Stormy Haven (10 page)

“
But you
’
re wearing it—and why shouldn
’
t you? In your shoes I
’
d stick hard to Ramon. Go on playing your cards well and he
’
ll marry you.
”

She swallowed painfully.
“
You
’
re so horribly cynical. One would think you
’
d never known a decent woman in your life—only those who are out for a good time or a rich husband.
”

His mouth was sarcastic.
“
Are there any others?
”

“
Yes, there are! Lots of them. But you
’
ve never stayed in one place long enough to meet them.
”

“
Don
’
t get heated up
...
chica
.”

Now he was baiting her, but not companionably. She strove to ignore his hard undertone, to persuade the conversation into less harrowing channels.

“
What does
chica
mean?
”

“
It depends on the way he says it, little one. The shades of meaning are all in the tone. Inserted into an ordinary sentence it merely conveys
‘
my dear.
’
But when Ramon breathes it
cl
ose to your ear he
’
s calling you
‘
darling.
’
And in case you should wish to use the-masculine form, it
’
s
chico
.”

“
When I call a man
‘
darling,
’”
she said,
“
it
’
ll be in plain English
...
and I hope he
’
ll be an Englishman.
”

“
Cheers,
”
he said with soft derision.
“
That
’
s what I call patriotism.
”

He was infuriating, and woundingly inconsiderate of her feelings. Melanie was silent, watching the people who passed the end
o
f their lane. Then she moved a little, and Stephen became the focus of her vision. His shadowed face looked carved from teak, his nose was unbearably intolerant, and she knew that the gray eyes gave back the cold shine of burnished stones.

He was not hard and careless with Elfrida. For her benefit he exuded charm and he spoke with her in a language that had all the cadences of sophistication. They understood each other, each was aware of what the other was after, and patently the next step was with him.

“
Elfrida will be wondering where we are,
”
she said.

“
I suppose so.
”
He straightened.
“
The intermission must be nearly over, anyway.
”

As they walked back to the palace, he said conversationally,
“
You
’
ll have to go out to the reef one day
o
r
one evening, rather, the best sights are after dark. Shall we make a date?
”

“
Will
you
take me?
”
she demanded incredulously.

“
Why not? You
’
re keen on fresh experiences,
I
believe,
”
he replied with mockery.
“
I
’
m a different man on a coral reef.
”

“
If you
’
re in command, Elfrida will be willing to go, too. When, Stephen?
”

“
One night next week. Don
’
t say anything to Elfrida till I
’
ve made the arrangement. I
’
ll let you know.
”

Ramon came up to them, took Melanie
’
s arm and looked at her anxiously.
“
You are recovered now, Melanie? Mrs. Paget told us that you were overcome by the thickness of the atmosphere, the noise. Would you like to miss the rest of the performance? I will stay with you in the gardens or take you to our house.
”

“
You
’
ve been misinformed, Ramon,
”
put in Stephen kindly.
“
Melanie thrives on the scents of joss sticks and jasmine, and she wouldn
’
t forgo the second half of the program for anything in the world. We
’
ve merely been for a stroll in the moonlight, and discussed the things men and women invariably find intriguing in such surroundings.
”

“
It pleases you to jest, Mr. Brent!
”

“
I
’
m afraid it d
o
es, but you must forgive me. There
’
s a great deal in human nature that you can
’
t yet be expected to find in the least funny.
”
Smoothly, he ended,
“
We ought to see more of each other, Ramon.
”

It was with relief that Melanie heard the clangor of several cylindrical gongs calling them back to the auditorium of the Tiran Palace.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Hardly a day passed
but Ramon came to the hotel for lunch, or Elfrida and Melanie had dinner at the Perez villa. Sometimes he drove them through the silk green acres of sugar, the fields of tobacco and tea that terraced the little mountains all around Port Fernando.

Elfrida was bored by the trips inland. They were all very well for Melanie who desired nothing more ambitious than to dream upon a land or seascape; but mile upon repetitive mile of mountains, luxuriant horticulture and sea views were scarcely Elfrida
’
s conception of an enjoyable environment. The evenings at the Perez villa were much more to her taste; if Ramon had shown signs of diminishing ardor Melanie would have found them fun, too.

On better acquaintance, the old
senor
was proving kindly and paternal. One evening, when Melanie had confessed to an interest in books, he had taken her into his study and opened for her his case of rare editions that he had picked up in various parts of the world.

