Patience Frazer was sitting at the umbrella table when Lexy came down an hour later, having taken full advantage of the deep tub and fragrant bath salts found in her bathroom. Lexy had finished with a shower, washing her hair and had wished, for the first time in a long time, she had a frilly, feminine dress to wear, instead of her jeans and shirt. Sure, she jeered, as if that would change anything.
She found her way downstairs, drawn outside by the beautiful view offered through the opened French doors. When she spotted her hostess, she strolled over to join her.
Patience Frazer was having her breakfast, as was her custom, at the umbrella-covered table on her front veranda. The villa faced the sea, with the veranda overlooking the sweep of green lawn, and the pier where the Marybeth rode proudly, her dark-blue hull contrasting with the turquoise of the sea, the cabin gleaming white in the early morning sun. Fluffy white puffs dotted the pale blue of the sky. The air was fragrant with the scent of the garden's many flowers. It was still and warm.
Patience smiled a welcome, 'Good morning, Lexy, join me for breakfast. Did you sleep well?'
Lexy blushed a little, remembering the result of her sleeping with the pills and her rude awakening this morning. 'Thank you, I did. Sorry to sleep in so late.'
'No problem. Molly!' She called her cook and ordered breakfast for Lexy, despite the latter's protests a cup of tea would suffice.
'Nonsense, you'll never grow big and strong like me if you don't eat,' Patience boomed in her hearty voice.
'I'm afraid my growing days are over.' Lexy smiled at her hostess.
'Here we are. Thank you, Molly.'
Patience nodded as Lexy began to eat some of the papaya, fresh croissants and pineapple on her dish. True to her name, Patience waited patiently for Lexy to assuage her hunger before opening a conversation. She watched the younger woman, just short of outright staring, only glancing from time to time at the sloop tied to the dock, as if seeking some answers.
'I'm very glad to meet you, Lexy, and to know you and that you've come,' Patience said at last, gently, in a voice Lexy had not heard before.
She looked up in surprise. 'Well, thank you, but why?'
'I think you must be a very special person.'
That answer was a puzzle, and Lexy showed her confusion.
'How long have you known my nephew?'
'About a month,' Lexy replied. Was it only a month since she had applied for the crewing job, full of hopes, dreams?
Patience looked startled, then pleased. 'Only a month, imagine! Lexy, what do you know of Dominic's life before he met you—anything?'
'Very little. I know he used to have Robin crew for him until he married Sarah. He's written thirteen books. I read them before I knew he was Nick Roberts.'
'He was married once, a long time ago.'
'Yes, to Marybeth, he named the sloop for her.'
'She died after they had been married, oh I guess just over a year. He loved her very much. She was tall, blonde. Regal, almost, in looks. And,' Patience paused, fixing Lexy's eyes, 'a perfect ninny. She didn't have a parcel of sense.'
Lexy was shocked.
'You must remember, dear,' Patience continued, 'Dominic was not then the man he is now. He was very young, untried, and blinded by her beauty. Oh, I don't mean to disparage Marybeth. I loved her, too, in my way, but she was not the woman for Dominic. Once the shock wore off from her death, she died of an undetected heart defect, 1 thought maybe it wasn't so bad she'd died so young, he would have outgrown her; or worse, she would have ruined him.'
Lexy's eyes never wavered. She sat forward in her chair, fascinated by this history.
'Dominic was working on his first book when they were married, and it almost was his last attempt. She had no idea he could write so well, couldn't recognize his gift when she saw it, nagged him to stop wasting time and get a real job. Preferably in Bridgetown, where she could attend parties, visit nightclubs, go to the hairdressers, go to the shops. She read some of his work, harping on minor inconsistencies, or calling the plot too far-fetched for anyone to believe it. It was good, but, rather too sexy, rather too violent. On and on.'
Patience paused again, Lexy had closed her eyes—here was Dominic's reason for not sharing his work prior to publication. His own wife. His first book, when he needed all the encouragement and praise he could get to keep him going, keep his doubts minimal, and his own wife couldn't give him that encouragement. Lexy was growing to dislike the fair Marybeth.
