2 Children of the Plantation

by Faith Mortimer

  ~~~~~

  All too soon for me, we arrived back on the estate. Paul dropped me off at the tennis court, and I walked the rest of the way to the house. With tacit agreement, I believe we both felt it better no one saw us arrive together. Back home, I was only too conscious of my position and that of Paul's. One employed on the estate and one the child of his employer. I very much doubted if my parents would either understand or give their agreement for us to spend free time together. They both lived in a different era it seemed.

  Earlier though, Paul had suggested we would repeat the adventure and in the meantime, would I like to go fishing with him? Walking up the drive, I was mulling over the day's events feeling content and happy. It was good to have a friend of my own. Lost in thought, I jumped when Emma suddenly joined me.

  "And where have you been with that stupid grin on your face?"

  "Em! I never heard you. What are you doing creeping up on me like that?"

  "Tosh! Creeping? You can talk! Anyway, I saw you with Paul. Where on earth did you get to and why him? Besides, I thought you were ill?"

  She looked put out, and I thought warily, decidedly jealous.

  "Don't tell Father, will you? Please."

  "I might, might not. It all depends," she said sticking her nose in the air, "on what you can do for me."

  "Aw Em, we were just having fun. We visited KL and bought ice cream. And look at this catapult Paul gave me as a present." I know I was smiling at her stupidly like a cat with the choicest fish heads.

  She eyed the catapult for a second dismissing it. "KL? Are you nuts?"

  "Why? What's the matter?"

  "Haven't you heard the news? Quite obviously not, if you were too busy eating ice cream."

  "No I haven't. What news?" She was making me cross, standing there talking riddles and not getting to the point.

  "Some of President Sukarno's men have been caught. They were staying in one of the kampongs not that far from here. Someone saw something suspicious and reported it to the police! A police inspector visited Father while you were out gallivanting in KL with your friend. Father looked very annoyed about it all. He and the inspector, Mr Browning, were talking in his study for hours. I bet it'll mean we're to be grounded for weeks!"

  ~~~~~

  A week had passed since my visit to KL. Father for some reason had increased Paul's duties around the estate, and consequently, he had little free time to repeat the trip. I didn't like to push myself forward, but I didn't understand all the extra things Paul had to do now. I knew, with insurgents possibly in the area, we had to be extra vigilant. Apparently, they had the nasty habit of whipping up unrest amongst estate workers, and Father was clamping down before it spread to us. I was pleased on one account however. As Father obviously trusted Paul, then he had been doing nothing underhand that night. Not underhand like a treasonable offence. Knowing the Chinese love of money, it was more probable Paul had been involved in some illicit buying and selling of black market goods. Black racketeering always had a ring of excitement to me.

  I never did discover what it was Paul had hidden in our stable loft. When I ventured up there early one morning, the loft was empty except from some mouldering, forgotten bales of hay and some empty bran tubs. If I hadn't been to KL with him that day and seen him hand over boxes to Scarface, then I could easily think I had imagined it all. Of course, I was assuming these were the same boxes – it had been pitch black that night. Whatever his secret, he was my best friend, and I had no desire to upset our relationship.

  We did go fishing on a few occasions. The fish we caught were trout-like in appearance, and not knowing the Malay equivalent, I assumed they were of the same family. Paul always took our catch home with him, as I think Mother would have wondered at my sudden interest in fishing. Free time allowing, we spent pleasant afternoons fishing in the river leading from our bathing pool. I had shown Paul the pool and waterfall, and he was impressed with the falls. I dithered over whether to show him my secret path across and in the end decided not to. I thought I would leave it until a much more auspicious occasion, perhaps when I declared myself to him. I could hardly wait. My feeling of being incomplete was getting stronger and stronger.

  I was well aware of the difference in our ages, I was thirteen and he, twenty-odd years old, but I never doubted my young judgement. I was in love with him. I thought it was probably a sin, but with the tenacity of youth, I cared not…

  Chapter 14

  Emma

  “Oh my goodness, Steve. This poor boy."

  "Which poor boy, my love?"

  "Alex. The boy in the diaries."

  Steve joined Diana on their veranda where she was lying on a sunbed with only her legs exposed to the sun. A tall jug of fresh lime juice was placed on a small table next to her. She was looking a lot more relaxed than when they had first arrived at the hotel. He planted a kiss on her bare shoulder and moved a chair nearer to her side.

  "Show me."

  Diana handed him the diary and showed him how far she had read. Steve rifled back to where he had finished and glanced through the next few pages.

  "I see what you mean. He's certainly a mixed up kid. He's dying for some male companion and friendship which his father is obviously incapable of giving him. But this Paul, he sounds like a rum character don't you think? He's much older than Alex and must know the risks he's taking fraternising with Alex out of office hours, so to speak. The father wouldn't stand it from any point of view."

  "I agree," Diana said, snuggling closer to get a better look at the book. "Also, in this day and age, taking a young boy off for the afternoon would look highly suspicious. I wonder what Paul's tendencies are. I know there have been a few mentions earlier on about a girlfriend in the village or kampong as they call it, but so far there's been no proof she exists."

