Stormy the Way (13 page)

There was a visitor waiting, he said, and although Tara asked who this visitor was she could not get any more out of Savvas.

He just repeated what he had already said and made a hasty departure towards the back of the villa.

The girl was sitting comfortably on the couch, one slender leg crossed over the other, a long cigarette holder between her fingers. Insolent eyes travelled over Tara from head to foot, taking in the tousled hair and the plain cotton dress, the walking sandals filmed with dust, for the road leading from the beach was unpaved. The other girl had come by taxi, Savvas had said.

'Who are you?' Tara broke the silence, her head lifting high at the girl's insolent expression. 'Do you want my husband?'

'Husband!' The girl's teeth snapped together. Clearly she was fighting down an inner fury. 'No, not at the moment. In any case, he isn't here; Savvas tells me he's in Athens.'

'Who are you?' inquired Tara again, and was told the girl's name was Helena Komitas, and that she lived on the island of Aegina.

'Leon was with me just under three weeks ago and he never said a word about being married. How long
has
he been married?'

The colour drained from Tara's face.

'He was with you - on Aegina?' He had not said where he was going -

he never had until this time - but somehow Tara had gained the impression that he was going to a business conference in Athens. He had been away five days, she recalled, so he could have been in Athens for part of the time.

'Of course. He is often with me on Aegina.'

'Often? Why sh-should he be with you - often?'

Straight, pencilled eyebrows shot up.

'Don't be obtuse,' snapped the girl. 'I've yet to discover an innocent English girl. For Leon to marry one of them! It isn't possible - he hates them! I asked how long you've been married!'

'Nearly two months.' Dazedly Tara shook her head. 'I don't understand. What are you trying to tell me?' Her mouth trembled and her eyes were far too bright. Her little tower of hope was collapsing already on its weak foundations.

An impatient click of Helena's tongue was Tara's only answer for a space and then, with flagrant disregard of delicacy,

'I'm his pillow friend, and have been for over three years!'

Shocked by this admission, even though she had guessed at Helena's relationship with Leon, Tara just stared dumbly at the girl who, for all her suppressed fury, wore an expression of triumph. It was plain that, having heard of Leon's marriage, she had deliberately come here to try and break it up.

'His p-pillow friend?' she repeated dully at last. 'And he was with you three weeks ago?'

It required no calculations to work out that he had come straight from the girl to her, Tara, and she felt quite sick. He hadn't meant to come to her, it was true; he'd done it only because of his blind fury at being told that his wife had had a man staying at the villa in his absence. No, he hadn't meant to come to her, but that fact could not mitigate the offence.

'He stayed with me,' Helena was saying, and she added with a sneer,

'Obviously he preferred me to you - new as his marriage is! But he'll have to be satisfied with you from now on, or else find another pillow friend - for I'm finished!'

White to the lips, Tara said quiveringly,

'As you appear to have said all there is to say, perhaps I can get Savvas to show you out?'

Helena's dark eyes narrowed malevolently, and the cigarette holder suddenly snapped in her fingers.

'How dare you! I'm used to being here - I've slept here, dozens of times! How dare you order me out!'

Tara was already ringing the bell. In a voice that amazed her by its steadiness she told Savvas to show Helena out.

'But she wants a taxi,' said Savvas, evidently having been informed of this prior to Tara's appearance. 'Miss Helena will wait here until it arrives, I think?'

Tara's eyes blazed.

'Do as I say,' she ordered angrily. 'Show the woman out!'

'Yes, madam—' Savvas beckoned to Helena, his manner almost cringing as he glanced at Tara again. 'If you will please come this way?' he said to Helena, who had no option than to leave. Standing by the window, her heart racing and her nerves all to pieces, Tara watched the rather mincing steps of the Greek woman as she walked uncomfortably along the dusty lane, its surface covered with small but dangerous little boulders. Her figure was voluptuous, her black shirt tight where it ought not to be tight. What a disgusting creature, thought Tara. But she had heard of these women. Having finished with Leon, she would go into Athens and find another 'protector'.

Finished. ... Perhaps Leon would not wish to finish with her. Perhaps he and she would make it up - once she, Tara, had left the island. For she now meant to leave; she could never bear Leon near her after learning that he had stayed with Helena since his marriage.

Perhaps he considered he had a perfect right to seeing that his marriage was not normal, but this was not the way Tara looked at things, for to her marriage was sacred no matter what the circumstances under which it had taken place. Leon had fallen in her estimation and she felt she could never respect him again as long as she lived. What he had done before his marriage - yes, she was willing to admit that it had nothing at all to do with her, but to stay with Helena after his marriage. ...

The more she dwelt on it the more unbelievable it seemed, and yet she could not doubt the Greek girl's word. If Leon hadn't been with her three weeks ago then how would she have known he was away from home? He must have been with her; there was full proof of it.

The figure of Helena disappeared round a bend in the lane and Tara turned from the window. Savvas knocked on the door and stiffly she told him to enter.

'Madam Leon, I am sorry,' he began. 'I did not mean to offend you, but Miss Helena said I must call a taxi when she told me to.'

'That's all right.' She waved him away, humiliated at his knowledge.

'You can go.'

'Yes, madam.' He paused. 'I did tell Miss Helena - when she telephoned - that Mr. Leon was away from home, but she came just the same. I did not expect her to do this.'

Tara's eyes opened wide.

'She telephoned? When?'

'Yesterday, madam. And as soon as I heard her voice I said my master was not at home.'

'What did she say then?'

'A strange thing, Madam Leon. She said she knew he was not at home. She wanted to know if you were at home.'

Tara frowned.

'She knew Mr. Leon was not at home. Are you sure?'

'Quite sure. It was you she wanted to see, madam.'

