Destiny Decrees

by Margaret Mann

  Then I'll say goodnight,' she murmured.

  He was at the door before her, chivalrous as always, and formal. He gave her a dismissive bow.

  ' Goodnight, Miss Grey.'

  As she mounted the shadowy stairs, her white dress swishing above her knees, she was aware that he watched and waited below, as for a child to reach the safety of the stair-top.

  The sound of the heavy doors shutting her out as he closed them behind him lent a loneliness to the eerie staircase that she hadn't felt while his masculine presence had dispelled her fears.

  Casting a nervous glance over her shoulder down into the vaulted hallway Coralie sensed the quietude of a past that had changed neither in time nor customs. She braced herself to turn the dark corner of the stairs, before braving the long stretch of gallery leading to her bedroom. Her skin prickled coldly as she stole through the lurking shadows where a lamp-beam flickered, then went out altogether. For an instant she could see only the blackness of her panic as something brushed swiftly past her face. At the moment of her cry she heard a door flung open and powerful footsteps echoed on the stairs. With thudding heart she shrank trembling against the dark panelling of an alcove.

  ' 'What is it, pequena?'

  ' Ricardo!' She breathed his name with childlike relief. The lean face was half quizzical, half serious.

  Has something frightened you, child? Tell me ! '

  S—someone darted in front of me—I felt them brush my face.' Her voice was unsteady, and she shivered at the recollection. Dark eyes looked down at her sleeveless dress and slim bare arms, and Coralie caught the glimmer of Dom Ricardo's teeth set in a tolerant smile.

  ' I think your ghostly assailant was merely a harmless bat you had disturbed, far more afraid of you than you were of its eerie disturbance. You are over-imaginative tonight, Miss Grey.' His voice purred with mockery.

  Don't torment me. I've had enough for one evening, Coralie uttered, pulling herself together. I can't help being afraid of the dark.'

  What a puzzling creature you are—afraid of the dark, yet unafraid to venture alone into a strange land.'

  Her heart gave a peculiar twist. This was the first time he had admitted that she held even a passing interest for him. But not half so much an enigma as he was to her, she thought, her eyelids fluttering shyly in the half-light.

  She was suddenly aware of Elvira's tall figure draped over the banister at the foot of the stairs, watching. Her laugh shattered the intimacy of the moment, as if to remind them forcibly of her elegant existence. Coralie cringed with humiliation at the knowledge that the Portuguese girl had overheard their brief exchange—she would by no means have missed the note of mockery in Dom Ricardo's tone, she thought bitterly.

  Darling. Miss Grey will catch a chill if you delay her any longer. She is dying to escape—you are much too unsympathetic,' she drawled. A stony brilliance flashed in Dom Ricardo's dark eyes, but Coralie could not decide whether it was with Elvira's interference, or with her own timidity, that he had become suddenly impatient. Silently he escorted her along the gallery to the door of her bedroom, but now his previous air of concern for her had vanished. At the door of her room, with a brief inclination of his head, he bade her goodnight.

  Are you all right now, Miss Grey?'

  ' Yes, thank you.' She made a small, helpless gesture. ' I just got a bit of a fright, that's all—I'm sorry.'

  A strange look came over the dark face above her. Taut and tight-lipped, he said:

  ' I am intrigued to know where you had been today, Miss Grey, before you appeared like a water-sprite on my lawn.' Coralie gave a start at his unexpected probing. ' You see, you are still nervous, but I thought English girls were unafraid—except perhaps of strangers.' She trembled at the watchful glitter in his eyes. ' You look at me as if I am still a stranger, pequena.'

  Coralie's silken lashes swept down over her eyes.

  You are ! ' she whispered, half dazed with an inexpressible yearning at the look of him standing there so hard and self-contained. His lips quirked in amusement at her embarrassment, then with a brief ' Goodnight again, Miss Grey,' he strode away down the length of the gallery, his slight limp no impediment to the tall, athletic grace of his figure.

