Dangerous Waters (29 page)

Her white teeth gleamed, her eyes laughed secretly.
“
Just one thing. I have had it several days, and am wondering when you will discover the loss. Do you know what I think, Pete
?
I think you actually bought it for me but are waiting for Jan to leave Penghu before you give it to me. If
you do not find out what it is, I will tell you after he has
gone.
”

Pete
’
s response was casual.
“
If I haven
’
t missed it it can
’
t be important. Promise never to appropriate any more trifles and you can have it, whatever it is.
”

Astrid laughed delightedly.
“
You do know what it is, then! Thank you, darling. I promise!
”

Her brother, unsmiling during this exchange, seemed to feel some explanation was due to Terry.

“
My sister has acquired a ridiculous love of Far Eastern trinkets. I tell her that most of them are mass-produced and can be had for almost nothing in Singapore, but she does not believe.
”

“
I rather like curios myself,
”
Terry said,
“
though I shan
’
t have room in my luggage to carry many home with me. Still, it won
’
t be difficult to remember Penghu.
”

Astrid got up with swift grace, the tiny gold lanterns swinging merrily to match the enchanting smile she gave Pete.

“
Jan and
I must go now. Shall we see you this evening?
”

“
Maybe. All four of us might make a date for one day soon.
”

She brought up a long, pink-tipped finger and touched him under the chin.
“
It would be enchanting. I will live for it.
”
And then, in a drawl which was meant to imitate Pete himself,
“
So long, Pete, my friend. See you later.
”

The four went down to the jeep. Before Jan could get behind the wheel his sister had leapt into the seat and was all set to drive. She started the engine and at once there was no other sound than its rocketing roar. She laughed and let in the clutch, dug into her pocket and brought out her left hand, fingers spread, a ring on the third finger. Two thin snakes entwined to form a thinnish gold band. She flashed with laughter and set the jeep on its way.

For perhaps a minute after the vehicle had vanished, Pete stood there, staring after it, his jaw tight, his hands clenched. Terry, sickened to the depths, had backed a couple of paces and was trying to breathe through the salt dryness in her throat.
Her
ring
...
given lightly to Astrid. He had not even missed it from wherever he had hidden it
.
She could not think beyond those facts.

They did not go back into the house. Pete brought his car to the foot of the steps and she got in. They started and finished the eight miles to the town in silence; at the Winchesters
’
he got round the car in time to open the door for her, but she shrank from his touch and ran up into the veranda. He was there first, barring the door.

Roughly he said,
“
You should have kept the ring as a memento, as I asked. She thought it was good fun to show it like that. You can
’
t blame Astrid.
”

“
I
’
m not blaming anyone. I just didn
’
t enjoy it, that
’
s all.
”

“
You didn
’
t want the thing. Why should you care?
”

Her chin went firm; her blue eyes, hurt for too long, brightened with anger.
“
I care for the same reason that you care. Your Swedish woman doesn
’
t know it yet, but when she stole that ring from the secret place where you kept it, part of
our
secret slipped away. It was the last thing you wanted, wasn
’
t it—to have her contaminated by something which belongs to those days on the river! Well, she
’
s got it now. Some time you may even have to explain it away—unless you
’
re so hard all through that you can carry it off with a shrug, and go through the rest of your life seeing that ring on her finger whenever she has the whim to wear it. I hope it will haunt you!
”

“
It won
’
t,
”
he said coolly.
“
Do you want it back?
”

“
I never want to see it again!
”

“
Right. That
’
ll save me some trouble,
”
he said tightly.
“
What are we getting heated about?
”

Her head lifted and she stared into dark eyes which had gone icy.
“
I
’
ve been wilting under all this—but never again. I find that going to your house and meeting those people has done something rather exhilarating for me. I don
’
t mind about things so much. We were in an unfortunate position, but Mr. Bretherton is taking care of it. As far as I
’
m concerned, we
’
re free already. I
’
m going to Singapore, and I intend to have a heavenly time!
”

“
You can stop talking like that,
”
he said.
“
We
’
ve already agreed that you
’
re not going with Roger.
”

“
There was no agreement. That fact that you reiterated something doesn
’
t mean that I agreed to it. I need that week
’
s holiday—very badly.
”

“
What you mean is that you
’
re determined to stake a claim to Roger, in case you decide you like him well enough to marry him some time.
”
His eyes narrowed, his voice and smile were unpleasantly sardonic.
“
But you
’
re not free to cast around among other men. You
’
re married—remember?
”

Her hands tightened into fists at her sides.
“
If yo
u
remind me of that just once more
—”
she began.

