Coming Home to Brightwater Bay

by Holly Hepburn

  ‘Behold the Stan Stone,’ he said with a dramatic sweep of his arm. ‘Said to be the sister of the Odin Stone, originally part of the Standing Stones of Stenness.’

  Merry was used to seeing the stones at Stenness, silhouetted against the Orkney sky. This stone was lonelier but no less impressive, although there was one noticeable difference. ‘Is it supposed to have a hole in the middle?’

  Niall nodded in approval, as though she was a promising student. ‘I’m glad you asked – it gives me an excuse to bore you with yet more island history.’

  Merry laughed. ‘You’re never boring. Tell me.’

  ‘Okay, since you insist. As I said, the Stan Stone is thought to be sister to the Odin Stone, which used to be one of the Stones of Stenness although it’s no longer standing. Odin’s Stone had a hole in the centre too, and people used to think that gave it healing properties. But, more interestingly, the hole allowed them to clasp hands through the heart of the stone, and legend said that anyone who did so while swearing an oath to Odin would create a binding agreement – say, for example, a promise to be faithful to a lover or even a marriage vow.’

  ‘And what happened if they broke the oath?’ Merry asked, imagining lovestruck couples plighting their troth among the stones.

  Niall sighed. ‘I know you want me to say lightning bolts and terrible vengeance were delivered by Odin himself but there’s no evidence to support it. That said, most people took it very seriously and tried not to break the oath. The community elders took a dim view of anyone who reneged on a deal made on the stone.’

  Merry studied the stone before them, with its much smaller hole. ‘You couldn’t clasp hands through this one.’

  ‘No,’ Niall agreed. ‘Although some people still believe this stone has magical powers too. It’s meant to grant wishes.’

  ‘Really?’ Merry said. ‘What do you have to do?’

  He shrugged. ‘Touch the stone and swear to honour Odin, then silently make your wish.’

  She threw him a sceptical look but his expression gave nothing away. ‘What have you got to lose?’

  It was exactly the kind of scene she might find in countless novels but Merry still felt foolish as she took a deep breath and reached out a slow fingertip towards the hole. She opened her mouth to start her oath but the moment her skin made contact with the cool stone, she felt a jolt run through her shoulders as though she’d been struck.

  ‘Raaaaah!’ Niall bellowed in her ear and then broke into helpless laughter. ‘Got you!’

  Shaken, Merry stepped back and glared at him, flexing her shoulders. ‘That wasn’t funny.’

  ‘It – was,’ he gasped, as tears appeared in his eyes. ‘I’m sorry but it was!’

  She tried to stay cross but his laughter was so contagious that Merry couldn’t help joining in. It started with a tug at the corner of her mouth, followed by a snort that finally descended into full-on belly laughter.

  ‘Sorry,’ Niall managed, placing his hands on his knees after a minute or two. ‘I couldn’t resist.’

  ‘I’m never believing anything you tell me again,’ Merry said, trying unsuccessfully to still sound annoyed.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ he said again. ‘But you looked so totally convinced. It was mean of me.’

  ‘It was,’ Merry agreed. ‘And now I’m going to put you in a book and do something horrible to you.’

  He grinned. ‘Please do. Infamy at last.’

  Merry shook her head; he looked like a little boy whose prank had exceeded even his own wildest dreams. ‘If you’ve quite finished terrifying me, didn’t you say we needed to get to the lighthouse?’

  Sobering a little, Niall checked the time. ‘Yes, we probably should. But it’s okay, the roads are flat. We’ll just have to cycle a bit harder.’

  Merry swallowed a sigh and straightened her shoulders. ‘Remind me to say no next time you turn up on my doorstep and demand I go island-hopping with you.’

  ‘You’re going to love the lighthouse,’ Niall said, setting off for the road. ‘More importantly, you’re going to love Bobby, the lighthouse tour guide.’

  ‘Am I?’ She glanced back at him. ‘Are you about to spin me some story about him being descended directly from Odin himself?’

  ‘No, but he’s what you might call an interesting character,’ he said. ‘Believe me, you’re definitely going to want to put him in a book.’

