The Salk Island West Legacy: recap.

The Salk Island West Legacy: recap. Five generations earlier, Nell and Jon Stapleton had been washed ashore on Salk Island West. They’d been fleeing the storms of war – Jon, a Sautach man, had married Nell, an Istrian. And when the latent hostilities between the two countries had boiled over into actual war, he had fled with Nell and their little daughter Penny, before Nell was threatened by the neighbours who had once been their friends. They’d been fleeing the storms of war, but it had been a storm at sea that had blown them into the current known as the Western Rip, and they’d been shipwrecked far from their intended destination. The island had once been inhabited, before an earthquake had triggered a tsunami that had wrecked most of the buildings and driven the remaining inhabitants away. Nell and Jon realised that they were going to be able to survive there. And survive they did. Not only did they manage to survive, but they grew as a family. Eventually, there were five children, all helping to grow and catch enough food to keep them all healthy and thriving. Penny had been born in Sautach, but Perdita, Janet, Joshua and Petranella were all island babies. The second generation had arrived – but how could there ever be a third generation? No-one ever came to Salk Island West now: the copper mines were long abandoned, and no ships were going to put in for water and food when the island was known to be deserted. Then, one night, another enormous storm blew up. Safe in the little stone hut they’d built, Nell and Jon and the children waited it out – until they heard a frantic knocking at the door, and found a stranger standing outside begging for their help. Lars Svenson and his family, like Jon and Nell, had been caught in the Western Rip and wrecked upon the shores of the island. Sadly, though, Lars had not been so lucky: his wife and eldest son didn’t make it alive to the shore. Thorold and Brigit survived, rescued from the waves by Jon and the others, and the family set about helping Lars and the two children recover from their ordeal.
It perhaps wasn’t surprising that Thorold fell in love with one of Nell’s daughters – with Perdita, the second child, and the first one born on the island. And the first one to get married on the island as well! What was more unexpected was that Lars and Penny realised some time later that they too were very much in love with each other. And when Joshua and Brigit also got married, it was obvious that there would be a third generation after all. Lars and Penny had one son, Anders, who was the delight of his father’s eyes, a happiness after all he’d lost and grieved. Perdita had been the one to inherit the house that Jon and Nell had built: Penny and Lars built their own small place, as did Joshua and Brigit, and Janet and Petranella lived happily with their extended family. But they were down at the other end of the island, and though Perdita was happy to live with Jon and Nell, and help them as they became older, she did wish she could be closer to her brother and sisters.
When Jon and Nell died, Perdita and Thorold left the little stone house that had been the family’s first refuge on the island – not without some tears – and moved themselves and their three children, Astrid, David and Ingrid, down to the other end of the island, and began to build a new house there, on the site of a previous one.
Joshua and Brigit had two girls of their own, Bella and Cecelia. But the question still remained: who would they marry, this third generation? Each other? They would end up being dangerously in-bred. And there was a slight shortage of males. And then, one day, totally unexpectedly, a ship drew in to the ruined harbour of Salk Island West. Lars’ eldest son, Nils, had been engaged to be married: one more voyage, and then it would have been his wedding. Only he never returned. But Hannah, his fiancée, hadn’t forgotten him, and as soon as she could, she began searching for him with the help of her brother and sister-in-law and their ship, Waverider. And finally, she came to Salk Island West, and found out what had happened to her beloved Nils. The Waverider crew were mostly family: including Hannah’s nephews and niece. And Ben Waverider, in the time they spent on the island, became more than a little fond of Astrid. Fond enough of her to be willing to give up his sea-faring life and stay on the island with her. In time, Astrid and Ben would inherit the new house that Perdita and Thorold had built. And the Waverider crew spread the word among the other trading vessels that Salk Island West was once more a viable re-watering point.
“Salk Island West used to be well known for its wines. Why don’t you try starting a vineyard? It would give you something to trade besides fruit and vegetables when the occasional ship comes in to port. And we’ll make a regular call.”
