AT A third past eight in the morning Anneli and Wade stepped out onto the deck, pulling the large blanket tighter around them. The breeze felt cool. The tips of Anneli’s long hair were moving in front of her face. Charlotte had stayed on the prescribed course at a constant speed of seventeen knots.
“It’s a beautiful morning,” declared Wade, wrapping the blanket tighter.
“Magnificent,” replied Anneli. She craned her neck so she could kiss her fiancé. “I love you.”
Wade cradled Anneli tighter in his arms. “I love you too.”
“Don’t we have work to do?”
“Yes, we do. I didn’t want to interrupt the tail end of a beautiful moment.” Wade glanced out over the sea towards the ship still shadowing them. “Strange how they haven’t made any headway. The gap between us looks the same as last night.”
“Good,” snarled Anneli.
Wade led his fiancé back down below decks. They dressed, ate a light breakfast before making their way to the bridge.
The sea remained calm. The trees growing up the side of the mountains quickly came into focus. They were close enough to the cliff face to see the different colours in the rock. Charlotte slipped past a fishing charter. The twelve men waved. One proud fisherman lifted the large snapper he’d caught to show off what the two-man crew of the yacht missed out on.
Anneli waved back, wearing a widening grin. She hoped the man realized what he missed out on by being out on the ocean instead of home enjoying his wife’s company.
Wade and Anneli quickly set to work. They took turns at watching the surrounds and making the coffees. Wade constantly changed the direction of the sail, even rigging a smaller one in an attempt to gain more speed.
“Twenty knots,” called Anneli.
“Excellent,” said Wade stepping next to her.
Finally, the heads at Port Phillip Bay were a stone’s throw away directly in front. Wade steered Charlotte ninety degrees to port. The yacht rounded the point, entering the entrance to Western Port Bay. Again, Wade changed course to line up the cliff face.
“My house is up there on the plateau,” advised Wade pointing. “I don’t have any neighbours, so there’s no obstruction to the magnificent scenery. Two hundred and seventy degrees makes for the perfect ocean view.”
Anneli’s gaze travelled from the ocean to the top of the cliff. Her jaw dropped open. “Your house is a mansion,” she whispered. “The white house looks gorgeous. There’s only one minor flaw I can see in the design.”
Wade pouted.
“I can’t see any steps leading from the water’s edge to the top of the vertical cliff.”
“Trust me; we’ll take the easy way.”
Anneli peeled her gaze off the cliff face to look sideways at the man.
“Your statement sounds easier to believe than to do.”
Wade chuckled. He clipped the wheel using his short rope so the vessel wouldn’t stray from the prescribed course then sprinted to the mast.
Wearing a bewildered expression, Anneli volleyed her gaze between the cliff face and Wade. She saw him lower the mainsail. The small sail at the front of the yacht struggled to keep Charlotte moving in the dying breeze.
“We’re travelling at five knots,” reported Anneli. “Do you want to steer away from the cliff face?” she added nervously.
“No,” replied Wade.
Anneli didn’t know what to make of the whole scene. One minute she thought Wade might be crazy, the next, she didn’t know what to think.
“Trust me,” said Wade, confidently.
The tone in his voice broke through Anneli’s puzzled thoughts.
One hundred feet from the cliff face the thimble sized swells fizzled out making the sea glass flat. Wade lifted a small black round object from a draw under the chart table. He pressed the button and unclipped the steering wheel. Charlotte’s speed dropped to a third of a knot. The small sail looked barely moving in the almost non-existent breeze.
Wade pointed to a narrow stretch of sand not much larger than a small house off to their right. Anneli had spied a long flight of stairs to the top moments before Wade redirected her attention to the rock wall not more than fifty feet in front of the yacht. The glint in her eyes couldn’t mask Anneli’s excitement. The cliff face started to move up.
“It’s a massive swinging garage door covered in fake rock!” she shrieked.
Wade saw Anneli’s jaw drop as they floated under the large door. Puffing out his chest, he couldn’t care less about Anneli’s stepfather’s threat to rub her out of his will. In fact, he welcomed it.
Moving her gaze from the opening, Anneli faced Wade.
“On a scale of one to ten, what do you think?”
“So far this place is the crown jewels of Melbourne.” Anneli placed her finger in the slight dimple in her cheek. She paused, trying to contemplate a number. “I’d have to say eleven out of ten.”
Wade sidestepped to place his arm over her shoulder. He bent his head to kiss her earlobe.
The sea water lazily licked Charlotte’s fiberglass hull. Moving lazily along the dark tunnel Charlotte made no noise. Wade walked to the side, leaned forward, grasping hold of a nylon rope wrapped around a large metal hook. He swiped two gloves from a second hook. After slipping on the gloves, Wade started pulling Charlotte towards the other end of the tunnel.
Behind them, the massive door began to close.
The air in the tunnel smelt of stagnant salt.
In the fading light, Anneli got busy studying the roof of the tunnel, amazed at what appeared to be a natural structure. In what little light remained she focused on what might be ahead. Surely by now, they were directly under the white mansion.
Charlotte moved along the tunnel at a snail’s pace. A long thin board covered in rubber was bolted to the rock tunnel wall to protect the yacht from the occasional scrape.
The tunnel seemed endless. No sooner did the thought enter Anneli’s mind, Wade stopped pulling on the rope. He stepped onto a narrow wooden platform and walked over to the wall. He reached out so his fingers could brush a switch. Overhead fluorescent lights flickered to life. The area seemed to be the size of a standard small car. A series of pulleys bolted into the wall helped Wade pull Charlotte effortlessly from the outside to where he tied her up.
