A Light Between Oceans Episode 23


Characters from A Light Between Oceans.

The lemon sole was as delicious as it looked, and Lucas talked Sandy into having dessert.

Their conversation flowed from one subject to the next: Lucas’s memories of Holland, then his life in New York, then Sandy’s life in Belmouth and London, interspersed with thought-provoking questions and lit up by moments of laughter.

There was no denying it; Sandy hadn’t had such a wonderful evening for a long time.

Somewhere on the edges of her mind she knew she was heading in a direction fraught with dilemmas, but one look into Lucas’s face seemed to erase all reason.

They fell silent a moment.

“Sandy,” Lucas began. “I’ve dreaded bringing this up, but I have to. It’s about Hattie.”

She sighed heavily.

“It’s been so upsetting. Hattie has been like a mother to me for as long as I can remember.

“But ever since all this came up about the lighthouse . . .”

Sandy realised there hadn’t been a mention of the sale all evening, and the unwelcome memory of Lucas’s first letter swam into her mind.

He’d been a signature on a piece of paper – an adversary that she and Hattie had begun to conspire against.

And here she was, sitting across from him, enjoying food and wine and conversation with him – and falling in love with him.

Now he was about to tell her something about Hattie – something that could cement the feelings of mistrust that had been clinging to Sandy for days.

She fiddled with her wine glass, eyes cast downward.

“I know this is distressing for you,” Lucas continued. “I’m not sure how to begin.

“Maybe the best way is to start by showing you something I’ve brought from New York.

“It’s how this all began.”

Slowly Sandy looked up, and Lucas reached across the table.

He covered her hand with his and held it there, his eyes looking into hers.

“I want to tell you the whole story, Sandy. It’s a mystery that hit me out of the blue, and brought me to Belmouth. It’ll be impossible for me to move forward in my life until I get to the bottom of it.

“This thing I’ve brought from New York is in the safe at my hotel.

“You can wait in the lobby and I’ll bring it down to show you.

“Will you come back with me and let me tell you the whole story?”

It was if she had drifted into a film and was part of something she couldn’t begin to understand, but was powerless to extract herself from.

Sandy felt the caress of his hand and saw almost a desperation in his eyes as he gazed across the table.

Her thoughts spun in her head and a flood of warmth coursed through her as they looked at one another.

She felt herself surrendering to all that she had fought to keep at bay.

“Yes, Lucas. Of course I will.”

To be continued…