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Up close, the lighthouse was even more impressive than it had been from the air. As promised, they were met at the base of the red and white tower by Bobby Murray and Merry instantly knew why Niall had been so certain she’d want to write him into a story: if someone had asked her to picture a salty sea-dog of a lighthouse keeper, Bobby was exactly what she would have imagined. All that was missing was a thick black pipe poking out from his bushy white beard.

  ‘Ah, if it isn’t our trusty keeper of knowledge and his esteemed writer friend,’ he said as they approached, in a voice that was richer and louder than the stillness around them warranted. ‘I hope you had a pleasant journey here?’

  ‘Very smooth, thank you,’ Niall said, allowing the older man to pump his hand with more enthusiasm than necessary. ‘Can I introduce you to Merina Wilde?’

  Bobby took Merry’s hand and shook it with the same vigour he’d used on Niall. ‘Charmed. Absolutely charmed.’

  ‘Lovely to meet you too,’ Merry said, surreptitiously wiggling her fingers to make sure they still worked. ‘Thank you for taking the time to show us around.’

  ‘It’s no trouble at all,’ Bobby insisted. ‘I’m grateful to you for coming – we don’t get as many visitors as we used to and it does me good to climb the stairs. There are quite a few, in case you didn’t know, so I hope you’ve had a decent breakfast.’

  Merry flashed a meaningful look at Niall, who smirked but said nothing.

  Bobby raised his voice a little as he slipped into what Merry assumed was his work patter. ‘This beauty is the tallest land-based lighthouse in the United Kingdom. She was built in eighteen fifty-two and stands at a hundred and thirty-nine feet, giving unrivalled views across these beautiful islands. Of course, she’s not just a pretty face.’ He nodded proudly at Merry. ‘She plays a vital role in keeping ships from foundering on the treacherous shoals beneath the sea around the island. But more of that later.’

  He waved a hand towards the door of the lighthouse and beamed at his visitors. ‘Shall we begin our ascent? It’s such a clear day that I think we might even see all the way to Fair Isle.’

  He kept up a steady stream of facts and figures all the way to the top, his voice booming off the smooth painted walls, while Merry tried to keep up and wondered how he could even talk, let alone bellow.

  ‘Are you familiar with Peppa Pig?’ Niall murmured as they climbed.

  Distracted, Merry nodded. Alex’s nieces had been big fans and Merry had watched more than a few episodes while babysitting them. She had no idea why Niall had chosen this particular moment to mention the show, however.

  ‘Do you remember which character lives in the lighthouse?’ he asked.

  And then it made sense, because Merry had a sudden flashback to an episode featuring a white-bearded rabbit with a booming voice who lived in a lighthouse. The resemblance to Bobby was striking and the thought caused Merry to snort with laughter.

  Bobby paused on the stairs above her. ‘Are you quite well?’

  Merry waved a hand. ‘Fine. Just a little cough – carry on.’

  ‘Sorry,’ Niall whispered, once Bobby had set off again.

  ‘You are behaving very badly today,’ Merry said, in a tone of mock severity. ‘What’s got into you?’

  He grinned. ‘Must be the North Ronaldsay air.’

  At the top, Bobby tactfully gave them a minute to catch their breath and went on to explain that this was the second lighthouse to be built on the island. ‘You can still visit the remains of the old beacon and a very sturdy old lady she is too.’

&
nbsp; Beside her, Merry felt rather than heard Niall trying not to laugh. ‘Did you say we might catch a glimpse of Fair Isle?’ she asked quickly, before she could catch the giggles too.

  Bobby beamed at her. ‘I should have known you’d be interested in distant lands. Writers and poets always are.’

  He pointed to the north, where Merry could just about make out a shape that looked a little like another island. ‘And of course, they can see the light sweeping the waves most nights,’ Bobby went on. ‘It’s a fully automated flash every ten seconds these days but back in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, they used burning oil.’

  After explaining more about how the lamp worked, Bobby gave them some time to themselves. ‘This is when most people want to take a selfie or two, as a memento of their trip,’ he said. ‘Although I’m always happy to act as photographer if you prefer?’

  Niall and Merry both shook their heads and Bobby retreated, although Merry noticed he stayed on hand, presumably because there wasn’t really anywhere for him to go, other than down the stairs, and she assumed even Bobby wasn’t enthusiastic enough to climb the spiral steps twice in the space of an hour.

