Chapter 11

Linnet woke as Jeremy left the bed; she heard him move through the cabin, then the sound of him peeing over the stern. It was quiet, the storm having passed, and the day was just dawning. She got up herself and made use of the sea-toilet, not bothering to dress, then went to the sink to clean her teeth. Jeremy beat her there, though, and she smiled at him as he turned to face her, toothpaste round his mouth.

"Great minds think alike," she said, "kissing you is going to be much nicer when we go back to bed."

As they couldn't leave before high water, after mid-day, they had plenty of time to explore their new relationship. The last few days of the cruise, they only needed the one bed.

Linnet wondered what would happen when they returned to reality. In fact, what happened was that once or twice a week they would go out together; a meal, a film, a concert, and she would spend the night with him. It wasn't usually at the weekend because she was getting more weekend work. But after three weeks she had a call from Maldon, asking if she was available to sail as mate for Topsail Charters. She agreed, but was worried about how Jeremy would receive the news that she would not be seeing him much. As it turned out, she need not have worried.

"Linnet," he was obviously reluctant as they enjoyed a curry at a local Indian restaurant. "I ... I ... met someone at work. Well, not met, we've worked together for years, but..."

Linnet smiled, "What's her name?"

"How did you know... ?"

"I couldn't think of anything you might be embarrassed to say to me in public."

He thought about that before responding with a simple, "Oh." then, rather later, adding, "Fred."

"Sorry?"

"Fred. She's called Fred. We got talking, and we've had our lunch together a few times. Went out for a walk last Sunday."

"That's wonderful, Jeremy. Need I ask if she's nice? You wouldn't be going out with her if you didn't like her..."

"She's great. A bit like you, really, just ... not so sure of herself. Just as comfortable in cargoes as a dress, likes wind-surfing..."

"Well, Jeremy, that makes my news a little easier. I'm off back to Maldon this weekend. It wouldn't have meant losing touch completely, but I'm going to be very busy until the Autumn."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "I ... I'm ... glad it's okay. You ... you've been ... incredible. I ... wouldn't have been able to even talk to Fred without stammering if it hadn't been for you. I thought all along, though, that you weren't for me."

"I'm curious, though – is she really called Fred?"

"Frederica. But she found it was easier to get work if people didn't realise immediately that she was a girl. She is, though. Definitely. Oh, yes." His eyes took on a dreamy quality.

"Well ... I'm delighted. Very happy for you."

Over the remains of their meal Jeremy proceeded to tell Linnet all about the girl – not that there was much he had to say though she actually enjoyed the enthusiasm with which he detailed the minutiae of their developing relationship. At the end, instead of returning to his flat, he took her back to Felixstowe. They kissed, a bitter-sweet, farewell kiss, and parted.

She rode with Jenni back to Maldon Friday morning, Jenni to command Reminder with Tom Carmichael for a weekend cruise, Linnet to join Thistle with Skipper Bert. She looked for Serendipity, noting that her berth was empty, and shrugged. It was some time later that she heard someone comment Ted had a charter to Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles. Some young woman had hired him to tour the Scottish Isles.

'Hm. I wonder if he'll have her in his bed. I still miss him. Jeremy got pretty good, but it was never quite like Ted. Perhaps it would be worth the heartache just to have him make love to me again. Just to be near him.'

Her Coastal Yachtmaster qualification ensured she was kept busy, and it was late July when she saw that Serendipity had returned. She had no opportunity to see Ted, though, being out, often away, sometimes in London, sometimes Ipswich, or Mistley, until late August, when she happened to be there when Serendipity returned on the tide.

'What the Hell, I want to see him.' She hailed, "Ahoy Serendipity!" and marched over and picked her way aboard along the slightly wobbly plank. Ted appeared, tanned, weathered and somehow different to how she remembered. "Well, Ted, aren't you pleased to see me? Here and I was hoping for a bed for a night or two..." 'not to mention a few orgasms'.

"Hello, Linnet ... how are you? What have you been up to?"

"I'm good, thanks. You're looking well ... weathered?"

"I had a long charter."

"Aren't you pleased to see me? Don't I get a kiss?"

"There's someone you need to meet, Linnet..." He called below, "Grace, love, we've got a visitor." A very slim, pregnant woman emerged from the cabin.

"Grace, this is Belinda Masters, who was my crew for some months last year until she got tired of me ... Linnet, meet Missus Grace Quinton."

Any hope Linnet may have had of continuing a relationship died as she looked at the other woman. Not just because she'd been introduced as Ted's wife. Grace Quinton was very slim, apart from the small but apparent baby bulge. Her hair wasn't blonde, exactly, more light brown with a hint of red; she had a wide mouth, a largish nose and enormous eyes; definitely not centre-fold material. But that was exactly the point; Ted had to have fallen in love with her, there had to be more there than just physical attraction. The way they looked at each other merely reinforced the conclusion.