'Are you all right?' Patience asked.
'Yes, I was remembering some things Dominic said to me once, I didn't know it was his wife he had been talking about.'
Again Patience wondered about the relationship between her nephew and this young woman.
'Please, go on,' Lexy said.
'Hum? Oh, well, Marybeth died and he swore no one would read a manuscript except his publisher. Not aunt, nor brother, nor close family friend. I must admit I was surprised when I heard he had let you. But then, maybe it's not so surprising. You see, Lexy dear, from Marybeth's death until now, I've not known Dominic to have anything to do with any woman. You, my dear, came as quite a shock to me.'
'But surely...' Lexy stopped.
'Oh, I'm not saying he hasn't had someone on the side now and again. I think Dominic is very much the man. But never to bring home, never to introduce to his family.'
Lexy's shoulders drooped. If only she knew. 'Don't get the wrong impression, Patience. I just crew for him. I think he despises me.'
Patience waited.
'You see,' Lexy continued in the silence, 'I met him in Santa Inez and we sailed to Bridgetown, sort of a trial run, to see how it would work. He was very reluctant to have a female crew for him, yet it seemed to work rather well. We agreed to continue the arrangement while he wrote his book. I was glad of the job, and . . . and liked him. We were several days in Bridgetown, so he had me over to meet Robin and Sarah. We had a lovely time,' she said wistfully, remembering.
Then her eyes darkened with remembered pain. 'Then a mutual acquaintance told Dominic some rather unpleasant gossip about me. Everything changed. From that moment on, everything changed. He wouldn’t listen to me, hear my side of the story. But judged and condemned me on hearsay.'
'In Bridgetown, you said?'
'Yes.' She ate some of her pineapple, regretting already her revelation. She wasn't out for any sympathy.
'Can't have mattered too much, you're still with him.'
'Oh, but he didn't find out until late, we were ready to sail. He needed a crew, so I had to go along. It would have delayed him too much to find a new sailor.' Her eyes were bright with unshed tears. 'I know he's regretted it ever since.'
Patience thought back to the scene last night, how her nephew with only a few words could subject Lexy to hurt and pain, almost as if he were compelled to do so.
'Give him some time, if you will, child,' Patience urged her. 'I think, this is my own opinion mind, but I think he somehow feels relieved Marybeth's gone, relieved he can remember her with love and longing, that in his heart he knows they would not suit now. Yet somehow guilty that he is alive and interested in someone else now. It's... it's unchivalrous.'
'And he considers himself a chivalrous man,' Lexy sighed. Poor Patience, so fond of her nephew she would excuse him anything, hoping for his happiness. She would urge anyone to stay if it pleased Dominic, never mind the hell they themselves would have to endure. But Lexy couldn't stay. She wouldn't take any more of his digs, his insults, his condemnation. She bit her lip, unbidden tears rising. She loved him so much, why couldn't he at least be kind to her, so she could have had sweet memories of the man she knew she would always love.
Patience shook her head in disgust as Lexy went off into a world of her own. She wished she knew what was wrong between the two of them, She wished she could bang their heads together and bring some sense to them. The problem could not be insurmountable, for despite the bad time he was giving Lexy, he had brought her to his fam
ily, he had let her read his manuscript, and he was very protective of her.
Patience shook her head, the young made such mountains but of things.
'Lexy, give him more time. He can be very demanding in his ideals. He's such an upright individual himself; he finds it hard to excuse ordinary failings in us mortals. I won't pry as to the gossip, but I'm sure it was unpleasant and he leaped to the conclusion it was true.'
Lexy looked at Patience, nodding her head slowly. 'He won't even give me a chance to explain, to tell him what the circumstances were. Just freezes me off, believing the worst and–and rubbing my face in it all the time.'
Waving her hands dismissively, Patience said airily, 'I've found that always true, people tend to believe the worst. I don't know why really, but time is a great equalizer, and a great revealer. Almost everything comes to light sooner or later, though more often later more's the pity. Well, enough of this philosophizing. Tonight we'll have a party!'
