He smiled. ‘Time we had a nice friendly chat.’
‘I’m rather pressed for time. I have business to attend to.’ Although nervous, she kept her voice firm.
He shook his head. ‘My condolences about your husband.’
‘You knew my husband?’
The man nodded. ‘And I think you may have something of mine in your possession.’
She felt her breath shortening but met his unwavering gaze. ‘Who are you?’
He smiled again. ‘You can call me Cooper.’
‘I’m sure I don’t have anything of yours.’
‘I’m all for keeping this amicable. It’s a certain financial debt I’m talking about. I believe my colleague, Mr De Vos, has mentioned it.’
‘He’s your colleague?’
He nodded.
‘That is already in hand, then.’
‘Make sure it is.’ As he reached over and took her by the arm she glanced up the alley and then back at the man.
‘I’d like you to let me go.’
Hearing a sound, Louisa twisted her head again, and saw Leo was ambling up, pushing his motorcycle. He left it to lean against a wall and then, apparently noticing something was up, walked rapidly towards them. At Leo’s approach, the man released Louisa’s arm. Leo stiffened and took a step closer. Although the man was tall, Leo was clearly the stronger. In a swelling silence, they faced each other.
After a moment, the man chuckled softly to himself and gave a shrug.
Louisa had thought Leo was about to throttle the Australian, but instead he stepped back.
‘What’s going on here?’ he demanded.
The man didn’t reply.
‘I suggest you go about your business.’
Cooper brushed himself down while smiling coldly at Leo. Then he walked off.
Leo turned to her. She took a step back and exhaled slowly, then put a palm over her thumping heart.
‘Thank goodness you came when you did,’ she said, a little anxiously. ‘The man’s a bully.’
‘What did he want?’
She took a deep breath and then explained about Elliot’s debts. It hurt her to say it all out loud, just as it had hurt to hear Margo telling Irene, but she knew she could no longer protect Elliot’s reputation.
‘Should we go to the police about this man?’ she said.
‘And say what? I’m not sure it will do much good. He’ll be long gone now, and what could he actually be charged with?’
‘He said his name was Cooper.’
‘I doubt that’s his real name. Shall we go up now? Are you still happy to do this?’
She nodded.
‘I’ll just get the bike.’
He parked his bike right by the door to the office, and pushed it open for her. ‘My worry is that he seemed to be expecting you – how on earth did he find out you’d be here today? Who knew?’
She felt a chill run through her. Who indeed?
Upstairs, Nihil greeted Louisa warmly and then he ordered coffee for them all.
Leo and Louisa seated themselves and Louisa explained why they were there.
‘So,’ the manager said, looking at Leo. ‘You can guarantee a high quantity? Many of my cinnamon suppliers from further north have been affected by drought so I am most interested in what you have to say.’
‘I’m working day and night, as are my staff. We produce the very best quality. I have a sample here.’
He removed a quill from his satchel.
Nihil took it, rubbed it between his fingers and then smelt it. ‘Excellent. I’m sure we can offer you a worthwhile deal.’ He scribbled something on a sheet of paper and then handed it to Leo. ‘How does that sound to you?’
Leo nodded. ‘I think we may have a deal.’
The two men shook hands and Louisa promised to have her solicitor put the agreement into writing, ready for Leo to sign.
‘By the way,’ she said and looked at Nihil. ‘Did you tell anyone I would be here today?’
‘I may have mentioned it to my family but that’s all.’
By the time they had finished the meeting and were back on the street, the rain was coming down in sheets.
‘What do you want to do?’ he said and held out his hands to the rain.
She glanced at the sky and pulled a face.
‘I have waterproof capes on my bike if that’s any help?’
‘Or we could have a bite to eat and see if it eases off.’
‘It might get worse.’
She smiled and glanced at her watch. ‘Yes, but aren’t you hungry?’
He nodded.
‘Then let’s go to the Galle Face Hotel. My treat.’
‘You don’t have to.’
‘I’d like to. They do terrific seafood if we’re not too late. We can eat on the veranda and watch the rain. I need to visit a solicitor afterwards to check something out. Do you mind hanging about? It’ll mean riding back in the dark.’
‘Not at all. Though I wonder if we made the right choice to come here and back in a day.’
Leaving his bike in the alley, they began to run and when they were finally seated in comfy rattan chairs on the hotel veranda, lined with beautiful colonnaded arches, the rain had become even noisier, drowning out the clink of cutlery and glasses.
‘Isn’t this lovely,’ she said, speaking in a loud voice.
‘Wonderful.’
They ordered and as he gazed out at the rain she watched him. He’d pushed his wet hair back from his forehead and his skin glistened. She couldn’t help wondering about this man. So attractive and yet alone. She glanced out at the rain splashing up a full yard in the air, and as she turned back she saw his eyes were fixed on her. He smiled a slow lazy smile and she longed to reach out and touch his face. Instead she stared down at the table and felt the heat rising in her cheeks.
In fact the temperature had dropped, and apart from her burning cheeks it was a release to feel cool after sweating in the numbing humidity.
‘So, tell me about you,’ he said.
She looked up. ‘My life’s been very ordinary.’