“
What will you do about it? Tell the world, after all?
”

The shadow of fright flitted across her eyes.
“
That
’
s the one thing I won
’
t do. I
’
ve given you my word and I
’
ll stick to it. Besides, it would
...
hurt everyone I know.
”

“
Particularly Roger?
”

“
If you like,
”
she said defiantly.
“
If you
’
re as keen as I am to keep the secret for ever, why don
’
t you act normally? Just let me go to Singapore for that week
’
s holiday as if there were no reason why I shouldn
’
t. It can
’
t possibly matter to you whether
...”

“
It can
’
t matter unless, inadvertently, the marriage comes to light. If it should, and you can prove that since arriving in Penghu you
’
ve been quietly staying with the Winchesters, both your word and mine will be believed.
”
His mouth twisted, thinly.
“
But it would look a bit odd, wouldn
’
t it, if the truth came out after you
’
d had that week with Roger Payn in Singapore?
”

“
Not if I stay with Roger
’
s parents!
”

“
We
’
ve been over that already. To them you
’
re a prospective daughter-in-law; there
’
s no avoiding it. But how can you possibly live under their roof and deceive them? It would be monstrous.
”

“
I
’
ve been invited as a friend of Roger
’
s,
”
she threw back at him.
“
They
’
re just sending a couple of plane tickets so that he can bring someone.
”

“
Whom they know to be a girl! You
’
re not going, Teresa. That
’
s final.
”

The
violet flames leapt in her eyes. Hoarsely she whispered,
“
You can
’
t stop me, Pete. You may be clever and dictatorial and exceedingly sure of your own power, but in this you can
’
t stop me,
”

“
No?
”
He brought his face down close to hers.
“
Very well, Teresa, we
’
ll put it to the test this evening. When you
’
re all having drinks before dinner I
’
ll
call
in
a
nd make
an announcement. I
’
ll bet the news that we
’
re married will flutter the village!
”

White-faced, she stared at him.
“
You wouldn
’
t do that,
”
she breathed.
“
For your own sake you wouldn
’
t do that!
”

“
Unless you give me your word that you
’
ll call
off
the visit to Singapore, I
’
ll go right ahead and make the whole thing public. You needn
’
t question whether I
’
ll dare
it,
”
with a tight, fierce smile.
“
I will!
”

“
What about
...
Astrid Harmsen?
”

“
That was your idea—that I was keen to keep the thing from Astrid. Now that you
’
ve met her, you probably realize that an annulled marriage in my past life would be more likely to make me exciting in her eyes than otherwise. It
’
s you who will feel it, Teresa—not I!
”

He was right, of course. A man is forgiven almost anything, and in this case Pete would be dubbed chivalrous and protective. But Terry, as the woman concerned, would be talked about and people would always wonder. And there was her father, not too well these days
...

In low tones she said,
“
I would never have believed this of you—that you
’
d threaten and
...
and trap me. I
’
ve disliked you a few times, Pete, but never so much as I dislike you now.
”

“
Thanks a lot. If that
’
s the price I have to pay for getting you to act sensibly, I
’
ll have to pay it, won
’
t I?
”
With a flick of his fingers he opened the door, but he didn
’
t look at her as he said,
“
Go in and rest a bit. If you
’
ll let yourself think straight you
’
ll find yourself admitting that it
’
s better to be wise than remorseful. So long.
”

Terry went into the house and he closed the door behind her. She was alone in a room where it was cool and normal and quiet, but her pulses drummed and she felt physically sick. As she walked into her bathroom and loosened her belt, her mind went almost blank. Not quite, because crouching in a corner of it was her own battered but undefeated determination to go with Roger Payn to Singapore.