'Oh, no,' Lexy exclaimed involuntarily. She smiled apologetically at her hostess. 'It's just that Sarah did the same thing. Dominic came for a few days and she immediately threw a party. I didn't go.'
'Why not?'
Tracing the rim of her cup with a shapely finger, Lexy's response was low, 'I didn't want to run into old acquaintances. Besides, I have nothing to wear to a party, only jeans and shirts.'
'Oh, that's easily arranged. We'll run into town this afternoon and pick up a little sundress. That's all you'll need. As to the other, I can almost guarantee you won't meet anyone at my house tonight who you know. Let yourself go, Lexy, and have a little fun. You've been cooped up too long on Dom's island; you need the flattery of other men, the exchange of confidences with girls your own age. I'll help you pick out your dress.'
'Oh, but...'
All of Lexy's excuses and protestations were overruled. Patience would have her way. They didn't see Dominic before they left for the small town of Santa Theresa after lunch. It was a quiet, sleepy little town, its white buildings clustered together in imitation of the larger cities of the West Indies. Patience took her into a pleasant, trendy boutique, demanding the owner, who turned out to be a great friend of Patience Frazer's. Between the two older women, Lexy was soon lost. She succumbed to a long sundress, with its shirred bodice and thin straps, in a shimmery batik. The rich coral color accented her deep tan, and gave added depth to her gray eyes, making her sun-streaked hair seem even lighter. The soft swirling skirt was odd against her bare legs after years of jeans. Lexy enjoyed the sensuous movement and feel as she paraded around the display room, her back straight, her head held high, a smile of delight on her face.
Persuaded to add a pair of high-heeled sandals to her purchases, she felt like a young girl again, anxious for her first party.
'It's been years since I've dressed like this,' she confessed as she circled the room once more, delaying her change back to jeans, reluctant to wait until evening to wear the pretty dress again.
'Why?' Patience boomed, tact gone by the wind.
'I found it gave men ideas. I’ve had trouble enough coping,' she replied. 'I'll change and be right out.'
She stopped long enough to purchase some coral lipstick and dark mascara, presenting her packages to be rung up. If either woman suspected the reason why she was indulging herself after so long, they refrained from commenting. Margaret Tremon, Patience's friend, was pleased Patience's guest found so much pleasure from the few things she was buying.
Patience kept a running monologue on the way home about Santa Theresa and her home there, her friends and neighbors. She had been in residence for over twelve years, being a retired schoolteacher. Lexy wondered faintly how her pupils had fared. Patience had probably forced them to learn, her loud voicing giving no excuse for not hearing the lessons.
Lexy learned that cotton was the important island crop and that one or two important families owned and worked most of the usable land. They would be coming to Land's End that evening, as well as the new doctor, the Mayor and his wife, Margaret and her husband, and one or two other friends of Dominic's.
'Dominic stays here a lot, you know. A boat's a fine enough house, but a body gets tired of rocking all the time. Robin always came before, don't reckon I'll see as much of him now.'
'Isn't there an air service here? I mean, Robin and Sarah could fly in and visit every so often, or you to Bridgetown.'
'Lord love you gal, this is a small island, two thousand people, give or take a few. No call for a regular air service. Charter plane, maybe. We're self-sufficient in most ways, but a tourist place we're not. No, our only inter-island service is the supply ship.'
'How often does one of those come?'
'Oh, I don't know, every week or so. Less frequently when hurricanes are springing up.'
Wondering how to pinpoint the next arrival time, Lexy asked how the cotton left the island.
'For that the owners charter special vessels. But that's later in the year, wouldn't bring Robin and Sarah here anyway. Here we are now. Don't show Dominic that dress, mind, we want to have him surprised.' Patience let out a hearty laugh as she drew up before her villa.
Exasperated at being so close to finding out the supply ship's schedule, but not getting the precise information she needed, Lexy got out of the car, dragging her bundles across the seat and carrying them to the house while Patience continued the car around to the garage. Lexy's thoughts were whirling. Maybe tonight she could ask one or two of the guests, they would think her only curious about island routine, thirsting for knowledge. She would have to try anyway. What if the ship came tomorrow? She wanted to be ready to leave on it when it was next due in.