‘I doubt that.’
She thought about it. ‘Well, until recently.’
‘Louisa, I …’
‘Yes?’
‘I’m enjoying today.’ He smiled again and the lines around his eyes fanned out.
‘Me too. Apart from that awful man, Cooper.’
After they had eaten, the rain seemed to ease off a little. She drew out the copy of the contract De Vos had given her, checked the address of the drafting solicitor on its first page and then rose. ‘Come with me, if you like.’
They walked the short distance while the rain held off, and before long found themselves on the doorstep of the impressive offices of Jefferson and Chepstow.
They entered the reception area, asked to speak to one of the partners, and waited until a small balding man came out to greet them.
‘Brian Chepstow,’ he said. ‘How can I help?’
He indicated they should follow him into his office, where she handed him the contract. ‘I believe your firm drew this up,’ she said. ‘Could you take a look at it and maybe check your records?’
He glanced at it and frowned. ‘Well, that’s our old redundant letterhead on here, not the one we’ve had for over a year. We’re now “R. A. Jefferson”, not “G. Jefferson”. Richard, my current partner, is old Gerald Jefferson’s son. This is apparently signed by Gerald – but it’s dated six months after he died, and he retired six months before that. I don’t need to check my records at all, I can tell you right now and categorically that this was not drawn up by us. Added to which, all our carbon copies are green. This is blue. I am of the strong opinion that this could be fraudulent.’ He wrote down some details. ‘Who gave you this?’
Louisa fudged her answer, not wanting to divulge too much. ‘I found it among my late husband’s papers.’
‘Well, I might have to do some investigating. I’ll contact you if I ever discov
er anything, but at this stage I can confirm that this so-called contract would have no validity in any court of law that I know of.’
Louisa thanked him for his time and she and Leo left.
‘What was all that about?’ Leo asked as they stood on the pavement a few moments later.
‘Somebody gave me that contract as proof of debts Elliot has incurred, but you heard what Mr Chepstow just said.’
‘Strange.’
‘Very.’ She wondered whether to mention that Cooper had claimed to be an associate of De Vos, who was named on the contract, but decided to put it to the back of her mind for the time being. ‘But perhaps we’d better get going now that it isn’t pouring.’
‘You don’t mind a bit of damp weather?’ he said.
She laughed. ‘I’m an outdoors kind of girl. Let’s fetch the bike.’
As he rode them out on to the coastal road she held on tightly, once again thrilled at being so close to him. She could feel the strength and power in his body as he tensed, guiding the bike through the screaming wind. The rain held off at first, but about an hour and a half later the sea became even wilder. He stopped while they slid the waterproof capes over their heads, but it was already dark and when the rain fell in a solid wall, they couldn’t see much in front of them. When the bike began to skid, he slowed the pace, but it wasn’t enough – a huge gust blew them off the road and towards the ocean. The bike was almost pushed right over but he managed to halt it before it hit the ground.
‘We’re near the Madu Ganga wetland, I think, near the fishing village of Balapitiya. We’re going to have to take shelter somewhere,’ he said as he sat astride the stilled bike.
She squinted into the darkness. ‘But there isn’t anything for miles.’
‘From memory, there are some fishermen’s huts somewhere near here. Let’s head in their direction. I’ll wheel the bike.’
They made slow progress and just before they reached a hut, Louisa tripped and fell. He helped her up but her ankle hurt.
‘I think I went over on it.’
‘Why not sit on the bike? I can just about see the shape of a hut. It’s only about twenty yards now.’
He shone a torch and they managed to find their way to a bamboo-framed hut, covered with woven coconut fronds. He pushed open the door, wheeling the bike inside and then helping Louisa. She sniffed. Though it still smelt of fish, the hut felt damp and abandoned. His torch lit up a few old ropes coiled on the ground and some sacking in one corner. He helped her to sit away from a leak in the roof and then took out a hurricane lamp from his saddlebag and sat next to her. He lit the lamp and she watched as it threw shadows against the walls. Feeling a little apprehensive, she shivered. Even from inside the hut she could hear the wild waves crashing against the rocks.
‘Are you cold?’ he asked.
She smiled. ‘Proper Boy Scout, aren’t you?’
‘I’m always prepared when out on the bike.’
‘Well, I’m not really cold. I’m just wet.’
He took off his cape and then his jacket and put it around her shoulders. ‘You sound as if you need a stiff drink.’
‘Yes.’
In the dim light from the lamp he brought out a hipflask of whisky, unscrewed the cap, which acted as a tiny cup, poured some out and then offered it to her. She took a sip and the heat curled in her chest.
‘So,’ she said, very aware of the fact that they were alone together in this small hut and trying to think of something normal to say. In fact, nothing about the situation was normal and nothing about him was ordinary. The truth was, she found him vitally alive and exciting to be near.
‘It must be lonely up at the plantation,’ she eventually said.
‘I’m not much of a social animal.’
‘You enjoy your own company?’
‘Yes. But I’m busy all the time.’
‘Did you and Elliot ever talk?’
‘Not much.’
A flash of lightning lit up the hut, turning his face blue.
‘Do you have electricity there?’
