Chapter 26

"Bugger! That's too much. Maybe we can… ? And… .er. I'm just going to have to tell you straight… . Isaac… I've asked your mother to marry me and she's turned me down!"

Dad and I looked at this suddenly confused anxious figure in front of us as though he'd kidnapped and replaced our friend. "That must be sad for you Bill, but it is her right." said Dad reasonably.

"No it's not her right! I love her; she loves me, and we're too bloody old to be messing about like this!"

"Even if that's true Bill, what has it got to do with us and what do you want from me?" At this point it was as though I was seeing Bill as the younger of the two men and he was asking a father for his daughter's hand in marriage.

"Your mother didn't turn me down because she doesn't love me but because, for her, family always comes first. She just doesn't think her family will accept me. You in particular, she says , are so close to your father Malcolm that she believes you'll kill me if you know we've been sleeping together… "

Dad paused for 5, 10, 15, 20… seconds. "My mother is probably the scariest person most will ever meet and I've prayed for someone to come and distract her from trying to run my life. If what you say is true and you are brave enough to take on that job Bill; I take off my hat to you and will give you any help I can to bring the family behind the marriage."

It was quickly agreed that my mother and Aunt Sophie needed to be brought into the circle as soon as possible so Bill came back to our house and over dinner a plan hatched to get Grandma to the marina restaurant on Saturday evening for a family gathering. There was no intention of railroading Grandma into marriage but she wouldn't be able to use family as an excuse to avoid giving Bill a straight answer. I just hoped that Bill was right in his belief that grandma loved him because he was in for humiliation on a grand scale if she turned him down again in front of everyone.

"Saturday should be interesting" said Dad breaking up the conversational dominance of Mum and Aunt Sophie. "but marriage proposals butter no parsnips . 'Our boat' is just the pipe-dream of idle chatter; never meant to be built! You don't need a boat Bill, and I'm not a boat builder"

"But Venus does need a boat and this would give us the justification to build a long distance live-aboard boat the way it should be built and have the whole television-watching world see it in action."

"It will cost a fortune Bill. The batteries I want for the boat are only used for top- end laptop computers and your carbon fibre hull and rig is Formula 1 race car material. it makes no economic sense whatsoever!"

"If we build it they will come and by the time the last of Venus's documentaries are made the cost of those materials will be a fraction of today's price and you will be the yacht system designer everyone wants to hire."

"You are the business brain Bill but I'm still not a boat builder. I can fit the boat out for you but would you like suggestions on who to go to for the hull design and to build it?"

"No need Isaac. I've been listening to you for years and the design has already been completed and is with the builder. They were just waiting for a go ahead and I gave that this afternoon!"

This was crazy! Bill didn't need the boat for himself. My family didn't have the money to buy or rent a high price yacht from Bill and my sister Litara, who was the person behind the project and could veto everything, hadn't even been asked what she wanted!

"Are you rich Bill? I mean you mentioned that Alistair Dougan manages your properties in Wales but have you more?"

"I'm not the clan McLeod chieftain from the Isle of Skye living in Dunvegan Castle if that's what you are thinking but I do ok and at 77 with no children I can indulge the whim for a boat."

"Don't try to pull the wool over my eyes Bill! The plans are ready drawn, the builder has already been given the go-ahead… . This is far more than a whim of yours. Beside, what about me? The intrigue over Grandma Tina has been fun and Da will talk boats for ever but I remember what you said back at the yard 'I want to talk about your mother, your daughter Venus, and to build our boat!' That's what you said so… What about me?"

"Not everything is about you dear." my mother's voice interupted. "We're busy here as there's a lot to arrange." Is it part of the dark side of mother daughter relationships, the constant competition to be the centre of attention of any man?

"Venus is right Mrs Williams," explained Bill. "she does deserve an explanation, but perhaps it is better left until after Saturday."