Chapter 5

In the following chapters, there are a few words of Russian, presented phonetically in the Latin alphabet. Following the plot, it is not necessary to understand Nadiya's few words – Pippa, Cherry and CC don't know what she's saying either – but the general sense can be got from the context. Google Translate does not like the phonetic form much, but it is possible to get the meaning if you really want to.

Pippa woke slowly, aware immediately of the slight form of Nadiya, warm in her arms. The girl had done her best with soap and cold water and Pippa was a little disturbed to realise she was enjoying her companion's company, the feel of her body, her natural scent ... and the small, soft hand which had found its way under Pippa's t-shirt and was gently cupping her breast; the nipple was definitely erect. Definitely disturbing. In fact, the t-shirt had worked its way up and was barely covering said breasts. As Pippa was considering this, Nadiya whimpered and tried to wriggle even closer, then shuffled down ... and fastened her lips on the erect nipple, sucking lustily. Shocked, Pippa didn't react immediately. In fact, after a few moments, she decided the sensation was rather pleasant. Very pleasant, in fact. She began to stroke Nadiya's hair.

'I bet it's a comfort thing. What's the word? Regression, that's it. Wow.'

There was a tap on the door and Cherry's voice. "Are you awake, Pippa?"

"Yes, Cherry..."

"Breakfast in fifteen minutes or so. I think this is a good opportunity to enter Hamford Water."

"Okay." Pippa stroked Nadiya's hair and caressed her shoulders and back. "Nadiya? It's time for breakfast." The girl mumbled something, then jerked away.

"O, net! Prosti, prosti. Pippa..."

Pippa took Nadiya's head in both hands and guided her back to her bosom. "It's okay, Nadiya. It's okay. I don't mind." Nadiya latched on to Pippa's nipple again, but after a few minutes released it.

"Spasibo vam bolʹshoye, Pippa. Vy tak dobry ... Thank you."

"It's my pleasure," Pippa smiled, "but shall we get up to eat?"

"Yes. What you call the ... Captain?"

"You mean Cherry?"

"Ya imeyu v vidu to, chto yey vezhlivoye nazvaniye – title."

"Oh ... Skipper."

"Skip-per?"

"That's right."

They used the head, knocked heads cleaning their teeth in the little basin, dressed, and went aft to the saloon. Cherry looked up and smiled; CC looked round from the cooker and smiled. Nadiya went straight to Cherry, knelt by her seat and took her hand.

"Thank you, Skip-per," she said slowly and distinctly.

Cherry gently covered Nadiya's hand with her left. "You are very welcome, Nadiya. CC helped, too, you know."

The girl looked across at CC, then at Pippa, rose and went to CC. Shaking a little, she looked him in the eyes. "Thank you, C-C," she said quietly.

"You are very welcome, Nadiya."

"Come and sit down, Nadiya," Cherry said. "I am going to take us round to Hamford Water. It's not far – about eight miles – but we have to be in and anchored before high water, which is about eleven hundred today. Once we are there, we'll stay there at least a day. It's very quiet and out of the way. I want to see what arrangements we need to make with ... Professor Water's friends. I think Pippa has something she wants to do when we get there. Will you help us? We'll tell you what to do."

"Yes, Skip-per. I would like to ... uznayete, chto delatʹ – to learn."

"Good. Let's have breakfast, then."

On deck after they'd eaten, Nadiya looked around curiously as Pippa spoke to Cherry. "Is the wind picking up, Skipper?"

Although it was a bright day, the wind was whipping across the estuary producing a chop with more than a few white-tops.

"Very good, Pippa – I think you've got something important to a sailor. Yes. There's a depression moving in from the west. Wind's a good five," Beaufort scale, "and it's going to be more later, but by then we'll be in a good anchorage. Probably get some rain, too. But we'll be out of the way. We might have to use the motor to get into place, but we'll try to do it without. Perhaps you and Nadiya would go forward and get the mainsail up? I'll deal with the mizzen while CC makes a start on the anchor. Tighten in on the topping lift first and I'll deal with the boom-crutch."

(Often on a sailing-boat at anchor or moored, the boom is supported by a removable crutch, usually wood, that stops it swinging around and takes some of the strain off the rigging. When it's time to sail, the free end of the boom is supported by a rope called the 'topping lift' until the sail is hoisted. Once the sail is up, the topping-lift is released so the weight of the boom pulls the sail into shape.)

Nadiya worked with Pippa to remove the sail-cover and then the ties. Hoisting the sail, however, proved to require co-ordination between the two girls that was initially lacking.

