‘We threw this into the water on our last trip to Castaway Bay. The necklace is still as beautiful now as it was back then. I always regretted putting it in the bottle and I couldn’t believe it when I saw Bea wearing it.’

  ‘She was just minding it, until we found you.’

  Martha turned the letter from the bottle over in her hand. ‘I remember this day like it was yesterday. It was one of the best days of my life…’ Her voice faltered. ‘All through that summer we were inseparable.’

  ‘I think my grandfather thought that too.’

  Martha shook her head. ‘I don’t think so.’ She handed the bottle and letter back to Nolan, who noticed her mood had suddenly changed.

  He kept his voice soft. ‘I don’t mean to pry but I was excited about tracking down Patsy. I was on my own adventure in The Hemingway, retracing my grandfather’s summer but…’

  ‘Exactly what do you know?’ Martha held his gaze.

  ‘Just that he talked about you and his summer at Heartcross. Even when he passed away you were still on his mind. He spoke about you then too.’

  Martha wiped away a tear with a tissue. ‘I knew one day all this would catch up with me. It’s just too painful. I can’t do this.’ She stood up.

  ‘Please don’t go. I’m not sure what’s going on here but there’s a box full of memories from your summer together … and a letter.’

  ‘A letter?’

  Nolan nodded. ‘Yes. Please sit back down.’ He gestured to the chair and quickly moved to retrieve the box, which he handed to Martha.

  With the box resting on her knees, she looked at him. ‘There’s so much to share but without your grandfather here to give his side of this story…’

  Nolan leaned forward and took the box from Martha, placing it on the floor. ‘What happened, Martha?’

  ‘I don’t know where to start. Too much time has passed now. Believe it or not, I’ve mellowed in my old age, and I don’t hold any animosity towards your grandfather, but seeing you and how much you look like him has brought back a lot of feelings I’ve tried to bury.’

  Martha was talking in riddles but Nolan could sense by the pained look on her face that she was hurting deeply. ‘Martha, whatever it is, there will be no judgements on my part. I promise. Shall I make us a strong cup of tea?’

  Martha shook her head. ‘Tea? I think I’m in need of alcohol.’

  Nolan gave a small laugh. Standing up, he took the bottle that his grandfather had purchased back in Heartcross that fateful summer and handed it to Martha. ‘I’ve no idea what it tastes like but be my guest.’ While he collected a glass from the kitchen and a bottle of tonic, Martha uncapped the bottle and took a whiff. ‘It smells about sixty years old.’ She smiled. ‘I was with Morgan when he purchased this from Glensheil Gin.’

  ‘I’ll get you a glass of wine from the fridge, shall I?’

  Nolan returned with a full glass and placed the bottle on the table. He passed the glass to Martha, who swigged it down in seconds and refilled it.

  She took a fleeting glance towards the painting before she continued. ‘Without any judgements, you say?’

  ‘I promise.’

  Martha took a deep breath. Her lips were slightly trembling as she began to speak. ‘Your grandfather was my life for that summer. I was working at The Little Blue Boathouse when Morgan sailed in and anchored by the bank. I watched him for about three days from the attic room before he came into the Boathouse. He was handsome, dressed well and had a wild mop of hair. You take after him.’

  Nolan ruffled the top of his head. ‘It is a little unruly at times,’ he said, with a smile.

  ‘I was quite surprised he took a liking to me. You see, I wasn’t from an affluent family. In fact for most of my childhood we were on the poverty line, living hand to mouth. It was difficult at times. I also wasn’t a fan of education and after school I spent my time running errands and helping to clean. Such a different way of life from today. My first paid employment was at The Little Blue Boathouse and when it came with the attic room, I thought I’d made it.

  ‘When I met your grandfather, he made me feel like I’d never felt before. Those flutterings in your tummy… The second we clapped eyes on each other it was an instant connection. We laughed, we had so much fun, everything was just so easy. People come and go in your life but in here –’ Martha tapped her heart ‘– I fell in love with your grandfather, it’s as simple as that.’

