Book 2, Chapter 43

“I'm just off to Bill’s place. I promised to help him relaunch Molly today.”

Beth looked at me questioningly but didn’t spill the beans about recognising me on the television so I was out of the door before Mum registered the news, calling an inquisition into session, and enjoying the bicycle ride over to Bill's house. He was already waiting for me when I arrived and it was obvious from the smile on his face that he had seen the news and thought it a hoot!

“Life is a lot less predictable since you became my granddaughter. Have you anything you want to tell me?”

“I’ll tell you if you explain why you moved into Grandma’s small house rather than have her move in here.”

“My Litara’s, that is your Grandma Tina’s house is her home. She raised your Dad there and everybody knows her. That isn’t something she wants to swap for a house with more rooms than she needs and where she doesn’t even know the next door neighbours. Your turn.”

“The trolley shouldn’t have been unlocked but it was and I thought there was less chance of them hurting me if I ran behind it, straight at them. They were running very fast and might easily have swerved to their right and gone around me but instead when I swerved to my right they ran straight into me.”

"And that is what you are going to tell the judge?”

“Oh, I don’t need to go to court as they are pleading guilty and will be sentenced just as soon as they get out of hospital.”

Towing Molly down to the launching ramp went smoothly and I could see why Bill understood Grandma so well. Here he was, a billionaire but with a relatively tiny yacht that was certainly outdated in design and materials but he used her more and treated her better than any of the large status symbol yachts that rarely left their marina berths. Just like Grandma and her house really.

As the two of us raised the mast I noticed that, like Dumblebit, the foot of the mast sat on the coach roof, supported underneath by a post. It was unusual but made our job easier and was one place less to leak. There was much that was new, even radical, in Dumblebit’s design but not everything. That in turn made me wonder about last night with the thieves. Increasingly I tended to forget that Dai Williams ever existed but without him I wouldn’t be here today and even now… How many girls would have become a trolley jockey in that situation? While Venus would risk life and limb and I suspect kill to protect her own, maybe Dai was the calculator, ready to use physical skills to protect me, Venus.

The plan had been just to move Dumblebit into her marina berth today but with the engine running smoothly, the weather beautiful and the tide just right the temptation was…. Bill looked at me with raised, questioning eyebrows and nodded toward the sea-lock. I followed his gaze and nodded my assent in return.

It was 5pm when we finally took Molly to her marina berth and Dad, Jack and Ian were there to take our lines having been working on Dumblebit.

“Pirates to the last!” Jack exclaimed.

“I think this calls for an extraordinary meeting of The Brotherhood of the Coast. Gentlemen and Venus; please use your phones to making whatever apologies are required before we adjourn to the bar.”

We only had an hour together at the insistence of Mum, Gran and Sophie on the phone but it was an hour well spent. As soon as he got to work Jack and Ian had let Dad in on my escapades on Newport station and Ian even had a recording to share on the old workshop television. Any anger that Dad might have had dissipated during the day leaving him glowing with pride at what his little girl had done. Secretly I wondered if I had been able to use my kick boxing lessons to effect whether he would have been quite as comfortable with my behaviour but having my Da affectionately proud of me was a very special moment. While we were chatting I also learnt something that Bill hadn't thought to mention while we were sailing which was that Arianrhod Development, the radio station and the Brotherhood of the Coast had all received several applications to enter the Cardiff Bay Pirates Race on Monday 27th August. The event seemed to be off to a good start and that prompted a quick phone call from me to Litara in London to add that date to Cook's departure from Plymouth on the 25th or 26th of August according to whose version of history you believe.

Back home I was glad that Beth was still with us as it made Mum rein in her desire to rip me limb from limb for risking my life in Newport. Quite how she reconciled the paradox I'm not sure but from what I learnt when at school it is fairly normal maternal behaviour and not entirely a joke. As I had to prepare and be up early next morning for film work I did have a good excuse to flee the dinner table and hide in the bathroom for nearly an hour before choosing my clothes for the next day and packing a change of clothes. I was in bed by 10pm when there was a knock on the bedroom door and Mum asked to come in.

“I apologise for being so angry with you,” she offered. “With you and your sister living such different lives to mine I get lost. I imagined being a grandmother by now and you having a career like mine or your Dad's but it is turning out so different and the world is changing so fast…”.

For the very first time I looked at Mum and saw signs of age and tears in her eyes. She had always been so sure and so strong but underneath there was a woman who had lost both her parents, who just days ago had almost lost her only sister and who could do nothing to protect her own children. We hugged and cried and said sorry to each other before she tucked me in and kissed me goodnight like a child. As I drifted off to sleep I was aware that as well as Dai there was a part of me that wanted no more than to have a nice home, a secure job, my friends around me and even a husband and a couple of children, a boy and a girl…