by Gloria Bevan
"Try?"
"Hating me. It didn't seem to bother you out at Castaway the other day."
"Oh, but that was before — before .. ."
"I could change your mind, you know —"
At something in his tone she sprang to her feet. "Come on ! " She had a traitorous suspicion that if she didn't leave him now, this minute, she'd be lost. She wouldn't want to leave him — ever. She made her way along the beach, her feet sinking into the soft sand at every step.
"It's no use running away —" She pretended not to hear him. "I can catch you up any time I want —" She felt herself stumble over a piece of driftwood lying in the shadows and the next moment, trembling, shaken, felt his arms around her. She wondered if he was going to kiss her and felt a betraying regret when he released her. They were approaching the Islander now and together took the winding track between the coconut palms that led towards her bure-style unit.
In the dark-blue, star-ridden night it took a lot of determination to force herself to turn away from him with a lightly spoken, "See you next time you're down here." He didn't even try to detain her, but as she took a step forward along the path he called softly, "Haven't you forgotten something?"
She swung around in surprise, realising too late his meaning as he caught her close. For a second she caught the glint in his eyes, then he bent his head low and everything merged into rapture. It was a kiss that stirred her, no use denying it, and she gave herself up to enchantment. Between them the perfume from the bruised blossoms rose heady and sweet. At length she drew herself free, heard his low laugh as she sped away. Quickly, quickly, Robyn, while you still retain a shred of sanity! Up the shadowy path, into the bure, out of range of a magnetic attraction of a man who drew her against her will. She was still trembling as she lifted the flower lei from around her neck.
In the morning she was roused by a chorus of birdsong, throaty and sweet, from the palms high overhead. For a few moments she lay listening, wondering idly at her feeling of happiness left over from her dreams. Although why she should dream of David ... The frangipani lei lay on the table where she had flung it last night, the satiny petals fresh except where the petals had been crushed in his good-night embrace. Last night ...
Running water into the bath, she laid the flowers gently down, then went out into pearly freshness and colour and tropical growth.
When she reached the dining room Mrs. Daley greeted her with a smile.
"Morning. Is Johnny up yet?"
The older woman shook her head. "He took off last night and we expect him back always when we see him. Sometimes he doesn't show up for a day or two, other times it could be a week or a month. Usually he's away on some job or other, guiding a tourist party around the islands or helping to crew a boat."
He might have left a message for me, Robyn thought. Aloud she said, "But surely he must give you some idea of how long he'll be away —"
Mrs. Daley's indulgent smile did nothing to assuage Robyn's growing sense of apprehension. "Goodness, no ! He likes to be free, to come and go as he pleases. He doesn't have to tell me, you know."
Robyn was puzzled. "But that means, then, that you have to carry on managing the place all the time he's gone?"
"My dear," there was a wry twist to the older woman's lips, "what difference does it make?"
"Well, it makes a difference to me," Robyn said with spirit.
"I think it's real mean of him! He could meet with an accident, anything could happen. He could at least send a note from wherever he is."
Mrs. Daley shrugged philosophical shoulders. "What would be the use? There'd be no address to send a reply to and by the time the letter arrived he'd most likely be back here anyway. He's probably a long way from mails where he is —"
"Yes, but —"
"Don't worry, dear, he'll turn up again. He always does."
Robyn stared back at her. "But what about the coral boat? What if someone from the hotel rings up and wants him to take a party out today?"
"They did, actually, just a few minutes ago. I said I'd ring them back in an hour. Not that I thought there'd be much chance of Johnny coming back by then — he usually takes off for a week or so at a time when he goes — but —"
"I'll take them out!"
Mrs. Daley's suntanned face expressed surprise. "You! But —" her expression cleared, "can you manage the boat?"
"Of course I can! Johnny showed me all about the controls the other day. Ring them back, Mrs. Daley. Tell them I'll meet them on the beach in an hour —"
The older woman hesitated. "Well, if you're quite sure you can cope —"
Robyn pushed aside any doubts she might have had on the matter. At the moment one thought only filled her mind and that was that she was determined to make an effort to repay at least something of the debt she and her brother owed to David Kinnear. And this was an easy way to do something about it. She would have preferred a little more practice with the old Katrina, but she had taken the boat out herself a short distance once or twice yesterday and on the calm waters of the lagoon she was sure she could manage it.
When she reached the beach a little later, the party was waiting for her, a group of tourists in holiday mood, glad of a diversion that would be a change in their pattern of sunbathing and swimming in the waters of the hotel pool. If only she were more informed on the nature of marine life! What if her passengers should enquire of her the scientific names of the brilliantly coloured shoals of fish, the mushroom-like growths, or waving seagrasses? She was fortunate, however, for the young crowd aboard were content to gaze down through the glass observation panels as with cries of "Oh !" and "Quick, look at that!" they took in the vibrant undersea gardens. The hour flew by, then she was guiding the Katrina back towards the shallows. Soon passengers, scuffs in their hands, were climbing over the side of the boat. They thanked her for the trip, then boarded the mini-bus that would take them around the sandy point and back to their hotel.
