by Holly Martin
‘Have you ever been in love?’ Sylvia said.
‘Well, I guess so.’
‘That’s a no – you would know if you had. You might have liked someone, cared about them, had nice sex with them, but real love, that real heartrending, hit-by-a-bus, can’t-breathe kind of love, you would know if you’d ever experienced that. Love at first sight is a rare and beautiful thing and it’s so unexpected that sometimes we don’t even see it when it happens. Or want to believe it.’
Lyra stared at her and Nix had no idea what to say to make this awkward situation better.
‘And sometimes, you’re right, real love does take time,’ Sylvia went on. ‘But it can only build from a deep connection and sometimes sex and friendship are a part of that.’
Lyra opened her mouth to say something but Sylvia ploughed on.
‘If I was single and I was given a chance at real love, I’d snatch hold of it with both hands because it doesn’t come along very often.’
Lyra nodded, too stunned to speak.
Nix cleared his throat. ‘I can definitely sort out that cake for you; there’s a bakery here on the island and she makes wonderful cakes. If you email me that picture I can show it to Kendra to see if it’s something she could make and then I’ll let you know the cost.’
‘The cost is irrelevant,’ Sylvia said.
‘And may I recommend having stars and hearts coming out of the book,’ Nix said. ‘As that would be a more accurate way of symbolising true love.’
Sylvia nodded and smiled. ‘Yes, I like that. Well, I’ll leave you to it.’
And with that she and her dog swept out of the office.
Lyra hurried down to the church with Nix. They were on their lunch break so they didn’t have long.
Her conversation with Sylvia earlier was still dancing around her head. She kept pushing it away but it kept forcing its way back in.
They were approaching the church so she put those thoughts aside again to focus on the treasure hunt. The church was an impressive old stone structure with a bell tower and the typical stained-glass windows, but the building itself looked like it had undergone a lot of modernisation and preservation over the years. It appeared in astonishingly good condition for something that was hundreds of years old.
They pushed the door open with a creak and stepped inside the cool church. It was almost completely empty apart from a vicar up the far end, dressed in jeans, black shirt and traditional white collar.
‘Do you think he’ll mind us being in here?’ Lyra whispered, feeling the need to be quiet.
‘I’m sure he won’t,’ Nix said. ‘Come on, let’s have a look around.’
They moved off through the wooden pews, which again looked fairly modern, Lyra checking the floor, the pews, the ceiling. But it wasn’t long before the vicar came over to them.
‘Ah Nix, lovely to see you again,’ he said, holding out his hand for Nix to shake. ‘And is this the lovely lady you were telling me about?’
Lyra frowned in confusion.
‘Lyra, this is Father Lovegrove. Father, this is my friend Lyra. I bumped into Father Lovegrove yesterday and told him about the treasure hunt. He was the one who told me how heavily the church would be involved in the smuggling. Back in the day of course, nothing untoward happens here today.’
Father Lovegrove laughed. ‘Of course not. Lyra, it’s lovely to meet you.’
Lyra shook his hand. ‘You too, Father. I’m not sure if you can help us. We believe the treasure maps and clues were left around the island hundreds of years ago. The latest clue seems to point us to the church, but this place isn’t that old, is it?’
‘It actually is around two hundred and seventy years old. Maybe a little older. But there was another church here before that and it was destroyed in a fire. Actually, most of the east side of the church was saved and they managed to use three of the original stained-glass windows in the new church. Those three over there were from the original church. You should go and have a look at them. They’re very unique actually, for their era, in that they don’t depict bible stories. As to whether your treasure is hidden here, I don’t know. I’ve certainly never found anything.’
Lyra nodded. ‘We’ll take a look, thank you.’
They wandered over to the stained-glass windows.
‘So these windows might have been here in 1697, even if the rest of the church wasn’t,’ Nix said.
‘Let’s hope the next clue wasn’t buried in the old church and then lost in the fire, because that would bring our treasure hunt to a crashing end,’ Lyra said. ‘These windows are beautiful.’
One window simply showed a beach scene, with green cliffs, golden-yellow sand and bright blue sea and sky. The middle one was set at night, with white stars and the moon taking up the majority of the scene, presiding over a small stone building surrounded by grass. Her eyes moved over to the third one before snapping back to the middle one.
‘Look to our heaven.’
Nix looked at her.
‘What if you were right about the stars? What if it means the stars here in this stained-glass window?’
‘Oh, it could be,’ Nix said.
Lyra gasped as her eyes fell on something above the window. ‘Look.’
There was a small stone plaque above the window that basically backed up everything that Father Lovegrove had said, that these were the original windows from the old church and dated from 1697.
‘Oh wow, 1697,’ Nix said.
‘So, is the window our next clue?’ She studied it for any indication of where they should go next. ‘Wait, this is a picture of the school. I didn’t recognise it at first because there are no other buildings in the picture and there are lots of houses and shops that surround the school now, but that is definitely the school.’
‘OK, so we go there next?’ Nix said, doubtfully.
‘No, there has to be something else we’re missing. Where do we look in the school? In the walls, in the grounds, inside somewhere? There has to be a clue here that tells us where specifically we should look.’
