by Anne Mather
Then she was sorry for her impetuosity. After all, Nurse Madison was not a young woman, and it was difficult adapting to change so quickly at her age. However, Nurse Madison merely turned and marched towards the entrance of the building, giving one parting shot as she went.
'The Duque is out this morning, Miss Summers, but I shall certainly see him on his return about your responsibilities here. I do not care to be given orders by a chit of a girl!''Oh, heavens!' exclaimed Juliet, but Nurse Madison was gone.
'You've done it now, haven't you,' remarked Teresa, with some satisfaction. 'Felipe may be persuaded that I need a companion for my own good, but making an enemy of Nurse Madison is much different.'
Juliet felt like stamping her foot with annoyance, but instead she retained the smile on her face with difficulty, and said, firmly: 'Nevertheless, Senhorita de Castro, we do have this morning at our disposal, and I intend that we should use it as I think fit. It's not good for you, remaining here, living the life of seclusion. As I suggested, you are going to show me the island.'
'Make me!' Teresa scowled angrily, and Juliet sighed and then took charge of the wheelchair.
'It may seem cruel, Teresa,' she said, as Teresa protested volubly in her own language at the liberties Juliet was taking, 'but sometimes we have to be cruel to be kind!'
Miguel was only too willing to supply them with a car. He also lifted the kicking Teresa into it, putting her in front beside Juliet, who had taken charge of the wheel.
'Tell me,' said Juliet, when they were both in the car, and Miguel still leaned against the bonnet, 'which is the best way to go? Just in case my companion chooses to remain a silent one!'
Miguel grinned cheerfully, his eyes appraising the young girl unashamedly, and then returning to Juliet's fair beauty. 'Maybe I should come with you, senhorita?' he suggested.
Juliet shook her head. 'I think not,' she said a little dryly. 'I have quite enough problems as it is.'
Miguel advised her to take the coast route which circled the island. 'It is the most attractive,' he said, putting a hand up to shade his eyes. 'If you continue towards Miscaela, a village further along from here, you will see a sign for Venterra Montanah. It is a place in the hills where there is a small inn. They make the most delicious coffee!' He kissed his fingers extravagantly.
'Well, thank you, Miguel,' said Juliet, and smiled at Teresa who refused to meet her eyes but sat staring mutinously at her own fingers.
Yet, in spite of Teresa's silence, and the obvious atmosphere she created, Juliet enjoyed the drive. Miscaela was just a fishing village as Miguel had said, but Venterra Montanah was something special. The inn was situated on the edge of a cliff, almost hanging over the valley below. To get there Juliet had to negotiate some of the worst bends she had ever encountered, and even Teresa held on to her seat, her face flushed with apprehension at times. But it was all worth it, and although Teresa could not get out of the car, Juliet parked it overlooking the valley so that they could see the view while they had coffee, and continental pastries.
Teresa ate the pastries, drank her coffee, but said nothing, in spite of Juliet's several attempts to get her to do so. She hoped she had not done any harm, bringing the girl up here. If she were emotionally disturbed still from the accident, Juliet was surprised. To her, all Teresa's emotions were generated from a genuine affection towards the man who had brought her to Venterra. And after all, that really was her job: to help destroy that particular illusion of Teresa's, not pander to it.
The journey down was almost as hair-raising, although by then Juliet had foreknowledge of the curves. They arrived back at the quinta soon after twelve-thirty, and as Consuelo had told her that lunch was ho until one-thirty, Juliet thought she had timed everything perfectly.
Miguel was there to restore Teresa to her wheelchair, which he did very capably, and despite Teresa's attitude, Juliet took charge of it again, wheeling her through the arched entrance into the courtyard, and across to the patio where the Duque was standing, leaning against a balcony pillar, talking to the small dark woman Juliet had seen only briefly the day before, Estelle Vinceiro.
He straightened at their approach, and gave Juliet the benefit of his inscrutable gaze. 'You have been out, senhorita?'
Teresa did not allow Juliet to answer before she burst into speech, a stream of incoherent Portuguese that seemed anything but polite. But this time the Duque jaised his hand, and said:
'Speak English, Teresa. As Senhorita Summers stays here at my instigation we will not ignore her presence.'
