Storm Cycle

by Margaret Pargeter

  'Hello, Zoe.' Ursula glanced up, smiling brightly; she might easily have been the mistress of the house instead of Zoe. 'I heard you were back, so I brought you something to eat—a welcome home present, if you like. Aunt Fiona, Reece's mother, you know, said it was more than likely that you'd forget to get anything in.'

  'We have enough.' Zoe stubbornly ignored Reece'sfrowning glance. 'And we could have gone out,' she added belligerently, not over-concerned that she might sound ill-mannered.

  'It was good of you to go to so much trouble, anyway,' soothed Reece, the eyes which lingered on his wife turning icy.

  'Perhaps you'd care to stay and join us for dinner?' Zoe suggested quickly, with the innocent air of one truly repentant for her unintentional rudeness. She wasn't sure what was driving her. It must be the look in Reece's eyes which spoke of utter dislike. Obviously he was regretting the interlude they had just shared upstairs as bitterly as she was.

  Vaguely she was aware of Ursula almost purring and saying she would be delighted to stay—and was there anything she could do to help? And of Reece, replying tersely that he was sure Zoe preferred to manage on her own, and it might be a better idea if Ursula and he retired to the lounge and had a drink.

  So it happened that while Zoe spent the next hour or so slaving in the kitchen, Reece, without another glance, escorted Ursula out of sight. Zoe truculently wished she had poisoned the sherry. A little later she heard them wandering around the hall before going out into the grounds. Reece was talking of the alterations he intended doing, something Zoe had fully expected him to discuss with her. This seemed to confirm her suspicions that he was thinking seriously about a divorce, and that remarriage was what he had in mind when he showed Ursula so painstakingly over the house.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Ursulastayed quite late, until no one in fact appeared to have anything left to say, and the music Reece played sounded more like a dirge than pleasurable entertainment. And when she did eventually go and Zoe stubbornly returned to the room she had first prepared for herself, Reece made no further attempts to persuade her to change her mind about sleeping with him. Going to his own room, he closed the door sharply, which somehow seemed to put an end to all Zoe's hopes for the future.

  The next morning, as she came downstairs, the tele­phone rang and, as Reece came out of the kitchen and crossed the hall to his study to answer it, she heard him muttering something about there being no escape from anything or anyone.

  In the kitchen she found coffee already made and bacon frying. As Reece returned and she began apolo­gising for being late, he interrupted abruptly,

  'You cooked our dinner last night, so it was only fair.' Without glancing at her again, he sat down and went on to mention briefly that it had been Ian on the phone. There was some kind of trouble at the yard and he would have to go immediately after breakfast.

  Zoe poured his coffee and glanced at him anxiously as he ate his bacon and eggs. 'Will you be gone long? Shall I come with you?'

  'No,' he replied curtly. 'And I may be gone for hours. We aren't very big, but you know what it is when there's even a small dispute to settle.' When Zoe merely said yes, in a voice she didn't realise was so desolate, he looked up with a frown. 'It's not much ofa homecoming for you, I'm afraid—an unexpected guest last night and more trouble this morning.'

  She wasn't sure what he meant by that, but at least he was trying to be friendlier. After Ursula left, the evening before, he had scarcely spoken to her. However, if he could make an effort, so must she. 'Things seldom go according to plan,' she remarked, rather tritely, 'but we have the rest of the weekend.'

  'Oh, that reminds me,' with a quick glance at his watch, Reece rose from the table, 'Ursula's parents are giving a party tonight and I promised we'd look in. After all, we have nothing else to do.'

  Zoe felt stunned. 'How do you know it's not another hoax?' she gasped.

  'She assures me it isn't. What an unforgiving child you are,' he jeered coldly. 'Don't you ever forget any­thing?'

  In a kind of daze, Zoe watched while he gathered a few things together. When he was ready to go, he glanced over his shoulder, apparently to say goodbye, then swung round abruptly, his eyes narrowed on her colourless face.

