Footsteps in the sea Vol 4. Chap 73
Chapter 73
We had a lively dinner, everybody had turned up and the girls had instructed Larry and his girlfriend, Camilla another scientist from the labs to attend.
We discussed the island of course and Byron became quite lively when we started on the plans we had for parties on board Pacific Wanderer when she went off in a couple of weeks for her first trial as a marine exploration support ship.
“What do you mean by parties?”
“Dinners and dances, especially dances and cocktail parties with dancing, especially dancing and informal get togethers with dancing, especially dancing and more dances with dancing, especially with dancing and we’ll invite the crew to come up and join in.” I answered sweetly, “And you will be the guest of honour at the dances. You and I will start them off every evening with a jive. You only danced a waltz with me at the wedding but I understand that, it was a formal occasion and you had your position as captain of a ship to uphold.”
“First, we will not be having noisy raves on board MY ship every night. Second I can hardly be a GUEST of Honour on MY own ship and thirdly, I can’t jive.”
“We’ll teach you and David will teach you how to tango, you’ll be the envy of the crew.”
He grunted and muttered something about volunteering for active service as a tail gunner on a New Zealand submarine.
Gwyneth reassured him when she said she would dance with him at a more sedate pace and did he like the can-can?
Larry and Camilla I noticed spent a deal of time talking to Ted and Gwyneth was chatting with Auntie Kate and I found out later that Auntie Kate and Gwyneth were thinking of setting up an employment agency for the island. Camilla had volunteered to help Ted with the garden because, like Larry, she had an amateur interest in archaeology and she would be able to spot likely places for the diaries we were looking for.
I found Leah and Giles next. They were seated on the same side of a table which had three or four maps and hand-drawn diagrams spread in front of them. “Am I interrupting.”
“No, of course not, we’re just having a look at our plans for the farm.”
I sat at the corner of the table, “I’m trying to get around and speak to everybody I haven’t spent time with this last few days, trying to catch up.”
“If it helps,” said Giles, “We’ve definitely made up our minds, We want to settle here. It isn’t just the opportunity to start a farm in a beautiful place, it’s the people who are here as well and the things that are going on all the time. We’d never be bored for lack of something to do.”
“And we’d have plenty of help at the beginning,” added Leah.
“I’m not so sure about that,” I answered. Over the past three or four days I have come to realise how complicated organising everything is going to be and have come to the conclusion that I need at least three other people to handle the island’s political, admin and social affairs. I have to start thinking about the young people who are here, their marriages, their children and the infrastructure; schools, houses, hospitals, shops and everything else. When we first thought about it, there was only myself, Will, David and Gwyneth with Faye, Emma and Liz with their partners to consider. But that’s changed already, there are at least five more couples, all youngish so I’ve doubled the population by saying yes to each of them. Now as a matter of urgency I need three more and they too will be young and will want to start families and apart from Larry and Camilla I have heard there are some of the technical and scientific people on the south side who have made mention of living here.
“Each of these people will need the same infrastructure and as we grow we are going to need more people to support that infrastructure because it too will grow, the kindergarten and junior schools will need secondary schools and then there will be a demand for sixth form colleges and of course a vet, to take care of the animals of course, not the children. So the 'plenty of people to help' will soon become plenty of people who need help. Auntie Kate and Gwyneth are even planning an employment agency to find us that help, you’d better get in quick with your requests.”
“You think we should delay everything for a year?” There was disappointment in Leah’s voice.
“No, definitely not. I’m planning ahead a little especially with the need for a fully staffed, small hospital and the more advanced education but it has to be planned carefully and we will need help urgently. I mean look at the way I’ve let things slip. I know I was a bit unwell and then I had my honeymoon but I’m way behind in my work and there’s new needs coming in every day. When you start up here and as far as I’m concerned, the sooner the better, you will have all the help you need. There’s quite a few of the science lab crew who are interested and some of the navy blokes have voiced an interest and Byron and Andy have both said they can release men to help from time to time. So you will definitely be okay for the first year. Now, we have an urgent need for milk, what can we do about that?”
“I have been looking in New Zealand and I had a chat with your archaeologist, Larry and he says just let him know when and he can have milk producing cows sent over as fast as we want them. The same applies to New Zealand and I’ve also found suitable bulls. We could ship in say a half dozen head and get them producing milk, certainly enough to add to the stuff we are importing from New Zealand but shipping the cattle will take at least three weeks and after that we’ll need to give them time to settle down.”