'Thank you, Savvas.'

'Shall I bring your tea in now, madam?'

She nodded.

'I'll have it on the patio.'

So Helena knew Leon was not at home. It was his wife she wanted to see. This made it even more clear that Helena had come solely to break up the marriage; she had come to inform her, Tara, that Leon had stayed with her on Aegina three weeks ago. Tara wondered from where Helena had received the information that Leon was at present away from home, then decided it did not matter. Nothing was changed; the marriage was ended as far as Tara was concerned.

ALTHOUGH her decision was definitely made, Tara soon realized that she would have to wait a while before leaving her husband. She was thinking solely of her parents, from whom she had received a letter only the day previously. They were happy because of her marriage.

Her mother, who had done the writing - though the letter was signed by both Tara's parents - said how thankful she was that Tara was comfortably settled, as the broken engagement had been a great worry to them for they felt she must have been broken-hearted. Her meeting Leon proved that everything happened for the best, her mother went on, as he was obviously meant for her, and not Ricky, who was shallow, as things had turned out.

No, decided Tara, she must wait; she had no intention of upsetting her parents just yet. The blow would have to come, of course, but it was too soon to deliver it yet.

There was no eager anticipation of Leon's return this time; in fact, she would have preferred him to stay away much longer, dull as was life at the villa, with only herself for company. She felt she could not bear to look at him, much less talk to him and be friendly. Not that, she would have to be friendly, she thought. Once she had told him of Helena's visit he surely would not expect her to be friendly.

But it was to transpire that she made yet another decision: she received a letter from Paul begging her to use her influence with Leon, for as the position was at present his brother refused to budge on the matter of the inheritance. His last word had been that Paul must wait until he was twenty-five.

'I can't go on like this, in penury, for another five years,' Paul wrote. 'I shall go to one money-lender after another; I shall borrow from everywhere, but I'm not living like this. Please, Tara, do something for me. You promised you would, and I'm sure you must have tried, but please try again, and again, until Leon relents. It's my own money, after all, and I should be able to have access to it....'

On reading this Tara felt utterly drained and depressed. What must she do? But there was only one answer so why question herself? She must try to help Paul. Yes, even though she had earlier resolved not to tease herself with the wretched matter any more, she knew she must do all in her power to help the boy. Why Leon should adopt this dictatorial attitude was beyond her. He must know that the allowance made was inadequate, in spite of his denials. It was all very puzzling, with Paul on the one hand declaring bitterly that his brother allowed him a mere pittance, while Leon maintained the allowance was adequate. It was also very puzzling that Leon refused to drop the reins altogether, giving Paul what was his by rights. It must be his innate sense of mastery and domination, Tara decided. He wanted to retain his superior position for as long as possible, that was the only feasible explanation.

If she was to succeed in helping Paul, then she must keep on the right side of her husband, create a relationship where she could eventually use her powers of persuasion to some advantage. In order to do this she would have to avoid the showdown over Helena, and if she followed this course she must then resign herself to being a proper wife to Leon because he was now expecting this. Yes, it was the only way - but once Leon relinquished those reins then he would be told more than
one
truth!

It was only to be expected that she held a little aloof from him, in spite of her newly-made resolutions, since the vision of Helena was always there before her eyes. When they dined together Tara imagined him dining intimately with his Greek mistress; when he took her arm while they walked she saw him doing the same with Helena, and even when he made love to her she was tortured by her imagination and in consequence she gave him the impression that she was extending favours reluctantly.

'What's wrong with you?' he asked one morning when, because the strain was becoming too much to bear, die answered him sharply and impatiently. 'Are you ill or something?'

Swiftly she shook her head, remembering her promise to help Paul, a promise she had made again in her reply to his letter.

'No, of course not. I'm sorry,' she added, giving him a smile. He shook his head in puzzlement.

'It isn't often that a woman has me beaten,' he said in short and even tones. 'But you, Tara, are the one woman whom I fail to understand.'

They were in the garden, Leon having donned overalls and gloves to piaine the large bed of roses which ran along one side of the terrace.

Tara was watching him, but now and then die would gingerly pick up one of the branches and put it in the wheelbarrow by her side.

'You talk as if you've known a great many women,' she couldn't help saying, her thoughts flying to Helena, Helena, who lived: on the island of Aegina, not very far away.

'What do you call a great many?' Leon slanted her a look before bending over the rose bush again.

A shrug and spread of hands and then,

T don't know - half a dozen, perhaps.'

A low laugh reached her ears.

'You call that a great many?'

She stared.

'Don't you?'

'These days - when women are cheap?' He shook his head. 'Half a dozen's nothing.'

Stooping, she gathered two or three branches together and picked them up.

'And supposing a woman had half a dozen men?'

Silence. His head came up at length.

'What is this conversation all about, might I ask?'

'I expect we've nothing else to talk about.'

He looked frowningly at her.

'Something's happened to you,' he said. 'I believe I've married a woman of moods.'

'These women,' she persisted, ignoring this. 'Did - did you ever have a special one?'

His frown deepened.

'What does it matter?'

'I was curious, that's all. I don't understand this side of a man's nature.

If he has lots of women, then surely one stands out above all the rest?'

'Of course. That's the one he marries, usually.'

She almost dropped the branches.

' Wh-what did you say?'

'You heard me.' But he added, as if he were making a small self-protecting move, 'Don't get me wrong, though. You know very well why I married you.'

Her spirits sank down again.

'To save Paul,' she murmured, and he replied without hesitation,

'Yes, to save Paul.'

'But... you're not sorry you married
me?'
A subtle move, this, timed well, she thought. Get him in a good mood over Paul and she might be able to extricate herself from this position which was becoming almost unbearable.