  'Are you feeling all right?' he demanded.

  'Yes . . . Why?'

  'You don't look it,' his voice hardened. 'Do you find being married to me so upsetting?'

  Bleakly she shook her head, so thather hair like a cloud hid her face.

  She heard his terse sigh. 'Perhaps it's fresh air you need after flying most of yesterday. Why don't you go out and get some?

  'I don't need fresh air,' she replied, then added des­perately, because she couldn't forget it, 'If you think I need that why did you promise to go to Ursula's party?'

  His voice went cold. 'You don't have to go.'

  Incredulously she whispered, 'You mean you'd goyourself and leave me here?'

  'Would you mind?'

  She lifted her head to stare at him, and because she looked closely for the first time, she saw the dark smudges under his eyes, the haggard lines running from mouth to nose. 'You love her, don't you?' she said simply.

  Reece jerked upright, as though he'd been shot, then the telephone rang again. In a kind of bewildered daze, Zoe followed him into the study and noticed his hand was shaking as he picked up the receiver. It was a wrong number this time, but it seemed to remind him of his obligations.

  'I can't talk now, Zoe,' his face was no less grim than his voice as his eyes rested on her hovering figure. 'I believe there's something you should know, but Ian Graham's waiting, and what I have to say is too im­portant to say in a hurry.'

  'Yes,' she murmured dully, tears stinging her eyes as she walked to the door with him. 'Reece,' she called on impulse, as he ran down the steps, 'if you don't want me at the office, would you mind if I went to see my grandparents?'

  Pausing, he shook his head. 'If you come now, I'll drop you off,' he offered.

  'No,' she replied, careful to keep her voice from trembling. 'It's too early and I'd as soon walk. You go ahead.'

  But as soon as he had gone Zoe knew she had to get out of the house. If she didn't she was going to break down, and sob, and Reece would know when he came home as her eyes would be red. He must want to discuss a divorce. Probably not an immediate one—he wasn't] that cruel, at least he wouldn't want to think he was. She imagined he would allow a decent interval to go by before they parted, but he would divorce her and marry Ursula. He would insist he had done as much ascould be expected, and being divorced was no disgrace. That her reputation would have suffered far more if she had remained single and it had become known how she had spent the night alone with him on Sam Colter's island.

  Quickly, because she hated to leave an untidy kit­chen, she rinsed their breakfast things and put them away. As she did so she was surprised to notice that Reece had scarcely touched his breakfast. He must be more concerned than he had appeared to be about the trouble at the yard. She began to be actively worried herself and wondered what could be wrong. The men were usually so good, and it wasn't as if Reece hadn't been away before. Perhaps her grandfather would know something? After shaking the cushions up in the lounge and opening the windows, she set off for the town without even bothering to run upstairs and fetch a jacket.

  Taggart and Janet were surprised to see her, and even more surprised that she had arrived alone. 'We didn't expect to see you so soon,' Janet exclaimed, as Zoe kissed them both warmly. 'Where's Reece?'

  While Zoe explained, she watched her grandfather closely. 'Ian Graham rang, and I don't think he would have if it had just been something trivial.'

  'I've only been to the boatyard once while you've been away,' said Taggart when she finished speaking, 'I suppose I didn't want your husband to think I was snooping around as soon as his back was turned. All I've heard are one or two rumours, and you know how distorted gossip can get. For what it's worth, I believe there has been trouble, but more fro
m outside inter­ference than anything else, and that's all I'm going to say.'

  'Reece won't be in any danger?' Zoe's face went so white, Taggart gazed at her in alarm. Men in these parts would never be reduced to tame robots, and asmany arguments were still settled by what Zoe chose to consider physical violence as were brought to a satisfactory conclusion around a table.

  'No,' Taggart put his arm around her affectionately and shook his head. 'There's nothing, I'm very sure that Reece won't be able to handle. And if you don't believe that,' he chuckled dryly, 'you've got a very short memory!'

