There is definitely a theme of lost love in A Column of Fire the last time I saw this was earlier in the book (here). But it cropped up again quite explicitly with another character.
Barney finds a girl, Bella, and they are immediately attracted to one another. An immediate and overwhelming attraction (aren't those just the best). He's considering what to do with his life now that he's found her.
Would Bella go home with Barney? It would mean giving up everything she knew, including a successful business. He was afraid to ask her the question.
He did not even know whether Bacon would permit a woman on board for the voyage home. So should Barney give up his old life and settle here in Hispaniola? What would he do? He could help Bella expand the rum business. He could become a sugar planter, perhaps, though he had no capital to invest. It was a big step to take after less than a month in a place.
But he wanted to spend his life with Bella. He had to talk to her about the future. The unasked question was always in his mind, and perhaps hers too. They had to face it.
Follett, Ken. A Column of Fire (Kingsbridge) (pp. 396-397). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Sadly, the decision is taken out of Barney's hands when the ship he works for must leave immedaitely as they are under attack. After the attack he looks back at what he is leaving.
Barney looked back. The galleon was limping toward the harbor. Hispaniola was already receding.
And so was Bella. Barney went to Bacon at the wheel.
“Where are we heading, Captain?”
“Home,” said Bacon. “To Combe Harbour.” When Barney said nothing, he added: “Isn’t that what you wanted?”
Barney looked back at Hispaniola, disappearing now into a haze under the Caribbean sun.
“It was,” he said.
Follett, Ken. A Column of Fire (Kingsbridge) (p. 404). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
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