  "You mean he might have designs on Alex? That's horrible. I sincerely hope we're not heading into a diary about paedophiles because if so, we're going to stop right now. I consider myself broad-minded, but I do draw the line at that."

  "Darling, of course, I totally agree with you. But I really can't imagine Miss Chalcot would have given me these to read and sort through if something as sordid at that featured in her journals."

  "Mmm. You're probably right. She's of the old school and wouldn't want her family's dirty washing exposed in public. But getting back to the story and this part about Scarface, he must be a terrorist or Indonesian insurgent. Paul obviously delivered the mysterious cases to him."

  "I wonder if Miss Chalcot knows for sure."

  "I'm sure she does. You said she'd indicated the story was exciting and had possibilities."

  "Yes, but her main criterion was that a wrong was done, and she wanted to put it right. I think she meant, in not so many words, she wanted to set the record straight before she died. Poor woman. With her illness, life must be rotten for her."

  "Well then, we've only got so much time here, we'd better get on with it."

  Diana raised her eyebrows. "'We'? Darling does that mean you're going to help me with this?"

  Steve gave a short laugh. "What do you mean? Don't you always drag me into whatever you're doing, whether I want to get involved or not? What say do I have?"

  She giggled. "None whatsoever, come over here…"

  ~~~~~

  … Emma was furious. Ever since Alex and Paul had returned from KL together, she realised their friendship had changed. She couldn't remember Alex ever having a good rapport with another male, not if his relationship with his father was anything to go by. These days, Alex was wandering around looking half-awake one minute and with a daft smile on his face the next. He was obviously happy, as he hadn't even complained when she had left the tack room in a mess and had cajoled him into cleaning her leather for her. Silly boy.

  But Emma wasn't really concerned with Alex looking happy. Not only was she furious, she was insanely jealous. Deep down, she understood Alex needed a friend, someone to do different things with. She and Fiz
zy were happy playing tennis or cards or taking a good ride, but they were older and growing up fast. Emma knew Fizzy was thinking hard and trying to make up her mind as to whom she should marry and spent the majority of her time at her 'various clubs escorted by her various beaux'. She wanted to have made her decision by the time the ball came round. Then she could stun the company by announcing her betrothal and setting a date for her official engagement party. Emma on the other hand, at seventeen, was itching to practice her feminine wiles on almost every available male in the district. Paul Tan, being nearest, very sexy and good-looking was never far from her mind.

  For weeks now, she had laid her plans to get him to notice her, not as a child of the estate, but as a lovely young woman. Over time, she became more daring, and now it was beginning to pay off. Emma decided Paul seemed reticent because of who she was. She understood about his work and not getting involved with his boss' daughter; she would hate him to lose his job, but over the days, she had worn him down with her pretty face and ways, and they began to bump more often into each other. Eventually, she persuaded him to meet her after dinner in the summer house. The old summer house roof was in danger of collapsing, so Sir Winston kept the building locked. As the dilapidated construction wasn't used, the key hung unnoticed on a hook in the butler's pantry. Emma had no trouble stealing into the room and slipping the key into her pocket. She was completely besotted with the handsome young man and would willingly have agreed to meet him anywhere. As their relationship developed, Emma was so convinced by Paul's new responsiveness that she decided he felt the same way about her. She knew he was from a different background and faith, but he was a young unattached red-blooded male, and Emma was as beguiling as any young girl from the nearby Malay and Chinese kampongs.

  When Paul divided his free time between Emma and Alex, she naturally felt jealous of any attention that should have come her way. A boyish friendship was one thing, but a love affair was completely different and accorded all attention.

  Tonight, Paul had promised Emma his complete devotion with no unwelcome intervention from her parents or Alex. During the long dinner, Emma fidgeted at the table. She couldn't bear the tedious drawn out meal of one course after another. As soon as the servants cleared away the china and Eleanor was preparing to leave the room with Hermione, Emma asked to be excused. With Felicity out of the way in KL attending a tennis club dance, Emma knew no one was going to be around curtailing her fun. She and Felicity did not see eye to eye over Paul, but Emma considered it nobody's business but her own. She wasn't worried about Alex, as he had wandered off somewhere muttering about 'puppies'.

  With an absent-minded wave of her hand, Eleanor agreed to her daughter's request. Emma guessed she had other important matters to attend. She knew Winston was annoyed with Hermione once again over something probably quite trivial, and another storm was sure to explode on the household. It always came down to the same subject: when was Hermione returning to England?' Although Emma and Felicity both liked Hermione, they didn't feel quite the same way about her as Alex and Eleanor did. When Emma and Alex had discussed it briefly, he admitted thinking desperate thoughts about their father trying to force her return to Surrey. Even so, Emma considered Alex a bit precious when it came to family matters such as this.

  Once Eleanor and Hermione were in the living room and safely engrossed in a game of bridge with guests, Bunty and Edward Coleridge, Emma knew she was safe to slip out unnoticed to meet her beloved. First, she whisked upstairs to her room to brush her teeth and comb her hair. She reapplied a touch of perfume behind her ears, at her throat and daringly between her breasts. Standing and appraising herself in front of the full-length mirror, she turned to one side and pulled in her stomach. She had good, strong shapely legs, a firm trim body and a bosom she was proud of, unlike Felicity who was much smaller all over.

  "You'll do fine, my girl," she said to herself, giving a final twirl to the mirror and a flick to her hair. Grabbing a voile wrap, she tiptoed towards her door and peeked out into the corridor beyond. She could hear quiet, subdued conversation downstairs, but no one was in sight. Emma knew her mother and companion would be deep in their card game, and her father would no doubt be entertaining his other guests in the billiards room. Heart thumping in excitement, Emma moved stealthily down the stairs. Missing out the second to last step as it creaked; she reached the hallway and crossed through to the kitchen. The chattering kitchen staff were busy at the sink with a pile of soapy pans and crockery. They never noticed Emma when she crept out of the open kitchen door and made her way down the path towards the tennis court and summer house.

