Wealth of the Islands (10 page)

“
Ah now, that I
’
m glad to hear!
”
he put in at once.
“
I prefer my women that way. Is she pretty
?”

Helen wondered why she should feel so disappointed. It was quite unreasonable of her to take his teasing seriously, she told herself.
“
Yes, she
’
s pretty,
”
she
said in an off-hand voice.
“
In a pale sort of way.
”

“
Oh well,
”
he said,
“
I
’
ll be able to judge for myself
soon enough. It
’
s practically time for the next session. We
’
d better start to get ready.
”

They worked hard all afternoon. Helen thought that
Gregory had reason to be pleased with their progress. Between them they had practically cut through the first layer of the hull of the frigate. With another day
’
s work they should be able to pull the plate away and start on the inside skin. In a week, they ought to be inside the ship and looking for the gold. If he was pleased, he gave no sign, however. He seemed almost reluctant to give the order to return to harbour, annoyed by the time they wasted each day going back and forth.

“If
you were a man I
’
d have you sleeping on board as Michael did,
”
he told her.
“
We
’
d save a couple of hours each day.
”

“
I wouldn
’
t mind,
”
she said.
“
There are enough bunks for Anita to have one too, if necessary.
”

He looked at her in sudden appreciation.
“
That might be an idea!
”
he responded enthusiastically.
“
I
’
ll think about it.
”

He went aft to start the engine up and shouted to the Polynesians to lift the anchor and to get ready to take them back again. Na-Tinn ran round the boat like a scalded cat, his unfailing grin very much in evidence as he pulled up the sails to catch the evening breeze, singing softly under his breath some ancient song that his ancestors must have sung several hundreds of years before. It had a bright catchy tune, and after a few minutes Taine-Mal joined in, his big voice carrying for miles across the still water. Helen found herself humming the tune too, adding a sweeter, feminine note to the deep bass of the others.

“Very
good!
”
Taine-Mal said appreciatively.
“
Very nice song too.
”

“
What
’
s it about
?”
Helen asked him.

He creased up his forehead in his efforts to translate the words for her.
“
It
’
s about a man who goes on a long journey. It wi
ll
be years before he returns. He leaves his beloved behind, but one day he will come back to her.
”

Helen thought of how the Polynesian people had crossed the Pacific Ocean in their tiny boats, steering back and forth by the stars, and she marvelled at their courage.

“
We come to the airstrip now,
”
he told her as a companionable silence fell between them.
“
We go in, no?
”

Helen stood up, holding on with one hand round the mast to keep her balance. She thought she could make out the tiny figure of Anita standing where she had stood only two days before. The figure grew larger as they drew nearer and she was jumping up and down in her excitement.

“
Here, have mercy on that canvas!
”
Gregory rebuked her.

Helen chuckled. Nothing could damp her good humour at that moment. She waved eagerly to Anita, but there was no answering wave. Indeed, when they got close enough to make out each other
’
s features, she thought for a moment that she had made a mistake and that it wasn
’
t Anita at all, but then she saw that it was, but it was an Anita she had never seen before. This was an Anita with carefully permed hair and a tailored coat that fitted her well enough to have been bought for her rather than inherited from her mother. This was an Anita who looked suddenly well-groomed and not a bit pale and stringy.

“
Anita!
”
she
exclaimed.

Anita smiled and blushed, plainly self-conscious in her new finery. And then she saw Gregory and Gregory saw her, and her smile grew wider.
“
You must be Mr. de Vaux,
”
she said in a pretty, soft voice that Helen was sure she had never heard before.
“
I heard so much about you from my brother. He was
such
an admirer of yours!
”

Helen cast Gregory an astonished glance, but apparently he found nothing grotesque about such a statement at all! He was looking at Anita as though his eyes were about to pop out of his head.

“
My word,
”
he said,
“
I wish your brother had returned the compliment, Miss Hastings. It would take a long time to grow tired of hearing about you!
”

“
Why, thank you,
”
Anita smiled gently.
“
Do you think you could possibly help me to come on board?
”

CHAPTER FIVE

“
NOT in those shoes!
”
Helen exclaimed.
“
Take them off, Anita! These decks are made of canvas. You
’
d go straight through them
!”

A
nita gulped guiltily,
“
I suppose I ought to have chunky heels,
”
she said shyly.
“
They
’
re all the rage now, aren
’
t they? But somehow the fine heel seems so much more flattering to one
’
s feet What do you think, Mr. de Vaux?
”

Gregory grinned.
“
I think they do great things for your feet!
”
he agreed readily.
“
But Helen
’
s right. Not to worry, I expect your bare feet are a pretty sight too!
”

Helen stared hard at them both. She wouldn
’
t have believed it! Not if half the population of the Islands had told her, she wouldn
’
t have believed it
t
hat Anita could have turned out a
flirt
was too much! And to think that she, Helen, had brought her here to instil a little confidence into her.

Anita obediently took off her shoes and stood on
the
deck with her hands clasped behind her back, looking more than a little helpless.
“
I
’
ve never been on a boat like this before. I think it
’
s
sweet
!”

Gregory looked gratified.
“
She
’
s a pretty good little tub,
”
he said.
“
Why don
’
t you go below with Helen and I
’
ll give you both a drink?
”

Anita hugged herself with glee.
“
I
’
d love that!
”
she giggled.

Helen went first down the narrow companionway into the saloon. She knew she had nothing to be furious about, but she felt furious all the same. She felt
cheated.
Anita wasn
’
t even now a raving beauty, but she certainly wasn
’
t the pale, stringy girl that
Helen had known her sister-in-law to be. Of course, anyone who had been forced to live any length of time with that mother of hers would have become paler and stringier by the minute, even so the change that had come over Anita was quite phenomenal. If she were more generous, Helen told herself sternly, she would congratulate Anita on the change. As it was, she couldn
’
t understand her own resentment at the transformation, except that she knew that it had something
to
do with the look on Gregory
’
s face, and that in itself was ridiculous! Why should she care how he looked at anyone
?
Anyone at all
?

Ashamed of herself, Helen set herself to making Anita feel at home. She hid her surprise when Gregory produced a bottle of Australian wine, managing to look as if she had expected something like this all along. She held the plastic tumblers that were the only receptacles that they could find while Gregory poured
the rose-coloured sparkling liquid into them, and her hands didn
’
t shake one bit. She passed Anita one of the tumblers and smiled at her.
“
Well,
”
she said,
“
how was New Zealand
?”

Anita
’
s eyes sparkled with enthusiasm.
“
It was lovely!
”
she sighed.
“
I know it was being in hospital and all that, but it was so peaceful
!
I never thought life could be like that before!
”

There was no doubt about it, Helen decided to herself, she was a cad. How could she resent whatever pleasure Anita could get out of life on this side of the world
?

“
So it wasn
’
t too bad, having your appendix out?
”
she murmured.

Anita leaned forward, smiling gently.
“
I
enjoyed
it, Helen. I really enjoyed it. The operation was nothing
!
It didn
’
t even hurt! And the nurses were so good to me! It was they who took me out shopping and made me get my hair done too. Do you like
it?”

Helen
’
s eyes softened.
“
I love it!
”
she said warmly.
“
I hardly recognised you at first!
”

Anita blushed prettily. She turned to Gregory with a quick, apologetic gesture.
“
You should have seen me before!
”
she told him.
“
You mustn
’
t mind Helen teasing me a bit. My mother didn
’
t approve of any aids to beauty,
”
she added earnestly.

“
For other people,
”
Helen added dryly.

Anita
’
s eyes widened dramatically.
“
Do you mean to say—
”
she began.
“
I suppose she
must
have,
”
she went on thoughtfully.
“
But you must admit that she did it most frightfully well!
”

“
Oh yes, I
’
ll grant you that!
”
Helen agreed lazily.

Gregory grinned at
the
m both.
“
There doesn
’
t seem to be much love
lost between you and
the
old lady,
”
he said suddenly.
“
I always got the impression that Michael was quite fond of her.
”

Anita looked quite abashed.
“
Oh, we shouldn
’
t have said anything!
”
she said, acutely embarrassed.
“
I
’
d forgotten for the moment that you don
’
t know her. You have made me feel so very much at home, you see. I
’
m so sorry!
”

“
You don
’
t have to apologise to me,
”
he said easily.
“
I was surprised, that
’
s all.
”

Helen sat up very straight, making herself as tall as possible.
“
You wouldn
’
t be if you ever met her,
”
she said solemnly.
“
She is—she
’
s
awful
!
”

He laughed.
“
A typical mother-in-law
?”
he suggested.

Helen frowned.
“
Hardly that!
”
she muttered.

Gregory looked surprised.
“
I believe you really mean it! Didn
’
t you like her at all?
”

Helen shivered despite herself.
“
No, I can
’
t say I did,
”
she said.