  It seemed she wasn't going to get anything more out of her grandfather, so she didn't persist. Yet she felt too uneasy to settle, despite his assurances. She stayed an hour, drinking the tea Janet made and telling them about Mexico City. Then she decided she must go home again and wandered back through the town. She had to forcibly restrain herself from going to make sure with her own eyes that Reece was quite safe. Emotion seemed to be running through her in great waves, so she wasn't really quite sure what she was doing. The pain and desire, the unhappiness and odd moments of joy she had experienced over the last months, were all part, she was beginning to realise, of loving him.

  The morning had grown steadily colder. The wind was freshening. As she loitered by the harbour Zoe saw the sea was quite choppy>. There weren't many people about as it was still early, but several boats were preparing to go out. She watched for a short while and was just turning away when Ursula came up to her.

  'Hello, Zoe,' she exclaimed. 'How nice to see you.'

  If you say that once more I'll scream! Zoe found herself thinking. If she was surprised by her thoughts, she was even more startled to hear her voice challeng­ing Ursula coldly. 'Why not say something you mean for a change? I don't think you've ever been pleased to see me.'

  If she had decided to lay her cards on the table, Ursula was apparently quite willing to follow suit. 'Why should I be?' she sneered. 'You've always been alittle troublemaker. If it hadn't been for you I'd have been Reece's wife long ago. I don't like you, it's only for his sake that I'm trying to be polite, but, as you say, why pretend?'

  Zoe gazed at her steadily, seeing the other girl's mature good looks and wondering how she had ever come to believe Reece had grown tired of her.

  'I'm sorry,' she muttered, aware that she might have something to apologise for.

  'So you should be!' Ursula smiled charmingly at a passing acquaintance but spoke sharply to Zoe. 'You managed to persuade Reece to marry you, something we all know he felt obliged to do, but he is going to divorce you, be in no doubt about that! And when he's married to me I'll make very sure he has nothing whatsoever to do with you again. I'm afraid you'll have to look for employment elsewhere.'

  Zoe fought with a despair which made her feel almost ill. Ursula had merely put into words what she had expected to hear from Reece but the shock was great, nonetheless. She swayed and might have fallen if a voice hadn't called her name, jerking her to her senses.

  'Zoe!'

  Dazed, she glanced over the side of the quay, down to the water. She hadn't heard Freddy Vintis come alongside. He was at the helm of a speedboat and she wondered apprehensively if he could handle it. He appeared to know Ursula, because he grinned and sketched a brief salute, but it was to Zoe he spoke.

  'If you aren't doing anything why not come out for a spin? She's a real beaut!'

  Zoe's first inclination was to refuse, then she paused. Why shouldn't she go out with Freddy? If Reece thought other men liked her, his conscience might not trouble him so much.

  As she hesitated, Ursula laid a light hand on herarm, as though she and Zoe were the best of friends. 'What will Reece have to say when he hears you've run off with his bride, Mr Vintis?' she teased.

  'Are you going to tell him?' Freddy laughed, as if he wished she would.

  'I might,' Ursula laughed back, while glancing mockingly at Zoe's uncertain face. 'Are you scared?' she taunted the younger girl softly.

  'You can tell him what you like,' Zoe muttered, un-caringly. Would it matter what Reece believed? Perhaps she should give him good reason to seek a divorce. Going out with Freddy Vintis, whom he disliked, might make a start.

  'Are you scared?' she heard Freddy repeating Ursula's challenge in the same mocking tones and was quite aware that he was daring her to go with him. Why he was trying so hard puzzled her, but she felt too heartbroken over what Ursula had just told her to look closely for reasons.

  'No, of course not,' she replied, and, without pausing to consider another moment, climbed recklessly down the iron ladder on the side of the quay. Freddy held out his arms and she heard the gasps of people standing nearby as she landed in them. Then she was safely in the boat beside him and they were away.

  The boat was more powerful than she had thought and it didn't take her many minutes to realise Freddy hadn't enough experience to be in charge of anything remotely like it.

