Spindrift

by Rebecca Stratton

  ‘Dom’s going to be very sarcastic about this,’ she remarked, and Marie nodded solemnly.

  ‘You should have known better, petite, to go out so far when dey a storm brewin’ an’ everyone knows it.’ The dark eyes glanced up at her curiously, no attempt made to disguise the speculation going on behind them. ‘I ’spose dat young man made you lose your sense, eh?’ Her wrinkled golden face creased briefly in a knowing smile and her eyes gleamed. ‘He pretty good-lookin’, ain’t he?’

  Bryony took it in good part, though she knew Marie would never have taken similar liberties with Dominic, but she wished she need not have coloured up as if she had some cause to blush. Nothing had passed between her and Edward that warranted blushing over, whether Marie believed it or not; although it might have been different if Edward had had his way.

  ‘He’s very nice.’ She began brushing her still damp hair, not looking at Marie. ‘But you’re on the wrong track, Marie, thinking along those lines.’

  ‘Peut-etre,’ Marie shrugged, taking the brush from her and using it vigorously on her copper-red hair, watching her face in the mirror as she did so. ‘Monsieur Laminaire think along those lines—he think you crazy to go so far when it gon’ to storm!’

  ‘Well, it’s got nothing to do with him whether there is or not!’ Tossing back her hair, Bryony walked away from the ministering brush and went back into her bedroom for a last look in the mirror before she went back downstairs. ‘I’m not a little girl any longer, you know, Marie, I grew up!’

  Marie followed her, brush in hand, looking at the slim soft shape in a pale silk dress with the gold leaf glowing against warm scented skin, the diamond raindrop catching the light and flashing its rainbow heart. Copper-red hair framed a small face from which huge blue eyes watched her almost warily via the brightly lit mirror, and Marie wore a curious half-smile on her mouth.

  ‘You think he don’ know that?’ she asked, and Bryony turned swiftly away.

  The pendant swung against her breast and she held it in the palm of her hand for a second, feeling the glowing raindrop stone pressing into her skin. ‘I think he’s beginning to,’ she said half to herself.

  Downstairs once more she found Edward, changed from his elegant fawn suit into a white shirt and slacks, but there was no sign of Dominic and she automatically sent an enquiring glance at Jules. He sat with Marion on the divan, a situation that Tim, on the other side of her, obviously took a poor view of, judging by his expression.

  Seeing her, Jules smiled encouragingly. ‘Hello, sweetheart, feeling O.K. after your ducking?’

  ‘You must have been crackers going out so far when there was a storm in the offing,’ Tim declared frankly. ‘You deserved to get soaked!’

  Ignoring him, Bryony took a chair next to Jenny, then looked across at Edward who gave the appearance of feeling slightly sheepish, as if he was doubtful about the reception she was going to give him. Catching his eye, she smiled, wondering as she did so if perhaps he regretted having shown her a more ruthless side to his character.

  ‘You’re none the worse, are you, Ned?’

  ‘Good as new!’ His smile lacked only a little of its usual confidence, and he drew on the cigarette he held before he said any more. ‘How are your legs? Sorry, but I didn’t even realise you’d hurt yourself until—your brother picked you up. You must have thought me a callous brute for hauling you along the way I did, but you should have said something.’

  ‘Oh, it isn’t much.’ It was too close to the truth for her to feel comfortable about denying it outright, so she compromised. ‘I just thought you were anxious to get in out of the rain.’

  ‘What did happen, Bryony?’

  From Marion’s question it was safe to assume that the same query asked of Edward had drawn blank, which was not surprising since he professed to have known nothing about her hurting herself until Dominic picked her up in his arms and carried her. But she wondered if it could, in part at least, account for Dominic’s anger, if he had seen Edward hauling her along as he had with her knees bleeding, and shoeless through the pouring rain.

  ‘Oh, it was my own fault really.’ She used her hands airily, as if to deprive the words of too much importance. ‘I know the ground and Ned doesn’t. I should have had more sense than to walk so far when I knew there was rain about.’

  ‘But how did you hurt your knees?’

  Edward was frowning and she thought that in other circumstances he would have told his sister to stop asking questions that could embarrass him; instead he sat with his hands together, his cigarette burning away in the ashtray beside him while Bryony explained further.