  He knew exactly what Martha was talking about, when she spoke of those flutterings in her stomach. What Martha was sharing was exactly how he was feeling about Bea. They laughed, had fun together and she always put him at ease. Every time he saw her, he was drawn to her. Bea’s smile was everything.

  ‘I knew he was posh and I came from the worst street in the town but that didn’t matter when we were together.’

  ‘Was it class that kept you apart?’ asked Nolan tentatively.

  ‘I didn’t think so, but I’m not too sure.’ Martha looked at the painting. ‘He never hid the fact he was leaving after the summer, but it didn’t make it any easier.’ She pointed to the cliff. ‘The day he left, I sat up there for hours, watching The Hemingway and Morgan sail out of my life. My heart was smashed into smithereens.’ Martha took a tissue out of her pocket and dabbed her eyes. ‘I vowed I never wanted to feel hurt like that ever again but I did, six months later … when I went looking for him.’

  ‘I didn’t realise you’d seen each other again. My grandfather never said,’ Nolan replied, surprised.

  ‘He didn’t see me. I remember he’d talked about where he lived. Cornwall. It’s a hell of a way from here. I took several trains and buses, along with Bonnie. It was like a mini holiday and cost us all of our wages and some.’

  ‘If you travelled all of that way, why didn’t you see my grandfather?’

  ‘I did see him. It was the beginning of February. The weather was bitterly cold and there was snow on the ground. Even the church steeple was covered.’

  ‘The church?’

  ‘He was standing in the arched doorway of the church, looking more handsome than when I saw him last, if that was possible. His suit was exquisitely cut, his hat perched on his head and that was when I realised – he was getting married.’ The colour had drained from Martha’s face, the hurt still very much visible.

  Nolan knew the marriage between his grandparents hadn’t been one of love and passion, but more of being pushed together by two wealthy families. It was destined to not work out, and even though couples stayed together through thick and thin back in those times, his grandmother eventually upped and left, leaving his grandfather a single parent. He never remarried.

  ‘Martha, I don’t know what to say, except I’m sorry.’

  ‘How could I speak to him then? It was his wedding day. He was laughing and joking with his best man and I watched him walk into the church as his bride arrived. I couldn’t believe he’d moved on from me so quickly and my whole world came crashing down. I felt so alone and a fool. I thought about him every day and hoped he would come looking for me. When I saw The Hemingway –’ Martha wafted her hand in front of her face and fought back a tsunami of tears that was about to freefall ‘– I thought…’

  ‘I can imagine it must have been a bit of a shock. I know it’s no consolation but over the years he always talked about you and this place and that’s why I’m here now – to see how magical it is. And it’s everything I imagined it would be, and more.’

  ‘It is.’

  ‘I don’t want to upset you further and I understand if you don’t want to read the letter but he did write it for you.’

  Martha looked towards the box and slowly picked it up. Balancing it on her knee, she cautiously took off the lid. Staring at the memories in the box she placed her hand on her chest. ‘The ticket to the bandstand. This was where we shared our first kiss. And these rocks and shells … we collected them from Castaway Bay.’ Martha flicked through the sketchbook then picked up the pack of cards. ‘We used to sit right here, on the deck, in the evenings and play – Morgan rarely beat me. And this is the small teddy bear he won for me from the fairground that was at the River Festival. We argued over who would keep it but I never imagined he would have kept it this long.’ Picking up the letter, Martha stared at the handwritten scrawl in black ink.

  ‘Maybe, if you don’t want to read it now, you can take it away with you and read it in private?’

  Martha traced the word ‘Patsy’ with her finger, then looked up at Nolan. ‘I think I would like to read it now, if that’s okay with you.’

  ‘Of course, whatever you feel is best,’ he replied warmly.

  Taking a deep breath, Martha opened the envelope and unfolded the cream paper. ‘It’s dated three months after he left here,’ exclaimed Martha. She began to read. ‘This isn’t true. He never came to see me…’ She gave a tiny gasp and gripped the letter, the tears flowing freely down her cheeks.

  Nolan reached over and put a supportive hand on her elbow.

  ‘Morgan says he came back to find me, three months after he’d left. That was before he got married. He missed me and couldn’t live without me but I wasn’t at The Little Blue Boathouse. He wanted to talk to me, to tell me I was more to him than just a summer romance but—’

  ‘Where were you?’ interrupted Nolan.