  As the sound of his retreating footsteps echoed into silence, Coralie turned resolutely into her room, determined to shut out all thoughts of that arrogant face with its cynical eyes veiling an uncomprehensible depth of bitterness and pain—a strange man, so unpredictable; but she could not banish the image of Dom Ricardo and Elvira, so ideally suited to each other—and yet Coralie had become so intensely aware of this comparative stranger who had induced her to accept his hospitality. What would Peter say when he knew of her adventure—or would he care? she thought unhappily. ' Oh, if only I'd never met Dom Ricardo! ' she agonised; a man as powerful and vigorous as the tides that beat turbulently against his shores, strong as the winds that blew across his valley, vibrant and invigorating as the air he breathed. Strangely the fleeting seconds no longer nipped sharply at her conscience as they grew into whole days spent under the laughing sunshine of this land beyond.

  CHAPTER VIII

  Coralie never ceased to wonder at the invigorating beauty born afresh with each new day. Early morning in the Algarve was a magical time. The day had dawned hot and clear and blue shadows played upon the serrated peaks of the serras. Slipping out of the great carved bed, Coralie walked over to the window and flung wide the shutters. The light, lucid and calm, stepped with a peculiar tranquillity over the balcony and into her room. She was staring at morning sunlight reflected off an African-blue sea, and from white, cliff-hanging Moorish cottages in the deep distance of this green valley.

  Coralie felt her pulses leap as she breathed deeply of the aromatic air. So powerful was the effect of the early morning sunshine, as she glimpsed the world beyond the walled courtyard, that her depression of the previous night was immediately dispelled. Life in this land beyond the mighty serra got under way very early in the morning. There had been sounds of activity emanating from the servants' quarters since six o'clock, and the melodious singing of the peasants, warm-hearted as the sun itself, at work in the orchards, now filtered across the sun-kissed valley. She stood there leaning against the balcony, her nightdress the same delicate shade as the azure sky above; her hair falling silkily about her shoulders, and unaware of the figure standing in the shadow of the fig-tree, appraising the innocent picture she made of inexpressible youth, and sweetness, fresh as the morning itself. Instinctively Coralie withdrew into the shadows as a sprig of dew-wet jasmine landed at her feet. The man moved purposefully across the courtyard until he stood beneath her balcony, flashing his disarming white smile.

  ' Oh, Rafael, you startled me!' Coralie's breath caught in confusion. Colour swept into her cheeks as she looked down and caught the sensuous look of appraisal in the brilliant eyes that flickered over her.

  She retreated for her dressing gown, tying the sash firmly around her narrow waist before coming out to him again. As she stooped to pick up the fragrant blossom, she heard his soft, low laugh of pure enjoyment, his teeth white against his sun-bitten face, the eyes glimmering with mockery.

  Come down and join me, little all-alone girl!'

  What do you mean, all alone?' Coralie watched his vivid smile with annoyance. ' I am about to join Dom Ricardo and Elvira for a ride before breakfast.'

  Rafael's indolent laugh irritated her as he idly tipped back his broad-brimmed hat.

  ` Ricardo breakfasted at sun-up and the lovely Elvira joined him on their solitary ride, you little innocent. Surely you did not think to spoil their hour alone?' A tantalising grin creased the lean jaw. Rafael's amusement at her dismay was evident. ' They left you behind, senhorita, so what!' An elegant shrug of his narrow shoulders expressed his casual unconcern.

  Coralie's eyes flashed like jade at the challenging directness of his tone, and she remembered the last time she had spoken to this smooth-tongued cousin of Dom Ricardo's.
>
  Come now, why so grave? Allow me to show you the young thoroughbred bulls—the pride of Ricardo's heart'

  The soft, indulgent laugh was all she needed to fan the flame kindled in her at being heartlessly left out of the morning ride. She was gripped by an inner restlessness, and her eyes, wide and brilliantly intent on Rafael's face, were seeing another, stronger, darker face in the abstraction of her thoughts. In this mood she could afford to forget the capricious Elvira and the man who rode at her side on a deserted beach. A wave of desolation threatened to submerge her; she was conscious of Rafael's gaze resting on her with a strange intensity. She withdrew to dress before joining him.

