My Brother Michael (17 page)

‘Danielle—’ He made a clumsy movement towards her but she evaded it without seeming to see it, and lifted the glass towards him as she sat back against the bed-head.

‘
Gia sou
, Nigel darling … But you’re not drinking with me.’

It should have been corny, but it wasn’t. The expression on the boy’s face was naked. He turned and grabbed the bottle and poured an inch or two of liquor into his empty glass. But even as he turned back, the girl yawned, stretched, tilted her head back on its long neck, and put out a hand towards Simon. Her finger-nails were very long and very red. Her fingers ran caressingly down his sleeve. ‘Actually,’ she said, still in that bored, velvet voice, ‘actually, you know, I’m Simon’s girl. Aren’t I, Simon?’

I must have jumped about a foot. Simon looked down through the smoke of his cigarette, and said lazily: ‘Are you? Delighted, of course. But perhaps in that case you’ll tell me why you hired a car for me in Athens this morning?’

The hand froze, then withdrew quickly. The thin body twisted on the bed in the first movement she had made unconsciously since she came in. It wasn’t sexy in the least. It was plain startled. ‘What are you talking about?’

‘The car you hired in my name this morning. The car you were to have picked up at the Alexandros restaurant.’

The black eyes held his for a moment, then dropped. ‘Oh, that.’ Her voice was calm and husky as usual. ‘How did you find out?’

‘My dear Danielle, you hired it for me, didn’t you? And you failed to pick it up. Naturally the people at the Alexandros got in touch with me.’

‘But that’s impossible! How did they know?’ She was scowling up at him now.

‘Never mind how. Tell me why.’

She shrugged and drank ouzo. ‘I wanted to come back to Delphi. I told you that I hired a car. They never take any notice in Greece of a woman, so I gave your name.’

‘And said it was a matter of life and death?’

‘What? Don’t be silly. Of course I never said that.’ She laughed. ‘You’re very dramatic, Simon.’

‘Perhaps. A dramatic place, this. It gets into the blood. But you did hire the car.’

‘Yes.’

‘And came without it.’

‘Yes.’

‘Why?’

I thought unhappily, because a fool of a girl called Camilla Haven had already taken it. Why couldn’t Simon let well alone? Somehow I didn’t particularly want to tangle with Danielle Lascaux. And she had every right to be mad with me if she had hired the beastly car – in whatever name – and had then had to come up to Delphi by bus. She didn’t look tired and bad-tempered, but it seemed she had arrived very late, and that was presumably my fault.

‘Why?’ said Simon.

She said sulkily: ‘Because I got the offer of the jeep from Hervé. It was more convenient.’

I said, before I thought: ‘I knew I’d seen you before! You were the girl in the jeep that overtook me just before Thebes. I remember you particularly. You were driving on the wrong side of the road.’

She yawned, showing her tongue between her teeth. She didn’t even look at me. ‘Probably. I find it more exciting that way.’

Simon said: ‘Then you got up here well before Camilla did. Where’ve you been?’

She said, almost bad-temperedly: ‘What’s it matter? Around.’

I said: ‘In Itea?’

Danielle shot upright on the bed. Some ouzo spilled. ‘What are you talking about?’ I saw a look of surprise touch Simon’s face, then the familiar expressionless mask shut down. With the faintest quickening of the blood, I thought:
He’s interested. This means something
.

I said: ‘I saw the jeep in Itea this evening. It was parked beside a house that stands right away from the village in the olive woods. I hadn’t realised till this minute that it was the same one, but now I remember. It had a little tinsel doll hanging in the windscreen – where they usually have the icons. I remember noticing that when you passed me near Thebes.’

She wasn’t drinking. The smoke from that eternal cigarette crept up in a veil hiding the expression of her eyes. ‘This evening? How can you be so sure? Wasn’t it dark?’

‘Oh yes. But there was a man with a torch tinkering with the engine, and the light caught the tinsel. Then the lights went on in the house.’

‘Oh.’ She drank a gulp of neat ouzo. It didn’t appear to affect her. ‘Well, I expect it was the same jeep. I was down there, with … someone I know.’ Again that intonation, that glance up towards Simon. Nigel was watching her like a lost dog. I thought it was some – surprising – impulse of mercy that made her add: ‘I always go down to Itea in the afternoons. I’ve done it for weeks. I go to swim. Nigel knows that.’

Nigel responded instantly, almost as if the last sentence had been a plea of proof. ‘Of course I know. But – did you really go there today before you even came up here?’

