very nice person. You deserve to get what you want.’
Helena stepped back as Melanie stirred sugar into her tea.
‘I would like to be your friend, Melanie. Would that be all right?’
‘Yes, of course. I’d … I’d like that.’
‘Good.’ Helena squeezed Melanie’s forearms. ‘We should go outside. The fresh air, it will do us both good.’
‘Will you—?’
‘I will be just fine if I don’t stay out too long. But you mustn’t tell Paul. He will be very mad if he knows.’
‘That must be nice, to have someone worry about you.’
‘There is such a thing as too much worry. He treats me like a child sometimes, even though I’m older than he is. Men can be such, well, men.’
She pouted. Melanie felt a giggle rising, and was surprised to hear it when it broke free. ‘Yes, they can be.’
‘Luckily, we have each other,’ Helena said. She let Melanie’s fingers fall through hers, then retrieved her hat. ‘Come, finish your drink and let’s go walk on the beach.’
‘It’s a bit windy, isn’t it?’
‘I like the wind. It smells of the sea. And it’s cloudy, which is good. I still have to be careful, but at least it’s not, well, bright.’ She pushed her sunglasses on.
‘Okay, some fresh air would be nice, I guess.’ She dumped her tea down the sink. ‘A short walk, yeah?’
Helena nodded; the wattage of her smile penetrated her veil as she adjusted her hat.
A stroll on the beach would be pleasant, Melanie thought as she followed Helena outside and pulled the door shut behind them. What could possibly be wrong with that? Besides, she still had to get her keys and sandals.
Helena waited by the rail. She’d lifted her veil and tucked it into the brim of her hat.
The eastern sky loomed grey with cloud, and the horizon was indistinct, only white caps showing where sea ended and sky began.
The phone rang.
Melanie stared at it through the window.
‘I can wait here,’ Helena said.
‘It’s probably just Richard.’
‘Your husband.’
‘Telling me he won’t be home tonight. He’s in the city. Working.’
‘So is Paul. Not working, but doing … something. Whatever. Anyway, it’s their bad luck, isn’t it? Look what they’re missing.’
Melanie regarded the storm-tossed sea, the ominous clouds. She could already taste the rain on the wind. She thought of Richard in Brisbane with Leanne.
‘Yeah, he’s missing out all right.’
Helena scowled, then took her hand with the enthusiasm of a child.
‘We will have fun, and he will be jealous. You’ll see.’
Six
Only a metre or so of the beacon’s platform remained visible when Melanie and Helena stumbled down the eroded lip of sand and ran out onto the beach. The tide was still on its way in, the wind driving waves against the beach with a determined voraciousness. The women laughed as gusts plucked at their clothes. Helena held her hat on with one hand.
‘Which way?’ Melanie asked, feeling revitalised as salt spray wafted across her. She carried her sandals, retrieved half buried with her keys from where she’d left them last night.
‘You choose,’ Helena said, pale but eyes alight.
Melanie leaned close to be sure Helena heard her over the hum of the wind and the thunder of the surf. ‘Are you sure you’re okay with this?’
The woman nodded. ‘I would feel ill regardless. I might as well be here with my new friend as back in my cabin. Besides, it’s getting late, and the sun isn’t so strong.’
‘Cloud’s no protection against sunburn.’
‘Sunburn is the least of my problems,’ Helena said. ‘Let’s go look at the bunkers. There’s one not too far away, isn’t there?’
‘They’re a bit smelly, and you can’t go inside, not any more.’
‘Doesn’t matter.’
‘Closest one is this way, towards the village.’
Melanie led them south, sticking to the firm ground closest to the sea. Helena tried to avoid the swash—probably afraid of getting her dress wet—and she held Melanie’s hand
Helena stepped back as Melanie stirred sugar into her tea.
‘I would like to be your friend, Melanie. Would that be all right?’
‘Yes, of course. I’d … I’d like that.’
‘Good.’ Helena squeezed Melanie’s forearms. ‘We should go outside. The fresh air, it will do us both good.’
‘Will you—?’
‘I will be just fine if I don’t stay out too long. But you mustn’t tell Paul. He will be very mad if he knows.’
‘That must be nice, to have someone worry about you.’
‘There is such a thing as too much worry. He treats me like a child sometimes, even though I’m older than he is. Men can be such, well, men.’
She pouted. Melanie felt a giggle rising, and was surprised to hear it when it broke free. ‘Yes, they can be.’
‘Luckily, we have each other,’ Helena said. She let Melanie’s fingers fall through hers, then retrieved her hat. ‘Come, finish your drink and let’s go walk on the beach.’
‘It’s a bit windy, isn’t it?’
‘I like the wind. It smells of the sea. And it’s cloudy, which is good. I still have to be careful, but at least it’s not, well, bright.’ She pushed her sunglasses on.
‘Okay, some fresh air would be nice, I guess.’ She dumped her tea down the sink. ‘A short walk, yeah?’
Helena nodded; the wattage of her smile penetrated her veil as she adjusted her hat.
A stroll on the beach would be pleasant, Melanie thought as she followed Helena outside and pulled the door shut behind them. What could possibly be wrong with that? Besides, she still had to get her keys and sandals.
Helena waited by the rail. She’d lifted her veil and tucked it into the brim of her hat.
The eastern sky loomed grey with cloud, and the horizon was indistinct, only white caps showing where sea ended and sky began.
The phone rang.
Melanie stared at it through the window.
‘I can wait here,’ Helena said.
‘It’s probably just Richard.’
‘Your husband.’
‘Telling me he won’t be home tonight. He’s in the city. Working.’
‘So is Paul. Not working, but doing … something. Whatever. Anyway, it’s their bad luck, isn’t it? Look what they’re missing.’
Melanie regarded the storm-tossed sea, the ominous clouds. She could already taste the rain on the wind. She thought of Richard in Brisbane with Leanne.
‘Yeah, he’s missing out all right.’
Helena scowled, then took her hand with the enthusiasm of a child.
‘We will have fun, and he will be jealous. You’ll see.’
Six
Only a metre or so of the beacon’s platform remained visible when Melanie and Helena stumbled down the eroded lip of sand and ran out onto the beach. The tide was still on its way in, the wind driving waves against the beach with a determined voraciousness. The women laughed as gusts plucked at their clothes. Helena held her hat on with one hand.
‘Which way?’ Melanie asked, feeling revitalised as salt spray wafted across her. She carried her sandals, retrieved half buried with her keys from where she’d left them last night.
‘You choose,’ Helena said, pale but eyes alight.
Melanie leaned close to be sure Helena heard her over the hum of the wind and the thunder of the surf. ‘Are you sure you’re okay with this?’
The woman nodded. ‘I would feel ill regardless. I might as well be here with my new friend as back in my cabin. Besides, it’s getting late, and the sun isn’t so strong.’
‘Cloud’s no protection against sunburn.’
‘Sunburn is the least of my problems,’ Helena said. ‘Let’s go look at the bunkers. There’s one not too far away, isn’t there?’
‘They’re a bit smelly, and you can’t go inside, not any more.’
‘Doesn’t matter.’
‘Closest one is this way, towards the village.’
Melanie led them south, sticking to the firm ground closest to the sea. Helena tried to avoid the swash—probably afraid of getting her dress wet—and she held Melanie’s hand
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