“What about milking machines?”
“You’ve got enough,” said Leah with a grin. It only takes a pair of hands and a bucket and a couple of small coolers and pasteurisers. If we bring the cattle in from Oz or New Zealand and they are carefully checked before they leave and when they arrive here, we won’t have to worry about quarantine if the milk is for island use only. After the necessary quarantine period is over, we can organise a round up and introduce the island cattle in amongst the imported ones and then we can import milking machines. We could be self-sufficient, even produce enough to supply the science side and visiting navy ships within three or four months if all goes well.”
“When are you going back to England to settle your affairs and pack?”
“Already done most of it,” Giles answered. I’ve sold my market garden and house and Leah has three people waiting for her to leave so she’s sold her place virtually. We reckon we could be back in a month. Come to think of it, we could arrange the cattle and bring them with us on the last leg of the journey, that would save us having to employ people to do it.”
“Right, I’ll check to see about shipping on the return journey, I understand that everybody who is going back to New Zealand and the UK will be leaving soon in the Sunderland. I’ll get the dates sorted and book you forward to Heathrow with an airline and as for the return trip, you’ll have to organise the cattle and I’ll see about a suitable merchant ship if Pacific Wanderer can’t be used. I’ll brief Penny as well and she can be your contact when I’m not available, she’s proven her abilities as an organiser already. What about your financial affairs. Will you have the finances to get things going, if not I can sort out a loan?”
“We’re okay,” Giles assured me. The sale of my place and the market garden has left us in a comfortable position and the deal you’ve arranged for us here is much cheaper than it would have been if we’d tried to do something similar in England.
“When I sell my place, even if I have to wait a couple of months for the money we’ll still have plenty, even allowing for the furnishing of our house.”
“Okay. I’ll get Penny onto organising things, in the meantime, I’m not forgetting you, it’s just that…”
“You explained earlier, stop apologising. We’re grown-ups and will come running quick enough if we need you. I haven’t enquired about your post op complications and the anchovy. Is everything okay now?”
“Ssh, I’d forgotten about it but I’m sure Emma is not going to, she’ll get me back for it one day.”
I left them and went back to the table and drank some wine and thought to relax for a half hour and have a dance with Will. There was no point in jiving with him because the burgundy dress had a straight skirt and I wouldn’t be able to confuse him with yards and yards of flying skirt and petticoats. I had time to take a second sip and then Liz tapped me on the shoulder. “What time do you want picking up on Wednesday morning?”
“Picking up? Picking up for what, I’m busy tomorrow and Wednesday.”
“Picking up to go round to the Sunderland.”
“It won’t be here until after lunch, it’s going up on a test flight.”
“That’s what I’m talking about. We heard about it and heard you were sneaking off for a trip round the bay and we’re coming.”
“I’ll have to ask Peter. It’s a test flight to ensure that the work done on her over the past few days is good and he might not want passengers on board.”
“We’ve asked already. We told him you were still delicate and would need us to ensure you didn’t get into a panic, have another nervous breakdown or fits of fainting. We also told him that up in the air you tend to get homesick, miss Will and have periods of depression when deprived of the company of your close friends.”
“What did he say?” I asked grinning at her.
“He didn’t believe us about panic attacks, or being delicate and as they considered themselves as close friends, that part didn’t apply. He also said that for most of the flight you would be sitting on his lap playing with his joystick and wouldn’t have time to get lonely.”
“So he’s not taking you, why offer me a lift.”
“He is taking us because he said they had no cabin staff so we can dust things, clean and polish the brass work, bombs and depth charges, make tea and act as ballast if there was a need to jettison anything to save weight.”
“Now tell the truth.”
Liz smiled, “We can come but have to remain in the passenger seats until he says it’s safe to be shown around which we accepted even though it was unfair.”
“Why unfair?”
“You are being allowed up on the flight deck even during take-offs and landings.”
“Of course I am, it’s my wedding present. He’s going to let me take the controls when we test the guns so tell Faye to be ready to use one of the waist machine guns. I will have to make a swooping dive on a load of seaweed, open up with the nose guns and then bank and turn so that she can have a go at it with the waist gun. Then, if there’s time we are going to finish the job by using a depth charge and a bomb.”
“That sounds really, really exciting, I’ll drop you off and then go to the dig.”
