my expert witness?’
‘He doesn’t remember your name, Lori, or know of your witness. I overheard him saying that he thinks it’s a competitor trying to cause trouble. But I can tell you that he immediately put plans in place to fog the island with a pesticide and it will happen tomorrow.’
‘A pesticide! How can he even do that? It will kill everything on the island!’
‘I just know he’s hired a licenced pesticide company to irradiate mosquitoes and other insects on the island ahead of excavating for the new waterpark at the waterfall. That’s all I can tell you. If I find out any more, I’ll text you.’
A sob escaped my throat. Tom and I had re-established all our Green Morpho at the waterfall because that’s where we’d found the Butterfly Pea plant. Fogging the island would kill them all. And it was all completely legal. So, basically, there was no way to stop him.
No way to prevent him from wiping out all insect life on the island.
And, with the government offices closed for another week, there was no way to file a petition or a conscientious objection. No doubt, by the time the board had reconvened to consider the application for a protection order – and they send out their independent assessor – all the Green Morphos will have been wiped out once more. I sat still considering this while becoming more and more angry. My plan was failing right at that moment and I was totally helpless to stop it.
Ethan was right. Damion is ruthless. He’ll stop at nothing to get what he wants.
I felt totally deflated. All of mine and Tom’s efforts have come to nothing.
And I’ve lost the island. Ethan has lost the island once again even though he didn’t know it.
Oh poor Tom too! He’s also going to be so upset when he finds out.
But I really didn’t have the heart to tell him about this yet. Why spoil his Christmas?
Especially as he’s getting married tomorrow in Cancun Mexico.
I was grateful to Gloria for risking the wrath of her husband in contacting me.
If she hadn’t, I’d certainly be none the wiser. And, I suppose ignorance is not always bliss.
Chapter 17
I got through Christmas as best I could. I developed a stress headache over feeling miserable about Waterfall Cay and also because I’d still not heard from Ethan. No news is good news he always says about being out of touch.
But that didn’t stop me worrying about him. On Christmas Day, although I could have just stayed in bed wallowing in misery, I’d decided I’d go with Mum to work in the kitchen at the shelter and help feed the homeless. I’m glad I did because it buoyed my mood. It was hard not to be swept up by the wonderful Christmas cheer and with the carol singers and all the joy being shared over a hot Christmas meal by those who appreciated it so much. In the end, it was like I’d had a day of respite from thinking about my own worldly problems.
But, despite all the evidence to the contrary, annoyingly, my mind was still convinced that there must be a way to save this situation. For some unknown reason, I simply could not let this go. My head was achingly full of seemingly relentless ‘what if’ scenarios and situations and my poor brain was in overdrive. I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t concentrate. Was it because I was still holding onto my belief in the tarot cards? Cards that had been read by a woman who had claimed to see my future. Who had seen the whole world as my ultimate prize?
On Boxing Day, I had another text from Gloria. It simply said: I have an idea!
I texted back immediately. Her reply was for me to call her at exactly 5p.m. my time.
‘Where are you now?’ I asked her, when at exactly five pm she picked up my call.
‘We’re still in the BVIs. Staying with friends on Necker until New Year.’
‘Can you see Waterfall Cay from there? Did it get fogged?’
‘Yes, and yes. I’m so sorry Lori. Damion has been beyond furious. He’s determined to stop a protection order halting his plans. But I do have an idea. It’s a long shot. But I’ve been mulling this over since we talked. Ethan inherited a property in Scotland from his parents. It used to be the family home. I believe it’s somewhere just outside Edinburgh. I really think it could be the one thing that’s been keeping them divided over all these years.’
‘So, you’re saying, if Ethan still has it then he should offer it Damion in exchange?’
‘I’m not saying it will work. He’s pretty angry right now. I’m just saying it might.’
‘Okay. I’ll speak with Ethan. Although, I haven’t heard from him and I won’t see him for a few more days. He’s supposed to be coming to London for New Year.’
‘We’ll be in Edinburgh.’ Gloria told me. ‘We have tickets to the Hogmanay street party.’
‘Okay. Then let’s stay in touch!’
On the 28th December, I was in despair through boredom and monotony and disgruntlement because I still hadn’t heard anything from Ethan. I’d called The Goldman Foundation headquarters and this time I’d actually reached a person who was manning the office at ‘Twixmas’ – which is what I call that strange time between Christmas and New Year.
I was told that Ethan’s expedition team was currently in the air and on route to Argentina, from where they were flying on to the USA. I was hoping that Ethan would call me the moment he landed in the States. In anticipation, I’ve been holding onto my phone all day, checking that it’s fully charged and that the volume is up high, and that I’ve always got a full signal.
When it finally rang, I jumped out of my skin and juggled with it for a few moments.
Then I saw it was HIM on the caller display. ‘Ethan!’
‘Lori! Hi sweetheart. How are you?’
‘Oh my goodness – I’m fine. It’s so good to hear your voice again.’
‘Aye, it’s been a while. I’m sorry I just haven’t had a chance to call you.’
‘Did the expedition go okay?’
‘No. Not really. Plagued with problems but all sorted now. I’ll tell you all about it soon.’
‘So where are you now?’
‘New York. I’m on my way back to you and boarding soon.’
‘Text me your flight details. Are you flying into Gatwick?’
‘Aye. Gatwick. Can’t wait to see you, sweetheart.’