‘Uh-huh.’ She gave him a narrow, glinting smile. ‘You were out, weren’t you?’

‘Yes.’

‘I thought you might be. And I’d brought Elena a present from Athens, so—’

‘Elena?’ said Nigel quickly.

‘My friend in Itea. She often bathes from the same place as me, so I went back to her house with her.’

‘Oh!’ said Nigel.

I thought she watched him for a second before she turned back to me. ‘And you, Camilla Haven?
You
went down to Itea first, before you came up here?’

‘I only came up here an hour ago. I’m only visiting. I’m staying at the Apollon.’

‘But you went straight to Itea.’ The words were sharp, almost, and sounded so much like an accusation that I said quickly: ‘I called at the hotel first.’ Then I added: ‘I went down to Itea to find the hirer of the car.’

There was a little silence. ‘The … hirer of the car?’ repeated Danielle.

‘Yes. I – it was I who brought the car up from the Alexandros in Omonia Square. I–I was looking for the “Monsieur Simon” who was alleged to be wanting it.’

She blew out a small cloud of smoke and leaned back against the head of the bed, regarding me through it. ‘I … see. You brought my car up here? You?’

‘Yes,’ I said unhappily. ‘I was in the Alexandros restaurant when the man from the garage came, and he mistook me for you. He gave me the keys and told me it was urgent, and that “Monsieur Simon” wanted the car at Delphi as soon as possible. I – we got in a muddle of cross-purposes, and he vanished, leaving me with the key, and no idea of the address of the garage. I didn’t know what to do, but I wanted to come here myself, and – well, he’d been so insistent that it was a “matter of life and death” that—’

‘That stuff again,’ said Danielle.

‘That stuff again.’ I added: ‘I’m glad I don’t seem to have inconvenienced you after all. You must have got here well before me. I told you you passed me before Thebes.’

She said quite sharply: ‘And why did you have to go to Itea to find Simon?’

‘Oh, I didn’t. I – well, he found me quite easily. But of course as he didn’t know anything about the car, that didn’t help. We went to look for another “Simon”, actually a Simonides who keeps a baker’s shop near the cinema.’

‘That’s not,’ said Danielle, ‘in the olive woods.’

‘No. I went to see the Pilgrims’ Way.’

‘The Pilgrims’ Way?’ she said blankly.

Simon said: ‘Yes. You ought to know all about that, Danielle.’

She said quickly: ‘Why?’

‘My dear girl. Because you’ve worked here as an archaeologist’s secretary.’

‘Mistress,’ said Danielle automatically.

Nigel said suddenly from behind me: ‘I wish you wouldn’t talk like that.’

She opened her mouth as if to say something blistering, but shut it again, and gave him one of her slow smiles. I didn’t look at him. I said quickly: ‘Look, Danielle, I really am terribly sorry about this car. I suppose I – yes, I did think I might be doing the right thing, but it seems I was a bit hasty. I do hope it isn’t going to cause any inconvenience
now
, because—’

‘You brought it up here.’ She turned her head to give me a narrow look through the curling smoke. ‘You keep it.’

I looked at her for a moment. Then I said slowly: ‘I suppose that is fair enough.’

‘You weren’t asked to bring it here. I don’t want it. You’re stuck with it, and I hope you can afford to pay for it.’ She turned away to flick ash towards the wash-basin. It missed and fell to the floor.

There was a short silence. I said carefully: ‘Whom do I pay?’

Her head came quickly back to me. ‘What d’you mean?’

‘What I said.’

‘Well, me, of course. Didn’t they tell you the deposit had been paid?’

‘Oh, yes, they told me that.’

‘So what?’ said Danielle.

I stood up and picked up my handbag. ‘Only that it surprises me a bit that you didn’t call in on the garage after you’d got the jeep, and cancel the car. If you’re as short of money as you’ve been telling us, I’d have imagined the deposit would have come in very handy. In fact, I can’t see why you should have hired a car at all. The bus is cheaper. Perhaps you’ll let me have the receipt, with the address of the garage?’

She sounded sulky. ‘Tomorrow. I have it somewhere.’

‘Very well.’ I turned to smile at Nigel. ‘I really must go, Nigel, or it’ll be dawn before I get to bed. Thank you very much for the drink, and for letting me see the drawings. I think they’re wonderful – I honestly do; and that last one is … well; a masterpiece. That isn’t trite; it’s true. Good night.’

