Chapter Seven
The next day was awful for Lizzy. Though she spent almost all of it at the beach or on the lighthouse headland, there was still no sign of the dolphins. She was desperate to get a message to Kes and Morvyr about Jack Carrick, and Arhans and the others were her only hope. Why didn’t they come? Where were they? In spite of Arhans’s warning that she should stay away from the sea, Lizzy was tempted to go and search for them. But a red flag was flying on the beach, and to her dismay the lifeguards told her that it meant ‘No Bathing’.
‘There’s still a big swell after the storm, and some treacherous rip currents,’ the head lifeguard said.
‘Rip currents?’ Lizzy echoed.
‘Yes. You can’t see them, but, if you get caught in one, you can be swept away in moments.’ He grinned in a friendly way. ‘So, no swimming today, OK? If you went in, we’d have to come after you and heave you out!’
The lifeguards were patrolling the water’s edge, so there was no way she could avoid being seen if she tried to disobey the flag warning. She could go to the lighthouse, of course, then climb down the rocks of the headland and reach the sea from there. But, if she found herself caught in a rip current, was she a strong enough swimmer to get out of trouble? Though it was a bitter disappointment, she dared not take the risk.
By evening Lizzy felt as if her insides were boiling with frustration, and Rose only made matters worse. She had been out with Paul again, and when she got home she said that Jack Carrick had arrived at the Treleavens’.
‘I’ll probably meet him tomorrow night,’ she added casually. ‘I’m going round to Paul’s, and I expect he’ll be there.’
Lizzy’s heart started to thump. ‘Can I come with you?’ she asked hopefully.
‘No, you can’t. Don’t be so silly! Why on earth would he want you tagging along to gawp at him? You’re a complete stranger.’
The words a complete stranger really stung Lizzy. But of course Rose didn’t know the real story, and Lizzy couldn’t tell her.
Tomorrow, she told herself, she would find Arhans, and even the lifeguards wouldn’t stop her. But in the morning Mum said that she was taking both the girls to Truro to get uniforms for their new school.
Rose groaned, and Lizzy’s face fell. ‘Oh, Mum! School doesn’t start for another month – I can’t think about it now! I wanted to go to the beach.’
‘You’ve spent just about all your time at the beach since we moved in,’ Mum said firmly. ‘One day away from it won’t hurt. We’re going, and that’s that.’
‘Cheer up,’ said Rose, seeing Lizzy’s expression. ‘At least if we get this over and done with now, we can forget about school again till September.’
Lizzy didn’t answer. They drove to Truro, and somehow she got through the dreary business of trying on blazers and skirts and sports kit. Even a delicious and expensive lunch didn’t help. And by the time they got home, after crawling through heavy traffic, the day was almost over and she couldn’t find an excuse to get away and look for the dolphins.
Rose went out in the evening, and didn’t come in until after Lizzy had gone to bed. Next morning, though, she had news.
‘I met Mr Carrick,’ she told the family over breakfast. ‘He’s really nice – you’d like him, Dad – he’s got a ghastly sense of humour just like yours.’
‘Cheek!’ said Dad, grinning.
‘Has he settled in all right?’ Mum asked.
‘Oh, yes. I mean, the police have talked to him, of course, and Social Services have been round, and the local press are trying to get hold of him and all that, but he’s cool about it.’ Rose helped herself to cereal. ‘Know what he told Paul? He just wants to get out on his own in a boat, and have a bit of peace and quiet.’
‘Oh, he’s a sailing man, is he?’ Dad looked interested; learning to sail was one of the things he planned to do.
‘Mmm,’ Rose said with her mouth full, then swallowed. ‘Paul’s dad’s got a boat – a small one, I mean, as well as his trawler.’ She laughed. ‘He reckons there’ll be hordes of reporters calling round today; he’s lending Mr Carrick the boat so he can get away before they turn up!’
Mum smiled. ‘Good for him! I should think a grilling from the press is the last thing he wants.’