  The wind was much stronger than it had been at the base and Merry found her dark hair whipping around her face as she snapped a few photos on her phone. She’d normally send one or two to Jess, she thought, and the observation caused some of her good mood to drain away.

  Niall seemed to read her mind because he asked, ‘Heard from Jess lately?’

  ‘Not much,’ Merry replied, wondering whether he had any idea that they’d fallen out. ‘Why?’

  He leaned on the parapet and shrugged. ‘Just wondering. You’ve been tucked away in the croft for weeks so I haven’t had a chance to ask you whether she enjoyed her visit.’

  ‘Oh,’ Merry said and took a moment to gather her thoughts. ‘Yes, I think she did.’

  Niall kept his gaze fixed on the shifting waves below them. ‘Any particular highlights?’ he asked, his tone casual.

  Frowning, she turned to study him. ‘Not that she’s mentioned. Why, do you need some official feedback?’

  ‘No, nothing like that,’ he said, and managed an awkward smile. ‘I wondered if she’d said anything, that’s all. Mentioned anyone in particular.’

  Merry felt her heart begin to thud in her chest and a horrible suspicion loomed in her mind. ‘Like who?’

  Now Niall’s expression grew even more awkward. ‘I’m not supposed to say. Forget I mentioned it.’

  Merry shook her head, trepidation building. ‘You can’t leave it like that. What’s this about?’

  He sighed and looked over his shoulder, as though checking Bobby was out of earshot. ‘It’s no big deal, I suppose. Andrew was asking after her. He took a bit of a shine to her and asked me to find out if she felt the same way.’ He paused, looking wretched. ‘And I know it’s a wee bit unprofessional but he’s my best friend, so I said I’d try to find out.’

  The relief that flooded over Merry was so strong that she had to grab hold of the railing along the parapet. ‘Andrew likes Jess?’

  Niall nodded. ‘You can’t tell her. And you can’t tell Andrew that I told you. He made me promise to be discreet.’

  She felt the corners of her mouth edge upwards into a smile. ‘Well, I think it’s safe to say you don’t have a career as a spy in your future,’ she said, still reeling from her own jumbled emotions. ‘But if I’m speaking to her any time soon, I’ll see what I can find out.’

  ‘Would you?’ he said gratefully. ‘I’d really appreciate it. He’s been mooning around like a lovesick puppy ever since she left and I know she’s probably forgotten all about him but if you could find out for sure, one way or the other…’

  ‘I’ll see what I can do,’ Merry promised, and decided not to explore her relief at Niall’s revelation.

  Bobby loomed in front of them. ‘Are you sure you don’t want a photo? I thought all you young folks put this kind of thing on Instagram these days.’

  Niall raised an eyebrow at Merry. ‘Shall we? Might be handy for the library newsletter.’

  She raised a hand to smooth her tangled curls and then gave up. ‘Sure,’ she said. ‘Why not?’

  It was much easier descending the stairs than it had been coming up, although Merry still marvelled at Bobby, who almost skipped down like a man half his age. At the bottom, he directed them to the shop and café, where they could buy authentic Fair Isle jumpers and get a decent cup of tea. Merry and Niall thanked him profusely for the tour but he waved away their thanks. ‘Just make sure I get a copy of your new book when it’s ready,’ he said, eyes twinkling. ‘It sounds like just my thing.’

  ‘Of course,’ Merry said, and made a mental note to be gentle if she ever wrote Bobby into a story.

  They were on their way out of the door when the loudest horn Merry had ever heard reverberated around the base of the tower.

  ‘What the hell was that?’ Merry asked in alarm, covering her ears with her hands.

  Niall shook his head, mystified until Bobby reappeared behind them, grinning at their shocked expressions.

  ‘And that’s what the foghorn sounds like,’ he bellowed, and his voice seemed to reach even higher decibels. ‘Sorry if it made you jump.’

  ‘He’s not sorry,’ Merry muttered, after she and Niall had laughed politely and begun to make their way towards the café. ‘I bet he does that to everyone.’