Simon was on his feet. As I turned to go he made as if to move forward, but Danielle came off the bed in one quick wriggle, like a snake. It brought her very close to him.

‘Simon—’ the claws were on his arm again – ‘my room’s the one at the end, and the shower’s stuck, or something. The damned thing drips and I’ll never get to sleep. D’you suppose you could fix it for me?’

‘I doubt if I’d be much good with it. In any case I’m seeing Camilla home now, and then I—’

I said stiffly: ‘There’s not the slightest need to see me home. I can find my way quite easily.’

‘—and then I’ve got to go back and pick the car up. We left it below the shrine.’

Nigel had opened the door for me. I looked back at Simon, with Danielle clinging to his arm. ‘You really needn’t trouble. The car is my responsibility … as Danielle has pointed out.’

His eyes, amused, met mine. I bit my lip, and said: ‘All right. I – it’s very kind of you.’

‘Not at all. After all, if the car was hired in my name I’ve a sort of responsibility myself, wouldn’t you say, Danielle?’

She flashed me one look of pure venom, under her lashes, then lifted them again to him. Her voice was all honey. ‘Not really. But if that’s how you feel … You’ll come and fix that shower later, won’t you? It really is a bore.’

‘Not tonight,’ said Simon. ‘Good night. Good night, Nigel, and thanks a lot. See you later.’

On the way down to the hotel, which took about twelve minutes and was very steep and rough, we concentrated on not breaking our ankles and on not talking about Danielle. For me, the first was the easier task of the two.

At the hotel Simon said: ‘Camilla.’

‘Yes?’

‘Come off it.’

I laughed. ‘Very well.’

‘I grant you every right to the highest horse, or deepest dudgeon, or whatever it is, in Christendom. All right?’

‘Perfectly.’

‘Don’t worry about the damned car. I didn’t pursue it in front of – well, back there, but I’ll be very glad of it myself now that it’s here, so don’t give it another thought.’

‘I will not,’ I said clearly, ‘allow you to pay for my – my folly.’

‘We will not,’ said Simon calmly, ‘argue about it now. You should be in bed. You’ve had a long day, and tomorrow will probably be longer.’

‘I shall probably have to go tomorrow.’

‘Tomorrow? My God, the dudgeon isn’t as deep as that, is it?’

‘Dudgeons are high. No, it’s not that. But there may not be a room at the hotel.’

‘Oh, I forgot. Well, look here, why not come up to the studio? You’ve seen it. It’s plain, but clean, and very convenient. And now it seems—’ the grey eyes crinkled at the corners – ‘that you’ll be chaperoned.’

‘I’ll think about it,’ I said, without much enthusiasm.

He hesitated, then said: ‘I hope you will. I – please don’t go tomorrow. I was hoping you’d come with me.’

I stared at him. ‘But – I thought you were going up Parnassus with Stephanos?’

‘I am. I want you to come. Will you?’

‘But Simon—’

‘Will you?’

I said huskily: ‘This is absurd.’

‘I know. But there it is.’

‘It’s your own very private business. Just because I–I
bulldozed you into my affairs it doesn’t mean you have to ask me to tag along in yours.’

The amusement was there again. ‘No. Will you?’

‘Yes. Of course.’

‘It’ll be a long trek. An all-day job. If the hotel say they can’t keep you you’ll let me ring up Athens for you and get you into the studio?’

‘Ring up Athens?’

‘It’s the property of the University Fine Arts Department, and you’re not an accredited artist any more than I am. You’ll have to come in as a student.’

‘Oh, of course. And Danielle?’

He grinned. ‘Maybe archaeologists count. If she gives my name to hire a car, she may give Hervé’s when she wants a room in the studio.’

‘I suppose so. Well, please ring up Athens for me and I’ll move in tomorrow night. What time do we start?’

‘I’ll call for you at half past eight.’ He gave me his sudden smile. ‘Good night, Camilla. And thank you.’

‘Good night.’

As he turned to go I said, before I could prevent myself: ‘Don’t forget to go and fix the taps, will you?’

‘Taps,’ said Simon gently, ‘bore me. Good night.’

N
EXT
morning I awoke early, so early that, when I found I couldn’t easily go to sleep again, I decided to get up and see the ruins on my own before the day’s adventures started. The thought made me, with a wry little smile, remember that I hadn’t yet posted my letter to Elizabeth. When I was ready to leave my room I fished it out of my bag, opened it, and added a hasty postscript: