Katie Fforde - Going Dutch

Tom and Marcus were there, drinking tea. Jo was making toast under the grill and indicated a mug. 'I was going to take that in to you. Ed's in the bathroom.'

‘I know. I decided it was too early to wash. I'll do it later. Good morning, Marcus. Oh, hi, Tom.' Seeing his wide smile made Dora wish she'd had a chance to brush her teeth. The moment Ed was out of the bathroom she'd go and do it.

‘Butter that lot for me,' said Jo, 'there's a dear, and think of what people might like on it. There's marmalade, Marmite, honey, jam.'

‘Too much choice,' said Tom firmly. 'Just put marmalade on it. Or peanut butter, my own favourite.' He winked at Jo and then started buttering alongside Dora.

Jo put another four slices of bread under the grill.

‘Just the one loaf should be enough,' said Tom and Marcus laughed.

‘I don't want anyone going hungry,' she said calmly, 'but maybe I won't do this lot until the first lot has gone. Marcus, are you going to take some to Carole, or doesn't she eat toast?'

‘Hm?' Marcus looked up from his charts. 'Oh, I'll take her some, if you insist, but I don't know if she'll eat it.' He got up, took a plate from the drainer and put a couple of slices of toast on it.

‘Who's that getting breakfast in bed?' asked Ed, appearing from the bathroom, slightly damp and full of enthusiasm. 'Oh, young Carole. Sleeping with the boss has its advantages.’

He laughed so cheerfully that no one could take offence; in fact, Dora thought, no one appeared to notice, but he'd said what she, and probably Jo and Tom, were thinking. Jo was appearing to debate whether or not to make yet more toast.

‘I'll eat another bit,' Dora said, 'and Tom will.’

Tom, who had his mouth full, nodded.

‘OK, all hands on deck,' said Marcus, putting down his tea with a thump.

‘OK, Skipper,' said Ed. 'High water's at seven?'

‘Yes, we should get going. Can you start the engine, Ed? I just want a final look at the weather map before we lose our Internet connection.'

‘Wonderful these modern fandangles,' said Ed, going up the steps. 'In my day we just used to check the seaweed hanging outside the wheelhouse.'

‘He's joking,' said Tom to an open-mouthed Jo and Dora.

‘We knew that,' they said in unison a moment later.

The engine juddered awake and a vibration that was both new and unnerving to Jo and Dora rumbled through The Three Sisters, turning her from a comfortable suburban home into a thing that moved, travelled, and possibly bucked about a bit.

‘You go and help Tom,' said Jo to Dora. 'I'll do the washing-up.' She didn't want anyone to notice how nervous she felt. This was it. They were finally about to leave the safety of the mooring.

‘No,' said Marcus firmly. He did have an uncanny ability to read her mind. 'You go up on deck. You're bound to get sick if you're down here all the time. Wait until you've got used to being on the move. The mugs will wait until the next round of tea is required, which in Ed's case will mean in about ten minutes. Don't bother to ask him if he wants one, just bring it every time you can bear to make it. Three sugars,' he added, then disconnected Jo's laptop and leapt up the steps.

‘Lucky Carole,' said Jo.

‘What, being allowed to stay in bed?' asked Dora, washing mugs too quickly for proper hygiene, but not caring.

‘Mm,' said Jo, being non-committal.

'Here, hold this fender,' said Tom as Dora arrived beside him. They had now left the safety of the mooring and were out in more open water. They were waiting to be allowed into the lock. Docks were always at a higher level than the river, Tom had explained, so they had to lock down. Dora had decided life was too short to ask him how a lock worked and hoped she'd just learn as they went along.

‘I don't know what to do with it!' Dora protested, taking the fender's rope as if it was a poisonous snake.

‘Just hold it between the barge and the side if we look like hitting anything. And when we get into the lock you might need to hold it a bit higher.' Tom was very calm. 'Just watch me. It's easy. Trust me, even Carole could do it.'

‘Don't be nasty about Carole,' said Jo as she appeared. 'I reckon she has a hard life.'

‘Being shacked up with Marcus?' asked Dora.

‘I don't imagine he's easy to live with,' said Jo.

Later, as they eased their way into the lock without having hit anything, or indeed gone nearer anything than was absolutely necessary, Tom said, 'Man, that Marcus can handle a ship!'

‘I should jolly well hope so,' muttered Jo. Nerves were making her edgy and she still hadn't quite forgiven him.

‘Did you see the way he turned the corner? A gust of wind came just at the wrong moment, but he had the wheel over before it could do any damage.'

‘I thought there wasn't supposed to be any wind,' said Jo. 'I thought the whole point of waiting for ever to get this thing over was to get a period of settled weather, with no wind.'

‘You always get the odd stray gust,' said Tom con fidently. 'Right, now, Jo, cop on to this fender and move it if you need to.’

Tom bounded up to the wheelhouse, wanting to be in on the action.

‘I wasn't supposed to be doing anything boaty,' Jo grumbled mildly. 'I was supposed to be keeping everyone fed and happy.'

‘And keeping Ed supplied with tea.'

‘Exactly. I wasn't supposed to be holding fenders and deciding whether or not to move them. Oh, look, Dora. I think maybe you should shift yours a bit more to the front.’

Dora laughed. 'I think the expression is forrard.’

At last, The Three Sisters had been lowered down to the level of the river. Marcus could be seen in the wheelhouse, turning the wheel first one way, then the other, and then they were in the Thames, the great artery of England and centuries-old trading route.

‘It is quite romantic,' said Jo. 'If a bit scary.'

‘Mm,' said Dora. 'I think I might get to quite like boating.'

‘Well, that's a relief,' said Tom, who, having taken their fenders from them, was now making sure there were no stray bits of rope anywhere to be tripped over.

‘No danger of a cup of tea, is there?' said Ed, appearing behind them. 'The boss wants one.’

Dora laughed. 'And would you like one too?'

‘All right then, if you insist.’

As Dora made to go with Jo, Jo held up her hand. 'You stay here. I can make the tea on my own.’

Dora stayed. There was plenty to see: all sorts of barges, converted lifeboats and tugs. Over on the other side of the dock was a tall ship. It was new and all its masts and spars caught the morning light.

‘That's a sail-training ship,' said Tom, appearing at just the right moment to answer Dora's unspoken question. 'It's aluminium. Light but strong.' He looked at her specu latively, in a way that suddenly made her feel nervous.

‘No time to get me to go up the rigging, Tom,' she said, trying to sound unconcerned.

He laughed. 'You're all right, I know that.'

‘I feel I should be doing more to help.'

‘There's nothing much you can do at the moment. Just beready with the fenders and take them to wherever looks like hitting.'

‘I think I can manage that.'

‘Are you enjoying yourself?'

‘Oh yes! More than I expected to, really. There's so much to see! Look at the garden on that boat. It's like something you'd see at Chelsea.’

Tom gave her a look that made her realise he probably didn't regularly watch the Chelsea Flower Show on television. She laughed. 'I'll give Jo a hand with the tea now. She won't manage it all in one trip.’

Carole was in the wheelhouse when they got up there with the tea. She was cuddling Marcus. 'Ooh, tea!' she said. 'Can I have a cup?'