“
It
’
s all right for you,
”
Anita put in with a sad smile.
“
You don
’
t have to go back to her. I have to keep remembering that I
’
m only here for a time.
When it
’
s al
l
over, I shall go back to England, and that will be that! I
’
ll never have any life of my own ever again!
”
Her eyes filled with tears and she sniffed pathetically.
“
Never mind, I shall make the best of the time I have,
”
she added bravely.
“
And—I
’
ll work very hard for you, Mr. de Vaux.
”

“
I
’
m sure you will,
”
he agreed in kind tones. He stood up, ducking his head so that he didn
’
t hit it on the upper deck.
“
I
’
d better go above and see what
’
s happening. Helen will tell you about the Islands and what you need to know, I expect. I
’
ll be seeing you.
”
He went off, whistling a catchy little tune under his breath.

Damn the man, thought Helen. It was unnecessary for him to be so attractive! Now he had Anita catching her breath whenever he hove over the horizon as well as—no, she was not going to admit that he affected her in any way at all! She would not!

“
Oh, Helen, it
’
s so lovely to see you!
”
Anita exclaimed as soon as Gregory had gone.
“
You look a wee bit tired, if you don
’
t mind my saying so. Do you have to work most frightfully hard
?”

Helen pokered up. She hadn
’
t noticed how tired she was and she didn
’
t
want
to notice. With Anita looking so pretty and gay, the last thing she wanted was a picture of herself as worn out, with her hair sticky from salt water, and with precious little control over her emotions to boot! How odd it was, she thought dispassionately, that having spent all this time since Michael
’
s death in an emotional limbo, she was now as edgy as a young girl waiting for her first date. She would have to do better than that, she told herself sternly, if she was going to be any good to Anita—or be able to do the job she had undertaken. She sighed. She had forgotten what painful things emotions could be. She had been much better off without them.

“
Helen, you
’
re not listening! What are you dreaming about? My, I thought I was the dreamy one! Don
’
t you think Mr. de Vaux is a dreamboat of a man? Is he always as kind as he has been today? I thought you found him rather unyielding—you know, that he didn
’
t like women much—
”

“
Whatever made you think that?
”
Helen put in quickly.

Anita considered the point.
“
I don
’
t know,
”
she
said at last.
“
It was something you said on
the
phone. Then you do like him?
”

Helen shrugged her shoulders.
“
He
’
s all right,
”
she said inadequately.

“
All right
!”
Anita screamed with laughter.
“
Helen
have you
looked
at him? I think he
’
s beautiful!
Really
beautiful!
”

“
You
’
re just starry-eyed about everything,
”
Helen told her firmly.
“
You wait until he
’
s yelling at you because you
’
ve forgotten something that he needs at that particular moment!
”

Anita looked prim.
“
I don
’
t believe he would yell at anyone!
”
she defended him, quite cross that Helen should make such a suggestion.

“
Oh, wouldn
’
t he!
”
Helen retorted.

“
Even if he does,
”
Anita continued defensively,
“
it would only be because you deserved it. I
’
m sure of that! I think he
’
s as nice as anything
!”

Helen sighed.
“
Good,
”
she said finally. She cleared away their glasses, pumping up some water into the sink to wash them up. The
Sweet Promise
was the most beautifully equipped boat she had ever been on, she reflected. With a little money spent on her, to provide a few luxurious touches and to paint her outside and in, and she would be worthy of a millionaire and smart trips around the Mediterranean. Perhaps it was as well that she had to earn her living after all, for here, in the Pacific, she had to do that or Gregory wouldn
’
t have been able to keep her.

“
Helen,
”
Anita said suddenly, her voice breathless and dismayed.
“
Oh, Helen, do you think I could possibly be seasick?
”

Helen turned and looked at her with alarm. It was true that she looked more than a little green.
“
You
’
d better go on deck,
”
she advised briskly.
“
Do you think you can get that far?
”

Anita nodded desperately. She ran to the companionway and hurried up the narrow steps with Helen close behind her.

Taine-Mal looked first of all anxious and then, when he saw what was happening, he roared with laughter with the full-throated laugh
of the Polynesian. Anita gave him a look of dislike mixed with fear.
“
D-did you see his teeth?
”
she shuddered, holding Helen
’
s arm so tightly that it hurt.

“
Hush, he
’
ll hear you,
”
Helen whispered.

“
I don
’
t care if he does!
”

“
But I care,
”
Gregory said relentlessly. He had come towards them, his feet completely silent on the canvas deck.
“
What
’
s the matter? Helen, get her below! Haven
’
t we got enough amateurs playing at working on board this boat, without having bad sailors amongst them? Well, haven
’
t we?
”