  ‘Probably,’ Niall said, pressing a finger against his earlobe and jiggling it. ‘Although I’m pretty sure he could just stand at the top and shout to warn ships on foggy days.’

  Merry couldn’t help laughing. ‘Maybe that’s what he does. Come to think of it, isn’t that the plot of a Peppa Pig episode?’

  He threw her a sympathetic look. ‘Damn. It’s true what they say – there really are no new ideas in the world.’

  ‘See?’ Merry said. ‘Being a writer is harder than it looks.’

  ‘Never mind,’ Niall said, pushing open the door of the café. ‘I’ll buy you some cake to make up for the disappointment.’

  Merry let out a loud sigh. ‘And that is why Writer’s Arse is a thing.’

  * * *

  It wasn’t especially late by the time Niall stopped the car outside the croft, but Merry was finding it impossible to hide her yawns.

  ‘I’d invite you in for coffee but I don’t think I’d stay awake long enough to drink it,’ she told him with a rueful smile.

  ‘I’m pretty exhausted myself,’ he admitted. ‘It’s all that cycling.’

  ‘Not to mention the stairs,’ she reminded him. ‘But despite all the exercise – or maybe because of it – I had a really great time.’

  ‘Me too.’ His eyes rested briefly on hers, then he fixed his gaze on the sea. ‘They’ve gone fast, these six months. It hardly seems like yesterday that I brought you here for the first time and watched you become utterly mesmerized by the sunset over the bay.’

  Merry felt her smile widen at the memory. ‘It was a pretty spectacular effort, even by Orkney standards. And I still find the sunsets mesmerizing. I’m going to miss them so very much.’

  That wasn’t all she was going to miss, Merry wanted to say, but she was more aware than ever of the professional line between her and Niall. It might have blurred a little today but it was still there, and it felt to Merry like a tangible barrier. It was certainly enough to stop her confessing that the idea of leaving Orkney in a few weeks’ time caused her heart to ache every time she thought of it. There was nothing to be gained from telling Niall how she felt; he couldn’t offer her an extension of her residency – it wasn’t within the terms of the agreement to do so. Besides, she was certain she must have been a particularly troublesome writer for him to wrangle; as far as she could tell, none of the others had let their personal lives intrude upon their work in quite the way she had. Niall was probably counting down the days even as he sat with her right now.

  ‘You’ll have to come back and visit,’ he s
aid. ‘If you want to, that is. If you have time.’

  His tone was oddly stiff, she noticed, which suggested he was being polite. But it didn’t matter because she knew once she went back to London, and fell back into the cycle of her old life, the spell would be broken and it was unlikely she’d return to Orkney.

  ‘I might have to,’ she said, striving to keep her tone light. ‘I need an idea for my next book, after all.’

  ‘Of course,’ he agreed. ‘You bring your laptop, I’ll supply the whisky.’

  The idea of a dram or two of whisky sounded like heaven, Merry thought as another yawn crept up on her. ‘Sorry,’ she said, with some embarrassment. ‘I think I’d better call it a night. Thanks for a great day.’

  ‘Thank you for coming with me,’ Niall responded. ‘I love travelling around the islands but it’s always more fun with a partner in crime.’

  Merry smiled and reached for the door handle. ‘Goodnight, Niall.’

  ‘Goodnight, Merry.’

  She watched the tail-lights of his car until they blinked out of sight. Then she went inside, collected a bottle of Highland Park, a glass, and her favourite yellow woollen blanket, and took both out to the bench overlooking Brightwater Bay. Sunset was still a few hours away but in a few short weeks she’d lose the opportunity to sit here for ever. She had to appreciate it now, while she still could.

  And a tiny voice in her head suggested that the view wasn’t the only thing she’d lose when she left Orkney. But there was nothing she could do about either.

  * * *

  Merry thought she was hallucinating when she drove back to the croft on Thursday morning to find Magnús’s Ford pick-up truck parked outside. She blinked, wondering who could have borrowed it and why they’d driven out to see her. And then she got out of the Mini, just as the driver of the pick-up pushed open the driver’s side door. She recognized him long before he’d unfolded himself to his full height; there was no mistaking Magnús Ólafsson. What he was doing outside the croft, when he should have been in Reykjavik, was another matter entirely.