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 together. Last year she told me a story she said
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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."
*