A Safe Harbour Read Online Free PDF Page B

 
    Jane was shocked by the other girl’s appearance. Kate’s glorious hair had escaped all restraint and was hanging down in ragged witch’s locks. Damp strands of it were plastered over her face, which held an expression of bewilderment tempered with rage. She didn’t seem to care – or perhaps she wasn’t aware – that the waves were washing around her, making the folds of her skirt float and lift as they rushed in and then receded.  
    ‘Get up,’ Jane said. ‘You’re soaking wet.’  
    Kate didn’t respond. Instead she turned away and looked out to sea, and then made that crazy scooping motion again.  
    ‘For heaven’s sake, what are you doing?’ Jane could barely suppress her irritation – and fright. Had her friend lost her mind? Was she crazed with grief ? What should she do? Kate was taking no notice of her but she couldn’t just leave her there, kneeling in the water.  
    She took a step forward and, abandoning any thought of saving her own clothes from getting soaked, she took hold of Kate’s shoulders. Kate flinched and then looked up. Jane was shocked by the sheer misery etched in her friend’s face. But even more shocked by the tentative smile. What on earth was there to smile about?  
    ‘What have you got there, Kate?’  
    In answer the other girl dropped her head and indicated what she had collected in the folds of her skirt. Jane frowned. Apples? Had Kate been gathering apples from the sea? That was crazy.  
    ‘Jos sent them,’ Kate said. ‘He wanted me to have them. He must have opened the sack and sent them in on the tide.’  
    All at once it made sense. These were the apples that Jos and Barty had given their lives for. Jane stared down at them in despair. Barely ripe, some of them bruised, most of them clearly misshapen windfalls. Jane felt a sharp ache of grief gathering in her throat.  
    ‘No, Kate,’ she said huskily. ‘Jos didn’t send them. You know that.’  
    ‘Then how . . .’  
    ‘The sack has come open of its own accord. The apples have floated free. Now, come along. You can’t sit here.’  
    Kate’s expression hardened. In spite of the glittering tears, Jane saw her eyes narrow. She knew that look of old, but she had had plenty of practice in dealing with her friend’s wilfulness.  
    ‘Look, the men are returning.’ She leaned forward and pointed out to sea to where the cobles had begun the familiar race home. ‘The beach will be busy soon . . . the fish auction. You don’t want people to find you like this. They’ll laugh at you.’  
    ‘Laugh at me?’ Kate sounded shocked but Jane felt no remorse for the lie. For of course no one would laugh. This close community would have only pity and compassion for this poor bereaved girl, but somehow she had to get Kate to get up out of the water. So she had appealed to her pride.  
    ‘Yes, laugh. And you don’t want folk saying that Jos was better off drowned than married to a madwoman, do you?’ For a moment Jane thought she had gone too far. Kate’s face blanched and her green eyes grew huge with shock and pain. Heedless of her fine skirt Jane knelt down next to her friend and took hold of her shoulders. ‘Come along, Kate,’ she said gently. ‘You would want Jos to be proud of you, wouldn’t you?’  
    After a long moment Kate nodded and made an indistinct sound in her throat. Jane helped her to her feet but the other girl suddenly stopped and caught at her skirt in an attempt to save the apples.  
    ‘No, Kate.’ Jane took hold of Kate’s hands and stopped her. ‘Let them go.’  
    She helped Kate shake her skirt until all the apples she had gathered fell into the sand-flecked foam and bobbed about with the sea-polished pebbles. Kate stared down at them and when a retreating wave began to take them back to sea she made a moaning noise.  
    ‘Hush,’ Jane said softly. ‘Now come back with me.’  
    ‘No-I can’t go home.’  
    ‘It’s all right. You can come to my house.