gave
her a kiss. “Good morning, Mother.” She then proceeded to greet everyone else
in the room. When she came to Elizabeth, she leaned over to whisper in her ear,
but spoke loud enough for everyone to hear, “Do not let me forget to tell you
about the time David scared me silly when he pretended to have fallen down a
short embankment.”
“He did not!”
Elizabeth exclaimed with a look of feigned shock.
“Yes, well, I
was a silly lad of fifteen who was only hoping for a little comfort from
Melanie.”
“Shocking!” said
Elizabeth with a laugh. “Did it work?”
“I suppose it
worked if you consider comfort to be Melanie shaking me violently, all
the while screaming for help. I only wanted her to think I was hurt, not dead!”
“Well, you
deserved it for scaring me like you did!”
“All right, you
two,” Viola warned. She turned to her brother. “These two behave more like
brother and sister than Melanie and either of her two brothers ever have.”
Elizabeth
watched the two of them and felt a slight stab of jealousy, as she had never
had a close relationship with a young man close to her own age. Despite
Melanie’s insistence that he was only a friend, she saw something between them
that she truly wished she had.
After breakfast,
the three young people chatted with the family while food was prepared and
packed for their picnic. While Melanie and David had a lifetime of acquaintance
that led to a friendly camaraderie, Elizabeth felt a kinship with the two of
them. They were both fun, teasing, lively, and intelligent, and she knew that
in a week’s time when they returned home, she would miss both of them.
Once they had
the food and supplies for the picnic, they set out for the top of the hill. It was
a mildly warm day, the breeze had picked up, and the salty scent in the air
tickled Elizabeth’s nose. She had never experienced anything like it.
The trio stopped
for a while at a lookout that gave them a view of the eastern sea down to the
south. “This is beautiful!” Elizabeth said.
“Are you getting
tired?” David asked.
“Not at all! I
frequently walk up Oakham Mount, which is not much higher than this.”
“Good! Shall we
continue to the top?” David extended both his arms. Melanie took one as if she
did it all the time, and Elizabeth took the other. He looked down at her and
smiled.
When they
reached the summit, it was true that they could see at least parts of the sea
surrounding the island. Elizabeth wrapped her arms about her and slowly turned,
taking in the different views. Looking to the east gave her a full view of the
sea, while she could see other islands and rocky outcroppings dotting the
horizon in the other directions. Looking down, she could see the waves lapping
up onto the shore.
“Do you think
that we can go down to the shore? I would love to walk along the beach.”
“Most
definitely!” Melanie said. “We shall do that tomorrow!”
David spread out
the blanket and set out the food that had been packed for them. He invited the
ladies to sit down first, and then he sat down at Elizabeth’s left.
After they had
finished eating, Melanie looked at Elizabeth. “Do you see why I love it here so
much?” she asked. “And wait until we go up to Star Castle! The view from there
is even more spectacular! I do not think I could ever live anywhere
else!”
Elizabeth let
out an appreciative sigh. “Oh, it is wonderful.”
“The weather is
milder in the winter, although we do get some pretty strong gales. The summers
are warm, but the air is so clear! Whenever we go across the Channel to London,
it always seems so stifling!”
David looked
down and began picking at the grass. “That is so true! Melanie even gets
restless when her family visits our estate. Even the country with its clean air
and open spaces do not suit her.”
He shot Melanie
a look that did not escape Elizabeth’s notice. She wondered if this was the
reason Melanie would not return his affections.