It was a pattern that repeated itself as the days went by. Robyn discovered on the shelf in the dining room a manual dealing with marine life in the warm reef waters and she now felt confident in being able to answer at least the usual queries made to her by passengers on the reef excursion.
Perhaps because sun and sea were having their way with her, as the days passed her concern for Johnny's safety lessened. It was evident that Eve Daley knew Johnny much better than she did ... his restlessness, his search for new sensations and above all, his hatred of being forced into a position of subservience to anyone. Hadn't Pam told her much the same thing? "He can't bear to take second place," she had said to Robyn. And the prospect of being David Kinnear's "runabout man" was just about the worst thing he could imagine! Another man might agree to put up with it for what it would mean to him in the future, but Johnny, never! He had to be first or not at all!
Each morning when she awoke she told herself hopefully, "Perhaps Johnny will come today." If only she could be as philosophical about his movements as Mrs. Daley, but then the older woman didn't have this feeling of doom. Of David Kinnear about to descend on her at any moment, a sheaf of papers tucked beneath his arm and a question in his eyes, asking in his deceptively quiet tones where Johnny was and
when he would be back.
The only consolation of her brother's absence from the house was that her daily trips out to the reef had made her conversant with the gardens beneath the sea, and the big mural commissioned by David was at last completed. Perhaps because her imagination had been fired by the coral and sea-creatures, the picture done in acrylic paints approached more than anything she had yet done, her standard of perfection in her work. At any rate, it should please David and would constitute in a small way something towards paying off the insuperable mountain of debt that loomed between them.
At the end of the week there was still no word from Johnny. One afternoon she was returning after taking a party off tourists out to the reef in the Katrina when she glanced up to see David advancing towards her acr
oss the sand.
"Hey, I'll do that!" Hurrying to her side, he took the anchor and threw it up on the beach. His smiling glance ran over her, taking in the translucent apricot-tan of her skin. "Suits you —"
"What does?"
"The island tan."
"Oh, that . .." Until this moment she had scarcely realised herself how different she must appear from the day of their first meeting. Now she was darkly tanned, barefooted, her pink cotton shift bleached by the hot island sun.
"Your hair," he was saying appreciatively, "it's streaked with paler gold. To think that women go to hairdressers to get that effect and here you sit on the beach and collect it for free!"
She strolled beside him over the drifts of sand. "I don't just sit — at least, not all of the time !" Immediately the words were out she regretted them. How much did he know, she wondered, of Johnny's unexplained absence from the Islander? To change the subject she said quickly, "I suppose you've brought the plans for the alterations with you?"
"Uh-huh ! I thought you and your brother could cast an eye over them, tell me what you think of the new image, before I draw up the final sketches. Is Johnny around today?"
"No." Frantically she wondered how long he had been at the house. Long enough for Mrs. Daley to have told him the truth? "Not today. He had to go away ... on some business."
"Bad luck. Be away long, do you think?"
She hesitated. If she answered "yes", he would be suspicious of the true state of affairs. If she said "no", he would probably insist on waiting for Johnny's return. At last she murmured, "He didn't say." Adding, on an inspiration, "I know! You can leave the plans here with me and I'll show them to him later." She thrust aside a mental picture of Johnny's reaction to any suggestion of David's. "He'll get in touch with you afterwards. Yes, that would be the best way —"
"I've got a better idea —"
"You have?" She raised questioning eyes to his laughing glance.
"Sure ! You'll do instead."
"Me ! But I don't know the first thing about building. .. things like that. Anyway," in the nick of time she remembered who he was and how he figured in her scheme of things, "you'll know all about it. It's your business now."
"And yours. Come on, Rob, don't be like that!" He caught her hand in his, but she wrenched herself free. Why did this man's touch mean so much to her?
He didn't appear to notice, merely saying mildly, "I don't suppose you've made a start on the mural yet for the new restaurant?"
"As a matter of fact, I have. I've finished it!" That would surprise him, but of course he would never let it show. "Pleased with it?"
For a moment she forgot who she was speaking to and conscious only of the interest in his face, spoke her thoughts aloud. "Oh, you know how it is with any art work, you never really feel satisfied with it. Somehow it never matches up with how you've imagined it at the beginning. But the subjects are pretty authentic. I had lots of chances to study all that underwater sea life going out in the Katrina."
"Good for you, Rob! I want to see that mural!"
When they reached the house there was no one on the shady verandah and he spread out on the old table a roll of plans he had taken from his pocket. "Run your eye over these, will you, Robyn?"
"I told you, it's no use asking me!" All at once it came to her that if she could give him her approval of the proposed alterations, and after all in view of his own financial involvement in the venture he would be sure to do the best for all concerned, then there would be no need for Johnny to go over the plans. She had a suspicion that the less her brother saw of David Kinnear the fewer stormy scenes there would be. "All right then, if you're happy about me looking them over instead of Johnny?"
"I'm happy! Look, Robyn, this is the new layout. It's only a rough draft, but you'll be able to get the general idea." As she bent over the neatly etched drawings she was surprised how easily she could follow the design of the buildings.
