‘How do you know Ruaridh is on duty today?’ Flora asked, squinting through the scopes to try to see.
‘Look to the left, just beside the hut. What can you see?’
‘There’s what looks like a signal flag tied to a stick. A blue cross on a white background. What does it mean?’ Flora asked.
Alec laughed. ‘It stands for the letter X. Which is also used to signal the message “Stop carrying out your intentions and watch for my signals.” It’s your brother, all right. See, he hasn’t run it up the official signalling mast. It’s meant just for us. Or, more probably, for me!’
‘Well, what a cheek! I’m sure your intentions are nothing but honourable.’
Alec propped himself on one elbow, watching her profile as she scanned the landscape with the field glasses.
‘They certainly are honourable. But I do have intentions, you know, Flora, where you are concerned.’
She set aside the binoculars, laughing. ‘And may I ask just what those intentions might be, Alec Mackenzie-Grant?’
His expression was suddenly serious as he reached out a finger to brush a tendril of hair from her cheek. ‘I intend to spend the rest of my life with you, Flora Gordon. If you’ll have me, that is. I can’t give you a formal proposal just yet, as I have a few hurdles to cross before I’m in a position to do so. But once both of our families have realised how serious I am about you, once I’ve had a chance to square it with your father and mine, I’ll be asking you. Just so’s you know, in case you were in any doubt.’
She lay on her side, facing him, watching the play of sunlight and shadows on his face, and then she said, ‘I have no doubts whatsoever where you are concerned, Alec. But you were engaged to another woman just a few months ago. I’m not at all sure this is very proper.’
He picked up a fistful of sand and watched it trickle through his fingers, opening his palm to let the wind scatter the last grains across the beach. ‘I’m ashamed to say that I allowed my father to talk me into the idea of marrying Diana. A very suitable match, he said it would be. My heart was never in it. And clearly neither was hers, given the speed with which she replaced me once she got back to London. I won’t make a mistake like that again.’
‘Yes, but I don’t think your father will feel I’m the least bit suitable. The keeper’s daughter? For the son of the laird? We’re from two different worlds, you and me.’
He shook his head, his dark eyes alight suddenly, with the strength of his feelings. ‘This war has changed everything. There is only one world now, a world united in this fight. Don’t you see, Flora – the barriers have come down? And it’s made me realise what I really want in life.’ He hesitated, then reached for her hand, his fingers meshing with hers. ‘Who I really want. It’s you, Flora. It has only ever really been you.’
He gathered her close and she pressed her hands against his chest, feeling the warmth of his skin and the beat of his heart through the rough wool of his jersey. And then she raised her lips to his and sealed their promise of a future together with a kiss.
After lunch, they climbed back into the boat and Alec steered a course that hugged the western side of the loch, below the white cottages at Cove where the road became a rough track. They waved to Mrs Kennedy who was pegging her washing on the line in front of her croft house, white sheets billowing like sails in the stiff breeze, and then Alec brought the boat in close to the rock arch so that they could get a look at the nesting gulls whose calls filled the air and whose droppings whitewashed the dark craggy rocks in streaks and splashes.
Finally, as the sun slipped behind the hills of Gairloch and the waters of Loch Ewe began to darken, they turned the boat homewards.
The jetty was deserted as they offloaded their belongings. Alec made the boat fast and then they made their way back to his car. As he stowed everything in the boot, Flora glanced upwards, her attention captured by the sound of tapping from a dormer window on the top floor of the Carmichaels’ house. Following her gaze, Alex grinned and waved at the sight of Stuart and Davy, who had their noses pressed against the glass. With a struggle, Stuart managed to free the catch on the window and push it open.
‘Be careful,’ Flora called. ‘Don’t lean out like that; you might fall.’
‘What are you two rascals up to?’ Alec asked.
‘Nothing much,’ answered Stuart with a shrug. ‘We forgot the time when we were fishing and we didn’t get the digging done, so Mrs C has locked us in our room with no tea. We’re starving, ’cause we didn’t get much lunch neither. Mr C and her are away out now, for a meeting at the kirk. Davy’s been crying,’ he added.