The Girl From Over the Sea (13 page)

Lesley shot a glance at the four sitting on the two other sides of the table and her eyes were angry.
‘
Rick, can
’
t you see
,’
she said, turning round to the boy,
‘
they
’
re just trying to cause dissension among us? That man knows quite well that the estate
must
go to you. If there
’
s n
o
entail then the property must have been left to Ralph Trevendone or there wouldn
’
t have been those advertisements in the Australian newspapers. As he left no will his property will be divided among his children. All I wanted to do was to let our cousins know that I needn
’
t be considered, but you and Rita
must
be
!’

‘
Oh, for God
’
s sake, Dominic, why don
’
t you tell them? You can
’
t expect Blake to d
o i
t
.’
This was from Sorrel Lang, her magnificent black eyes blazing at Dominic.

He looked back at her almost pleadingly and Lesley called to mind the afternoon when she had stood with him on the cliff and Dominic had looked down at the two riders on the beach. She hadn
’
t been mistaken. He was desperately in love with Sorrel Lang.

‘
I just don
’
t know how to put it
,’
the young man muttered miserably.
‘
It
’
s such a let-down for them. Look, Blake, suppose we clear out and
you
just explain
.’

Sorrel broke in again almost angrily,
‘
We
’
re not the ones to clear out. Tell them the truth and let them go home to Australia tonight if possible. I for one shall be glad to see the back of them
.’

Lesley wondered silently why this dark girl should have so much animosity towards them. They were not going to deprive
her
of anything. She owned that lovely house on the cliff and according to Mrs. Piper was a wealthy widow. She had no place at Trevendone. They said she was a cousin, but Lesley was sure she was a remote one.

‘
No
,’
Blake Defontaine put in now in a measured voice.
‘
They
’
ve come for their share of the Trevendone inheritance.
Then I suggest they stay
...
and take their share
!’

There was a frozen silence. As Lesley raised her eyes to Blake Defontaine they glinted green while her slender figure tautened. Now what did this mean? He was actually asking them to stay and share the inheritance. Though what it had to do with him she still couldn
’
t think.

‘
And now you
’
d better explain, Dominic
,’
he ordered curtly.

Dominic shrugged and cast him a glance that wasn
’
t exactly friendly.
‘
It won
’
t take long,
’
he said.
‘
What it amounts to, you three, is that there
is
no Trevendone inheritance. At least not for the family. Blake owns absolutely everything around here, and the estate, or the family—put it which way you like—is also in debt to him to the tune of several thousand pounds
.’

Lesley realised that she had grown very, very cold. This explained so much. The way he had dominated not only this place but everyone in it. And yet
...
and yet
...

It just wasn
’
t true, she thought wildly. It couldn
’
t be true. It was a plot—a way of getting rid of the unwelcome visitors from over the sea.

‘
It can
’
t be true
!’
she gasped, not daring to look round at the twins. So far they had said nothing, possibly because this had shocked them into silence.

‘
Not true?
’
It was Jennifer who stood up now.
‘
Not true?
’
she flashed back hotly.
‘
Why do you think we
’
ve turned all this part of the Manor into a hotel? Why do you think we spend all the season slaving in order to pay back some of the debts
?
’

And now it was Ricky who jumped up.
‘
We
...
ll,’
he drawled.
‘
Can you beat it? That
’
s what Joe, one of the boys down at Penpethic Harbour, meant when he made some crack about my living in a classy hotel. I didn
’
t get it. I thought it was his way of referring to the Manor. But a hotel! Oh, boy, that should rake in the lolly!
’

His listeners received that remark in silence.

Hotel
!
The word was pounding in Lesley
’
s brain, and yet in a way once the word had been used, she wasn
’
t surprised. She ought to have guessed. All those bedrooms and bathrooms on the one corridor they had seen. The quiet comfort and luxury and yet the impersonal feeling. In its way, she supposed, it must be a super hotel.

Trevendone Manor, to which she had come from the other end of the world to claim for Ricky ... a hotel
...
owned by a cold and cruel stranger.

She looked across at Dominic.
‘
I can
’
t believe it
,’
she whispered.

‘
It
’
s true
,’
he said flatly.

Lesley
’
s big green eyes searched the faces opposite her. Sorrel
’
s was triumphant, Dominic
’
s uncomfortable and ashamed, Jennifer
’
s angry and Blake Defontaine
’
s—just impassive.