  With decision she donned a cool cotton blouse and slim-fitting pants, securing her hair into two neat bunches with gay red ribbon. The morning was far too beautiful to stay cooped up in the Quinta. Within

  ten minutes, Coralie was swinging across the courtyard, trailing her finger in the cool water of the fountain as she headed in the direction of the outbuildings. The lean young Portuguese was lounging like a dark shadow against the stark lime-washed walls of the stables. His bold eyes watched her approach, taking in the slender grace of her movement and the defiant flame of her hair as it burned bright under the hot sun. Rafael's mouth curled in an insidious smile as she met his eyes with her cool gaze. How she disliked this man, she thought. What mischief lurked behind those hooded lids? she wondered, experiencing a moment's qualm as to the wisdom of allowing herself to be lured into his company.

  ' So we are to be friends today, senhorita?' Rafael chuckled at her questioning look and fingered a small scar at his temple. ' I shall not soon forget the girl who left her mark on me ! ' Coralie bit her lip in concern, remembering vividly the incident at the fair in Tavira when she had unwittingly caused the cut on Rafael's temple with the stone from the herdsman's sling. ' Come, you owe me the consolation of your company a while.'

  She felt his fingers grip her elbow as they sauntered across the courtyard, but quickly withdrew her arm, and heard his low, lingering laugh.

  ' You intrigue me, senhorita, with your cool English ways and your tantalising looks. Life at the Quinta is becoming more interesting since your arrival.'

  ' Interesting for whom?' she countered.

  ' Who knows?' His glance was speculative. ' Could it really be coincidence that brought you here?' He studied her face through narrowed eyes.

  ' What else, Rafael? I literally stumbled across Dom Ricardo on the quayside in Lisbon the minute I put my foot in your country.' Coralie was not prepared for the reaction that her words caused. Rafael checked his step abruptly, his eyes raking her face with avid curiosity.

  ' So, little Miss Innocent Eyes, you knew Ricardo before he brought you here as a result of your car

  accident?" His smile was slow and mocking, and she felt a sudden chill beneath his scrutiny. ' I knew I was right about you, that there is more to this reserved English flower than at first meets the eye ! ' Coralie flushed with anger at his innuendo. The rumours are true, then.'

  What rumours?' she flashed. He gave an expressive shrug. ' Dom Ricardo merely did for me what any chivalrous man would do for a stranger stranded in an unfamiliar land.' Somehow Rafael's insolent smile compelled her to go on, to explain to him how Dom Ricardo had come to her aid when she discovered that she was stranded upon an unknown shore, and how she had felt she must not presume upon his generosity after he had acquired a room for her at his hotel. And anyhow, I couldn't wait to see my fiancé,' she finished.

  You spent a night at an hotel in Lisbon with Ricardo—I am not mistaken?' His look of incredulity left Coralie with a feeling of helplessness. 'But this is sensational, senhorita! What will our lovely Elvira think when she hears of this—not to mention your fiancé?'

  ' You jump to the wrong conclusions too easily,' Coralie broke in, wondering how to put right the false impression she had foolishly created.

  Rafael's laugh was harsh; he had caught her in a web of entanglement from which she could not easily escape. Imprudently, a girl of no artifice or design, she had impulsively played into the hands of this unscrupulous character.

  A man of such intense pride as Ricardo should handle his affairs with more discretion.' Coralie jerked her eyes defensively to the harsh brown face.

  I think you enjoy making mischief, Rafael, but why use me as your pawn?' She was gripped by a sudden wave of antagonism for this rogue. Instinct warned her that he could be ruthless, and she shrank physically from the touch of his arm across her shoulder.

  The lazy grace of movement that women generally must find so attractive in Rafael, Coralie suddenly found repulsive to her.

  ' Are you a little afraid, perhaps?' The smooth tone rasped on her ear.

  Afraid of what?' she returned coolly.

  Rafael shrugged eloquently.

  ' Perhaps of yourself rather than of me, pequena. Maybe you are afraid of staying too long beneath Ricardo's roof.'

  Ignoring his provocations, she said with some misgivings, ' I had better go back to the house. I'm sure you have other things to do besides baiting me with your foolish remarks.'