‘Not yet. We’re quite basic.’
‘Elliot said so too.’
Leo nodded but didn’t meet her eyes. He poured another whisky and drank it.
‘Will the bike still go?’
‘It’s not damaged.’
She attempted to get to her feet but her ankle hurt. She sat down again, not wanting to go back home anyway – and couldn’t help dwelling on thoughts of Leo. There was something untouchable about him, as if he were a little out of reach, and she wanted to know more. Was he lonely up at the plantation? He appeared to live a lonely life. But how to ask him more without seeming to pry too much?
‘So,’ she eventually said. ‘Have you always lived alone?’
‘Pretty much. I’ve travelled around a bit, here and there. It was only when I inherited the plantation that, I suppose, you could say I started to settle down. Now I’m nearly forty, I guess it’s about time I did it properly.’
She hesitated for a moment, then smiled at him. ‘You never wanted to marry?’
Another flash of lightning lit up his face and she saw him hesitate.
He met her eyes and there was a still moment. ‘Never seemed to be in the right place at the right time, or with the right person,’ he finally said.
‘But there must have been women?’ she said.
She heard his sharp intake of breath. ‘Oh yes.’
‘Any in particular?’
‘Just the one.’
‘Do you want to tell me about her?’
He shrugged. ‘Not much to tell. She married someone else.’
‘What happened?’ she asked, and though he had spoken resignedly she sensed some hurt in him still.
‘It was about eight years ago. Her name was Alicia and she was a singer in a Singapore nightclub.’
‘And?’
‘She was beautiful, long chestnut hair, bright blue eyes and the voice of an angel.’
‘Sounds like you loved her.’
He sighed deeply. ‘We were going to be married.’
‘What happened?’
He bowed his head before looking up at her. ‘Turned out it wasn’t me that she loved.’
‘Were you actually engaged?’
‘We were.’
There was a short silence and she reached out to touch his arm. Something flowed between them and she felt it acutely.
‘I’m sorry.’
‘That wasn’t the worst of it. She walked out on me one night and I never set eyes on her again. Later I discovered she had married my best friend, and had been seeing him for months behind my back.’
‘Oh God! That must have hurt,’ she blurted out.
There was a prickly silence.
‘So,’ he said at last. ‘I really do understand how you feel about Elliot and Zinnia.’
‘Yes. I see that. Did you ever hear from them again?’
He lowered his voice and she had to lean in closer to hear. ‘Eventually, yes. A couple of years later I received a letter from him saying Alicia had died in childbirth.’
‘Gosh, that’s awful.’
She glanced at the ground before looking up and meeting his gaze. A gaze that had not wavered and did not now. ‘You must wonder about what might have been.’
‘Maybe. I’m not really given to dwelling. The future is what matters to me.’
‘And the past?’
‘I was searching for something when I was younger. I thought she might have been the answer.’
‘But she wasn’t?’
‘No.’
‘Did you ever find it? The thing you were looking for.’
‘Not entirely. I don’t think I even knew what it was.’
‘We’re all searching for something, aren’t we?’
‘I imagine we are.’
Deeply conscious of him sitting so near to her, she inhaled slowly then let her breath out as she tried to weave through her complicated feelings.
‘What is it you’ve been searching for, Louisa?’ he continued.
She liked how he’d said her name. The way it felt new and special. ‘Perhaps it’s more of an unfulfilled need than a search. I wanted children. I wanted them badly.’
‘I am sorry.’
She glanced at him and even in the dim light of the lamp felt heartened by the compassion in his eyes.
‘Motherhood. It’s what we women are programmed to do, isn’t it? To be a mother. My childhood without my mother was lonely at times, and I suppose I wanted to make the family I’d never had.’
‘Hard for you.’
‘Very. But there it is.’
He gave her a long searching look. ‘I admire how you’ve coped with everything.’
She swallowed the lump in her throat. ‘Really?’
‘Absolutely.’
‘Thank you.’
They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, Louisa thinking about her lost children and Leo thinking of she knew not what.
‘But what an exciting life you must have had,’ she eventually said. ‘Tell me about some of the places you’ve been.’
‘You really want to know?’
‘Yes.’ She felt her tension unravelling and understood that since being in this little hut and listening to the rain, she wanted to stay like that, secluded together, talking, hearing his voice.
‘Well, I worked on a rubber plantation in Malaya for ten years, and I’ve spent time in Indonesia. Mainly I’ve been around the tropics one way or another.’
‘Sorry to pry,’ she said, wondering if she’d asked too much.
‘Not at all.’
She heard a movement. ‘Are there bats in here?’
‘I doubt it.’
But she jumped when he shone his torch on a lizard creeping out from a corner and scuttling across the floor. As they slipped into silence again she could smell the spicy salty scent from his skin and the paraffin from the lamp. It was then he leant towards her and gently stroked her cheek.
She closed her eyes and felt it throughout her entire body. And yet, after a few seconds, she pulled away. She heard the cry of some creature out in the rain, a lonely disturbing sound, followed by the hooting of an owl.
‘Leo …’
‘I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have.’
‘It’s just –’
‘I understand.’
The Sapphire Widow Page 17