Chapter 21. Violet
The party was in full swing. Sounds of laughter and music drifted
across the lawns to where Bish and Finn sat in the garden. Paper
lanterns hung amongst the wisteria vines that climbed through the
arches of the summer house.
"You built this?" Finn asked.
Bish raised a glass of the whiskey Nain Joan had given him.
"Designed, sited and built it myself. I was going to start planting a hedge
of camellias around it next."
"You've missed your calling." Finn said.
It was a mild clear night and the summer house looked out over the lights
of St.Ives and the harbour.
"My cousin Violet would like to meet you Finn."
''Your cousin? Where is she?''
''In the house.'' Bish said.
"Why doesn't she just come out and say hello."
"I told her I would talk to you first."
"Your being a bit old world aren't you Bish?"
"Violet and I are close Finn. We're the youngest cousins in our
family. We've spent just about every summer holiday and Christmas
If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.
together. Last year she told me a story she said she'd never told
anybody. I thought it was a flight of fancy, and to be honest I didn't take
much notice of it at the time, but when I saw you at the markets this
morning - I made the connection."
"What on earth are you talking about?" Finn said.
Bish stood up and went into the house and returned almost immediately
with a petite red haired young woman who walked directly behind him as
if she didn't want to be seen.
''Finn, may I introduce to you my cousin Violet, also known to her nearest
and dearest as Vie."
Bish spun on his heel and went back into the house. "You two children play
nice now."
"You b-b- bastard Bish." Violet stammered.
Finn smiled. "Hello Violet."
Violet looked like a deer caught on the train tracks.
''I w-w-wanted t-t-t....'' she spluttered in frustration.
"There's no rush." Finn said.
"Take your time Violet, my Aunt Edith had a stammer. She lived with
us when I was little and the way she spoke is a happy childhood
memory for me."
Violet smiled. Finn thought it was beautiful smile. "May I call you Vie."
"I w-would like that.'' Violet said. "D-do you remember the last time we met."
Finn was trying to think of a polite way to say that he didn't, when Violet
rushed forward and hugged him. She was warm and smelled of jasmine
and in a cloud of her unruly hair he remembered.
*
It was years ago - Finn was in his last year at school.
"How did you end up in the sea that day Vie?"
Vie stepped back and took a breath. "It was the end of the holiday.
I got talked into going to lunch at the Tinners arms in Zennor with
B-Bish's sisters and s-some of their friends. After an hour I'd had
enough of their stupid conversations so I decided to walk the coastal
p-path b-back to St.Ives. I got to the Seal island lookout when
I thought I heard voices calling out from one of the rocky inlets.
M-maybe someone was in trouble. I got off the track and climbed down
a b-bit to see what was going on. It was sea lion pups playing and
barking in the rock pools.
I'd never seen them that close on the shore before."
"That's how you ended up in the water." Finn said.
"They seemed so happy. I wanted to get a better look, so I climbed further
down, and I slipped and f-fell."
"Down the cliff, into the sea." Finn said, surprised that Vie hadn't been
seriously hurt in the fall.
"I tried to get b-back onto the shore but the backwash from the waves
hitting the rocks kept pushing me away. I hurt my hip, it was all I could do
to just tread water."
"Seal Island is about a mile from where I saw you." Finn said.
"That's how far the current d-dragged me. I called out for help until I was
nearly breathless. I was getting weaker, the more I struggled the lower in
the water I sank. I started to go under and it was t-taking more and more
out of me to get back to the surface."
Vie started to cry and Finn put his arms around her.
"I w-wanted to tell you that I was sorry." she said.
"What for?" Finn asked.
"For running away."
*
