Stormy Haven (4 page)

He was young, no more than twenty-six; he had dark, wavy hair and smooth, olive-complexioned good looks. He held out a hand as if frankly disbelieving in this small, pale-skinned girl with the bright eyes and soft, honey-gold hair blowing under the narrow brim of her white hat. His glance was bold and frankly admiring; so bold that pink came into Melanie
’
s cheeks, and so admiring that she could not quell a tiny smile.

“
This is a great pleasure,
senorita
,
a splendid surprise! We thought to greet only the esteemed Mr. Brent, and now we hear that both you and the
senor
a
—
”
he bowed with perfect grace to Elfrida
“
—are to be residents at Port Fernando. And only yesterday I was urging my father that we leave Mindoa and continue our travels!
”

Gaily, imperceptibly, he drew her away from the others. In tones that were made fascinating by a slightly foreign inflection he explained that his father had traveled much, that he himself had actually spent three years at Cambridge and was now doing a world trip with the old
senor
before settling in Cadiz.

Stephen
’
s voice broke in, chilly and level.
“
Will you escort Miss Paget to the launch, Ramon? We
’
ll follow.
”
Ramon continued to talk, charmingly, as if there were no other woman in the world so worth the effort. He saw her ensconced in the launch, stood correctly till Elfrida, too, had come to rest, then dropped to the cushioned seat at Melanie
’
s side. As they neared the jetty he pointed out various landmarks—the government offices, the crumbling chateau of the de Vaux family, which made the heart ache for its erstwhile grandeur, did it not? The Hindu mosque, the Anglican church.

“
Up there, among the trees, is our villa. My father has owned it for many years, but he does not come here often. Not far from us is the house that Mr. Brent will occupy. And you,
senorita
—you and Mrs. Paget will stay at the hotel?
”

She answered something. He was so agreeable, so Latin with his facile compliments, his meaningless but delightful ardor. It was exciting to be looked at as Ramon was looking at her, breathtaking to realize that even allowing for an excess of gallantry, she did attract this finely featured young man.

The men and the two women walked up the jetty, paused where several cars were parked in the shade of the wide flame trees.

Stephen turned to Elfrida.
“
Your luggage will eventually be delivered at the hotel. The colonel has kindly offered to drive us to our respective abodes, and we
’
ll settle you and Melanie first.
”

“
That
’
s sweet of you, Stephen.
”

He flicked a smile at her, twisted to take leave of Sen
o
r Perez. Ramon cut short a whispered conclave with the older man, stepped forward and bowed to Elfrida.

“
My father has just said that it would please him very much if you and your cousin would favor us with your company for English tea tomorrow morning. We will also invite Mr. Brent, your countryman, to make all in order.
”

Elfrida hesitated prettily.
“
You
’
re kind. My cousin and I will be happy to visit you.
”

“
And you, Mr. Brent?
”

There was nothing pretty about Stephen
’
s hesitation; he looked almost sour.
“
Morning tea isn
’
t much in my line, but I
’
ll probably be free.
”

“
I will send a car to the hotel at ten-thirty,
”
said Ramon. He bent over Elfrida
’
s hand, lingeringly held one of Melanie
’
s while he sought her eyes.
“
Till tomorrow, then,
senorita
.
I can hardly wait.
”

The two women sat in the back of the colonel
’
s car, while Stephen slipped in beside the colonel. The elderly
senor
inclined his bead courteously and went to his own luxurious limousine, but Ramon stayed there with the sun dappling him through the branches, his teeth very white in a smile that shut out everyone but Melanie. As the car moved away he raised a hand in salute.

Stephen let out a prolonged and cynical sigh.
“
These Spaniards! At the old
senor
’
s
age they
’
re often noble, but the young have only two interests.
‘

The colonel gave a humorous little laugh.
“
Ramon
’
s a nice boy and very popular. You must be getting old, Stephen.
”
Melanie didn
’
t listen for Stephen
’
s reply. She was too intent upon the crowded streets, the quaint mixture of architecture, the great velvety flowers pasted close together over the shrubs in pots and in tiny gardens where Indian children swarmed.

The hotel was small but quite imposing. It lay back from the main avenue of shops, a two-sto
r
y structure with ornate balconies and pretentious green shutters. The courtyard contained a garden of exotic and dazzling profusion, in the center of which a playing fountain reflected rainbow tints from the sun and veiled a full-bosomed nymph.

The colonel got out of the car but did not accompany the women to the vestibule. With English restraint he said,
“
In a day or two, when you
’
re rested, my wife will be charmed to meet you. I hope you
’
re going to like Port Fernando.
”

“
We ourselves will be to blame if we don
’
t,
”
Elfrida returned.
“
We seem to have made some friends already.
”
Stephen inquired at the desk about their reservations, bent one of his suave smiles upon the French proprietress, who was a woman of large and firm proportions. Everything, he was told, had been arranged: two bedrooms, large and small, and one of her servants to wait on the two ladies. But naturally everything was always of the best, and she herself would show Mrs. Paget and her cousin to their rooms.