Anneli studied the area. Wade grinned at her astounded expression.
“Not many people have seen what you’re looking at,” he stated. “In fact, you’re the first. It’s not a secret. I believe what’s down here is our private business.”
Anneli looked sideways at Wade. “What do you mean?”
“We’re engaged now. What I have is yours.”
A warm, loving feeling flowed through Anneli at hearing the news Wade wanted to share everything. Through sparkling eyes, her gaze moved from Wade to the cave ceiling, to what had been tied up.
“I see you have a collection of toys; three jet-skis and two small yachts. Adding to the list, there’s Charlotte, three motor boats, three kayaks, not to forget to mention the three five-metre fishing boats.”
Wade wore a proud new father’s expression.
Anneli felt positive if he didn’t show her the cave he could have easily kept the secret from her. She’d never want to marry a man who acted the same way as Meredith’s husband. He kept too many secrets from her. She even showed Meredith photos of at least three women he had loved to prove to her of his unfaithfulness. Meredith waved her hand in the air, dismissing the fact. She married for money believing it made the world go around. Anneli shuddered at the thought.
“Now I’m over the shock of the toys. The tunnel and the cave are amazing. Its natural beauty takes your breath away. How is all this possible? Surely whoever built the house didn’t dig this cave?”
“The tunnel is the remains of a blow hole. The former owner of the house paid to have the cave dug out. I’m led to believe in my research of the area, where the lift well is located it acted as an escape route for the sea water t
o the surface. I discovered through research tens of decades ago the sea pounded through the tunnel and was forced upwards to form a blow hole. The former owner installed the outer door and the lift.”
Wade helped Anneli step onto the rocky outcrop. He pointed to the ceiling at a clump of grey. Wade stood watching incomprehension break out on Anneli’s face.
“What on earth is it?”
“The clump contains about fifty mouse bats. I decided to leave them alone instead of eradicating them. We’ve grown quite fond of each other.”
“They’re so cute!” exclaimed Anneli, looking vertical at the bats.
“Come on; I’ll show you around our house.”
Taking hold of her hand, Wade led Anneli along the narrow boardwalk. When they scooted past the seaworthy vessels, she examined them more closely.
“Each one looks almost brand new.”
“They are. They were delivered six months ago.”
“The salesman must have thought Christmas came early.”
“I did make him a happy man,” chuckled Wade. “I didn’t know which one you might prefer the most, so I bought the lot.”
“You bought them all for me?”
“Yes.”
“What if you didn’t find me?”
“I’d never give up on looking for you.”
“What if we didn’t fall in love?”
Wade fell silent, dropping his gaze to his feet. “The thought never entered my mind.”
“Thank you for your dedication in finding me.”
“The many hours I spent were worth every second. Is there a hint on which vessel might be your favorite?”
Anneli focused on the boats. Eventually, she replied. “I’d have to say, Charlotte. She already holds wonderful memories.”
They abruptly stopped at a stainless-steel door. Wade pushed a button on the rock wall. The single door slid open.
“There is a lift!” exclaimed Anneli. Excitement rose in the back of her throat causing her voice to lift several decibels. “I thought you were having a joke at my expense.”
“I’m not in the habit of making fun of you,” stated Wade, seriously.
They stepped into the lift. Wade pushed a green button on the wall. The doors closed. They felt a slight vibration under their feet. The lift ascended slowly. Eventually, the door reopened onto an anti-room. Wade immediately pushed a series of buttons on the side wall. A gas fire instantly roared to life. Down-lights lit over the entire house. The curtains blocking out the magnificent view started to open. Sunlight shone on the white glossy marble floor tiles.
Wade led Anneli over to a double glass door. She slid it open, revealing a balcony. Stepping outside to admire the view, she gulped to clear her throat so that she could talk.
“The view is more magnificent than the view from the radio tower.”
Wade moved to cuddle the young woman. “You think this is amazing, wait for the five-cent tour.”
“Are you trying to tell me this magnificent view is trumped?”
“Yes; quite easily.”
Wade gave a ship closing in on the Bay his full attention. Anneli stood on tip toes, attempting to kiss his cheek to regain his attention.
“It’s my stepfather’s ship. Do you think he’ll find us?”
“Eventually, he’ll probably guess where you are. Don’t worry this house has a lot of inbuilt secrets.”
“Is there a chance you’ll show me?”
“Yes of course. I’m a man of my word. After the quick tour, we’ll return to the balcony in time to watch the ship sail past. First, I need you to agree on something.”
Anneli wore a sudden doubtful expression. ‘This is it,’ she thought. ‘He’d been buttering me up for the clincher which will put a permanent rift between Wade and her. How could I be so gullible? I put it down to his luring blue eyes. I could kick myself for being too naive over what Wade had promised, downing his knee to ask for my hand in marriage, raising my hopes and dreams. What a joke. I swallowed the bait he’d been using. Now I’m about to pay for it.’
Wade squared himself to Anneli. “I need you to promise me something.”
She stared back at him through glazed eyes.
“I need you to promise me you will make yourself at home in our house. I want to make things crystal clear, nowhere is off limits to you. I want you to act like you’ve been living here for years. You must never think you can’t go into any room. No exceptions.”
A rogue tear slid down over Anneli’s cheek. Wade lifted his hand to wipe it away.
“I thought you were going to say something horrible.”
“I know what you were thinking.” He open-palmed his hand around the large room. “Anywhere at any time you want to see something, just go. I tell you what; you lead me through the house.”
Anneli looked up into his eyes. “Thank you. It means so much to me I can’t start to say.”
A warm, lazy smile creased Wade’s face. “Shall we start the tour?”
CHAPTER NINETEEN