‘
Is it true?
’
she demanded, and for the first time that night she addressed him directly.

‘
In essentials it
’
s true
,’
he replied curtly.
‘
Dominic
’
s inheritance
was
a mortgaged property and a further debt, both to my family
.’

His voice went cold, icier than that north-east wind which was still blowing outside, and his expression was sardonic.
‘
You three came here to demand your share of Dominic
’
s inheritance, or perhaps to take all of it. Now it
’
s up to you.
Take
your share. Stay and shoulder the responsibility of paying off some of the debt. Dominic and Jennifer are playing their part.
Now it is your turn
.’

Richard laughed in a rather raucous manner.
‘
If this is true, it
’
s a jolly good thing you and I opted out, Rita, before we heard about it. We
’
re in the clear and Lesley is too, because she said she was off back to Australia to marry Steve
.’

Rita interrupted him shrilly.
‘
But Steve
’
s coming here to Cornwall this summer with a Sydney life-saving and surfing team. He
’
s going to be staying at some place near here. He told me. So Lesley
can
’
t
go back yet
.’

The older girl gave an impatient gesture.
‘
Be quiet, you two
,’
she said abruptly.
‘
I just can
’
t take this in. If it
’
s true, then the Trevendone family are
...
his
...
slaves
,’
and she made a motion in the direction of the powerful impassive figure at the head of the table.

‘
You could put it like that
,’
said Dominic with a bitter smile.

Lesley
’
s glance roved from his romantic dark face to Blake Defontaine, sitting there with a kind of controlled patience. Were they all putting on an act? she asked herself once more. Was this just a curious, even shabby trick to get rid of the
inconvenient strangers from over the sea?

It was Sorrel
’
s turn again. She yawned like a pretty young black cat.
‘
Well, that
’
s it,
’
she said creamily.
‘
As that boy has just reminded us, you
’
ve all opted out, so I suggest that you leave first thing tomorrow and pay your hotel bill before you go.
’

Lesley
’
s face took on a curiously stubborn look. Why should Sorrel Lang have so much to say, and why did she seem to have so much spite towards them? And how serious had Blake Defontaine been when he had spoken of the three of them playing their part? Was he really challenging her to stay? Lesley wasn
’
t sure, though it was quite evident that his girl-friend wanted them out of Trevendone Manor at the earliest opportunity. Again Lesley wondered why.

She looked down at her hands and her long lashes swept her cheek. Two could play at this game, she thought. She would accept this joke of theirs tonight as if she believed it true. That should confound them.

‘
Naturally, I shall have to talk over this ne
w
situation with my brother and sister
,’
she said, a glint in her eye as she stared at Blake.
‘
But how exactly could
we
help in settling this debt to you?
’

Sorrel stood up so abruptly that her chair almost overturned.
‘
Haven
’
t we had enough drama for one night?
’
she asked passionately.
‘
My advice to you three
,’
and her dark eyes whipped over them, resting longest on Lesley,
‘
is to clear out here and now, or in the morning at the latest
.’

‘
But not before we
’
ve paid our hotel bill
,’
Lesley said with a white smile.

Defontaine rose too.
‘
You ask how you could help, Miss Trevendone? I understand that you
’
ve worked in an office as a receptionist, typist and book-keeper. In
’
the season we could use you in the hotel, but in the meantime I
’
m in urgent need of a typist and you could fill in your time with me
.’

There was a sudden challenging brilliance in his eyes and Lesley looked at him warily. Although she had tried to convince herself that she and the twins were the victims of either a plot or a joke to get rid of them she was all at once sure that this man would be no party to it. He would always come out with the brutal truth, the whole and nothing but.

If they stayed here at the Manor, it would be on
his
terms,
and her heart failed her. They just couldn
’
t stay. Before she could stammer out a shocked refusal, Sorrel broke in impetuously,
‘
Blake, you can
’
t employ this girl. It would be far wiser to cut your losses and let them go. Maybe they
have
had luxury hotel accommodation for a week, or more, but better to let them go rather than keep them here to pay for it.
’

He shrugged.
‘
As I judge it, they came here with the idea of cashing into an easy life. All I
’
m asking them to do is to loo
k at the other side of the coin.’

Lesley took a deep breath. How hatefully difficult he was making it for her, as if he guessed how her heart had failed her at the idea of working for such a ruthless man.