I laughed, “We’re scheduled to take-off at nine am and Peter wants us on board by seven thirty so we have time to get settled before they manoeuvre out of the inlet and into the sea. I’ll let you have my video cam so you can film the take-off and try and get some good shots of Mermaid Lagoon and the ships as we go by. Pick me up at the house at six thirty, that gives us time to drive round the inlet to where the Sunderland is moored. Have you arranged to borrow a buggy?”
“Yes, there’s just four of us, Gwyneth is going to be busy with Kate.”
We had another couple of dances and a last drink and by now I was beginning to feel worn out and so were most of the others and we called it a day. “Are you and Ted going to be okay getting back to the house?” I asked.
“We were okay when you and Will were away, are you staying on Undine tonight?”
“No, we were going for a short walk to clear our heads.”
“We’ll have a hot drink ready if you’re back in a half hour, if you’re gone longer, Ted will come looking for you if you don’t phone and let us know.”
I picked up my shawl, slung my shoulder bag, then collected my husband, “Are we taking a walk or going straight back to the house?”
“We’ll have a short walk to clear our heads but we’ll have to go left towards Wanderers Reef because a few of the off-duty crew are having a barbeque and a few beers outside the cave and when I’m walking out with you, I don’t like being distracted.”
“Are we ‘Walking out?’ So soon after being married, isn’t it exciting.”
We walked slowly, our arms linked and Will helped me up onto the reef and we hopped from rock to rock until we reached the slope and clambered up and found the junction and cross track over the island. We didn’t turn right and walk up to the house but continued up the track looking at the work that was being done to the proposed club and shops area. “They’ve done a lot of work.”
“Foundations are laid, services are ready and the sections for the buildings are completed, all that’s left is erecting the earthquake and storm reinforcements, assembled the units on site, fit the log cladding and roofs and it’s done. The temporary paths will be laid after the residents have moved in and when the entire section is completed the permanent pavements and road surfaces will be done. Geoff tells me that the buildings will be ready for occupation in a little over a month, the residential sections before that.”
“We’ll have to think of names for the main tracks or roads and some of the buildings.”
He squeezed me in a little closer, “That’s your department and arranging the ceremonies and parties.”
“I’ll get onto it tomorrow. I think we ought to name the admin block and club ourselves.”
“You have ideas?”
“Yes, I’ll think about it a bit longer and we can talk about it tomorrow. What are you doing tomorrow, I’m going up to the cave to sort out the stuff we brought from England, will the navy blokes and the forklift still be available?”
“If they’re not available, I’ll see if I can borrow the forklift and low loader and me and Howard will organise something between us. I’ll be around all day because I have to liaise with Geoff about the extensions to our house and then sort out the best location for Leah and Giles’s farmyard, house, barns and the milking shed.”
“Okay,” we turned off the track and crossed the rise and then the land where Auntie Kate’s extension was to be built and went into the kitchen.
“I was just about to call out the navy patrols, scramble the Sunderland, order Pacific Wanderer to open fire with all its weapons and shout help!” exclaimed Auntie Kate.
I looked at the wall clock, “We’re only two minutes late and if we allowed for the time it took to cross the land that’s been dug up for the extension, we’re only one and a half minutes late.”
She pointed at the table, “Sit,” and poured four cups of cocoa and placed them in front of us and promptly moved the sugar bowl towards Ted and Will, “Would you like a snack?” she asked them and totally ignored me.
“Oi, what about me!”
“You can share my gingerbread man because you’re going to have to buy new bras soon if you carry on eating at your current rate and you’ll need to start wearing girdles.”
That convinced me. Basques are okay but girdles are a no-no.
Fifteen minutes later I got up, “I’m going to bed, early start tomorrow.”
The others got up as well and we walked to our bedrooms. “Aren’t you going to read me a bedtime story?” I asked Auntie Kate as they opened the door to their rooms.
“No, you won’t be going to sleep for hours yet and I’m too tired to wait up.”
I grinned and left them to their naughtiness whilst Will and I went into our rooms to sleep of course. “You can have the shower, I had a long bath before dinner and haven’t done any sweaty dancing.”
Off he went and I took off my jewellery, kicked of my shoes and stood beside the bed whilst I started the battle with the stiff hook and eye fastening at the top of the burgundy dress. I managed to get it undone and moved the zip down but it snagged on my slip so I started the war required to unsnag it without tearing off the lace it was caught on.
Will came back from the shower and I was still wriggling, muttering curses and dancing whilst I fought the zip. “That’s a very exotic dance,” he said as he walked round the bed, “What’s it called?”
“The dance of the angry zip, don’t just stand there, help me get it unsnagged.”
