Stormy Haven (17 page)

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Twenty minutes later
Melanie came out of the bathroom. Her skin glowed, her hair was still damp but soft and curly, and her eyes were a luminous hazel green. The dressing gown wrapped her to the chin and had to be lifted from the floor before her bare feet could move over the parquet.

She could smell frying food. It was an English smell and satisfying, nothing like the elusive odors of the hotel cooking or of the ultra-sweet and spicy Indian concoctions.

She had to turn and negotiate another corridor before arriving at the open kitchen door. And what a kitchen! It would easily have held a normal-sized bungalow. The walls were
li
ned with white cupboards, there were two long white tables—one of them set for a meal—two refrigerators, two great electric stoves.

Near one o
f
the stoves stood Stephen, his attention upon a panful of frying eggs. He sensed her presence, gave her a chilling nod, then switched off the burner and drew the pan aside.

“
Did you get any dinner?
”
he asked.

“
No.
I
left the hotel around a quarter to seven.
”

He consulted his watch, presumably made a calculation, and began to transfer the eggs to a dish. From the oven he extracted a plate heaped with warmed tinned sausages.

“
Sit down and help yourself,
”
he said.
“
The servants are out in their quarters, and it
’
s too late for a proper dinner, anyway.
”

“
What time is it? I must have given my watch a bang; it
’
s stopped and the glass is broken.
”

A keen glance into her face.
“
It
’
s after nine.
”

“
It feels like midnight.
”

Stephen seemed to have no objection to eggs and sausages in a border of rich fat, but Melanie longed for a finger of homely bread. She wasn
’
t hungry, though, only hollow in the chest and becoming anxious.

“
Is that coffee on the other stove?
”
she
questioned.
“
May I have some?
”

“
Go ahead.
”

His uncompromising curtness cut away every foothold. She stirred her coffee, tasted it and dropped in more sugar. Across the table Stephen, too, was helping himself from the sugar bowl. He got out the thin gold cigarette case, flipped it open and held it toward her.

They smoked. Melanie sat with a hand on the table, tracing patterns. The silence rasped, though of course there could be no such thing as a silence on a night like this. Within the dense-walled, shuttered mansion the gale was the magnified wailing of a banshee. It was the wordlessness that rasped, and Stephen
’
s manner.

“A
t last she said,
“
How can I dry my clothes? I can
’
t stay too long.
”

“
You
’
ll have to be prepared to put up with this for a few hours, till they sound the
‘
danger past.
’”

“‘
Danger past
’
?
”
She was mystified.
“
Danger of what?
”

“
A cyclone. There
’
s a warning on. Didn
’
t you know?
”
“
No. How could anyone hear a warning in this racket?
”

“
You couldn
’
t mistake it
—
three terrific high-pitched blasts. I was driving and well outside the town when I heard it.
”

She knocked some ash from her cigarette, nerving herself.
“
I
must have been at the Perez villa then.
”

The silence this time was stretched on electrified wires, but it didn
’
t last long. With a savage little movement he crushed out his cigarette on a plate.

“
I think you
’
d better do a spot of explaining.
”

“
I want to, but please don
’
t start off by being angry, Stephen. I know I must have looked like some mad thing slithering along in the tornado, but there was a perfectly logical reason.
”

“
Logical! When you might have remained with the Perezes? No one ventures out of doors in these squalls. God only knows how you kept your feet.
”

“
It wasn
’
t quite so bad when I left the hotel, but it was getting fierce by the time I reached the villa. I went there to see Ramon and his father—to tell them that
I
couldn
’
t marry Ramon.
”

With his elbow upon the table Stephen rested his chin in his hand and regarded her coolly and mercilessly.
“
What
’
s the matter? Have you come into a fortune from some other quarter?
”

“
You really can be objectionable,
”
she sighed,
“
and there
’
s no need for it. I never seriously thought of marrying Ramon and if you
’
re half the judge of human nature you think you are you must have known it.
”

“
Then why didn
’
t you refuse it at once?
”

“
Because I
’
d given a promise. I can
’
t go into that, but do believe me, Stephen. It
’
s no use my telling you otherwise.
”

He drew an audible breath and relaxed slightly.
“
Go on,
”
he said.