  ' But no, senhorita! This morning my time is yours.' She felt the pressure of his fingers on her shoulder and she tightened her defences against his smouldering charm. You have never before been so dose to the bulls, I take it, which inevitably accounts for your nervousness. Then you can watch with me while the campinos escort a most high-spirited young bull they have selected into isolation in its own private arena.'

  Despite herself, Coralie could not hide her eager interest. As she stood by the white fence, she was still gripped by the spell of the morning. A pungent smell of animal sweat wafted on the air as she asked, Why do they sort out a young animal like this?'

  ' These bulls make the best fighting animals,' Rafael informed her. ' They are reared in complete freedom in the open air; then in spring after their branding, the most promising are segregated; their combative spirit increases with the warmer weather at this time of year—am I unnerving you?' He grinned wickedly. But first look back across to the serra.' He gestured to where the mountain loomed sombrely, seeming to guard this valley where, amid stage-set surroundings, the people carried on their hardworking existences merely to eke out a living.

  ' A fine view, yes?'

  ' This must surely be the most beautiful valley in the Algarve,' she breathed.

  You must ask Ricardo to take you up in to the serra, some time. On a clear day, one can contemplate

  half of Portugal from up in those mountains.' Rafael

  lifted his sculptured face to the sun, but his eyes,

  shaded by the broad-brimmed hat, were unreadable.

  I think you will be reluctant to leave our garden land,' he said quietly.

  ' Leave?' Coralie was brought to earth by the intensity of his tone.

  ' Even my cousin's hospitality will not be extended indefinitely—'

  ' I am well aware of that,' she broke in impatiently.

  ' And I cannot see your fiancé staying long in these parts,' he went on. At her questioning look he drawled, ' I suspect the temperature will soon become too hot for him.'

  Whether or not this smooth-tongued Portuguese alluded to some veiled incident, Coralie never knew, for neither of them was prepared for what happened next.

  The men, slim and spare, in short open jackets and white linen, their wide-brimmed hats shading their eyes, were manoeuvring a seemingly harmless young bull into the redondel, when in a flash it had escaped them, its eyes lit with a wild flame of vengeance. Coralie made an instinctive movement away from the fence, but the animal rushed madly towards the frightened girl, her hair a vibrant flame in the sunlight. She heard Rafael's sharply indrawn breath with sudden panic as she stood rooted to the spot, her eyes wide with paralysing, sickening fear. Pounding hoofbeats held her motionless as a large horse and its rider loomed out of the swirling clouds of red dust. The next instant the lightning figure of Dom Ricardo leapt from the saddle, flingi
ng his taut body between the panic-stricken girl and the enraged bull. Coralie felt herself flung violently aside by arms of steel. She fell in a bruised stupor, her eyes riveted on the scene being played out between man and beast under a sky brilliant as a brass shield. A chilling fear numbed her as she saw the advance of slashing horns, too near for Dom Ricardo to evade attack. No one moved. There was something barbaric about the stance of the man as he

  tore off his jacket and using it as a matador's cape, awaited the vicious onslaught, his features granite-hard.

  For the first time, Coralie was seeing the inbred skill and courage of this virile Portuguese. She watched motionless, her wide green eyes brilliant with anticipation and hypnotic fear. There was an instinctive alertness about the man; his dark face showed no sign of fear as the engagement between the bull and its adversary became closer and closer, needing infallible precision to execute the lightning panics of a combat so deadly. Coralie's heart leapt to her mouth. One false move and the murderous horns could kill.

  Swiftly the combat was at an end, as dramatically as it had begun, the wild spirit of the black thoroughbred completely checked as the bull stood spent and docile while the men merged in on all sides to tether the vanquished beast.

  Coralie was aware only of dark eyes blazing down at her; of nostrils dilated in anger. With an elegantly mocking bow he dipped:

  Are you satisfied now, Miss Grey? I regret I could not throw you an ear, but in Portugal we do not kill the bull.' His tone was barbed and brutal. She felt the colour once more drain from her face and with a shuddering breath swayed towards the railings. Arms of steel prevented her from falling over, but summoning all her strength Coralie pulled sharply away from them. His eyes, black as midnight, accused her.

  Life is sweet, eh?' He spoke without expression, his stabbing gaze taking in her youthfulness.