Hannah had been full of good ideas to help improve their lives, and they’d taken them on board. It looked as though the fourth generation might have wider horizons than the previous ones had known. The fourth generation did see more of the world! Astrid and Ben’s three sons – Jon, Tobias and Barnabas – all made trips on Waverider, and came back with more knowledge, new ideas, more plants for the vineyard than Astrid and Ben were beginning to establish. And in Jon’s case, a new family for the island.
Carlo and Maria had fled the end of the fighting, with their three grand-daughters, Carla, Bianca and Luisa. The girls’ parents had been killed by a rag-tag mob, Carlo and Maria making it to the woods and safety just in time. They hadn’t dared to go back home as ill-feeling was still running so high – Jon offered them a new life on the island, and they accepted gladly and gratefully. And they brought new ideas, new ways of doing things and new skills with them. Jon, Tobias and Barnabas weren’t the only children on the island either. Joshua and Brigit’s daughter Bella had married Patrick Fletcher – a sailor who’d visited the island with Windrunner, collecting the first of the wine for sale. And she’d had four children, Morag, Siobhan, Callum and Brede. Lars and Penny’s son Anders had married Ben’s sister, Sal! Which made Ben very happy, having his sister on the island too – and then Jacob and Ade, their parents, had decided to stay on the island as well, when they were too old to want to voyage in Waverider any more. Anders’ and Sal’s three girls, Rachel, Sarah and Hannah, grew up surrounded by cousins! This time round, there wasn’t the same questions about who would anyone marry? Jon was inheriting the house, the vineyard, all that his great-grandfather and great-grandmother had begun to make when they’d been shipwrecked all those years ago. And he was marrying Carla, the girl he’d helped rescue. To the joy of them both, his brother Barnabas married Carla’s sister Bianca! And Tobias married Morag, the eldest of Bella and Patrick’s children. The island was beginning to look different. They were rebuilding the houses that had stood empty for so long, beginning to create a village again. And the income from the vineyards, and the trade with the occasional passing ship was making a difference too. Glass was appearing in windows, they were no longer cooking on open fires outside, but able to trade in their goods for wood-fired stoves. The old sense of living from hand to mouth was now only a memory. Astrid decided that she needed to write a history of the island before the memories too were gone. And maybe a descendant of hers would carry it on after she was no longer there to write it. There were seven households now on the island – two without children, and five with them – and fifteen children. And a school! This was the first building they’d built that wasn’t just for a family. Brede had gone away on Waverider, to stay with the Waverider cousins and to learn enough for herself so that she could teach the children on the island something beyond just the basics of reading and writing. And the children loved their intermittent lessons – though food gathering still took first place! Much to Maria’s shock and surprise, Jon told her that she was to be the next heir. She’d been so sure it would be one of the others – Nell, as the eldest, or Thorold or Jacob, because they were the boys, and stronger than her. But no: she’d been chosen, and Jon was convinced that she’d make a good job of it. The wines were selling well now, and Jon’s dream was to build a library on the island and stock it with books for everyone to enjoy. He hoped to see this happen in his lifetime, but if it didn’t, then Maria could carry on the dream. Nell was already married and living in her own little house. In between beginning to replant the forests that, over the past five generations, had become somewhat depleted. While they were doing that, she and Andre slept in a tent in the woods! Which meant that winter had its compensations because she and Andre could sleep in a real bed for a few months. And now Maria herself was getting married too, and ready to learn the skills she needed to take over from Jon and Carla in due time. She wasn’t sure if Michael realised what he was letting himself in for: this was going to be hard work! Especially as both Thorold and Jaob would be going away on Waverider for a lengthy voyage, to give them a chance to see more of the world – they’d be short-handed in the vineyard without them.
Once her brothers were both back home however, she and Michael would be able to think of starting a family of their own. Presently, the sixth generation of Salk Island West inhabitants would be arriving on the scene.

The Edge, Chapter 6. A Rowansford story.

