Page 79 of A Nantucket Wedding

“It’s a Welsh name. He’s the man who phoned me. He told me he’d call if he had any other information, if they found David. He hasn’t called. It’s been over six hours and he hasn’t called. Felicity, I’m so frightened.”

Felicity could hear the fear in her sister’s voice. “Oh, Jane, this is so scary. But I’m sure Scott is okay. I’m sure he is. He’s an expert climber, you know that.”

“I do. I know. We were going to climb Mount Snowdon to prepare for climbing Mount Everest. Snowdon sounds like an easy climb, and it can be, but it’s also very tricky, fog can sweep in and block out all signs of trails, the wind can blow a person practically off a trail…”

“Jane. Jane! Listen. Do you want me to fly over and go with you?”

“Oh, Felicity, thank you.” Jane began to weep. “You’re so kind. No. No, not yet, maybe later, or maybe not. I just have to wait and see, don’t I? I mean, heisa good climber. We don’t know where he is, maybe he gave up and hiked back down and now he’s sitting in a pub having a beer and eating a sandwich.”

“But his cellphone…”

“Maybe he dropped it without noticing. That’s possible. Isn’t it? Isn’t it possible?”

“Yes, of course it’s possible. Jane, take some deep breaths for me now, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Tell me, have you eaten anything today?”

“Coffee. I’m running on coffee.”

“Eat something. Eat a doughnut. Carbs will calm you down.”

“You sound like Mother.”

“Well, I am a mother.”

Jane sobbed. “I’mnot. Scott said he would divorce me so I could go have someone else’s baby.”

“Oh, Jane, no. He didn’t mean it. In the heat of the moment people say all sorts of stupid things.”

“Scott’s not like that. He’s not impulsive. He meant what he said, and that’s when I left him. But, Felicity, I love him more than I want children. I didn’t know it then, but I know it now. I wish I could make a bargain with God. If Scott is safe, I won’t ever talk about having children again.” Jane began to sob again.

It broke Felicity’s heart to hear Jane crying. “Oh, Jane. Oh, honey. Those bargains with God don’t always work, you know. I mean—I don’t know what I mean. Just go slowly, right? One step at a time. Don’t confuse everything. Scott didn’t fall because you want children. Maybe Scott didn’t even fall. Just take that train to Bangor—isn’t there a Bangor, Maine?”

“There is. It must have been settled by the Welsh.”

“Okay, well, go to Bangor, Wales, and talk to that nice mountain rescue man—golly, Jane, just think! If they sent ahelicopterto rescue Scott, you might meet Prince William!”

Jane’s cries changed into a kind of choking laughter. “Felicity, only you would transform a possibility of death into an opportunity to meet Prince William.”

Felicity smiled to herself. Her silliness had broken the flow of Jane’s fear. Only for a moment, maybe, but that was better than nothing.

“I wish we lived closer,” Felicity said.

“Well, so do I. But first, I need Scott to be alive.”

“Do you want me to call Mom?”

“I’ll call her now.”

“Okay. Please, let me know—day or night. I’ll come if you need me.”

“I love you, Felicity!”

“I love you, Jane!”

“Thanks, Felicity. I’ll call.”

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