My heart was fluttering and I was bursting with excitement. My life might have been turned upside down lately but seeing Ethan again and being in his arms was what I needed right now.
Gloria and Damion Goldman and Waterfall Cay were all pushed from my thoughts as I drove to the airport to collect Ethan. My mum was super-excited to hear he was coming to stay with us. She had even cancelled her bingo session to stay in and polish her ornaments for when he arrived. I was beyond excited. Christmas had been a non-starter for me, but I was ready to make up for it now. I was keen to hear about Ethan’s adventures in Antarctica – but perhaps while we were all cosy and sitting by the fire with a mulled wine – as the thought of all that ice and snow made me shiver like crazy. At least here in London today it was cold but dry and there was a blue sky and that made all the difference in the world too.
In the arrivals hall I watched the monitors. His flight had arrived and was disembarking.
I watched people coming through the doors from immigration and baggage claim.
I bobbed about searching among them all for sight of the man I loved.
The man I was going to marry if he’d still have me.
Then suddenly I saw him. He had his padded jacket slung over one arm and a small backpack in the other. He looked handsome and rugged all at the same time. Exactly how you’d imagine a hero might look on returning from an Antarctica expedition. I surged forward through the masses and when he saw me his face lit up and he rushed up to me and dropped everything onto the floor to swing me off my feet into his arms.
We held onto each other tightly, muttering words of endearment, until we broke off to look at each other at arm’s length and to grin and laugh and even weep a little.
‘Oh, Lori, how I’m missed you!’ he told me with so much enthusiasm that my heart sang.
‘You too. It’s seemed like forever. I’m so happy to see you Ethan!’
We locked arms and moved through the terminal together towards the car park.
In the car, while I negotiated the car park and the traffic, we kept to small talk.
‘How is your mum?’ Ethan asked me.
‘She is absolutely fine. Better than fine actually. She cannot wait to meet you.’
‘And your boys?’
‘You’ll see Lucas later. He’s coming over to meet you. But we won’t see Josh or his fiancé Zoey until after New Year. They’re in Cornwall. There’s been so much snow down there that they’ve decided not to travel back just yet. But they’re looking forward to meeting you too.’
‘Ah, New Year. I wanted to ask you if you fancied going up to Edinburgh?’
I almost ran a red light on hearing his words and had to break hard to stop in time.
‘Sorry. You said Edinburgh? For Hogmanay?’
‘Yes. I have two tickets for the street party. A Christmas present from my team. I haven’t been up to Edinburgh in years. What do you think? It might be fun.’
‘Sure.’ I shrugged. ‘That sounds great.’
But my head was reeling in shock. Gloria had told me that she and Damion would be in Edinburgh at the street party too. But then, of course, so would ten thousand others, so what were the chances of bumping into them? Right now, the thought of seeing Damion Goldman filled me with fury. But if I could talk to Ethan about the property he has there, and introduce the idea of a swap as Gloria had suggested, then maybe this was an omen?
Back at the house, my mum gave Ethan a warm welcome and offered him a cup of tea using her best china tea set. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her so flustered. You’d think the Queen herself might come calling. It was kind of amusing as she certainly hadn’t reacted this way when I’d first brought my ex-husband Charles home to meet her.
‘Now, do sit down and make yourself comfortable, Sir Ethan.’
‘Oh, please. Just call me Ethan, Mrs Dobbs.’ He said to her, obviously embarrassed.
‘Well, all right. But only if you’ll call me Margaret!’ My mum gushed.
She handed him a cup and saucer so delicate that he had to wrap his hand around the cup.
‘Fig roll, Ethan?’
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After chatting for a while about everything and nothing, Lucas arrived.
I jumped up to do the introductions. ‘Lucas, this is Ethan Goldman. Ethan, this is my son Lucas.’ Lucas smiled warmly and they shook hands. I was so relieved.
‘It’s nice to meet you at last, Ethan. Mum’s told us lots about you and about the important work you both do together. It’s all sounds very brave and adventurous I must say.’ Lucas said.
‘You should be very proud of your mum. She’s a remarkable woman.’ Ethan said.
I blushed in the dizzy heights of delight at how well this was all going.
Very soon, the two men had wandered off into the kitchen.
‘He’s very handsome, Lorraine? I don’t think you mentioned that about him, did you?’
While I chatted with mum, I kept one ear listening out for what Ethan and Lucas might be talking about. The house is only small. The sitting room connects to the kitchen through a short hallway. So I could easily overhear Ethan chatting with Lucas.
Ethan was asking Lucas about his work. Lucas has an important job in the city. He told me recently that he’d been given a big promotion. I’m so proud of him.
‘I’m not really very happy with my job to be honest.’ I suddenly heard him say to Ethan.
I was so shocked to hear this because I thought Lucas really enjoyed his job. And, I know he has been a bit moody and introspective these past few weeks, but I’d presumed that was all entirely down to him being unhappy about the situation between me and his father.
‘Listening to mum telling us about what you’ve been doing all over the world, saving turtles, marine conservation, standing up against illegal whale hunting, it’s all so—well, important.’
I was completely taken aback by this sudden revelation and I held my breath to listen.
I zoned out of my mum’s innate chatter about Ethan and zoned in on eavesdropping on Lucas and Ethan’s conversation instead. I really had no idea that Lucas actually approved of what we’d been doing – what I’d been doing – because he always seemed so critical.
The Next Adventure Page 21