‘I wouldn’t hide from them,’ said Rose. ‘I’d make out it was a really massive drama, sell the story to the Sunday papers and make loads of money. Brilliant! Wouldn’t you, Lizzy?’ She waited. ‘Lizzy?’
‘What? Oh – sorry, I was miles away.’
‘I said, wouldn’t you want to talk to the press if you were Jack Carrick?’
‘Er… I don’t know. Maybe.’ Lizzy hesitated, then, hoping she sounded casual, asked, ‘Where does Paul’s dad keep his boat?’
‘Somewhere in that marina on the other side of the harbour, I think.’
‘Oh, right. What’s it called?’
‘You mean, what’s she called,’ Rose corrected. ‘You always say she when you talk about boats.’
‘Dunno. Silver something; can’t remember. Why?’
‘I… just wondered.’
Rose gave her a strange look, but let it drop. Lizzy, though, was churning with inner excitement. If she could get to the marina before Jack Carrick left…
‘I don’t want any more to eat, Mum,’ she said. ‘Is it OK if I go out?’
Mum blinked, surprised by the sudden change of subject. ‘Yes, I suppose so,’ she said. ‘Once you’ve helped clear away and tidied your room. Whose turn is it to wash up?’
‘Mine.’ Rose pulled a face. ‘And you and Dad have had eggs. I hate washing egg things. Why can’t we get a dishwasher?’
‘Because the kitchen’s too small for one,’ Dad told her. ‘Anyway, you keep telling us you’re so eco-friendly. What’s eco-friendly about dishwashers?’
‘Plenty,’ said Rose, ‘when I’ve got to wash egg things!’
Lizzy left them cheerfully arguing. She rushed through her chores as fast as she could, then shoved her wetsuit into her bag and set off for the harbour. A boat called Silver something… it shouldn’t be too difficult to find. She just hoped she wouldn’t get there too late.
About thirty small boats were tied up in the marina, some with their owners on board preparing for a day’s sailing now that the sea was calmer. Lizzy walked along the floating wooden pontoons, trying to get used to their slight swaying as she looked at each boat in turn. She saw White Gull, Red Witch and Sungold, but none of them had a name with Silver in it. Thinking that perhaps she had missed it, she was about to start on a second circuit when someone called out to her and she saw Paul approaching.
‘Hi, Lizzy.’ Paul had a coil of heavy rope slung over his shoulder. ‘What are you doing down here?’
‘I… er…’ Then Lizzy thought, Rose isn’t here, and Paul won’t ask awkward questions… ‘I was going to have a look at your dad’s sailing boat,’ she said.
‘What, Silvie, you mean? She’s not here this morning. Our new guest’s taken her out.’
So she was too late. ‘Oh,’ Lizzy said, crestfallen. ‘Rose said something about that.’
‘Go on, own up!’ Paul laughed, but it was a kind laugh. ‘It was him you wanted to look at, wasn’t it? Rose told me you were interested.’
She felt her face turning red. ‘Well…’
‘You and half the town! Don’t worry about it – I expect he’d like to meet you too. You’ll have to come round and say hello sometime. Not today, though.’ He looked out to sea, then pointed. ‘There he is, see? The boat with the dark-red sail, heading down the coast. He wanted to go out on his own, to have a look at some of his old haunts. He and Dad used to go to the caves along there years ago, to watch the seals.’
‘Oh. Right.’ Lizzy tried to make herself stop shaking. Jack Carrick would be passing the cave where she had first met her real mother. Was it special to him? she wondered. Was he going to search for Morvyr?
Paul’s voice brought her back to earth. ‘I’d better go – promised I’d help Dad do some work on the trawler. Tell Rose I’ll see her later, OK?’
‘Yes,’ said Lizzy. ‘Sure.’
‘Bye, then.’ Paul hoisted the coil of rope again and walked away. Lizzy stood watching as Silvie moved slowly across the bright sea, past the headland and out of sight. Her heart was hammering under her ribs, and she was overwhelmed by a desperate yearning to follow him. But could she do it? Did she have the courage?
She knew the answer. Daunting or not, for her there was no other choice.