Stephen glanced from Elfrida to Melanie.
“
Seems all set.
I
’
ll
get along now to my own place. So long.
”

He was gone, and Melanie was panting her way up the wide stone staircase by which one arrived at the corridor between the bedrooms. The rooms to the left were large and well furnished, and each had a private balcony overlooking the courtyard. The back bedrooms were much smaller and without balconies, but each deep window had a stone platform outside it, enclosed by a grille.

“
There is a space for a deck chair,
”
stated
madame
with pride,
“
but you will doubtless wish to share the
front balcony. Here, the meals are at the English times but you will have the best French cooking.
”
Suddenly she shouted,
“
Jacques! Bring for the ladies iced orange juice.
”
Then she creaked away.

Elfrida smiled; she had often smiled lately, thought Melanie gratefully. They sat together in the balcony, drinking the fruit juice that had been brought by the slim Jacques, who was half French, half Indian.

“
I love the atmosphere of this place,
”
said Elfrida.
“
It
’
s cosmopolitan with a strong dash of the Oriental. And it isn
’
t so devastatingly hot. I wish I
’
d come before.
”

“
You mean with John?
”

This was an error for which Melanie at once mentally kicked herself. Elfrida frowned.

“
No, I don
’
t mean with John! My first marriage was a mistake, but I don
’
t intend to endure its consequences for the rest of my life. Few of these people will remember John and I shall stay clear of those who do. Please don
’
t mention his name again.
”

“
Very well.
”

“
Especially not to Stephen Brent,
”
emphasized Elfrida.
“
He can
’
t help but be aware that I
’
ve been married, of course, but a man hates to be reminded that he isn
’
t the first.
”

Melanie obediently murmured the apology that was expected of her and finished her drink. She was watching the fountain, wishing she might join the gaily attired throng in the streets and peer into those absorbing shops. But in the back of her mind a picture formed and persisted. In one of the
French towns they had visited Elfrida had become acquainted with the husband of a woman doctor, Melanie had seen the two of them one night in the hotel grounds, embracing in the shadow of a tree. It had sickened her, but next day she and Elfrida had moved on, and the scene had receded. Now it came back, and with it the renewed conviction that Elfrida was a cheat. Much as she disliked Stephen, Melanie hoped he was not becoming interested in her cousin.

That such an eventuality had occurred to Elfrida was apparent in her next remark.
“
And by the way, Melanie,
”
very casually,
“
I
’
m twenty-nine—four years younger than Stephen, not two. Fortunately he prefers a woman to know her way around.
”

Some small devil caused Melanie to forget the acquiescent role for a moment.
“
You can
’
t be sure of that,
”
she retorted, even with a shade of warmth.
“
Stephen is worldly and he can
’
t help but react to them with ease. But who
’
s to say what kind of woman really appeals to an unmarried man?
”

“
You
’
re too young to know what you
’
re talking about!
”
Elfrida admonished her sharply.
“
The fact that the Spanish youth finds you a temporary remedy for boredom doesn
’
t entitle you to give yourself airs. You have neither the experience nor the type of mentality to understand a man like Stephen Brent.
”
Having, to her own satisfaction, put Melanie back where she belonged, Elfrida finished,
“
You
’
d better go down and ask that Frenchwoman if our luggage has arrived; use your French on her—it got us by in France. All my clothes will have to be pressed.
”

From habit, Melanie obeyed, but for the first time since Elfrida had rescued her from the school and taken her on as an unpaid lady
’
s maid, her spirit revolted. She walked down those stairs with her chin high and hands clenched.

Neither went out during the rest of the day. For most of it Elfrida lay sleeping or reading, while Melanie unpacked, used the ironing room, and hung up their clothes. After dinner Elfrida spread out on her bed a large-scale map of the island that plainly showed the plantation. It was situated on this side of the coast between Port Fernando and a large inland village. Different types of shading indicated various crops, and from the key at the foot of the chart it appeared that John
Paget had specialized in coffee, but grown some tobacco and tea.

The house, now occupied by a manager named Jameson, was isolated but close to the shore. It was connected by a track with the network of roads that joined up the tiny towns of the island.

“
I
can
’
t decide,
”
said Elfrida,
“
whether to have Jameson here for an interview or to surprise him at the house.
”

Knowing that this observation was more in the nature of a spoken thought than a request for her opinion, Melanie went on quietly examin
in
g the map. What a delicious tangle of names! Pointe Douce, Carimari, Pere Fouchet, Small Man
’
s Bay, Gossemada. There were rivers and mountains, waterfalls and springs. At sea, but close to the coastline, a coral reef was shown as a series of worms encircling the island. A coral reef!