“It doesn’t make sense,” Flora said, brushing cat hairs from her skirt as they were leaving. “It’s not like Jacob and Alice are going to leave the farm to Anita instead of Luke. Not that he’ll want to farm it anyway.” Archibald was taking his leave of Griselda.
“If it hadn’t been for your father, I’d never have got anywhere. He was so good to me, encouraged me so much, gave me such a lot of help.”
Inside, Griselda’s starved heart warmed a little. She’d loved her father dearly – and the sneers of people like Cynthia Harleston had hurt her a lot. Griselda went upstairs after they’d left and stood out on the balcony looking over Rowansford. She could see the new estate, where Cynthia Harleston’s daughter and grandchildren lived, the island that was the original settlement, and over to her right, the new laboratories that were springing up where the old back to back slums had been. She knew the history of the town – and knew what was going on in it now, probably better than anyone. She collected knowledge, information, power. But she didn’t know what was going on with Luke Barden’s girlfriend and this Anita girl. And that bothered her. Griselda woke in the night, two unrelated sentences playing in her head. She slid out of bed and pulled on her dressing gown and slippers, careful not to disturb Towcester, who was peacefully asleep on the other half of her bed. This had been her father’s study and she’d adapted it for her own use. He’d not had computers, obviously, though he would have loved them, but Griselda had seen the ways they could be used from very early on. Now they were her window onto the world – and she wanted to find something out right now. Two sentences: one she’d said, one Flora had said.
“I don’t hold with splitting up estates.”
“Not that Luke’ll want to farm it anyway.” Map first. Griselda pulled out the same map Lucilla had been studying so carefully in the library. Next question: who owned those empty houses? She opened up her laptop, and as the sky lightened towards dawn, she began to see what she could find out. She was going to have to make some phone calls as well, but it was probably a bit too early for that at the moment! “Look down there and what do you see? A town that’s growing, spreading. And where’s it going to spread to next? Not over the river that way – there’s working farms, the Eleigh stables and a lot of residential. Now come and look this way.”
Griselda’s visitors followed her ontot he balcony. “Jacob and Alice’s farm. And then empty houses. If you could get your hands on all that land, as one piece, what would it be worth?”
They could all see it in their mind’s eye as well as in reality.
Jacob and Alice’s farm – but being run by a tenant farmer on a short-term lease. And then the old houses up on the Edge behind the farm. Road access, services, sewage, water – all the infrastructure was there, just waiting for someone to exploit it. Griselda led them from the top floor balcony and into a little-used sitting room. She needed more allies – and for Jacob and Alice’s sake, she was willing to break in upon her self-imposed loneliness and ask others for help. And the only other person in Rowansford who knew as much about the place as she did was Jonathan Saxtead, a historian of some note. Tyne made a beeline for Lorraine, and jumped up onto her lap, purring, which softened Griselda somewhat. Anyone her cats liked much be all right – or at least have some good in them. And Jonathan still had the same warm-hearted charm he’d shown when they were at school together: so many years ago now.
“Tell me the whole story,” he said, and Griselda began. “Is there anything you two want to add?” Jonathan asked, as Lorraine leaned forward and complimented Griselda on Tyne’s evident health, strength and beauty.
“It’s not like Luke to be so aggressive,” Flora said slowly. “I’ve known him all his life, and picking on a woman and her small child isn’t like him. Someone’s wound him up to do it.”
“What do you know about Lucilla? What has Alice said?”
Flora and Griselda both started telling him, piecemeal memories as they came across them. Jonathan stiffened like a bloodhound on the scent when they came to Lucilla’s account of how she’d lost her only child. “But that’s not true. I know it’s not.” “How do you know that?” Griselda was slightly miffed. “I’ll tell you what else isn’t true either. I checked up on the empty properties on the Edge – who owns them and so on. There’s been an offer put in on each of them recently – supposedly by three different concerns. But I can’t find any trace of these three businesses. And in each case, they were represented by a young blonde woman? Coincidence?” “And here’s another one. There’s been two attempts to get Anita out of her house – which she owns. And if she wanted to oppose any development up there on the Edge, then as a homeowner, she’d have the right, and a strong case.”