  ~~~~~

  Waiting inside the dark summer house, Emma's heart thudded in her chest. What if he couldn't come? Perhaps Father had given him some last minute task to perform…

  …A soft footstep near the doorway had her whirling round in excitement. "Is that you? I'm over here," she whispered.

  "Sorry I'm late. I had something important to finish. But I am here now. Nothing would have kept me away." Paul moved towards her voice, dry leaves crunching under his feet.

  "It's all right. I've only just arrived." She reached out with a hand to touch him and felt a thrill go through her when he caught her fingers in his. Pulling her into his arms, she could just make out his features in the darkness. His dark brown eyes gleamed in the light cast by the moon shining through the glass doors.

  "Emma," he said in a voice deep and throaty with desire, "you're so beautiful, but I wonder what your father would say if he caught us here like this."

  Feeling rash and daring, she gave a giggle. She was excited and nervous being alone with him in the dark. Until now, they had met briefly around the estate perimeter and once at the pool when Emma had taken advantage of Felicity's absence down in KL. They had been very careful to meet in quiet, out of the way places where Emma knew they wouldn't be discovered.

  "Paul, please don't worry, Father will never know. He's playing some silly billiard game with his friends. He's likely to be engrossed for hours, especially if he's winning." Emma really didn't want to talk or think about her family. Her heart was doing some extraordinary things. Had he really just called her beautiful? He must like her an awful lot. He had said he did on many occasions, but so far they had only exchanged kisses except for the last time. Emma had been thrilled when Paul had caressed her breasts through her blouse.

  "Then we must take advantage of this moment."

  Emma felt Paul's arms encircle her as he drew her towards him tightly. He smelt faintly of sandalwood and tobacco. His mouth found hers, and quivering with wonder, she let him explore her mouth with his tongue. As his lips moved over her face, her eyelids and down her throat, she felt herself shudder when he discovered her soft and warm skin. She had never realised love could be as spine-tingling as this. Under her hands, his body felt lean and strong. She could almost feel his pent-up energy threatening to burst from him when his hands began to roam further over her body. He stroked her bare shoulders, running his fingers down her back, light butterfly touches that sent her senses reeling with electric shock like pulses. As his hand found her breast, she gasped against his neck, waves of yearning making her dizzy with desire. Slipping the dress straps from her shoulders, he nuzzled the hollows at the base of her throat, nipping her with tiny gentle bites. Panting and aroused, she could hardly wait for him to bare her breasts as he unclasped her bra and let it drop to the floor.

  The soft moonlight fell upon her skin, which seemed to glow as he traced a finger across her large, cream-coloured breasts and erect nipples. With a groan, he buried his head between them while Emma held onto him as if she was drowning, a low moan deep in her throat escaping as he found first one darkened, aroused nipple and then the other. Holding both between his hands he licked and teased until her nipples were hard and aching. When Emma thought she could take no more, Paul suddenly lifted her off the ground and with a bound carried her over to where a table lay against the wall. With a sweep of his arm, he cle
ared the table-top of dry leaves and debris and pushed Emma up against it.

  Seeking her mouth once again, he spoke her name, his hands travelling from her chest to her hip. With Emma pinned up against the table, he eagerly lifted the silken material of her loose-flowing dress uncovering her thighs. Emma edged further back on the table and lifted her legs enabling her to wrap them around his waist. Her body was burning like it was on fire, every nerve screaming with want, knowing that now he would not stop. Paul scrunched her skirts up around her waist, hooking his fingers into her panties. With one swift tug he tore the flimsy lace from her, Emma gasping in surprise at his masterly action. His fingers travelled down to between her legs and discovered her wetness.

  She burned, she writhed and cried out in ecstasy. She didn't want him to stop – ever. She moaned as his fingers explored and begged for more. When he entered her she gave a gasp, never realising how a man felt, how big and hard, pulsating inside her. When he moved, she instinctively matched his movements with her own. She felt no pain, no soreness, just a heat and a feeling that she was going to fly at any moment. As her climax mounted, a cry tore from her throat and she found herself spiralling away, lost and crying like one of the estate feral cats on heat.