Teresa cast a malevolent glance at Estelle Vinceiro, and then, putting her hands on the manipulating wheels of her chair, she moved across to the Duque.
'Senhorita Summers made me accompany her on a sightseeing tour of the island!' she exclaimed tremulously.
'Is this so, senhorita?' The Duque frowned.
Juliet heaved a sigh. 'Yes, of course. Why not? Teresa needs to get away from the quinta sometimes. It is not good for her to be cloistered here.'
The Duque's lips thinned. 'Did it occur to you, senhorita, that Teresa may not yet find travelling in a car acceptable?'
'Acceptable?' Juliet bit her lip. 'Do you mean because of her accident?'
'Of course.'
'Then I would have thought the sooner she got used to travelling in a car again, the better,' said Juliet quickly. 'If Teresa is still disturbed, which I personally doubt, by car riding, then she should endeavour to overcome the feeling, not pander to it!'
'I agree.' Estelle Vinceiro crossed her slim legs smoothly. 'Felipe, don't imagine your niece is made of sugar, she will not melt away.'
The Duque drew out his case of cheroots and put one between his lips. 'And you, Teresa? What have you to say to that?'
Teresa looked mutinous. 'I did not want to go out, Tio Felipe. I like being here - you know I do. You already know my opinion concerning Senhorita Summers.'
Estelle sighed now. 'Oh, Teresa, must we go into all that again? You are a spoiled doninha!'
'Estelle !' The Duque's voice was angry now.
'Desculpe-me, Felipe, but your niece is not the easiest person to be friendly with!' She rose to her feet, sliding an arm through his. 'Please, Felipe, forgive me!'
Teresa's face was incensed, Juliet could see. Her jealousy was eating her up, and Juliet couldn't see any immediate improvement occurring here. It would take time to make Teresa realize the futility of her hopes. What she didn't understand was her own feelings when she saw Estelle Vinceiro attempting to charm the Duque. That awful twisted feeling had returned, and deciding action was the only course, she said:
'If you'll excuse me, senhor, senhora, I will wash before lunch.'
The Duque released himself from Estelle's clinging fingers, and said: 'One more moment, senhorita. Nurse Madison tells me you have been interfering in her arrangements with Teresa.'
Juliet stiffened, halted, and turned to face him. 'Yes, I have.'
'Might I ask why?'
'You can ask, senhor, but whether my answer will appeal to you I cannot say!'
'Senhorita!' His voice was warning, now.
'Very well. Nurse Madison is a middle-aged woman, quite out of touch I would think with modern nursing methods.'
'It is not the easiest thing to do - to find a nurse, fully qualified, who is willing to leave all the advantages of civilization and come and live on an island miles from anywhere,' retorted the Duque coolly. 'Nurse Madison was qualified, and reliable.'
'What you mean is, you requested an older person,' inserted Estelle, with a piquant smile at the Duque. She turned to Juliet. 'Senhorita Summers, my - er - cousin is sometimes troubled by predatory young women. After all, he is attractive as well as wealthy—'
'Estelle!' The Duque sounded furious. 'Leave it!'
Estelle shrugged, and gave Juliet a glance which said: I told you so, and Juliet bent her head.
'So, senhorita,' continued the Duque. 'Do go on.'
Juliet looked up. 'Well, I suggested t
hat Teresa should be encouraged to go out - to swim - to attempt to do things for herself. I do not consider exercises, practised daily, adequate compensation for perhaps a swimming lesson - or more active pursuits.'
'Don't let her interfere, Tio Felipe,' exclaimed Teresa hotly. 'I don't want to do what she says. Can't I just live my life as I want to do?'
Juliet felt impatient. 'It seems to me, senhor, that your niece does not want to get better - to be able to walk again. That she enjoys spending her days in a wheel chair, arousing sympathy!'
'Senhorita Summers!' The Duque stubbed out his cheroot angrily. 'I will not have you suggest such a thing!'
Juliet compressed her lips. 'I'm sorry, senhor. Excuse me. I need - a wash before lunch!'
He did not attempt to detain her, but she was conscious of his eyes on her as she walked across the patio and into the quinta.
