Page 31 of The Sunken Truth
“I know there is. And I can tell you how it came to be there…” He clapped his hands together. “First, I’ll make a pot of tea. Why don’t you go through to the sitting room. The fire is on in there. Warm yourselves and then I’ll tell you the whole tale over a cuppa.” He pointed to a door at the end of the kitchen and Lily trailed Flynn through.
“Why does he have a fire burning when it’s twenty-something degrees out?” she asked in a hushed whisper.
“Because he’s completely off his rocker, that’s why. I can’t believe we’re having a serious conversation about smuggled gold.”
“It’s kind of cool.” Lily dropped into a wingback armchair and immediately felt lost in it, so switched to sit on the couch beside Flynn. “I can only hope that the next part of the story involves pirates.”
Flynn lowered his head to his hands. “Please don’t joke. It wouldn’t actually surprise me. How long do you think this swashbuckling sea adventure is going to take?”
“I think he’s quite a sweet old man,” Lily said. “Old people are entertaining.”
Flynn rolled his eyes.
The grandfather clock in the corner of the room ticked loudly while they waited for Eustace to join them. When he did, it was with a tray holding a dainty tea set and a plate of biscuits.
“Where was I?” he asked, pouring the tea with steady hands.
“I think you were going to tell us about the gold,” Lily prompted when he passed her a cup and saucer.
“Ah, yes. Unfortunately Grandfather got himself in a bit of trouble. He generally transported silks and other material. But during the Boer War down in South Africa – you’ll know about that, I assume?”
Lily inwardly grimaced. Presumably her education in a string of international schools had been different to Flynn’s, so maybe he knew about it, but she had no idea. If she asked for a history lesson, they may be there all day. Instead, she gave a small nod. Flynn did the same.
“The discovery of gold down there caused a lot of problems,” he said gravely. “Man tends to succumb to greed, doesn’t he? We see it repeatedly in history books. Anyway, I’m afraid my grandfather was having some financial difficulties and decided to do something immoral…”
“And illegal?” Flynn said quietly.
“Yes, yes, I suppose.” Eustace sat back in the armchair, his cup and saucer balanced on the arm. “Anyway, it didn’t do him any good in the end. Made it all the way back here, only to sail into a storm on the last stretch.”
“The boat sank in the storm,” Lily murmured.
Eustace lifted the cup to his lips. “And the gold with it,” he said before taking a sip.
“Were there any casualties?” Flynn asked, reaching for a biscuit.
“Thankfully, no. Everyone on board made it into the lifeboat.”
Lily frowned. “Did any of them take any gold with them?”
Maybe it was just her, but she imagined that if it looked as though the ship was going to sink, she’d probably grab a handful of gold on her way out.
“In the chaos, they were only concerned with getting out alive.”
“You’d think the gold could have been salvaged later,” Flynn said. “If everyone knew about the gold, why didn’t they go looking for it afterwards?”
“That’s the thing,” Eustace said. “Officially,the ship was carrying silk. Grandfather couldn’t exactly announce his true cargo, what with it being immoral…”
“And illegal,” Flynn added again, then grimaced as he took a bite of the chocolate digestive.
“Yes, that too,” Eustace agreed dismissively. “Apart from that small deviation, he was an extremely honourable man.” He took another sip of his tea.
“It’s so strange to think that there’s been a load of gold hidden at the bottom of the sea for all those years,” Lily said.
Eustace nodded. “On a clear night, when the moon is full, you can see the moonbeams strike the gold and bounce right back up to dance above the surface of the water. A wonderful sight it is.” He sighed wistfully. “Though I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing it for many years.”
Flynn balanced his half-eaten biscuit on the edge of his saucer and placed it back on the table. “That’s all fascinating. But if I could get back to the point of our visit. Would you mind telling me who you’ve offered a reward to?”
“Yes, of course. I didn’t realise it would be a problem. I only mentioned it at the dive schools. Went along to both places the day before yesterday for a quick conversation.” He smiled at Lily. “I’m not actually a recluse, as some people say. I go out now and again. It just feels increasingly risky the older I get.”
