“That’s the stairway to Heaven,” said Breck, “so my mother told me.”
Cordelia rested her cheek against Breck’s shirt and smiled a little.
“You’re freezing,” said Breck.
“I’m fine, really.”
“At least come and dry off by the fire. Your clothes are wet through.”
They squelched their way into the hut where Breck removed his shirt and hung it by the fire. Cordelia knew he was strong but she wasn’t expecting him to be quite so muscular, especially since most of the people in town were fading away to nothing. He caught her looking. Embarrassed, she quickly averted her eyes.
“What’s the matter? Haven’t you seen a man’s body before?”
Cordelia blushed and cleared her throat. “It’s not that. I just wasn’t expecting you to strip off. I hope you’re not expecting me to do the same.”
Breck laughed. “If you want to stay in wet clothes that’s up to you, but you should at least sit by the fire.”
Cordelia watched in astonishment as Breck proceeded to remove his boots and trousers. He certainly knew how to lift a girl’s spirits but she wasn’t going to tell him that, especially since they’d just buried Jerry’s family. She perched on the stool next to the fire where Keeva had been sitting.
“Tell me about her,” Cordelia said.
“Who?”
“Keeva. What’s she like?”
“Ah, she’s alright. She can be a bit of a madam but that’s because she fancies me.”
“Her own cousin?”
“Aye,” Breck smiled.
“I suppose it’s quite fashionable to marry your cousin. Queen Victoria did after all.”
Breck shrugged. “I’ve never been much of a fashion expert.”
“Would you?”
“Would I what?”
“Marry your cousin?”
Breck smiled again, this time with a glint in his eye. “I have eyes for someone else.”
“Cordelia! Cordelia!” shouted her friends.
Cordelia jumped up from the stool and peered out from the hut. Lana and the twins were walking along the track.
“I have to go.”
“Wait!” Breck pulled Cordelia’s arm and spun her round.
With one hand he pulled her in close, with the other he gently lifted her chin. It all happened quite fast but in that moment time seemed to stand still. Cordelia hesitantly rested her hand on Breck’s naked chest. She felt her breathing quicken as blood pulsed through her veins. All the other sounds diminished, the waves breaking on the rocks, the pitter patter of rain on the tin roof, her friends calling her name, all drowned out by the deafening sound of her own heart beat. She looked into his eyes, trying hard to control her breathing so she didn’t breathe hot air all over him. As he leaned in closer, Cordelia’s eyes settled on his lips. She followed his lips as they edged closer, until she was almost cross-eyed and then he kissed her. Cordelia closed her eyes as Breck’s lips pressed hard against hers. She pulled away briefly and breathed in his scent, a mixture of sweat, horse and turf. Breck cupped her face with both hands and pulled her in for a second kiss, biting her lower lip gently. Cordelia was thoroughly enjoying the moment, a feeling she didn’t know existed, until something forced them apart.
“Ouch!” cried Cordelia touching her lip to check for blood. “Did you bite me?”
“No, no, I’m sorry,” said Breck, gently moving her hand away to check if she was okay.
“Cordelia!” called her friends again.
“I’m sorry, I have to go,” said Cordelia and she walked briskly towards the track.
“We’ve been looking for you all over,” said Lana.
“We were worried about you,” said Nerissa.
“Where were you anyway?” asked Masika.
“Oh, I took shelter from the rain in that old shack.”
“There’s a fire burning in there,” said Nerissa.
“Is someone else in there?” asked Lana.
“Just an old friend,” lied Cordelia.
Lana looked worried. “Do they know about us?”
“No,” insisted Cordelia, telling the truth this time. “Come on, we’d better head back, it’s getting late.”
As they marched over the cliff tops, Cordelia felt now was as good a time as any to raise the subject of Morwen.
“Have you heard anymore about Morwen?”
“How do you know about that?” asked Lana. “You’ve been out all afternoon.
“Missing in action like Morwen,” jibed Nerissa.
