White Nights

He walked quickly over the grass, swearing under his breath when he twisted his ankle on a clump of heather. As he approached the cliff-edge, the sound of the seabirds got louder and the orange light stronger, so his head seemed filled with the noise and the light and he couldn’t think clearly at all.

Ke

‘Come away, Ke

The man turned slowly.

‘I’m fine where I am. And I’ve nothing to say.’

‘I can’t shout at you across all this space, man. Not about this. Not about Lawrence.’

Ke

Perez inched closer, felt his stomach tilt and turn. Now he could see the waves breaking on the outlying stacks. The sound of the water seemed to take a long time to reach him. He had an image of Roddy’s body, smashed in the Pit. He stumbled, and although he was still yards from the edge his heart seemed to stop. A pebble, loosened by his foot, rolled and bounced down the rock until it was lost in the spray at the bottom.

‘Ke

Perhaps Ke

‘There’s no need for you to be here.’

Perez struggled to find some co

‘Have you?’ Ke

‘You came to stay with us in my parents’ house, then you moved back to the hostel. I wondered why you might do that.’

‘Did your mother ever talk to you about me?’

‘Not since. When you were staying on the Isle, I could tell she liked you. She had nothing but good to say about you.’

‘I thought I loved her,’ Ke

Perez felt his stomach tilt again, only this time it had nothing to do with the height of the cliff. His mother was his mother. She wasn’t a woman for men to fall in love with. He didn’t say anything.

‘Nothing happened,’ Ke

‘Did my father ever know how you felt about each other?’

Ke

‘Why don’t you move away from the edge, Ke

Perez saw that the man’s face was streaming with tears. Molten copper in the orange light. Watching him standing there sobbing, Perez found he was holding his breath. He felt his heart thumping against his ribcage. A couple of steps and Ke

‘Don’t you see?’ Ke

‘I think I’ve worked out what went on.’ Perez sat on the grass, felt the thrift rough against the palms of his hands, and he started to breathe again. ‘Why don’t you sit down too, Ke

Ke

‘He was older than me and brighter than me,’ Ke

‘Come away here,’ Perez said again. Ke

Ke

Something made Perez lean forward and look down to the beach made of rock and shingle at the bottom of the cliff. A small, white figure lay there. Edith. Ke

Chapter Forty-four

Ke

In the house Ke

‘You’ll take a dram, Jimmy.’ Ke

Perez nodded. Ke

‘I tried to stop Edith jumping,’ Ke

‘When did you find out that Edith and Lawrence were having an affair? Did you know at the time?’

‘No,’ Ke

‘You know Edith would never do that, Ke

‘I never thought she would be the sort of woman Lawrence would go for,’ Ke

‘He didn’t want Edith just because she belonged to you, Ke

‘No,’ Ke

‘How do you know that?’

‘I don’t know it. Not for sure. It’s what I think – what I want to think, I suppose.’ Outside the sun had dropped further, was chopped in half by the horizon, the outline broken by some twisted threads of purple cloud. The light was softer, less lurid. ‘How did you find out about the pair of them if Edith didn’t tell you?’