  ‘I had to go away for a short while.’ Martha’s eyes widened.

  ‘Go where?’

  ‘I was staying with Bonnie’s auntie because I had to hide away and she was the only one who would take me in. It wasn’t easy in those days.’

  Martha was talking in riddles and Nolan didn’t understand what was going on.

  ‘I thought he didn’t care but…’ Martha picked up the train ticket in the box. ‘He loved me. And here’s the evidence. And he did come back. I thought he’d abandoned me… And now he will never know… Everything could have been so different.’

  ‘What will he never know? What could have been so different, Granny?’

  Martha looked over her shoulder to find Isla and Bea standing behind her.

  Martha was trembling, her face pained and her eyes blurred with tears. Isla bent down and took her grandmother’s hands.

  ‘Whatever it is, it’s okay, really it is,’ she said reassuringly.

  ‘The whole situation spiralled out of control, and it could have been so different for your mum.’

  ‘What could have been different for Mum? Whatever the argument was about between the two of you, you can sort it out, I’m sure of it.’

  ‘Do you want us to give you some time alone?’ asked Nolan looking from Martha to Isla.

  Martha shook her head. ‘This concerns you and Gwen.’

  ‘Me?’ queried Nolan.

  ‘Yes. And now I don’t know what to do for the best.’

  Isla was still crouched down at Martha’s side. ‘Granny, there’s something you need to know. I’m not sure how you’re going to react to this and I just want you to remember I’ve done it for the best reasons because time is going so quickly. I’ve told Mum that you want to see her. Please don’t be mad with me,’ she pleaded softly. ‘I thought with it being a special birthday…’ Her voice trailed off.

  ‘Of course I miss her. I’ve always missed her. She’s my daughter and if you only knew what I was up against, bringing a child into this world as a single mum… If it wasn’t for Bonnie and all the support she gave me…’

  Martha dabbed her watery eyes again. She looked fragile.

  ‘Gwen agreed to come home,’ Isla said softly.

  Bea could feel the adrenalin pumping through her veins as she looked from Isla to Martha, then caught Nolan’s eye. Judging by the look on his face, he hadn’t worked it out yet.

  Martha mopped her brow with a tissue. ‘When is she arriving?’

  Isla hesitated. ‘She’s already here.’

  The silence hung in the air.

  ‘Shall I make us all some tea?’ chipped in Bea, knowing tea was always good in a crisis and this seemed like one of those. She didn’t wait for an answer before heading towards the kitchen.

  ‘Shall I go and get Mum?’ Isla asked Martha.

  She nodded.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  It wasn’t the happy reunion that you’d expect if you haven’t seen someone for many years.

  Bea and Nolan had placed more chairs around the small coffee table and there was steaming hot tea in the pot. Martha was still looking distraught and clutching the teddy bear that Morgan had kept all these years.

  Everyone on the boat was silent.

  ‘You’ve got to believe me when I say that I never meant to withhold information from you. I was just frightened and I didn’t want the situation spiralling out of control.’ Martha looked at Gwen, her voice earnest.

  When Gwen didn’t speak, Isla placed a supportive hand on Martha’s knee.

  ‘There’s no other way to say it and it’s the information you have wanted to know for years. The man in the painting … Morgan Hemingway…’ Martha took a deep breath. ‘He’s Nolan’s grandfather but he’s also your father.’

  Gwen and Nolan gave a tiny gasp at the same time.

  ‘I wasn’t expecting this,’ Nolan said. ‘My grandfather never said a word or even hinted that…’

  ‘He didn’t know, and I am sorry, Nolan. It must be a shock for you and I’m truly sorry for keeping it from you, Gwen, but please know I had my reasons.’

  Gwen’s eyes had welled up. ‘It’s the only bit of information I’ve wanted to know all my life. You were an amazing mum when I was growing up and I know how hard you worked to keep a roof over our heads, and the number of jobs you took, but why wouldn’t you tell me?’