As she showered and changed, her altercation with the Duque having produced a film of perspiration all over her body, her mind pondered on what she had said, and the more she pondered, the more she became convinced that she was right.
Teresa was not stupid. On the contrary, where getting what she wanted was concerned, Juliet thought she could be very bright, so what if she considered that her presence on the island was only tolerated because of her condition? If this were so, she might think that if she was cured the Duque would send her away. Surely, such ideas were sufficient to maintain the blockage which was causing her physical condition. The Duque had said it was a mental thing, had he not?
Juliet sighed. It would be her prerogative therefore to convince Teresa that her life was too important to spend it in a wheelchair. It would be no easy task. Teresa did not like her, and would fight her every inch of the way, using her own particular influence with the Duque to place her in the wrong if she could. And there was Nurse Madison, who would not help her at all, and who would, if she could, cause even more antipathy between her patient and her patient's new and ] annoying companion.
Emerging from the bathroom, Juliet dressed in a slim-fitting tunic of lemon cotton, smoothed her hair, and applied a coral lipstick to her lips.
Had she merely exchanged one disturbing situation for another? She frowned at her reflection in the mirror of her dressing table. Why was it then that whereas one ] situation had left her unhappy and dejected, the other aroused a sense of challenge, of purpose, inside her, so that she could not quell the rising feeling of excitement it engendered?
Calm down, she told herself, with emphasis. Work at it, but don't get involved! That would be fatal!
CHAPTER FOUR
IT seemed apparent that as Teresa's companion Juliet was expected to eat with the family. There were four for lunch, the Duque, Estelle Vinceiro, Teresa and herself. Estelle domineered the conversation, discussing friends they both had on the island, the price of sugar when the current crop was harvested, and the finds of a skin-diving expedition the Duque had joined.
The skin-diving expedition interested Juliet most. On holiday with her father she had made tentative dives with an instructor, but the stereotyped diving areas used by the instructors were not Juliet's idea of exciting. She was interested when the Duque mentioned the possibilities of there being a submerged wreck lying off the reef on the other side of the island. After all, the Caribbean thrived on tales of Spanish galleons, doubloons, and pieces of eight. When the Duque encountered her enquiring gaze, he said:
'You find treasure hunting exciting, senhorita?'
Juliet could not restrain her enthusiasm. 'Oh, yes, senhor. Doesn't everybody?' She replaced her wine glass on the gleaming damask of the tablecloth. 'Do you do much skin-diving?'
Estelle intervened, giving Juliet a rather thoughtful glance. 'The Duque does not have much time for trivial pursuits,' she remarked.
The Duque shrugged his broad shoulders, pouring more wine into his own glass. 'What Senhora Vinceiro means is that she does not consider the search for the actual proof of history interesting,' he remarked surprisingly, and Juliet saw the annoyance in Estelle Vinceiro's eyes.
'You know perfectly well that skin-diving is a dangerous pastime,' she exclaimed. 'Your position here should invoke some sense of responsibility inside you!'
'I am absolutely aware of my responsibilities, Estelle,' returned the Duque smoothly, 'and skin-diving is only dangerous to the amateur!'
Juliet deemed it best to say no more, not wanting at all to cause any resentment from Estelle Vinceiro. She was her only ally to date. However, the Duque himself changed the subject and she was relieved.
When lunch was over, Teresa was taken away by Nurse Madison for her rest, and Juliet, feeling de trop, excused herself. But she could not help wondering what the Duque and Senhora Vinceiro intended to do, and couldn't understand the vague feeling of unrest she felt.
As it happened, Juliet saw no more of Teresa that day. At dinner, which she ate alone, the Duque dining out again, she was told that the young Senhorita had developed a headache and was dining in her room. Juliet doubted the authenticity of this information, but there was nothing she could do about it short of calling Teresa a liar.
After dinner, despite the desire to go down to the beach, she returned to her room and tried to concentrate on the paperback novel she had brought with her. But its characters were cardboard people without warmth, or depth, and the life she was leading here, and the characters of the people she had encountered, were so much more interesting that at last she put it aside, and merely sat on her balcony in the dusk, watching the dipping lights of the yacht out in the bay.
