Chapter 28: Chimes at Midnight

Friday Night

In the lounge at the Wilson Hotel, Al looked curiously at the young woman sitting with Mr. Wenn.

"Hey, don't I know you? Port Carran School, right?" Al said.

"I don't think so," the young woman said.

"What are you talking about? My wife is from London," Mr. Wenn said.

"Right, I remember you," Al said. "Loveday Smith. Your family moved here from London. You were at school with me, when me and my Dad were living in Port Carran for a while. We were snoggin' behind the stands at a football match that one time. Your family moved away again after that."

When Pauline heard Al say "snoggin'" she had to go over to investigate in person.

"My wife had never been to Cornwall before we met in London," Mr. Wenn said, but he didn't sound so certain now. "Isn't that right, darling?"

"Um, I may have been here visiting my gran for a term," the young woman said. Pauline thought she was starting to look a bit panicky.

"That's right," Al said. "Your parents were gettin' a divorce and you were here stayin' with your grandmother to get away from them fightin' all the time."

Mr. Wenn looked at his wife sceptically. "But I remember, you said you had never been to Cornwall."

"You must have misunderstood, darling. What I said was, um, I had never been to Portwenn."

Al prattled on, oblivious to the brewing marital disharmony Pauline could plainly see he was causing.

"Nah, you must have been here. You used to talk about Wenn Hall all the time, I remember. You went on a tour there and you kept sayin' how it was your dream house and you would do anything to live there someday. You had a postcard of it that you taped up in your locker. And now here you are married to Mr. Wenn. Funny how it all worked out."

Pauline, echoed him weakly. "Yeah, funny."

Mr. Wenn looked stunned. Out in the hotel lobby, a clock began to ring the well known Westminster chimes. Pauline attempted to lighten the mood. "Well, I'm surprised you two aren't attending the big ball tonight."

"Not much for crowds nowadays," Mr. Wenn replied, weakly. "My first wife Rachel loved these big splashy events, but I'm not one for festivities since she passed on. So we're staying far from the madding crowd, as it were."

There was an awkward pause. The clock began to chime midnight. Just as the last chime was about to sound, and Pauline opened her mouth to say they had to be going, a bright light shot up outside on the water and a loud boom sounded.

"Must be lightning," Mr. Wenn muttered.

"I reckon they're settin' off the fireworks. You'd think they cancel, with the storm comin' in," Al said.

"No," Pauline said, suddenly recognizing the sound. "That's the Lifeboat signal."

To be continued…