“Mmm. Rowansford’s planning laws do say that. And one person opposing a big development scheme would soon have followers. I’d be one of them myself.”
“And you wouldn’t be the only one,” Archibald added. “The whole of the historical society would be with you, plus all the people with families who like to walk, sledge, play, explore up round that area.” “So,” Lorraine said thoughtfully to the room in general. “We have to sabotage her plans. My mother taught me about sabotage. And about what to do when you are faced with a ruthless enemy…”
Flora looked mildly alarmed. If she’d known what Jonathan knew about Lorraine’s mother, she’d have looked very alarmed. “Jacob! And Alice! Fancy meeting you here. Luke, I haven’t seen you in an age.”
Lorraine had come up with a plan. “Use your enemy’s weakness against him, if you can. We know she lied. What effect will finding that out have on Luke? Can we use that?”
“He’ll hate it,” Flora said thoughtfully. “Alice and Jacob are so honest – and so was Sarah. And Luke’s like them.”
“Well, this might work then. We’ll see…” “We’ve been celebrating,” Alice said happily. “Luke and Lucilla have just got engaged.”
“Congratulations! Have you got a date for the wedding?”
“As soon as possible,” Lucilla said, smiling back at Alice. “As soon as possible.”
“So what brings you here?” Jacob asked, but Jonathan directed his answer at Lucilla. “I’m meeting a sort of adopted grandson of mine. Charlie’s become great friends with him, and we’ve sort of taken him into our family. He…lost…his mother when he was quite young. It hurt him deeply. But,” and Jonathan made a courtly bow to Lucilla, “hopefully you, at least, haven’t had a great loss like that in your life. And I hope you never do.” Would she take the bait or wouldn’t she? But Alice’s eyes met Lucilla’s, full of sympathy, and Lucilla had to speak.
“Actually,” she said, “I lost my only child many years ago. His father took him from me – and I never found out where they went. I’ve had to accept that I probably never will.” Her big eyes were full of sorrow – Jonathan had to hand it to her, she was a brilliant actress. The other part of Lorraine’s plan was waiting outside the Old Mill for a text from Jonathan, to say if he was needed or not. Lorraine had been completely open and honest with him about what was going on.
“But this is up to you Matthew. It is for you to choose. To ask you to face your mother again – I know that is hard, and I do not want to push you into something that will hurt you also. We can find another way if you do not wish to do this.”
Actually though, Matthew thought, he was really doing this for Bryony. Bryony who made his dad happy in a way he hadn’t been since Lucilla left them both. Bryony who had wept, remembering Sarah Barden, her friend from her childhood. His phone buzzed in his pocket. “Oh here he is,” Jonathan said, as Matthew appeared.
“Hello, Matthew,” Jacob said with pleasure, and Luke Barden smiled at him too. Alice was about to introduce him to Lucilla, who’d given him the sort of absent-minded smile you give to a stranger. But Matthew got in first.
“Hello Mum. You haven’t changed , I see – though you obviously don’t recognise me. But then you wouldn’t would you? Let’s face it, after you walked out on us, you didn’t bother keeping in touch.”
Matthew’s original script had just been “Hello, Mum.” And then they were going to take it from there. But Matthew had things he wanted to get off his chest – and finally, he had the chance to do so. “Matthew! Is it really you?” But Lucilla was losing control of the scenario. She stood up tp try and hug him, but Matthew would have none of it.
“You walked out on me. Not a card, not a line, not a message. You dumped Dad because he wasn’t rich enough for you, but why did you dump me? You never got in touch. We stayed at the same address for six years afterwards, and you never even sent me a birthday card.”
That had hurt.
“Why? Why did you leave me?”
And the naked truth of what Matthew was saying was very evident to all round the table. “You lied to me!”