"Just a minute..." Pippa held on to the halyard, thinking. "Nadiya, we need to pull at the same time." She thought about how Cherry had managed. "Okay. I'll say 'two-six, heave, ' okay?"

(There is a historical – traditional – reason for the numbers, but I don't remember what it is.)

That time, they managed to work together and Pippa was reasonably certain she and Nadiya had done a good job. Possibly the sail might have gone another half an inch or so, but no more. They went forward to see how CC was getting on, though Nadiya held back a little as Pippa spoke to him.

"It's coming up clean," he told her, "sandy bottom here. I'm okay – go back to the Skipper."

The incoming tide had Serendipity pointing downstream and across the strengthening wind and little was required to get her on course south and a little east heading out of the Haven as CC brought in the last of the chain and secured the anchor. She heeled to the wind and made good progress over the current, pitching a little; Nadiya began to look a little green.

"Nadiya..." Cherry touched her shoulder to get her attention and pointed at the wheel, which, a little nervously, she took. With the conditions, Serendipity was a lot livelier than she had been the previous day, but Nadiya braced herself against the motion and managed to keep her on course fairly well. CC spotted the Pye End buoy with less than the usual difficulty, but the wind having veered somewhat, they had to carry on for some time until they could make good the course to pass it for the entrance to Hamford water. The change did mean they could hold the course for the entrance, however. For the last half-mile Cherry resorted to the motor. They were safely anchored not much more than two hours after starting, and well before high water.

Cherry told Pippa to get on with her project; she and CC would take care of tidying Serendipity, ready for the bad weather to come. Nadiya would help them.

Pippa didn't really have much to do. Her plan ... creating something unusual to eat ... involved a number of relatively short tasks, spread over quite a lot of time, so she was in the process of putting together a stew by the time the others came below.

"If I'm not mistaken," Cherry commented, "we're going to get some heavy rain pretty soon."

She wasn't wrong. They ate stew and boiled potatoes as rain beat on the coach-roof and the temperature dropped like a stone. Cherry lit the heater as they drank coffee – or in Nadiya's case, tea – and nibbled biscuits, more for something to do than because they were really hungry. Cherry then decided Pippa needed a class in meteorology and CC sat in on it; even Nadiya tried to follow, which meant Cherry worked hard to keep things simple. It passed the time satisfactorily with a break mid afternoon when Pippa popped her 'project' in the oven. Interesting smells filled the saloon and Nadiya wore a puzzled look.

The afternoon passed with the sound of rain and the wind whistling in and rattling the rigging. When Cherry got tired of talking they got out the Monopoly set, which had to be explained to Nadiya. That took them to tea time, at which point Pippa produced the black bread she'd been making. Black bread is largely or wholly based on rye flour, and speaks of home to many Europeans.

Nadiya just looked at it for several minutes. "You made this for me?" looking at Pippa.

"Yes, I did. I've never made black bread before, so I hope it's okay. I like baking. You'd better try it and tell me if I got it right."

As the others watched, Nadiya carefully cut a thin slice from the loaf, looked up at Pippa, and transferred it to her plate before lifting it to her lips for a bite. As she chewed, an odd expression crossed her face. She swallowed the mouthful and picked up the slice again, but sat, holding it just above the plate. The others realised after a minute or so that she was crying, tears streaming down her cheeks. Pippa sat beside her and slipped her arm round her shoulders; the floodgates opened and Nadiya buried her face against Pippa's bosom, her shoulders shaking.

Cherry, discreetly, got CC's attention and indicated that they should get on with eating, rather than embarrass Nadiya. Meanwhile, Pippa was holding Nadiya and murmuring soothing, meaningless sounds into her hair. Some time later, the young girl sat up slowly.

"Spasibo, mne ochenʹ zhalʹ ... I'm sorry ... Pippa. Thank you."

"No need to be sorry, Nadiya."

The girl took another mouthful and chewed slowly, savouring it. "This is very good. Voskhititelʹnyy."

"I've got to agree, Pippa," Cherry said, "I've never had this before."

"It ... reminded me ... of home. Of Babushka ... Granny. I am ... I was ... alone. I ... don't know what to say."

"Don't say anything ... eat," Pippa smiled. "You've made my efforts worthwhile."

The rain stopped as they were eating, but the wind continued. When they'd finished, Cherry went on deck to have a look round (everything was fine) and while she was there her phone bleeped to indicate a missed call – a number she didn't recognise. Calling back was a little troublesome as the signal was poor, but eventually she arranged that she or CC would collect Zoe and Alex Smith from Walton at eleven hundred the following day. She stood for a while facing the wind as it tousled her short hair before going below, pink-faced and smiling.