  'Does it belong to you?' she shouted, above the noise of the engines.

  'Sure!' he laughed wildly. 'The old man had it sent up. I got fed up waiting for the one your husband's supposed to be building.'

  Zoe could have answered that such things take time, time Freddy might well have spent learning something of proper seamanship. He was reckless and she guessedhe would be careless of his own safety and that of any passenger he had on board. Yet she couldn't seem to find the will to rebuke him. What did it matter if he drowned them both? What did she have left to live for?

  Of course there were her grandparents. She had to remember them, even if Reece no longer wanted her. 'Not so much throttle!' she advised Freddy anxiously, wishing he would let her take over.

  'Don't be daft, darling,' Freddy shouted back, 'I'm not even trying. Wait until we get farther out, then I'll really show you what she can do.'

  For the first time, Zoe realised just how foolhardy she had been to accept his invitation. 'I think I'd like to go back,' she yelled in his ear. 'I've changed my mind.'

  'You might have, darling,' he retorted, 'but I haven't. Apart from the boat, I'm enjoying your com­pany. I still fancy you, and you're married.'

  Zoe frowned. 'Yes, I'm married!'

  'Just married.'

  'What difference does that make?'

  'Newly married people are usually very much in love.'

  Zoe stared at him. If he thought that, she wasn't going to deny it, but he was grinning devilishly now, and her eyes widened. This was no idle flip around the harbour. Freddy's good mood was gone and, as her glance swung round, she saw they were heading for the open sea. He sent the powerboat crashing into the trough of a wave, drenching them both with spray and jarring their bodies. Such a jolt, she knew, strained a boat's fixtures and could seriously damage a vessel or injure those on board. He was acting like an overgrown schoolboy, but she felt a real sense of dread.

  'Perhaps you'd better explain?' she tried to speak coolly and calmly, when she recovered her breath.

  'Why are you doing this?'

  'Revenge!' He threw back his soaked hair gleefully, 'What did you think? No one dresses me down the way your husband did, this morning, in front of a gang of men and gets away with it. He'll be lucky to get you back in one piece, or even alive, and that's a promise!'

  Zoe couldn't believe it. She didn't know Freddy Vintis well, but she could have sworn he was harmless enough. Now his face was darkly vindictive and she was suddenly very much afraid.

  'Wait until Miss Findlay tells him where you are, then we'll see some fun,' Freddy chortled. 'When he comes after you he'll have to apologise on his bended knees, unless he wants to see you thrown overboard.'

  'What makes you think he'll bother coming after me?' she asked, while wondering dizzily what the two men had quarrelled about.

  'Everyone knows he'd die for you,' Freddy raged. 'I'm not blind or deaf, neither are other people!'

  'You're mistaken, I'm afraid.' Zoe wiped sadly the sea-spray from her eyes.

  'You're the one who's
mistaken, darling! If you don't believe me just take a look behind you,' he replied.

  It was Reece. As she turned, Zoe was praying in­stinctively that it wouldn't be, but it was. He was in one of the powerboats from the yard and he appeared to have Ian with him. Zoe stared, feeling cold with apprehension. He was coming up fast, for he had skills when it came to this kind of thing which Freddy Vintis knew nothing about. For him there would be nothing out of the ordinary in rescuing his foolish young wife from the irresponsible clutches of another man, but suddenly she dreaded his anger.

  Then her terrified gaze was torn abruptly in the other direction as Freddy suddenly clutched her arm. He hadn't noticed a large ferry approaching, and they were directly in its path. 'Oh, my God!' he beganshouting, over and over again.

  That they avoided it seemed nothing short of a mir­acle. Zoe was barely conscious of thrusting a shaking, useless Freddy out of the way and grabbing the wheel, then acting automatically as Reece would have done. As she had done on the night they had been lost in the storm. But, once the ferry was past, she was ready to admit that she and Freddy might still be both alive more because of good luck than good management. She had received a light knock on the face, but this was all.