A Perfect Cornish Escape by Phillipa Ashley Page 0,116
shared her life with. ‘A close friend. He was in the RAF police.’
He blew out a breath. ‘Well, well. Military, eh? So he’s one of the guys who’ve been hunting me down. I didn’t know you knew him …’ He stared at her. ‘So, you haven’t been that lonely. I’m glad you’ve found a consolation.’
‘He isn’t a consolation!’ she shot back, then saw that she’d played right into Nate’s hands. Defending Lachlan was only revealing her real feelings. ‘He’s a good friend and what he does, or I do, is none of your business,’ she declared.
‘He’s the one who’s ruined my life. Ruined yours too, because if he hadn’t gone looking for me, you’d still have been living in blissful ignorance.’ Nate’s voice was a whine of self-entitlement. ‘Do you want a guy like that in your life? Spying on you, controlling you? I might have done a terrible thing but I don’t want you to be taken in by this stranger.’
Marina’s anger, born of deep hurt, threatened to engulf her. ‘No. You’re the stranger, Nate. You’ve forfeited the right to know anything about me or my friends. In fact, I think you should leave right now.’
‘OK. OK. I’m sorry to have upset you, but don’t be like this. I have more to say.’
‘I don’t want to hear it. I don’t want to see you again, and don’t even think of trying to get back in the cottage or I’ll call the police.’
‘I won’t. Chill out!’ He held up his hands. ‘Jesus, I haven’t come back to ask for anything. I don’t want the house or your money. I’m not going to stick around …’
She almost fainted with relief that he wasn’t going to ask to stay with her, not that she’d ever have let him near her home. What a terrible feeling to hold towards the man she’d once loved and now … pitied.
‘I know you won’t believe me, but all I came for was to explain and ask for your forgiveness.’
Marina stared at him, open-mouthed.
‘Can’t you grant me that before I go?’ he said, softly, the way he used to when he wanted her to bail him out. It used to work. His eyes were full of hurt. ‘Or do you hate me that much?’
‘I don’t hate you, Nate. I never have and you can leave with my sincere wish that you’ll realise what you’ve done and that your life takes a different turn from these past few years. I don’t hold out much hope of that but I can never wish you ill.’ A feeling of resigned sadness filled her as never before, like ice freezing her veins and making her numb to him. Until this moment, she’d been clinging to the last gossamer-thin thread of love for him. She hadn’t wanted to finally let it go, but now it had snapped.
She owed him absolutely nothing. ‘As for forgiveness,’ she said. ‘I can’t give you that. Not today, and maybe not ever.’
He curled his lip, anger glittering in his eyes. Marina wasn’t worried he might do something violent but she was afraid that her own feelings might spill over.
At first, he made no signs of moving, so Marina gestured towards the door.
‘If that’s what you really want.’
‘I’m sorry, Nate, but it is.’ She was going to call for help on the radio if he didn’t leave soon, but he turned on his heel and walked out without another word. She heard his boots on the steps and waited for him to reach the bottom before she moved herself. She quickly turned the key to lock the station door in case he came back. How ridiculous was that? Locking the door on her own husband?
She leaned on the counter in the staff area, taking some deep breaths to find some calm. The wind had freshened and howled around the station. She couldn’t afford to be off watch for much longer.
She spotted a boat among the waves some way up the coast, by the lighthouse. It was the yacht that called her earlier to check on the weather. It was perilously close to the rocks below the lighthouse. No skipper in their right mind would venture so close, but there was no sign of anyone on deck …
She tried to raise the skipper on the emergency channel but got no answer so she picked up her marine radio.
‘Falmouth Coastguard. Have you had an SOS call from a yacht off Porthmellow Bay?’ She gave the coordinates. ‘I’m concerned she’s very