  ‘Because I was scared. When Morgan left and I discovered I was pregnant I was living in the attic room of The Little Blue Boathouse. It wasn’t as easy to be a single mum as it is these days. I was pregnant and unwed and the father gone. My morning sickness worsened and my own mother guessed I was pregnant. She was ashamed of me, called me the black sheep of the family and disowned me. Before I knew it, I was shipped off to a mother-and-baby home.’ Martha’s voice faltered. ‘It was the worst time of my life.’ She swallowed. ‘You’d wake to haunted cries in the night from young mothers whose babies were taken from them minutes after giving birth. When my contractions started, I didn’t want to give birth, not because of the pain, but because I knew they would take you away as soon as you were born. I could see the official papers on the side with a pen ready for me to sign you away.’

  Gwen leaned across and touched her mother’s knee. Both of them were engulfed in tears.

  ‘My whole world plunged into despair and reality hit me. There was no one to help me. I was completely on my own. I had become an outcast in Glensheil, Morgan had married someone else and I was going to have to give you up. But what I didn’t know at the time was that I didn’t have to go through all this by myself.’ Martha handed Morgan’s letter to Gwen.

  As soon as she read it, she closed her eyes in evident sadness. ‘He came back for you.’

  ‘Yes, and my mother sent him away, telling him I didn’t want to see him. If only I’d got to see him, things could have been so different.’

  Bea took Nolan’s hand in hers, sadness bleeding between them. Martha could have lived a happy family life with the man she loved, if only her mother hadn’t sent him away.

  ‘When you were born, I was allowed to hold you in my arms. You were adorable and I loved you instantly with all my heart. But as predicted, the papers were thrust into my hand and I was forced to scrawl a signature. You were to be taken the next morning and given to a family who were going to collect you.’ Martha wiped her eyes. ‘The signature I scrawled was nothing like my signature, and all through the night I stayed awake watching you and planning. And then I took the biggest chance of my life. After only just giving birth, I decided to try and make a run for it.’

  ‘Oh my gosh,’ murmured Isla.

  ‘It was like trying to get out of Fort Knox. Luckily, I was on the ground floor with a window we could squeeze through. I wasn’t letting anyone take my baby and though I might not have my family or my baby’s father, I had Bonnie.’

  ‘Bonnie was Felicity’s grandmother, Rona her daughter. They own the teashop,’ shared Isla, filling Nolan in, in case he didn’t know.

  ‘I ran into the night, not knowing where I was going. It was pitch black. You were wrapped up tightly in a blanket and I had no money and no food. I was so scared.’

  ‘What did you do next?’ asked Nolan.

  ‘I discovered a barn and bedded down for the night. Gwen had food because I quickly learned how to breastfeed. I remember there was an old horse blanket on top of the hay bales, which I pulled over us to help keep us warm, and I must have fallen asleep with you in my arms. The next morning, I was woken up by a very surprised farmer’s wife and I begged her to help me. Luckily, she was a kind person. She invited us into the farmhouse. She fed me and gave me some clean clothes. If it wasn’t for her…’ Martha briefly closed her eyes. ‘Her name was Gwen. That’s who I named you after.’ Martha looked up at a teary-eyed Gwen, who was listening attentively to every word.

  ‘Gwen got in touch with Bonnie and it was Bonnie who arranged for me to go and stay with her auntie miles away from Heartcross and Glensheil. Bonnie’s auntie Nora was amazing. She looked after us for twelve months and made me feel safe. For so long, every time I left the house, I thought I’d get a tap on the shoulder and they’d take my baby away. I was terrified. Nora helped me train to be a seamstress and she would look after you, Gwen. She gifted me a very old sewing machine and I began to make money. Before I knew it, I was mending people’s clothes and able to stand on my own two feet.’

  ‘I never knew that’s how you learned to be such a good seamstress,’ remarked Isla.

  ‘I owe everything to Gwen, the farmer’s wife, Bonnie and Nora and the reason I couldn’t tell you about your father, Gwen, is because I knew he’d got married and I didn’t want to put either of us through the pain of more rejection. I loved Morgan and it appears he loved me too. He was the one who got away and I will always regret the years that were lost because we didn’t know the truth of one another’s feelings.’