Haltingly, she related how she had found Ramon alone and tried to make him understand; his news about the girl in Cadiz.

“
Suddenly it all seemed impossible, and I ran into the garden,
”
she concluded.

“
You ran away because he confessed to having another girl?
”
he demanded, somewhat testily.

“
No, it wasn
’
t that. I
’
d had enough.
”

“
Enough of what?
”

How like Stephen to tear away every veil.
“
Well,
”
she said,
“
he tried to make love to me, and I couldn
’
t bear it.
”

“
Hadn
’
t he made love to you before?
”

“
Not
...
violently.
”

“
Sounds to me as if he
’
s been remarkably restrained,
”
commented Stephen caustically.
“
You
’
ve escaped lightly, my child.
”

She kept her lids lowered.
“
I suppose you thought he often kissed me,
”
she said. And didn
’
t mind, ended her heart.

“
One takes certain things for granted.
”
He picked a new cigarette and held it thoughtfully between her fingers.
“
There
’
s a lot about this that
’
s still foggy. What
’
s been happening during the time I
’
ve been at the camp? You could have had your showdown with Ramon before this—not left it till after dark on a hellish night.
”

“
I
...
I
haven
’
t been out for a week.
”

He leaned over, met her eyes searchingly, shot a query.
“
Been sick?
”

“
No.
”
A pause.
“
That part of it doesn
’
t matter.
”

He shoved away a condiment set, took her hand into his steely grip.
“
Oh, yes, it does. But before we go any further, tell me something. Did you intend to be frank with me about this, or is it just the accident of my finding you down the road that has made you open up?
”

“
That
’
s difficult to answer.
”
Swiftly, firmly, she withdrew her hand.
“
You had nothing but contempt for me when you went away, but if you
’
d come back friendly
I
might have asked for your help.
”

“
That
’
s fair enough.
”
He set a match to the cigarette, lay back.
“
So you
’
ve broken with Ramon
... the whole thing
’
s off?
”

“
I
’
m not sure. I didn
’
t handle him very cleverly, but as far as I
’
m concerned it
’
s off.
”

“
I
’
ll see him and his father tomorrow and make certain that he has no illusions.
”

“
Will you really? I
’
d be so grateful, and they
’
ll take more notice of you.
”

“
I wonder. Ramon
’
s never before had anything he wanted snatched away from him. He
’
ll put up a fight.
”

“
You
’
ll manage him. You can manage anyone.
”

This was said with such offhand confidence that Stephen permitted himself a small grin. He stood up.

“
Come to my workroom. It
’
s more comfortable.
”

He opened the door and went ahead to click on the lights in another room. Melanie looked around her; at the bril
li
antly flowered easy chairs, the long Oriental couch with a raised head supported by carved snakes. The desk was black, inlaid with a magnificent peacock in semiprecious stones, and the massive inkstand had been fashioned from a block of gold
-
streaked quartz. Incongruously, at one side of the desk stood a plain wooden table bearing Stephen
’
s instruments and his big, leather-backed report book.

Melanie hovered around this table, slowly turned the handle of a scientific-looking mincer in black bakelite and steel.

“
What
’
s this?
”

“
A hand pulverizer. I
’
ve had it for years.
”

“
You put in a piece of rock and it comes out dust?
”

He nodded.
“
Then you analyze the dust and make a report. Get into one of the armchairs and wrap up your toes.
It’s
always chilly in here because it
’
s air-conditioned for the tropics and there are no windows.
”

“
You can
’
t even hear the wind very much. I should think it
’
s like this in the middle of the Taj Mahal. Don
’
t you feel as if you were working in a tomb?
”

“
I expect I shall now you
’
ve mentioned it Are you warm enough?
”

“
Plenty.
”
She was curled up in one of the well-upholstered chairs but still surveying the room.
“
You
’
ll have to install a
houri
.”

“
It
’
s a bit late for that. My job
’
s about finished.
”

It was as though the wind had stilled and life had gone from the earth. Ice enclosed Melanie
’
s heart, sent a tremor along her spine.