They stood in silence for a moment as they studied the window. It did seem likely that the school was the next place to search. But there was nothing here that stood out as to whereabouts in the school they should look. Lyra scanned the wall and floor underneath the window, to see if there could be anywhere that might hide another clue, but there was nothing and she didn’t fancy pulling up floorboards or pulling out bricks in a church to find one. She didn’t think Father Lovegrove would be too happy about that.
‘Hang on, isn’t this picture familiar to you?’ Nix said.
Lyra looked back at it. ‘Oh my god, this is the picture on the mosaic hanging outside the school, near the gate. Do you think that’s where the next clue is?’
‘It’s worth a shot – we don’t have anything else to go on right now. We can always come back here for another look if the mosaic at the school proves fruitless.’
She nodded. ‘Come on, we haven’t got a lot of time.’
They waved goodbye to Father Lovegrove and made their way up the road towards the school.
She was enjoying doing this with Nix, partly because she loved the thrill of finding the clues, but partly because she got to spend time with Nix and she loved that. She wanted to know everything there was to know about him.
‘How is it you came to work in events management?’ Lyra asked. ‘From what I’ve seen you’re really good at it, but with your love of nature and beavers I kind of thought you’d be working in a more… natural capacity.’
‘I used to. I worked at a safari park. It was my first job at sixteen and I spent many years doing different jobs there, but my main job, when I was older, was arranging all the fundraising events for the park. It was something I just kind of fell into while I worked there but something I really enjoyed. We’d organise small theatre groups to entertain the children and camping nights, to sleep with the animals. It was my idea to start doing weddings and parties at the safari
park, which helped to bring in a lot of money, and I was in charge of organising them too. But the park wasn’t doing well in terms of profits and they started making job cuts. Sadly they made me redundant and then the park closed altogether the year after.’
‘Oh, that’s sad.’
‘Yeah, I loved that job.’
‘What did you do after that?’
‘Oh, I got a job in charge of weddings at a specialised wedding venue for a short while, but then I got sick and, with all the hospital appointments, I couldn’t give it the time it needed. They weren’t particularly supportive either, as I’d only been working there a few months, so I quit. When I was better I took a number of virtual PA jobs – I was still organising things but for one person rather than a whole event – and I organised some fundraising events for the Countryside Trust too. It was unpaid of course, but I knew it was something I wanted to get back into.’
‘You don’t want to work with animals again one day?’
‘I’ll still do volunteer work for the trust and I have George and his family, so I have the best of both worlds right now.’
They had reached the school by now and they quickly made their way to the gate. Sure enough, the beautiful depiction of the school they’d seen in the church was replicated in a mosaic, embedded in the school walls. Carved in a thick wooden plaque underneath the mosaic was a name, perhaps belonging to one of the headteachers from the past, Mr Simon O’Smythe.
Lyra looked around for anything obvious to indicate where the next clue could be. She looked at the plaque and her heart leapt. ‘Simon O’Smythe. SOS. It must be here.’
Nix nodded excitedly as he started running his hands over one side of the plaque and she did the same over the other. As she did, the frame of the plaque shifted in her hand. She looked around, hoping no one would see her vandalising a precious plaque. Promising herself she would repair it if she caused too much damage, she gave the side of the frame a gentle tug. It came away easily in her hand. The plaque was designed like a box and there was a space at the back where there was a flat bottle placed inside.
‘Nix, look,’ Lyra said, holding up the bottle triumphantly.
‘Oh well done,’ Nix said.
She tried to push the side of the frame back on and to her relief it clicked into place perfectly so no one would be any the wiser.
She passed the bottle to Nix so he could open it and watched eagerly as he carefully eased the cork free and tipped out the tiny scroll inside. She gestured for him to open it and she waited with anticipation as he cracked open the red wax seal. He moved to stand next to her and opened out the scroll.
There was a simple drawing of some ruins of the small fort that stood on top of one of the nearby hills. Underneath there was a clue.
Light and dark
Ash and smoke
Hot and cold
Wood and coke
‘Not in Latin this time,’ Lyra said. ‘Maybe the fisherman couldn’t be bothered with a different language by the time he got to this clue.’
‘Maybe he was running out of time and went for simplicity.’
‘If he was going for simplicity, a treasure map with an X marking where the treasure was would have saved a lot of time.’
‘Come on, admit you’re having fun.’
She smiled. ‘I’m having a lot of fun.’
His gaze locked with hers. ‘I am too.’
She couldn’t drag her eyes away.
He cleared his throat, focussing again on the paper in his hand. ‘OK, what do we think of this latest clue?’
She read it again, looking at the drawing of the little fort too. ‘Is it the fireplace? I’ve not been up there so I don’t know whether it has one but this looks like it could be a chimney, doesn’t it? If people lived there, I would think it would have some kind of kitchen. And the clues make sense if it is.’
‘I think you’re right.’ Nix looked at his watch. ‘But I don’t think we’ll have time to go up to the ruins now.’