  ‘When the storm caught us we had to run, as you can imagine, and those high heels I was wearing were hardly made for running. Ned was holding my hand and pulling me along behind him, not realising I couldn’t keep up, and eventually I lost one shoe, which made matters worse.’ She laughed and shook her head. ‘Anyway, I fell flat on my face in a most undignified manner, and grazed both my knees!’

  Marion was nodding her head and there was an unmistakable gleam in her dark eyes, as if she could picture it all too easily. ‘I rather think Dominic thought the worst when he saw the state you were in,’ she told Bryony, ignoring her brother’s quick frown when she said it. ‘You were so long coming after the rain started and’—she shrugged and laughed—‘well, he didn’t know where you were!’

  A swift flush of colour warmed Bryony’s cheeks once more and she lamented her tendency to blush so easily of late. Without looking at Edward, she shook her head. ‘Even running as we were, it takes a very long time to get back from the plantation, and we’d left it too late before we started.’ Quite instinctively she registered the appearance of' Dominic’s tall figure looming in the doorway, and to angle her chin the way she did was automatic; just as it was to speak as if she was still unaware of him being there. ‘Anyway, I don’t see that it need have concerned Dom or anyone else where we were, need it?’

  Jenny caught her breath, Bryony heard it quite distinctly, and almost before the words were out of her mouth she was regretting them. Dominic said nothing, but when he came striding across in her direction she felt her heart thudding wildly, and she did not look up until he walked on past her and bent to take a cheroot from a box on the table beside Jenny. As he lit it, his hands were sure and steady, and the flame from the lighter sent small, swift shadows flicking across the strong rugged face.

  It was Jules, almost inevitably, who broke the awkward silence. ‘We thought you might have gone along the coast road a way, so when the rain started Dom thought it might be a good idea to take the jeep and look for you. It seemed better than letting you and Ned get soaked to the skin.’

  It was difficult to know what to say, but Bryony gave a hasty glance at Dominic’s dark and unrelenting face and decided to make her apology to Jules. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t know.’

  Jules smiled tolerantly, aware as he always was of how easy it was for her to flare up and then regret it only seconds later. He made a wry face and shook his head at her. ‘I know you didn’t, love, that’s why I’m telling you.’

  ‘Don’t bother to explain, Jules, you’ll be wasting your time with Little Miss Independence!’

  The grey eyes behind a cloud of smoke were steely, and Bryony felt herself shiver. His voice, too, might have sounded no more than mildly reproachful or maybe faintly amused, but to Bryony it had the edge of hardness that she always hated to hear, and she was more than ready to back down if only he gave her the opportunity. It was a fact lately that she hated having Dominic at odds with her more than she ever had before, though she could not quite understand why it mattered so much more than it had once.

  ‘Dom, I didn’t know you were coming in the jeep to look for us. I didn’t expect you to do that.’

  It was a moment or two before Dominic looked at her, but when he did, she thought the grey eyes were less steely and the mouth a little more relaxed as he pursed his lips to expel smoke in a long jet. And prob
ably no one else noticed the inward sigh of resignation, unless they were watching him with the same intentness as she was herself.

  A faint lingering ghost of a smile hovered about his mouth and he looked at her steadily, regretfully almost, as if it hurt him to have her misjudge him. ‘No, you wouldn’t expect me to, would you, ma petite?’ She clenched her hands tightly when he shook his head. ‘That’s something that saddens me.’

  ‘Dom—’

  ‘Non, non, non!’ He shook his head, getting to his feet and standing for a moment to look down at her. ‘Let’s have more champagne, shall we? After all, it’s still your birthday!’

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  As tomorrow was to be Marion and Edward’s last day on the island, the four of them had decided to go swimming. Using aqua-lung equipment, the idea was for them to go in off Edward’s cabin cruiser which would be anchored just off the shallows, and it was Bryony who suggested it might be best if they left someone on board while they were all in the water. She thought Louis would be only too pleased to join them, if Dominic could spare him, and she foresaw little difficulty in persuading him.