“
Next time I leave here they will go with me to Cadiz,
”
he said.
“
It pleases me that you handle them so reverently, but you may open them,
senorita,
and examine them thoroughly. That is a book of Hindustani historical records, hand printed. This one is from Persia, and this with the painted wooden cover was given me by a missionary in China.
”

Huskily, she said,
“
They
’
re beautiful,
senor
...
beautiful.
”

Her emotion touched him.
“
When I was young I, also, was much stirred by such things. Today most young people regard anything that is not mass-prod
u
ced as junk—except their cars. You are a sensitive gir
l,
Melanie, and have art unusual depth of feeling.
”

Melanie thought it probable that Senor Perez had been
unfortunate in his contacts with the young. Ramon was a materialist, and the daughter might have been a disappointment. According to Ramon the women of Spain
’
s aristocracy were not entirely emancipated. Ramon himself retained a few feudal ideas; the women of other nations might go in for big business and politics in competition with men, girls might be free to choose their own husbands and to work in offices after marriage, but he preferred his womenfolk docile, dependent, and, if possible, worshipping.

“
Senorita
,
”
said Senor Perez gently,
“
tell me about your father.
”

She was startled.
“
My father! He
’
s been dead for many years. He was in the navy.
”

“
Always in the navy? Did he train at—what is the name—Dartmouth?
”

“
Yes, I think so.
”

“
Is this family of Paget old?
”

Mystified but smiling,
s
he replied,
“
I
’
ve never asked, but I had a great-grandmother Paget till I was nine.
”

He smiled back at her.
“
I respect your honesty. You must come again to see my books when we have no other guests. Let us now return to the lounge.
”

These days Melanie often caught the old man gazing at her reflectively and gravely.

In the privacy of her hotel bedroom Elfrida raised her pencilled brows over Melanie
’
s conquest.
“
It
’
s quite incomprehensible, of course,
”
she stated,
“
but by far the most important thing that
’
s happened to us on this blighted island. The moment Ramon saw you all other women faded into insignificance; there
’
s nothing striking about you, so it must have been your fairness compared with the Spanish olive skin.
”
Her shoulders lifted.
“
Whatever it was, Ramon was sunk. But his father was a more difficult proposition. It
’
s lucky for you that he thinks you soulful. He
’
s even wondering whether their piano couldn
’
t be patched up for you to play.
”

“
If we hadn
’
t made friends with the
senor
and Ramon there would have been others,
”
said Melanie.

“
There
’
s no one else so rich, so lavish with entertaining. If only the proprietress of this damned hotel weren
’
t so avaricious—
”
she broke off, then quickly glossed the exclamation.
“
You ought to wear Ramon
’
s necklace occasionally.
”

“
I don
’
t care for it,
”
Melanie answered with a trace of stubbornness.

“
I
’
m not keen on this ornament, either, but I clip it into my lapel now and then.
”

Melanie looked at the dress pin that her cousin held. It was a diamond-studded lizard with ruby eyes.
“
Did Ramon give you that?
”

Elfrida nodded, slipped the costly piece into her jewel box and turned the key.
“
He
’
s a generous creature,
”
she said casually.

Melanie masked her uneasiness by walking out onto the balcony.

There came some quiet days without Ramon. His father had slightly injured his knee and Ramon dutifully remained at his side and contented himself with writing two notes, one to Elfrida and another, more impassioned, to Melanie. During his defection Elfrida went out alone, to the houses of the
senor
’
s friends and to a party at the Miramar. Melanie read and sewed on the balcony, walked in the thronged streets and went to bed early.

The third day it was not yet dark when Elfrida, elegant in a wine-red suit, went off in a Port Fernando taxi to one of the residences on the avenue. Happily, Melanie watched her departure and decided to wash her hair. She might even order a salad and fruit up here on the balcony and eat with the first stars winking overhead.

Zestfully, she set about the shampooing; when it was done she wound a towel around her wet head and dabbed the perspiration from her neck and brow. Back on the balcony, she began desultorily to rub at her hair.

Idly, she watched a car drive up, and with a quickening of heartbeats she recognized it. Stephen got out, dusted off his shorts. Yes, he had shorts and a bush shirt, immaculately laundered but marvelously careless. He looked as he had that morning in Aden, but with a difference. Then, he had been a stranger.