“Are you sure it wasn’t Morwen in the shack with you?” asked Masika.
“As if,” said Cordelia, slightly confused by their comments.
“Morwen didn’t turn up for afternoon lessons so we had Marilla all afternoon,” explained Lana. “Nobody knows where she is, not even father.”
Cordelia stopped walking. “Are you messing with me?” she asked.
“God’s honest truth,” said Lana. “There’s no sign of her.”
“With a bit of luck she’s gone for good,” said Masika.
Concerned, Cordelia asked, “Do you remember what happened just before lunch?”
“It was just a bit of snow,” said Masika. “I’m sorry, I’ll make it up to you.”
EIGHT
BRECK
When Cordelia and her friends arrived back at the lighthouse most of the students were leaving the dining hall. As they walked past, it was obvious that they too had no recollection of the morning’s events. Cordelia squeezed her way through the hustle and bustle to the doorway of the dining hall. As she suspected, Marilla wasn’t there.
Cordelia patted her clothes, “They’re still wet from the rain, I think I’ll go and change.”
“We’ll be in the library if you want to meet us later,” said Lana.
“Maybe,” replied Cordelia and she made her escape.
She walked along the crowded tunnel to her chamber where once inside she closed the door and leaned her back against it, taking a moment to digest it all. To collect her thoughts. To breathe. She checked her lip in the mirror; there was no mark. Realising there was no time to lose, Cordelia quickly changed, pulling her clothes off and flinging them into a heap on the floor. She grabbed a dry skirt and stepped into it. Then she slipped on a clean blouse, fastened her belt and slumped down on the bed to pull on her boots over her damp socks. How she wanted to lie there, to curl up with her pillow and be alone for a while. Determined to find out what was going on, she forced herself to get up.
Cordelia walked through the network of tunnels. Trickles and drips of water echoed all around her and flames flickered in the lanterns that adorned the cave walls, creating shadows that darted sporadically back and forth. When she arrived at Marilla’s snow dome, Marilla was sitting at her desk reading. Morwen was nowhere to be seen.
Marilla peered over the top of her glasses. “What a lovely surprise.”
Cordelia walked slowly towards the desk, glancing around the room as she made her way forward.
“I’ve been expecting you,” said Marilla.
“If you’ve been expecting me then how can this be a lovely surprise?” Cordelia asked.
“Ah, well. It’s just a figure of speech isn’t it?” said Marilla, rising from her seat and walking around to perch on the front of her desk. She stared into Cordelia’s eyes, unblinking, holding her gaze.
“What are you doing?” asked Cordelia, knowing that Marilla was up to something.
Marilla continued to stare into Cordelia’s eyes. She hadn’t blinked once.
“Seriously, what are you doing?”
Astounded, Marilla stepped forward and swept Cordelia’s hair from her face with her hand. “I knew you were different, but this is very exciting indeed.”
“You were trying to use your powers on me, weren’t you?” said Cordelia. “You were trying to make me forget.”
“Perhaps.”
“That’s your power. You make people forget.”
Marilla smiled.
“You made everyone forget what happened to Morwen.”
“Everyone apart from you.”
Perplexed, Cordelia asked, “Why not me?”
Marilla smiled. “You, my child are destined for greatness.”
Taken aback by Marilla’s comment, Cordelia wasn’t entirely sure what to think, but deep down in the pit of her stomach, she felt happy. Happy that someone she admired had faith in her. Happy to hear there was something to look forward to in her future, even though she didn’t know what it was.
“What sort of greatness?” Cordelia eventually asked.
Marilla took a brass watch from her pocket and opened it. “Goodness! Is that the time? Must dash.”
Cordelia decided not to join her friends in the library, instead choosing to retreat to her chamber. She sat on the edge of her bed staring at her reflection in the mirror, trying to find something that indicated she was different to the others, wondering why she was immune to Marilla’s powers, wondering what greatness she was destined for. She sniffed the air. A terrible stench irritated her nose and made her stomach heave. The smell of the corpses was ingrained in her skin. Cordelia stripped and climbed into the wash barrel to scrub herself clean, then she washed the clothes she’d worn at the peat bog but still she couldn’t get rid of that smell. She dressed, hung the wet clothes by the fire and flopped back on her bed. She imagined winning the diving competition; how she longed to perfect her dives and win an invite to the castle ball. Cordelia had never been to a party before let alone a grand ball but she had seen many an aristocrat in their finery, strolling along the promenade of an evening on their way to the concert hall. That was before the hunger. There hadn’t been much excitement in town for years; it had all been doom and gloom - apart from one evening two summers ago when a wealthy businessman from Limerick sailed his yacht into the bay in an attempt to cheer the place up. Cordelia remembered it well; the yacht had looked so pretty lit up against the night sky and a firework display had taken place the same evening in an attempt to bring tourism back to the town. Cordelia missed the visitors. She used to sit on the sea wall people watching while Flynn conducted business with Jerry. People watching wasn’t the same now. Staring at people suffering from the hunger wasn’t fun for anyone. While she wasn’t one for frills and lace, Cordelia did wonder what it would be like to dance. She closed her eyes and imagined dancing around a great ballroom with Breck. Music filled her head and she imagined kissing him intensely like they had before. In the midst of everything, Breck was fast becoming the one person she could rely on. A man without complications, just like Flynn. A man who knew first hand how it felt to lose the people you love.
The next morning was Saturday. Cordelia wore her bathing costume underneath her clothes and raced down to the Duggerna rocks as soon as she’d finished breakfast. The sky had cleared overnight and the sea was relatively calm. Cordelia walked past the peat bog before crossing over the track to walk down onto the rocks. There was no sign of Breck but the mound of turf was confirmation that what had happened the day before was real. Visions of Jerry’s family flashed in her mind and the smell of their rotting corpses seemed as vivid now as it had the day before. Truth be told, that smell haunted her for weeks. Cordelia squeezed her eyes shut and raised a hand to her mouth in an attempt to keep her breakfast down. She crossed the track and walked across the rocks to the second pool, the wind whipping her hair and howling in her ears.
Standing on the diving rock, Cordelia peered into the clear water below. Recalling the vision she’d had of Flynn, she watched for a few moments longer but there was nothing; only the ripples moving across the surface. Her eyes wandered across the rocks to the peat bog, along the sea wall towards the town but still there was no sign of Breck, not a soul in sight. Without any further hesitation, Cordelia dived into the pool somewhat awkwardly, resurfacing with wet hair plastered across her face. In frustration she punched the water before submerging herself to clear the hair from her face. Cordelia continued practising her dives for hours, over and over again, refusing to give up until she felt she was making progress.
“Is it warm in there?” asked a familiar voice.
Cordelia hadn’t known Breck long but she’d recognise his soft, Irish accent anywhere.
“It’s beautiful,” she replied.
“Are you sure?”
“It’s lovely. Come on in.”
“Ah, I’m not sure. I don’t have any bathers.”
“You’ve underwear don’t you?” enquired Cordelia mischievously.
“I told you, I’m not much of a swimmer. Are you sure it’s not cold?”
“It’s gorgeous. I could stay in here all day.”
“I hope you’re telling the truth now,” said Breck, stripping down to his underwear.
Cordelia grinned widely as she clung to a ledge. “You’re to jump straight in now. No messing around.”
Accepting Cordelia’s challenge, Breck jumped straight in, completely submerged beneath the ice-cold water. The biting water stabbed him a thousand times, taking his breath away and turning his body numb. He reappeared within seconds, eyes wide, mouth open, gasping for air.
“Are you crazy?! You’ll give a man a heart attack playing tricks like that.” He scrambled around trying to find a ledge and hauled himself out of the water.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you’d find it so cold. You can use my towel if you like.”
Breck dried himself off and got dressed. “I’ve something else we can do if you’re up for an adventure,” he said, tying his bootlaces.
Cordelia’s heart sang at the prospect of going anywhere with Breck. She nodded, smiling, “Okay.”
“Get dressed. I’ll get the horse ready.”
Cordelia swam to the edge of the pool, eyes fixed on Breck as he walked away. Holding onto the ledge with one hand, she lowered herself below the surface to stop herself from squealing. Once she regained her composure, Cordelia climbed out of the water and changed her clothes. With her swimming costume wrapped in a towel and her hair still dripping wet, Cordelia hopped over the rocks to Breck who looked incredibly handsome standing on the dusty track, whispering to his horse. The breeze blew Breck’s shirt against his body, accentuating his toned torso.
“Are you two talking about me?” she asked coyly.
Breck smiled. “I’m just letting her know she’s still loved. She gets jealous you know.”
“What’s her name?” asked Cordelia, moving closer.
“Misty. You know, like sea mist.”
“That’s a pretty name,” said Cordelia, reaching out a hand to touch Misty’s soft nose. “You’re beautiful aren’t you.”
“She likes to dance in and out of the waves as they break on the shore.”
“You take her onto the beach?” asked Cordelia, looking Breck in the eye.
“Sure. You wanna try it?”
Cordelia nodded, her smile almost reaching her ears. Breck began to unhitch Misty from the cart.
“What are you doing?” asked Cordelia.
“You wanna ride across the beach, right?”
Cordelia nodded.
“So we’ll leave the cart here.”
“You mean we’re riding bareback?”
“You wanted an adventure didn’t you?”
Cordelia nodded. “Yes. That sounds fun,” she uttered quickly, aware that she had nodded for the umpteenth time. She looked at Breck, smiling, hoping that he didn’t think she was as dumb as she felt.
Breck climbed onto the horse. “Give me your hand.”
Cordelia took Breck’s hand and a tingling sensation ran all the way through her. Breck pulled Cordelia onto Misty’s back. She leaned into him, inhaling the scent of his shirt and wrapped her arms around his waist.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes.” Cordelia smiled and squeezed Breck tightly as Misty cantered towards the town.
They passed a few of the newer, grander houses before reaching the slipway. Br
eck pulled Misty to a stop and then she slowly walked down the slope towards the sand. Cordelia clung to Breck even tighter, nervous that Misty’s hooves might slip on the stone. A few early morning risers walking along the promenade stopped and stared as Misty galloped across the beach towards the water, sending a flock of seagulls ascending into the air. Cordelia felt invigorated. Alive. She shrieked with laughter as Misty galloped through the shoreline, splashing up water in all directions. Cordelia’s heart pounded beneath her chest. She never wanted the moment to end. As they approached the eastern side of the bay, Breck pulled on Misty’s reins and she came to a halt.
“How was it?” asked Breck, grinning.
“Amazing! We have to do that again.”
“Anytime, but there’s something I want to show you first.”
They made their way off the beach and onto the track at the East End of town. Misty trotted up the slight gradient, past a cottage on the cliff edge where a bony woman was tending to her garden.
“Mornin’!” called Breck.
The woman simply stared, her eyes heavy, her expression woeful. Cordelia’s smile faded and a look of pity took its place. They rode on. Cordelia wondered how it was that Breck was in such great shape when the rest of the town was starving but she thought it rude to ask. Raising the subject might also invite unwanted questions about her own food supply, a food supply that nourished a whole kingdom, a kingdom that wasn’t hers to reveal. Cordelia gazed across the bay to the Duggerna Reef and watched the waves roll in across the pools. A feeling of contentment washed over her.
“Are you alright?” asked Breck.
“Perfect.”
They came to a small footbridge with water meandering beneath it at the base of George’s Head.
“We’ll walk from here,” said Breck.
The pair jumped down and Breck tied Misty to an iron bar next to the bridge.
ELEMENTS: Acquiesce Page 10