  What she did not foresee was that it would be Marion who took the initiative and told him about their plans, before she had a chance to say anything herself. Marion had always claimed that she found him attractive, but she had never before attempted to openly flirt with him, in fact during her stay they had been rather formal in their exchanges, a situation that Dominic seemed quite happy with. Her present manner towards him showed a distinct change, even though she still addressed him by his full name.

  ‘We’re going aqua-lung diving tomorrow, Monsieur Laminaire; won’t you join us?’

  If the invitation surprised Dominic he gave no sign of it other than a briefly raised brow, but he responded to the unmistakable gleam in Marion’s dark eyes, with a half-smile. ‘Me?’

  ‘I’m sure you’d enjoy it, and we’d love to have you.’ Her gaze scanned his tall muscular frame with frank admiration. ‘And I’m sure you’re a marvellous swimmer.’

  He was, but Dominic neither committed himself to an opinion of his own prowess nor dismissed out of hand, as Bryony expected him to, the idea of joining them. Instead he seemed prepared to let Marion persuade him, whether he meant to eventually accept or not, and seeing him so apparently responsive took Bryony unawares and brought a prickling feeling of resentment.

  ‘I’m flattered.’ he allowed.

  His grey eyes gleamed with laughter, as if he recognised some ulterior motive behind the invitation. He leaned forward to tap ash from his cheroot and his voice was threaded with laughter and faintly mocking as he sought Marion’s suddenly evasive eyes.

  ‘I’m also tempted,’ he admitted, and smiled directly at her when she looked up to offer further encouragement. ‘And I know you refer to me as Dominic, Marion, so why not use my name now, hein?’

  Tim cleared his throat and he was frowning; so far during her stay he had regarded himself as Marion’s natural companion, and he obviously viewed Dominic’s unaccustomed dalliance with suspicion. Bryony disliked the situation too, though she did her best to stifle the unfamiliar confusion of annoyance and anxiety it aroused.

  Dominic was at his most French; very much the man of the world, and she could imagine the effect he was having. Mature, confident and stunningly masculine, he was more than a match for any woman, and Marion, for all her air of sophistication, was only a little older than Bryony; she could guess how she felt.

  Marion’s dark eyes switched to her briefly, and she saw the uncertainty there, as if she had for once been caught out of her depth. Obviously she had hoped for a response from him, but it had been rather different from what she expected. Her recovery was rapid, however, and she was smiling again, using her eyes to encourage him.

  ‘Dominic,’ she repeated obediently, and he laughed. A bright gleam in her eyes, she looked at him from the shadow of her lashes. ‘Why don’t you come with us, Dominic?’

  He sat forward in his chair, elbows resting on his knees and regarding her with eyes narrowed against the smoke he expelled from pursed lips. ‘I’m tempted, as I said, but unfortunately I can’t spare the time.’

  ‘Ah!’ She pouted her disappointment. ‘Can’t you be spared for just a few hours?’

  ‘I’m afraid not. Bryony will tell you how busy I am always.’

  Marion’s laughter had a soft reproachful sound and she did not look across at Bryony, but kept her eyes for Dominic only. ‘But Bryony isn’t asking you, I am.’ For a moment he fixed his disturbing grey eyes on her, and Bryony felt her senses respond urgently, even though she hastily avoided looking at him. ‘Bryony wouldn’t ask me,’ he said quietly. ‘Would you, ma petite?’ He didn’t wait for a reply, but returned his attention to Marion. ‘I’d be superfluous, obviously.’ His gaze took in the four of them seated about the room. ‘Four is a more comfortable number and I should be the odd man out.’

  A challenge lurked somewhere in that deep quiet voice, and Marion obviously recognised it, but she merely gave a swift and rather uneasy glance at Bryony and shrugged. ‘Maybe,’ she agreed.

  ‘You’re both good swimmers, I presume?’ He obviously considered Edward as the leader of the party, for he addressed the question to him. ‘Bryony and Tim are both excellent swimmers, having spent half their lives in the water, but they haven’t done much aqualung diving.’

  Edward’s good-looking face showed self-satisfaction and he smiled, as if he was about to spring a surprise. ‘I’m pretty good, I was university champion for two years running.’

  ‘Ah!’