“I’d rather stand here and watch.”
“Will!”
He came up behind me and lifted the hem of the dress and slip and pulled them up over my stockings and knickers to my waist.
“It’s not stuck there, it’s caught in the top of my slip. I don’t need any help getting my knickers off, in fact I’m getting so mad I might leave them on all night and my bra, stockings and slip. Now bloody well help me.”
He responded by lifting the hems a little higher, let go and stood very close to me and trapped the skirt between us than took my hands away from the zip and lifted them over my head, “Keep your hands there,” and took hold of the hems again and lifted the slip and dress up to by bra where he paused for a quick fondle with one hand and then pushed the dress and slip over my head and shoulders and up to just above my elbows. “Push your elbows out a little and hold the dress there.” I did as he bid and then felt his hands reach behind me and he unhooked my bra and started caressing my breasts.
“Just you stop that and wait until I’m in my nightie and comfortable,” and as I spoke and started wriggling to get away from him, one of his hands left my breast and slid down to my tummy button and started tickling that. “Will, stop it, you’re tickling me,” and as I spoke my wriggling became more desperate and those damned sparks started radiating from the two places he was caressing and then the bloody dress started to slip down my arms and over my head.
Being an opportunist, Will allowed his hand to leave my tummy button and slip down further down to a spot between my suspender belt and knickers and then a finger was caressing the crease at the top of my labia and then became bolder and forced my thighs a little apart and began to slip further down and into the top of my vulva and pressed and then started caressing my clitoris. It gave me the chance to hop back a quarter of a pace, turn and wriggle out of his grasp but the back of my knees caught the edge of the bed and I fell backwards to land on my back with my arms still held together by my dress and my head still covered. Will had tried to stop me from falling but only succeeded in allowing himself to fall and was lying on top of me and I made the silly mistake of trying to wriggle from beneath him. “Don’t you want me to take your stockings off first?” I froze and he took this as being a no because the fingers of one hand started to gently squeeze a nipple whilst the other hand used one finger to start circling my vulva and made sure it pressed just a little on my vestibular gland and gently rubbed my clitoris as it completed the circle.
The sparks intensified and the unattended nipple joined in and as he completed the second circle of my vulva, the cheeks of my bum started to itch with the tiny sparks starting there and then the whole of my body became one enormous frenzy of desperate nerve ends. “Get this dress off me and get your dick into me because if you don’t I’m flying off and you’ll be left behind.”
He stopped for a second but that didn’t worry the sparks, they kept up their frenzied attempt to produce spontaneous combustion and didn’t even pause when he slipped my panties down my legs. They even made my knees spasm and close so he could pull them over my feet and the other hand left my breast, took a hold of my dress and slip and they were pulled off me and followed the panties over his shoulder and onto the floor. This time both my legs and arms spasamed simultaneously and folded themselves across his shoulders and waist and we flew.
We flew straight out of the bedroom window, up the slope of Devonshire Hill and then vertically until we were a hundred metres above the summit. We flew around the island diving and swooping, one moment reaching for the stars, the next heading straight down into the depths of the Pacific and on the last circuit we collided with the Hill and blew apart.
It took four or five minutes for me to reassemble and when I did manage to compose myself Will was busy undoing the clasps of my suspenders and gently slipping the stockings down and off my feet. I lay there letting him get on with it, composed but still too exhausted to help. He was still on top of me even though my legs and arms had unlocked and were laying spread across the bed but his important bit was no longer where it should be, I think it must have died in the explosion. He eased himself off me, unfastened the suspender belt and carefully threw that and the stockings on the floor roughly in the same place as my knickers, bra and dress.
“What nightie do you want me to put on you?”
“None, I’m sleeping in my skin, there’s no point in making a clean nightie all sweaty but before you ask, I’m wearing Kevlar grannie knickers so there’s to be no more mucking about.”
“What about in the morning?”
“That’s a trick question and I’m not answering it.”
He chuckled and lay down beside me, “Look there in the corner of the top window, where it’s been left open, there’s a small bubble and it’s glowing.”
I looked across, “Undine you’re grounded. I was going to tell you that Tamati is on the bridge of Pacific Wanderer and he’s probably on his own as the ship is moored. There are two or three sailors keeping watch on deck and the radio operator will be fast asleep in his cabin but I’m not telling you now because you’ve been peeking again.”
A tiny voice answered, “On his own, Ooooh,” and the tiny bubble of light vanished into the night.
