Fielding’s eagerness to oblige was convincing, and Penrose wondered if that suggested he was genuine or had simply seen an opportunity to get off the island; either way, he was pleased to be removing a potential threat from the castle. He requested more waterproof clothing, then took Fielding down to the Change House, where Trannack and Mathews were waiting. The level of water across the causeway was 235noticeably lower now, and Penrose waited impatiently while someone called Jim tethered the four men tightly together, then diligently checked each knot. Eventually, he was happy with his work, and the line – Penrose and Fielding in the middle, flanked by the two islanders – moved steadily down the shingled slope to the sea.

The receding tide swept over his feet, slashing and nipping at his legs like an angry dog, and he caught his breath as a burst of spray hit his face. There were no words to describe how cold it was, and above the howl of the wind he heard Fielding cry out as the shock of the icy water hit him. Trannack paused when they were nearly up to their waists, allowing the less experienced men to get a sense of the rhythm and power of the waves. At first, Penrose was relieved that the surge wasn’t stronger, but he underestimated how tiring it would be to push on relentlessly against such steady pressure, and long before they were halfway across, the water began to feel almost unbearably heavy against his body. Strands of seaweed wrapped themselves around his legs, throwing him off balance, and he was grateful for the sturdy bulk of the man next to him; without it, he might have been tempted to turn back. The islanders seemed prepared for the weak links in the chain and took turns to offer shouts of warning or encouragement, and in spite of his reservations about Fielding, Penrose could not help but be impressed by his courage. He set his sights firmly on the snowy hills that framed Marazion, and gradually their dogged solidarity paid off as the markers were reached one by one: the cross that stood at the midpoint of the causeway; the dark bulk of Chapel Rock; and finally the mainland itself, gloriously solid beneath his feet. 236

He was shivering and soaked to the skin, his throat raw from the effort of shouting above the elements, but just for a moment the sheer relief of the achievement made Penrose forget the circumstances that had driven them to attempt it in the first place. A curious welcoming party waiting outside the Godolphin Hotel served as a sober reminder. ‘Looks like we’ve caused a bit of a stir, arriving like this,’ Trannack said, as his frozen hands wrestled with the knots in the rope. ‘You see that lad coming towards us?’ Penrose nodded, watching the young man break off from the group and make his way across the beach. ‘That’s Jonathan Soper, Emily’s boy.’

‘But I thought he was in Plymouth?’