Lucia stands beside Tommy on the back of the boat as he expertly swings his new home out of the mooring area and towards the lock. The sturdy craft is leaving its mooring as dusk approaches, slipping along between shadowy banks and sending ripples out into the darkening water.
When they reach the lock gates, Lu waits for Tommy to come in close enough to the bank and then leaps for the tow path, laughing as he gives her a round of applause. Lots of things make Lucia laugh when she’s with Tommy, she reflects as she operates the windlass and watches the swirling water change levels.
Out the other side, when she’s closed the gates safely, she navigates the leap onto the front of the boat without getting wet feet and makes her way through the galley to collect two bottles of beer from the fridge.
‘You did that as if you’d been manning the locks all your life,’ Tommy says admiringly, downing half his beer in one gulp. ‘I thought I was going to have to train you up.’
‘Ha. Train me up? You might find it’s the other way round. I’ve spent so much time down here over the years watching the boats go by I could probably write a book about lock etiquette.’
‘Really? You’re full of surprises, but I knew that already.’
They sail on in silence for a while and then Lucia takes a deep breath and says ‘Tommy, I don’t want to ruin the moment but we need to talk about what happens when we get home.’
She sees the expression on Tommy’s face and quickly carries on. ‘Look, I definitely don’t want to move in with you on the boat, lovely as it is, and I don’t think I could uproot Isaac and Polly and sell my house at the moment even if you thought I should.’
She smiles at him, hoping he isn’t going to be offended. It’s been difficult to know how to word this important speech but Tommy doesn’t look in the least bit upset. ‘Go on, tell me more,’ he says.
‘My little adopted dog is going to be arriving in England in a few weeks. I wondered if Pickles could come and live with you on the boat. Nigel and Petunia would be pretty horrified by that little bundle of energy, I reckon, and you might even like the company.’
‘You’re not wrong there. I’ve really missed old Bruce. Walking an excitable Jack Russell will be a bit different from being dragged along by a German Shepherd but I’ll soon get the hang of it.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Absolutely. And if I have Pickles, I’ll know you’ve got even more reason to come and stay with me on the mooring, or set off on lots of other adventures. It’s an excellent idea.’
Lucia waits, feeling her heart swell with love for this man who already seems to know her so well. He carries on.
‘And we can divide our time between the two places. When Isaac and Polly need some privacy or you need a break, you can stay with me, when I get a yen for noisy family life, I’ll come to you and sometimes we’ll just sleep in our own beds. How does that sound? I don’t want to tie you down. It’s freedom, but with bonuses.’
‘It sounds perfect, Tommy. I can’t think of anything I’d like better.’
They fall silent as they sail on and night begins to fall over the almost-silent cut. This is the time when the birds are roosting and the bats are coming out to look for their first meal of the evening. The boat passes under the bridge that takes a narrow lane to Little Snoddling and then they’re out into the open countryside, moving slowly between verdant banks and overhanging willow trees.
Lucia has never in her life felt such a sense of peace and well-being. She and Tommy seem like the only people left on Earth.
‘Am I going to be enough for you?’ Lu murmurs, almost to herself.
‘What did you say?’
She repeats the question and sees a look of confusion on his kind face.
‘Enough? What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘Well, you’ve travelled the world, met lots of people, loved lots of women …’
He holds up a hand to stop her. ‘Correction. The first two are right, but I’ve told you before, I’ve never loved any woman but you. Liked them, enjoyed their company, yes. But you, Lucia Lemon, are the love of my life.’
Lucia can’t speak for a moment but it doesn’t matter because Tommy hasn’t finished.
‘I wanted to give you your freedom, Lu,’ Tommy says, ‘but it turns out I also wanted to be with you when you found it. I remember thinking when I was marooned in Somerset that I was alive, but I definitely wasn’t living the life I wanted. Well, now I am. This is my idea of heaven on earth. We’re in this together now, aren’t we? Partners?’
Lucia smiles at him and his answering grin tells her she doesn’t need to say another word. She remembers part of a story she used to read to Isaac at bedtime to reassure him when he was small, and eventually had enlarged to hang above his bed, illustrated in azure and gold.
The bluebird flies above us,
He’s floating on the breeze.
His wings are full of promises.
His nest is in the trees.
He holds the key to happiness
Our dreams are safe and true.
Tomorrow is another day,
And I will be with you.
The best is yet to come. There’s no need for a compass to tell her that. The knowledge and the happiness are already right there in her heart.