May
The first thing
the Shaw sisters did on inheriting the company was to upgrade their fleet using
some very lucrative government and EU green incentives.
Opting for the
British Built Bluebird Electric Powered Ferries, The Bluebird 1, 60 meters Long
and 20 meters wide, made of lightweight aluminium, making it half the weight of a conventional
ferry, with space on deck for
about 80 cars, although its mainly freight vehicles on the Pepperstock Bay
Islands ferry route, and can accommodate 250 people.
The Bluebird 2,
built of the same materials, is 40 meters longer and will carry 150 cars and
500 passengers on the cross-channel and Channel Island routes.
They sold their
old fleet of 8 vessels to a Malaysian and Singapore consortium and along with
the cash incentives and a loan from the Downshire and District Building
Society, they bought six new Ferries for what turned out to be a very modest
investment and the running costs going forward were half of the that of the old
ships they replaced and after 3 years would be paying for themselves, judging
by the cost saving over the first 12 months.
Olivia and Tanya Shaw were
the happiest they’d ever been following their parents’ retirement, leaving them
in sole control.
They were running the company
that they loved and had their dream jobs as skippers of their own vessels, they
shared their old family home in the beautiful village of Pepperstock Green,
situated amidst the magnificent mixed forestry on the south and east of the
Pepperstock Hills National Park.
They also had sufficient time
off to indulge their interests, the only thing that was missing for them both
was a significant other.
However, that changed on a
stormy April Wednesday when nature leant a hand, when Olivia had to take refuge
in St Pierre from the storm and met Joshua Beaumont who she had unfinished
business with following a midnight kiss on New Years Eve ten years earlier, a
kiss which hinted at being the beginning of something, which never came to
pass.
But thanks to the storm they
finally moved to the next level courtesy of the Beaumont Manor Hotel.
Meanwhile his brother Ben was
stranded in Pipershaven and due to the same storm felling trees he met Tanya on
a deserted road, their meeting was more restrained, but the attraction between
them was unmistakable, Tanya for one was not going to let restraint get in the
way on their next meeting.
However, the Beaumont’s and
the Shaw’s didn’t see each other in the week and a half that followed but that
was about to change because on Saturday morning of the Early May Bank
Holiday weekend the Shaw girls were passengers aboard the Queen
Eleanor sailing to Beaumont Island.
It was strange to travel to
an island they had been to so many times but had nothing to do but enjoy the
scenery.
The island has a
predominantly rocky coast with high cliffs, with three beaches on the west
coast, one either side of St Pierre port, Centurian’s to the north, Manor Cliff
to the south and halfway between the port and Spaniard creek was Norman Beach.
The north and south of the
island is open farmland, the western side is a rugged grass covered craggy
landscape and is good sheep country, the lower slopes on the eastern side of
the crags are forested and beyond the woods is lush farmland leading down to
the cliffs edge.
St Pierre in the
southwest corner, is the largest town on the island, in fact it’s the only town
on the island and the most densely populated part, with Saxvirdan, a
small hamlet north of the town, made up of former labourer’s cottages close to
the remains of the old Roman fort site, so all of the house’s contain to some
extent, materials acquired from the old Roman Buildings, and that’s it, apart
from the fishing village of Spaniards Creek to the south, so called because it was
where a severely damaged Spanish Galleon from the Armada sought refuge from the
English Navy and the storm in May 1588.
The only evidence of the
event in the present day are the oak beams in the Tudor buildings of the old
village dwellings.
The island’s population
averaged around 3000 and among that number were itinerant workers, fruit and
veg pickers on one of the five farms, Roman Water, Woodside, Beacon, Longlake
or Crag Edge, and hospitality staff mainly at the Beaumont Manor Hotel which
was formerly the home of the Beaumont family, and tourists of every ilk.
The beaches, hill walking,
bird watching and fishing were the most popular pastimes that attracted the
visitors.
The ruins of the Roman fort,
Saxa Viridia Castellum. was of great interest to archaeologists and tourists
alike and Beacon Rock was also a visitor’s favourite, it was so called, because
a beacon was built on the rock to warn of the impending arrival of the Spanish
Armada, but it was never lit due to the fact that the weather was so bad that
the sentry’s couldn’t see past the end of the island let alone a fleet of
ships.
The fresh water on Beaumont
came from three Lakes, Roman Water to the North, Shepherds Lake in the
Southeast and High Lake in the Centre, which fed the Spanish and Beacon Rivers,
and there was good fishing to be had on all of them.