The two women spoke together; "Married?" "Why do you call her Linnet?"

Ted blushed, remembering, and both women giggled. "Two months," Ted said, "we've been married two months."

"It doesn't look as though you wasted any time," Linnet hoped she'd kept any bitterness out of her tone.

Grace caressed her bulge, "Oh, this isn't Ted's..."

Ted's face darkened again. Linnet thought it was anger rather than embarrassment this time. "Hey, don't say that. I don't want him-or-her to doubt I'm the father in every respect that matters. Don't even think it."

Grace looked up at Ted and moulded herself to him, their eyes locked together, an expression of ineffable love suffusing both faces.

Linnet sighed, "Oh, wow, you lucky c ... I mean, you lucky thing."

Ted tore his eyes from his lover's and looked at Linnet. "As you can see, while I don't at all mind you using a bunk aboard Serendipity, it will have to be alone, I'm afraid."

As they left, Grace caught Linnet's eye ... and winked ... and smiled.

Linnet collected her kit from S.B. Wivenhoe and settled herself in Serendipity's single cabin, though she wondered why.

Over the next few weeks the pace of work was such that she was away as often as not. From time to time, though, Grace Quinton would call and find her there. They talked, shared, and found out about each other. Linnet found that she liked the older girl. She thought she had guts, in view of what had happened to her and what she'd set out to do, but she also found that she was empathetic. Towards the end of the summer, Grace managed to shock Linnet.

"You love Ted, don't you?"

Linnet stammered and shook her head uncomfortably.

"Come, on, Linnet. You know me by now, don't you? I'm not going to explode. I've seen you look at him. He said you left because you were fed up of him, didn't he? But it wasn't that you were fed up, it was that you loved him and he wasn't able to return that love."

Linnet noisily let out a breath she was holding, nodded and shrugged. "What can I say?"

"You don't have to say anything. The day we met, I told Ted I didn't see you as a threat, that I didn't doubt his love. 'Specially when I get near term, I won't mind if ... you know ... you two want to ... get together." She blushed. "I can hardly believe I'm telling you this!"

"Well ... I can hardly believe I'm talking to a man's wife about having sex with her husband. But really, Grace ... now I know you better, I think I can see why you two are meant to be together. I don't think I'll have sex with Ted again, but I might tease him from time to time."

Time went on and Linnet attended the wedding of Jim Preston (proprietor of Heritage Sailing Holidays, who had arranged Grace's charter of Serendipity) and – a very pregnant – Eva Doherty in September. Although invited, she didn't feel like going on to the reception but rather bought a burger at one of the kiosks on the prom. Perched at a picnic bench, she drank her tea and ate her burger, whilst watching with a professional eye the comings and goings of boats around high tide. She didn't really register that one of them was familiar.

Returning to Serendipity, however, her eye was caught by a sloop tied up at the visitors' pontoon, or, rather, by the legend 'Zephyr, Ipswich' on the transom; there was a woman busy in the cockpit and a couple securing and covering the mainsail. She made her way down to the pontoon.

"Hello, Cara," she said quietly, standing next to the cockpit.

"Linnet! It's good to see you. Jeremy and Fred'll be pleased too. Come aboard?"

"Thanks," Linnet stepped over onto the side-deck.

"Fred, Jeremy! Look who's here!"

Two heads turned, there was a brief colloquy and the young woman made her way aft as the man finished putting the sail cover on the mainsail.

Stepping down into the cockpit, she held out a hand to Linnet. "Hello, I'm Fred. May I call you Linnet, too?"

Linnet smiled, "Of course."

"I wanted to thank you for what you did for Jeremy and, well, for me too. He was so shy and, well, so was I. We'd never have got together if it wasn't for you. And there were other things too... " she blushed hotly and didn't say any more.

Still smiling warmly, Linnet squeezed her hand gently, "I'm happy it's worked out for both of you."

She spent the rest of the afternoon with them and they treated her to supper at the Jolly Sailor; finding out in the process that Cara had earned her Coastal Yachtmaster qualification and Jeremy his 'Competent Crew'. He assured her he thought he would get the Day Skipper qualification the following year. Cara and Linnet then left them in the the pub to return to Zephyr.

The season for heritage sailing is fading by October and largely finished by November, but there are many tasks that need to be completed to ensure the vessels are safe for the winter and are going to be fit for use come the spring. Such duties, and study, kept Linnet occupied. As the days shortened, the temperature dropped and the weather deteriorated, Linnet kept Serendipity snug by scavenging scrap wood from the boatyards, rarely having to resort to solid fuel. She considered calling Jenni, but to her surprise found she was content with her situation. If she felt lonely, she called upon Grace and Ted, or Eva and Jim, perhaps Phil and Carmen Morton. It was a happy enough existence and she was content. Then Grace went into labour.