Flora had been right – Luke really didn’t like it. His parents had never lied to him – and Sarah hadn’t either. And now the woman he’d dreamt of spending the rest of his life with had lied to him: big time. He looked at her, and it was as though a kaleidoscope had reformed its pattern before his eyes. Alice and Jacob rose from their seats, Alice heading for Jacob’s arms, deeply distressed, and the sight of his mother’s hurt made Luke angrier still. “That’s it! I’m through with you! I thought you were as lovely as your face, but you’re not. You’re just a lying little cheat. Get out of my life.”
And Lucilla knew she’d lost this chance for some easy money, lost the edge she’d had in the situation. But where had that son of hers gone? And how come he’d appeared just at that moment?
She stormed out after him, intent on giving him a piece of her mind, but found her way blocked by Jonathan.
“If you’re looking for Matthew, he’s gone. And you’re not going to hurt him any more than you already have. And before you try anything else…we showed your photograph to the estate agents selling The Towers, Haslingfield House, Victoria House…Guess what. They all recognised you. That would make a good newspaper story, wouldn’t it?”
Lucilla stood still, furious. She’d met her match – but how come this old man had worked out what she was up to? The old were supposed to be stupid and gullible. She hissed at him, and left the building, intent on getting out of Rowansford as soon as possible. “What would you like me to do today?”
It was some three weeks since Alice had discovered that the young woman she’d been ready to welcome as a daughter had in fact been trying to make a fast buck out of them. Flora and the others had been worried that the shock would knock her back, but surprisingly it hadn’t. Instead, she and Jacob were busy carrying on with their plans to spruce up the farmhouse – thanks in no small part to Anita’s help. They hadn’t seen or heard from Luke since that disastrous tea party. “If you could carry on sanding down these cupboards, that would be lovely. Let me put all my sewing things away first though.”
“What are you planning to make?”
“I’m going to re-cover that settee – I bought the fabric to do it a couple of years before Sarah died, and first I didn’t have the time, and then I didn’t have the heart. But it’s in a terrible state now.”
“Have you chosen a colour for the rest of the wall yet?”
“We’re still thinking about it! Probably green, though.” It was a month since Lucilla had gone, and Luke was coming back to the farmhouse for the first time since Sarah had died. He approached the front door cautiously: it wasn’t that he was unsure of his welcome, just unsure of himself, if he could cope. Some more of the windows had been painted, he noticed, and they were open just a crack top and bottom – the paint wasn’t quite dry yet, he guessed. Voices came through the window to him. “Anita, thank you again for all you’ve done. Jacob can paint those cupboards no problem, but bending down that far and sanding at the same time takes its toll on him now.”
“You know I love helping you. And you’ve been so good to me – without your help, Amy and I probably would have been turned out of our house.”
“Well, if it hadn’t been for that, I think Luke would have married Lucilla – and I can’t believe he would have been happy. Jonathan told Jacob and me about her plans to buy up the rest of the property up on the Edge…”
Luke had asked Matthew first why he’d done what he did – though with some sympathy, as it couldn’t have been easy for Matthew when Lucilla walked out on him. He could understand the boy’s desire to confront her. But Matthew’s answer had disarmed him.
“I did it for Bryony as much as for me. Because Sarah was her friend, and she loves Jacob and Alice. And Mum wasn’t out to do them any good.”
Anita, though, was fair game. Flora and Archibald had impressed upon him how good Anita was for his parents, and he could see that, having been round to the house, having heard about the help that she was to them. (“And the help that you weren’t,” said the voice in his head.) But nothing was going to make him like her.
“Nothing at all. Nothing you could do or say will ever make me like you. If it hadn’t been for you…”
“You wouldn’t have found out that your girlfriend was trying to make herself a small fortune in property deals.”
Anita’s voice was as calm as his: this was no huge row this time. But she was giving as good as she got.
“Mum and Dad really like you – I can tell that. And, okay, I admit you’re not in it for what you can get out of it for yourself. Flora and Archibald told me that. So, see them as much as you like. It makes them happy, and that matters to me. And I’ll be polite to you, or I’ll hurt their feelings. Just don’t ever think that we’ll be friends.”