But the girls knew nothing of
the island, none of the history, none of the geography or topography, none of
the ruggedness, none of the beauty, Olivia had had only been as far as the
Beaumont Manor Hotel and Tanya hadn’t been further than the harbour, but that
weekend it would be different.
Tanya spent much of the
journey on that bright spring Saturday pacing up and down the deck.
Since she last saw him on
board that very ship, she was pacing on. They had been trading texts and
emails, the general content of their missives was first date stuff, finding out
the other’s likes and dislikes, their backgrounds, and their aspirations,
interspersed with humour, and a little flirting.
But there had been no real
depth to them, she liked him, really liked him, and she hoped he felt the same,
but she didn’t know, the whole thing had left her feeling like a schoolgirl.
Olivia also had been in
regular correspondence with Josh and spent most of the crossing glued to her
phone trading messages.
Because their relationship
was further advanced than the siblings, their interactions were sprinkled with outrageous flirtation and no small
degree of lovemaking.
This had been a new
experience for her, and she hoped for Josh also, she had not had phone sex
before, it was nice, but she couldn’t wait to see him again so they could do it
for real again.
Tanya on the other hand was
feeling a mixture of fear and disappointment, fear that he didn’t feel the same
about her as she did about him and disappointment in herself for not snogging
his face off the previous time instead of kissing his cheek, twice.
Tanya Shaw’s attractive
figure trembled as she recalled her cowardice, and she was determined there
would be no cheek kissing this weekend.
As
the Queen Eleanor began its approach to the harbour entrance, Tanya turned on her heels and rushed away.
“Where are
you going?” Olivia asked.
“To the toilet” she replied curtly.
“What again?”
After emptying her bladder
for the umpteenth time, she stood in front of the mirror and surveyed her
reflection.
She was, by her own
admission, an attractive young woman, red hair, with rather striking features,
the most stunning eyes, and even better legs.
As she stood in front of the
mirror, she combed her shoulder length red hair and then touched up her makeup.
She wore a short floral
dress, showing off her legs, she liked her legs, then turned side on to admire
herself in the mirror, then she stood on her tiptoes to get a better look at
her legs, and then she nodded to herself.
Having viewed herself from
every possible angle she gave herself a quick spray of perfume and put her
things away in her bag.
After stopping briefly for
one last look in the mirror and then she said out loud.
“You are definitely going to
get snogged.” She said and nodded to herself and made her way back to her
sister.
Olivia and Tanya left their
car in Pipershaven and travelled as foot passengers on the ferry as they were
being met by the Beaumont’s who were taking them to lunch.
As soon as Tanya caught sight
of them on the quayside, her eyes went straight to Ben, who was wearing chinos
and a plaid shirt and she thought he looked great, in fact he looked good
enough to eat, and she would have gladly had him for lunch.
When the ramp was lowered,
and the pedestrians began to disembark, Olivia grabbed Tanya’s hand and they
ran headlong for the quay and the waiting Beaumont’s.
Olivia let go of her sister’s
hand about ten yards from her target and launched herself into Josh’s arms and
they embraced, unrestrained.
Tanya stopped when Olivia let
go of her hand and her confidence began to ebb away as she looked into his
soulful eyes, smiled, and walked toward him, and as she approached, they never
averted their gaze, totally oblivious to anyone else’s presence.
“Hello” Ben said.
“Hello” She answered coyly
and then they kissed, not a full on unrestrained pash like the other two, but
all the panic and self-doubt she had felt, just melted away.
They lunched at the Orangery
at the Beaumont Manor Hotel and Tanya and Ben held hands all through the meal
and afterwards they moved to the lounge for coffee and liqueurs, but after
about 10 minutes they stood up and Tanya said.
“We’re just going out to the
terrace for some fresh air.”
About twenty minutes later
Olivia and Josh had finished their drinks and decided to go and join them on
the Terrace but were surprised to find it empty.
On the way back to the lounge
they paused beside the cloakroom they could see Josh’s twin brother locked in a
passionate embrace with a little redhead.
“Hello,
you two” Olivia called “We were expecting you to still be on the terrace.”
The
couple instantly separated, and a blushing Tanya said.
“It
got a bit chilly.”
“Really?”
“Yes
really”
“It’s
a bit hotter in the cloakroom I’m guessing” Olivia said, and she and Josh
laughed as they headed towards the lounge.
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