The next morning, Teresa appeared at breakfast time, much to Juliet's relief. She had no desire to have to approach the Duque with a view to his speaking to his niece because she was incapable of handling her. Nurse Madison was with her, and Juliet thought Teresa had brought the nurse along for reinforcement.
Wishing them both good morning, she ordered rolls and coffee from the maid, and then smiled in what she hoped was a friendly way.
Teresa merely looked away, and Juliet realized she was as yet no further forward.
'I think we'll go on the beach this morning, Teresa,' she said brightly, waiting for the explosion.
Teresa sniffed. 'I think my uncle has other plans for me,' she returned smugly.
Juliet frowned. 'Oh! In what way?'
Teresa shrugged. 'He's taking me out with him, senhorita. So you will have to entertain yourself.'
She lay back in her wheelchair defiantly. Dressed in a cream dress with red embroidery, she looked young and attractive, and extremely satisfied with herself. Juliet wondered what the Duque was planning now.
By taking Teresa out with him, alone, he was encouraging her already active imagination to create situations and circumstances that were simply ridiculous. She felt impatient, and ate her breakfast in silence, conscious of Nurse Madison's mocking amusement all the while.
When a shadow fell across the little group, Juliet did not immediately look up, but continued to eat her meal despite the fact that she was conscious of the presence of the Duque with every fibre of her being.
'So, senhoritaV he remarked. 'I trust you slept well.'
Juliet was forced to look up now, registering everything about the man in that first moment. In a mustard silk shirt, dark brown riding breeches thrust into highly polished boots, the colour of his hair turning blue-black in the sunlight, he looked powerful and assured and very disturbing. He had rolled back the sleeves of his shirt, revealing muscular forearms dark with hairs, while the band of a gold watch encircled his wrist. With his shirt unbuttoned at the neckline, Juliet felt angrily assured that he was perfectly aware of his attraction, and the anger she had felt earlier was intensified by her own sensual weakness.
'I slept very well, thank you, senhor,' she replied, as evenly as she could, and returned her attention to her meal.
The Duque spoke to Nurse Madison, questioning her about Teresa's progress, and then speaking to Teresa herself. Juliet heard the caressing tone in Teres
a's voice as she answered, and felt impotent to do anything about it with the Duque thwarting her every move.
But now the Duque had returned his attention to herself, and said: 'Has Teresa told you we are going out this morning, Senhorita Summers?'
Juliet lifted her eyes. 'Yes, senhor. I had intended taking Teresa on the beach today, but now, of course, that has had to be cancelled.'
She was aware of Teresa's angry eyes upon her, aware of the almost biting tone of her own voice which was not altogether to do with her young charge, but could do nothing about it.
The Duque ran a hand over the thickness of his hair. Combed across his head from a low side parting, it persisted in lying across his forehead, and he brushed it back only to have it spring forward again immediately. His dark eyes were enigmatic as he said:
'Surely Teresa explained that your presence is also required.'
Juliet's eyes darted to Teresa, registering the girl's anger, and Nurse Madison's astonishment. Obviously Teresa had omitted to tell Nurse Madison this also.
'Your niece only said that she was accompanying you,' said Juliet now, unable in the circumstances to evade the question.
'I see.' The Duque looked at Teresa. 'Why was that, Teresa?'
Teresa wrinkled her nose. 'Senhorita Summers jumps to conclusions, Tio Felipe. I didn't say she was not coming.'
Juliet could have denied this, but as she knew, and Teresa knew, she did not think it worth the trouble.
'Might — might I ask where we are going?' Juliet asked.
The Duque drew out his cheroots. 'I have to go to Venterra, the village you saw on your arrival, sen- horita. My business there will not take long, and afterwards I thought we might drive over to Lauganca Bay on the far side of the island. It is the area reported to have seen the destruction of several Spanish galleons. I thought the area might interest you, senhorita.'
Juliet was astounded and looked it. Gathering her wits, she said: 'Might we go on to the beach, senhor?'
Teresa stiffened at once, giving Juliet an incensed look when the Duque said: 'I do not see why not, do you, Nurse Madison?'