She felt her stomach drop with disappointment. Each time they solved a clue took them one step closer to solving this quest and she couldn’t wait to get to the end.
‘Shall we go after work?’ Nix suggested.
‘Sure, I’m having dinner with my sister tonight but we can go before I go to hers.’
‘Sounds good.’
She couldn’t help smiling at the thought they were getting closer to the treasure. And at the thought of spending more time with him.
Chapter Sixteen
Lyra looked at her plans for the hotel’s birthday party. She and Nix had spent some more time discussing their ideas but it still felt like there were quite a few loose ends. Jack and Heather’s wedding had taken priority over everything else, which was how it should be, but that had been almost finalised now. The presentation for the birthday party was first thing on Monday morning, and though Lyra had an idea of what the party would look like, she wanted to nail down the actual presentation side of things too, especially as they had departed from the brief quite significantly. She felt there was a lot riding on this presentation, not least making Clover feel she had made the right choice in hiring them.
‘Would you like to meet up this weekend?’ Lyra said, staring at the ideas and feeling like they just weren’t enough. She glanced up at Nix to see a big smile on his face.
‘Like a date?’
She smiled. ‘I meant to go through the party ideas and the presentation for Monday.’
‘I was just thinking the same thing. It feels like we just have vague ideas right now, we need to drill it down and decide what we’re going to present.’
‘And come up with a budget too,’ Lyra said.
He nodded. ‘I don’t have any plans for this weekend, I’d deliberately kept it free so we can meet up whenever.’
‘Kept it free for what?’
He paused. ‘For the presentation. I didn’t think we’d get the plans finalised at work. Plus there’s the treasure hunt, that’s definitely worth keeping my options open for.’
‘Yes, we could find ourselves multi-millionaires by the end of the weekend.’
A flash of worry crossed his face. ‘If you’re holding out for that, you’re probably going to be disappointed.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I think the chances of this treasure still being there are very small and, even if it is, it probably isn’t going to be worth as much as we think.’
‘Don’t you think it’s nice to dream though?’ Lyra said. ‘It’s like playing the lottery – isn’t it fun to imagine all the things you’d spend your money on? I mean, personally, if it was a massive win, I’d give most of it away to charity, no one needs that kind of money. But there’d definitely be a few places around the world I’d like to visit, I’d buy my own house so I wouldn’t have to rent, and there’s always room for more books.’
He smiled. ‘I think having dreams is important, but it’s probably better to enjoy the quest than pinning all your hopes on the treasure being something spectacular.’
‘I’m enjoying the quest immensely but it doesn’t hurt to imagine rubies as big as my head.’
He was silent for a moment and then nodded. ‘And gold doubloons and emeralds and sapphires as big as your hand?’
‘Now you’re getting it.’
He smiled and turned his attention back to his work, but she couldn’t help noticing that Nix was clearly worried.
Lyra walked into her cottage and quickly got changed. It was Friday night and she was meeting Nix soon to find the next clue. For some reason she felt like she was going on a date, which she had to keep reminding herself it most definitely wasn’t.
Although it wouldn’t hurt to put in a little effort.
She undid her hair from the bun and let it fall around her shoulders, fluffing out the poor suppressed waves. She put on a warm gold sparkly eyeshadow and a quick lick of her favourite lipstick. She’d thrown on one of her favourite green summer dresses and gold sandals
. Hopefully this dress wouldn’t get ruined like the last one had the week before. And she couldn’t be too upset about it as it had led to her meeting Nix, and she could never regret that.
It was another warm sunny evening as she left the house. The sea was mirror calm, reflecting the cliffs and hills perfectly.
She hurried down the road and through the village, knowing that Nix and Dexter would be waiting for her at the other side, where a little footpath would take them up to the ruins.
She spotted Nix at the gate to the footpath, crouching down and stroking Dexter and seemingly having a proper conversation with him, or at least a monologue. The dog was wagging his tail as if listening intently.
Nix caught her eye as she approached and his face lit up in a big smile, making her feel warm inside.
He stood up and his eyes appraised her. ‘You look lovely.’
‘Thank you.’
He looked relaxed and happy, wearing shorts and a t-shirt. ‘You look…’ She searched for a word to describe him that wouldn’t be too forward but only one came to mind. ‘Huggable.’ And he did; he looked so warm, friendly and comfortable in his own skin that she wanted to step up and hug him and let some of his laid-back, easy-going attitude seep into her.
‘Oh well, I’ll definitely take that,’ Nix said, and, before she could stop him, he’d stepped up to her and wrapped his arms around her, enveloping her in the most wonderful bear hug. She slid her arms around him, leaning her head against his chest and closing her eyes for a second. It felt so good. There was something so solid, so reassuring about him. He felt safe. And coupled with his heavenly scent and the warmth of his body against hers, it was an intoxicating mix. It had been so long since she had been held like this. Even with the men she’d had semi-serious relationships with in the past, she’d never shared this kind of affection with any of them. She found herself snuggling closer against him, breathing him in, and he slid his hand up to the back of her neck, cupping her head. While he was holding her, every fear and doubt about getting involved with him fell away. This felt so right.
