Escape to Darling Cove Part Two by Holly Hepburn

Author:Holly Hepburn
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
Published: 2022-07-21T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

It took another twenty-four hours for the snow to melt, helped on its way by a gentle but steady rain that arrived on Monday afternoon and lasted most of the day. Someone had taken the trouble to clear the road past the cottage, he’d heard the rumble of a tractor passing by early on Monday morning, and that allowed him to drive to The Nook to stock up on logs. He had stopped along the way to snap some pictures of the upturned boats along the shore, their pastel hulls dusted with icing sugar white. And since he was already out, he’d pushed on to the ruined nunnery on the north-eastern tip of the island, hoping to capture the crumbling ruins in their frosted finery. He hadn’t been disappointed. The roofless sandstone walls and empty arched windows stood in austere desolation amid the snow, surrounded by half-buried tombstones, reminding Logan that the island had once been a haven for pilgrims. It was fitting that it now formed the gateway to a sanctuary of a different kind, he decided as he wandered among the tumbledown graves; the vast headland beyond the ruins was a nature reserve, with an abundance of carefully protected flora, birds and sea life. Logan hadn’t gone further than the nunnery, however. Wildlife photography required time, patience and a great deal of sitting very still – he’d come back when the ground wasn’t frozen solid.

And then the rain had started, raising the temperature by several degrees, and the snow was gone. On one hand, Logan was glad the storm’s disruption was over but he also had to admit he missed the stark beauty of Darling Cove in its wintry coat. He’d been lucky to see it, even though it had meant imposing on Eve and Aiden.

Over the days that followed, he was careful to avoid the times when he anticipated Eve might be walking Huxley on the beach. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see her, more a vague feeling that she’d earned some space. Which was nonsense when he really thought about it but the notion persisted and he’d taken the opportunity to explore the caves at the other end of the cove. They’d proved to be a treasure trove of rock pools and dark tunnels, occasionally punctuated by fissures in the stone that allowed daylight to pour inside and illuminate the mineral-rich walls. Logan knew without looking that the images he’d caught were good but it seemed on Ennisfarne, all he had to do was point his camera and click to capture something spectacular.

He’d just finished editing the cave pictures, late on Thursday evening, when his mobile vibrated on the coffee table. Glancing at it, Logan saw it was Nick, who was the closest Logan had to a best friend. Meet ups were rare – Nick was an actor whose career had scaled the heady heights of Hollywood and his schedule made even Logan wince – but occasionally their paths crossed professionally and both knew the other was only ever a phone call away.

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