"No need to alter the outside walls of the place," David indicated the main building. "The old verandah will go, it's unsound anyway, and a wide patio can take its place, with trailing orchids at the end. Here's the swimming pool, in front of the main entrance. It will mean cutting down a few trees, but I'll keep that to a minimum. The way I look at it I don't want to move against the sculptural elements of the landscape but to go along with them. We'll have paths winding down amongst the coconut palms to the pool — what's on your mind?"
"Oh, it's just ... I was thinking about the pool. There's an island out there somewhere," she waved a hand towards the shimmering expanse of sea, "where they tell me there are huge turtles. Do you know, they come when they're called by the natives of that particular island, they really do ! I couldn't help thinking that a pool would be rather attractive if it was made in the shape of a big fat turtle."
"Good for you, Rob ! You're a girl of ideas, as well as —" He broke off, glancing down at her bent head.
"As well as what?" she challenged him.
"Long term project," he said softly, "but I've got it all worked you ... tell you another time ... meantime, this is the inside of the place." He unrolled another sheet of drawings and as she studied the tentative plans she realised that this venture was something into which he had put a lot of time and effort. For himself, of course, she reminded herself. Suddenly she had a crazy impulse to touch the thick dark head as he bent over the designs. Jerking herself back to sanity, she tried to concentrate on what he was saying.
"Each unit to have separate kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, lounge ... We can decide on colour schemes later. Okay with you?"
She nodded.
"And this is how I see the restaurant. Separate from the main building, but you reach it by a covered thatched walkway amongst the trees. The thatched roofing is for when it rains —"
"Rain — here? I can't imagine it!" She was thinking how attractive he was at the moment, intent on his project, so that she could gaze at him to her heart's content. At that moment he glanced upwards and she wrenched her thoughts aside.
"Does it rain? Ever heard of a tropical downpour, Robyn? You'll be surprised one of these days!"
She laughed and attempted to concentrate on the detailed sketch.
"It'll be open, bamboo pillars with climbing plants, looking out over the lagoon. I picture it with native-style decor —coconut matting on the floor, walls hung with tapa-cloth, lights shining through big conch shells —"
"And Bula —"
"You don't think I'd forget him !"
They laughed together and he rolled up the stiff papers. "I'll get on to all this right away. You'll be lucky being in one of the bures, with all the hammering and tearing down that's going to go on around here next week, but the sooner it's started the better."
"Yes, of course." He would of course be in a hurry to get his money back from the venture. You couldn't blame him for that.
"Now it's your turn," he smiled, and twisted a rubber band around the roll of papers. "You were going to show me the mural for the restaurant?"
"I'll go and get it."
The long picture was awkward to carry, but she brought it to the verandah. David came to meet her at the foot of the steps and held it up at arm's length while he studied the canvas. "You've got it, Robyn!" Enthusiasm tinged his tone. "That translucent underwater colour that isn't like anything else on earth! And this stylised form of coral and sea-plants and tortoise is just what I had in mind — only I never thought I'd be lucky enough to find anyone who could carry it out I Are you working on anything at the moment?"
Once again his genuine interest in her work served to put other matters from her mind. She said eagerly, "I've got an idea for the painting of a child, a native child. Selani, that's my nice Fijian maid, says her family live in the nearest village. She tells me I can take a walk over there any time and have a model all ready-made. It seems her married sister lives in the village with her husband and their two small boys." Without realising the implications of what she was saying, s
he ran on, "I'm thinking of going over there this afternoon."
"Good ! I'll take you."
"You don't need to. I mean ... I can easily find the way by myself ..." At the teasing glimmer in his eyes her voice faltered into silence. Well, it wasn't her fault that he insisted on coming with her, she told herself defensively. She'd tried to dissuade him so Johnny needn't think — Oh dear, why was she worrying about Johnny's opinion? He wasn't even here. It didn't matter to him what she did. Only somehow it did matter — a lot. It was dreadful to feel torn in two directions. She knew she shouldn't go with David Kinnear, or at least if she did go, she shouldn't feel so wildly happy about the idea.
They lunched with Eve Daley, and to Robyn's dismay the older woman had to let out the fact that Johnny had been absent from the Islander for almost two weeks. Not that David made any comment, but she knew he wouldn't let her off that lightly. He didn't. For as they took a path winding amongst the palms he turned towards her, asking without preamble, "Why didn't you tell me that your brother had taken off? That he hasn't been around since I was last here?"
She stole a glance, but it told her nothing. "I didn't think," she said lamely, "that you'd be interested."
"Interested!" He meant because of the debt, of course.
"Leaving you alone here to cope with everything, including the coral boat. So it wasn't because of the art work that you've been out so much in the boat lately. You took it out because your brother wasn't here to do the job."
"I enjoyed it," she protested swiftly. "Honestly, it's something I've always wanted to do, learn to handle a motor boat. It was fun!" She added a trifle belatedly, "Besides, I wanted to get all the views of the coral I could, for future pictures."
"What's he doing with himself anyway?" She might have known she couldn't fool him one little bit. He wasn't the type of man from whom one could hide things, unfortunately. Such a lazy voice, yet he never missed a thing. Still she struggled determinedly on.
"He'll be away working, trying to help you by getting some cash in hand —"
"Did he tell you that?"