  It was impossible to tell whether or not Dominic was impressed, he wasn’t easy to impress on the whole and she thought he would be willing enough to agree that Louis should accompany them. He had always trusted Louis and she was almost certain he did not like trusting Edward to see that every precaution was taken to ensure their safety.

  ‘There was one thing, Dom.’ She spoke up before the idea became swamped in other matters. ‘We need someone to stay on deck while we’re swimming, and I wondered if you’d mind if Louis came with us.’

  There was no doubt in Bryony’s mind that it was relief she saw for a moment in his eyes before he nodded and smiled agreement. ‘But of course, petite, I’m sure he’d love to come with you, and I’ll feel easier if he’s aboard—just in case anything goes wrong.’ He caught her eye and briefly lowered one lid. ‘But I’m glad it was you who suggested it, ma chere, and not me, or you’d have accused me of—’ He heaved his broad shoulders in an explicit Gallic shrug and his eyes were bright with laughter. ‘Heaven knows what you’d have called me!’

  ‘No, Dom, I—’

  ‘Wouldn’t you?’ he insisted, and she pursed her bottom lip, unable to deny it, while his laughter rippled through her senses like the touch of a cool finger tracing along her spine.

  ‘I suppose so,’ she admitted.

  The fact that Tim seemed to have become so attached to Marion during the past few days was something that Bryony accepted gladly, although she hoped he wasn’t going to spoil everything by growing jealous of her friend’s unexpected attempt to flirt with Dominic, as he had showed signs of doing today.

  It was to discover if she could, how Dominic felt about Tim’s apparent change of heart that she had stayed on in the salon after everyone else had gone to bed. It was always so difficult to know just what Dominic’s reactions were to any situation, until he chose to make them known, and she was curious enough to want to find out.

  Tim had suggested at the beginning that Dominic’s idea in asking Edward and Marion to stay for several days was in the hope that Marion would take his mind off Sarah Bryant, and she could hardly deny that the same thought had occurred to her. If that had indeed been his motive, then it showed every sign of being well planned, and it seemed reasonable enough in the circumstances to ask him.

  He was curious about her lingering after the rest of them had gone to bed, but she guessed he was waiting for her to ma
ke the first move. He occupied an armchair in one corner of the room, and the salon had never seemed so overpoweringly big and quiet as it did now, with only the two of them left in it.

  Most of the lights were out and a low lamp by Dominic’s chair cast shadows across his face, leaving gaunt hollows and clefts about the strong cheeks and chin, while the grey eyes watched her from the dark depths of thick lashes as she got up from her own chair and moved restlessly about the room.

  ‘Aren’t you tired?’

  She turned and looked across at him, her indecision showing in her face, and he smiled encouragingly. ‘I wanted to—to talk to you, that’s all.’

  An arm extended, the long fingers curved invitingly, persuading her towards him where he sat in that small warm patch of light. ‘Then come and talk, ma petite, huh?’

  Bryony had never felt so self-conscious as she did during the few seconds it took her to walk across the room to him, and she felt the scrutiny of those steady grey eyes like a physical touch until he took her into the curve of his arm and drew her down on to the arm of his chair. There was a curiously unfamiliar sense of excitement being so close to him, and she was alarmingly aware of the strength of the arm that held her as well as the spicy masculine scent he used, mingled with the heat of his body.

  ‘You—you like Marion, don’t you, Dom? Now that you know her better, I mean.’

  ‘What you mean is do I like her better than Sarah Bryant as a prospect for Tim, isn’t that it?’ His voice was warm with laughter and he had so accurately interpreted her reasons for asking that she hastily avoided his eyes, feeling slightly on the defensive.

  ‘I noticed you liked her better on your own behalf!’ she retorted impulsively, and coloured furiously when he laughed. ‘I don’t care about that,’ she went on hastily and a little breathlessly, ‘but she and Tim are more of an age than he and Sarah are, and Tim likes her quite a lot.’

  ‘Also it suits you better, doesn’t it, petite?’

  There was something in his voice that made her frown and she got up from the arm of his chair and walked off a way, turning to try and judge his mood. He drew deeply on the cheroot and made a great deal of smoke in the yellow aura of light that surrounded him, so that it was impossible to see what was in his eyes.