So engrossed was she in trying to work out how she would ask her questions that evening that she almost bumped into Dominic in the dim light of the entry way.
'Shopping, I see,' he said eying her packages.
'Yes, I did get one or two things.' She moved past him, starting up the stairs.
'I would have picked up something for you when I was in town,' he said watching her.
'It's okay, Patience took me. She, uh, wanted to go in herself.'
'You're a shocking liar, Lexy,' he returned coolly. 'Coming to dinner tonight?'
'Yes.' She was almost at the top when she remembered. Turning, she asked, 'about the computer, can your friend fix it? Or at least recover the data?'
'He was able to save the hard drive. I ordered a new laptop. It will take a while.' Dominic shrugged.
'Oh.' Lexy could hardly keep the jubilation from her voice. She’d have time to plan her escape. 'See you later.'
She reached the top of the stairs and started down the hallway just as Patience entered the house. She could hear her voice carrying, the words stopping Lexy in her tracks.
'Hi Dominic, how was your day?'
'Fine, Aunt Patience. By the way, you needn't worry about those sleeping pills any more, I threw them away.'
'Did she tell you why she was taking them? She isn't sick, is she?' Patience's voice wafted upstairs. 'I was so surprised last night, when I went in to tell her to open her window as I shut off the air-conditioner each night, to see the bottle spilled out beside her. Honestly, you younger people!'
'I was furious when I found out. But she won't use them again. Come on and let's get a cold drink. Tell me, are the Hanson’s coming tonight?'
Their voices faded as they left the entryway and Lexy slowly continued to her room. That at least explained how Dominic knew she had the pills. She bit her lip, remembering his anger and his hard fingers on her shoulders. She shook her head and went into her room forgetting the problems of the morning as she unfolded her new dress and lovingly put it on the hanger.
CHAPTER NINE
Lexy was almost sick with trepidation by the time she was ready to descend for the party. She hadn’t been to a party in years. She was feeling shy and vulnerable and afraid of saying all the wrong things. She’d already heard two cars pull up, but couldn't force herself downstairs.
>
Again, she peeked into the mirror, still surprised at what she saw, a slender sophisticated woman; cheeks rosy with excitement, her lashes darkened, giving a lovely sooty appearance to her eyes, highlighting them, making them more mysterious than normal. The extra height form the heels gave her some confidence, the unaccustomed dress giving her courage. What would Dominic's reaction be? If she were honest with herself, she would like to knock him back on his heels. She smiled wryly at that notion. If anything, he’d suspect dressing this way as one of her wiles to entice him. Still, if he would only forget for one night and treat her courteously and kindly, she’d have a night to remember.
Lexy drew a deep breath. If she didn't go soon, everyone would have arrived and she would be making a grand entrance, and her stomach flipped over with that thought. With one more look in the mirror for courage, she was all set, when a knock at the door startled her, and she crossed the room to open it. 'Oh.'
Dominic stood before her, his dark hair brushed smooth, his blue eyes widening, then narrowing at the sight of her. He was wearing dark trousers and a light polo-necked shirt, displaying the strength of his shoulders, accentuating his height. His eyes went over her, noticing everything about her, the soft swell of her breasts, rising and falling in rapid motion; her slender waist; the soft feminine folds of her long skirt.
'Well, well, well. Lexy in a dress. You should do it more often, my sweet.'
'I'm glad you think so,' she murmured, her color high.
'Is this in my honor? Or for Aunt Patience?' he asked sardonically.
'Neither.' Lexy retorted recklessly, tired of his incessant needling, tired of always taking his verbal abuse. 'I understand there will be some eligible men here tonight. A girl needs to look to her future after all,' she said provocatively. Maybe she should fight fire with fire. If he thought she was one kind of woman, so be it.
His face hardened. 'Have you given me up as a choice, then, Lexy love?'
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