by Dilly Court
‘I dunno if I can stomach eating a wild pig,’ Gertie said warily. ‘You never know where it’s been.’
‘It’s better than alligator. Now that would be hard to swallow, but if you’re hungry enough you’ll eat almost anything.’ Mirabel slipped a cotton-print gown over her head. ‘I’m semi-decent. Will you do me up, please?’
Gertie folded the blanket and proceeded to fasten the tiny buttons at the back of Mirabel’s bodice. ‘Something’s changed. What happened out there?’
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ Mirabel said, shrugging. ‘You’ve been alone too much and you’re imagining things. Anyway, it’s just as well you didn’t accompany us today. You wouldn’t believe what it was like in there.’ She shivered, but it was the memory of Jack’s embrace that sent a tremor running down her spine. The dangers and discomfort of the Fakahatchee swamp were forgotten, but the memory of that passionate embrace would last a lifetime.
‘And you’ve got to go back there tomorrow, I suppose,’ Gertie said, sighing. ‘Better you than me, that’s all I can say.’ She fastened the last button, patting Mirabel on the shoulder. ‘All done, and you’re right about the hog. I don’t suppose it’ll be as good as Mrs Flitton’s roast pork and all the trimmings, but I’m starving so I won’t be too fussy.’
‘Quite right.’ Mirabel nodded in agreement, although she had barely heard a word that Gertie said. Her thoughts were for Jack only and she knew that it was foolish, dangerous even, but she had to be near him. She needed to speak to him and reassure herself that what had happened in the swamp had not been merely a spur of the moment reaction to the dangers they had faced. ‘I want to ask the captain something,’ she said vaguely. ‘I’ll only be a minute.’ She walked away, heading towards the lake, but she had only taken a few steps when Hubert called out to her. He was lying on his bedroll with a blanket covering his legs, although it was still uncomfortably hot.
‘Come and sit with me, my dear. I’ve hardly had time to speak to you since we returned.’
Mirabel glanced anxiously at Jack, who was still standing staring out across the water. Soon it would be dark and they would eat their evening meal before turning in for the night. She needed him but she knew that what she wanted was impossible. When this was over they would go their separate ways and she might never see him again. She moved to Hubert’s side. ‘You should be resting.’
He patted the ground. ‘Sit with me for a while, Mirabel. You must have had a terrible fright today, and I wanted to apologise for placing you in such dire peril.’
She went down on her knees in the dust. ‘I’m all right, Hubert. Really, you mustn’t worry about me.’
‘But I do, my dear girl. It was my selfish desire to find the ghost orchid which brought us here. I should have been looking after you.’
‘I wanted to come and I wouldn’t have missed the experience for the world.’ She scrambled to her feet. ‘Would you like some tea? I know that Bundy will have a kettle on the boil.’
He nodded wearily. ‘You’re too good to me, but yes, I would love a cup of tea, with perhaps a drop or two of brandy.’
‘Of course.’ She walked over to where Bodger was sitting with his knees drawn up to his chest. ‘My husband would like some tea, but I don’t like to disturb the men at the campfire.’
‘Of course, missis.’ Bodger unravelled his long legs and leapt to his feet. ‘I know just how the boss likes it.’ He winked and tapped a silver flask tucked in his shirt pocket. ‘Leave it to me.’
Mirabel smiled and thanked him. She hesitated, turning her head to look at Jack. She desperately wanted to be at his side, to inhale the musky scent of him that made her sense spin out of control, but she was painfully aware that every move she made would be observed by someone in the camp, especially Hubert. She was about to abandon her plan to join him on the pretext of watching the sunset when he turned his head and their eyes met. She knew she was lost and she moved slowly towards him, like a sleepwalker drawn to him by a silken cord that could never be broken. She could feel him smiling even though his face was in shadow, and then the atmosphere changed. She felt the air crackle with danger even before he shouted a warning. He was running towards her. ‘Get back,’ he shouted hoarsely. ‘Run.’
Behind him she saw the sleek silhouette of a panther moving so fast it was like a streak of golden silky fur and it was heading straight for Jack.
Chapter Nineteen
FROZEN TO THE spot, Mirabel could only stand and stare in horror as the animal raced towards Jack. She heard Bundy shout and the sound of a rifle being cocked but Jack had drawn the pistol from its holster and he fired into the air. The panther came to a skidding halt, and in one graceful movement it turned and fled into the stand of cypress trees bordering the lake. Moses raced past Mirabel brandishing a flaming branch he had plucked from the fire, but the panther had disappeared into the undergrowth. Jack slipped his gun back into its holster. ‘We’ll double the watch tonight.’ He laid his hand on Mirabel’s arm. ‘Are you all right?’
She nodded slowly. The nightmare vision of what might have been flashed before her eyes. ‘You could have been killed.’
‘But I wasn’t.’ He glanced over her shoulder, frowning. ‘Your husband looks upset, and so he should for putting you in danger in the first place.’
She drew away from him, fear turning to anger. ‘I chose to come here. I’m not a child, Jack. I knew it would be dangerous.’ The desire to hold him and be held was almost overpowering, but somehow she managed to cling on to her wavering self-control. For the second time that day they had faced danger together: all her senses were alert and her emotions raw with the need for him and him alone. She could hear her husband calling her name and she forced herself to walk away, each step hurting as if she were walking on shards of broken glass.
Hubert had risen shakily to his feet and he tottered towards her, arms outstretched. Their relationship had never entailed more than a chaste peck on the cheek and the mere thought of being embraced by him made her recoil in horror. She clutched his hands, giving them a comforting squeeze, and by doing so managed to avoid any closer contact. ‘Are you hurt?’ he demanded querulously. ‘I couldn’t quite see what happened. It was all so sudden.’
‘It was a panther,’ she said, leading him back to where he had been sitting. ‘It came from nowhere.’
‘And Starke shot it?’
‘No, Hubert, he fired into the air and it ran away.’
‘It will return. It must have smelled the meat. We must be on our guard.’ He sank down on his bedroll with a sigh. ‘I’ve brought you into terrible danger, Mirabel. I’m so sorry, my dear.’
‘Nonsense,’ she said briskly. ‘Let’s not go over it again. I’m here because I chose to be.’
He looked up at her, his eyes moist. ‘You’ve given me so much, and I’ve given you so little in return.’
‘That’s silly,’ she said, patting his shoulder. ‘You’ve given me everything I could possibly want.’
‘I’d be lost without you. You’ve made my life worthwhile.’ His voice shook with emotion. ‘I know that I’m a selfish old man, but I want you to know that I love and respect you, and all I want now is for you to be happy too.’
She sketched a smile, struggling with feelings of guilt and frustration. She was trapped and there was no escape. Hubert deserved better than to be cuckolded by an unfaithful wife. ‘I am happy,’ she murmured, avoiding his anxious gaze. ‘And I’ll be even happier when we’ve found the ghost orchid.’ She withdrew her hand gently. ‘Maybe we’ll come across one tomorrow.’
Hubert nodded, reaching for his none too clean handkerchief and mopping his brow. ‘I hope so, my dear.’ He looked up as Bodger approached them carrying a tin plate laden with roast meat and corn pone.
‘Here you are, guv,’ he said cheerfully. ‘Eat this and you’ll be fit as a fiddle by morning.’
Hubert accepted the food, staring at it doubtfully. ‘I’m not very hungry.’
&nb
sp; ‘You must try to eat,’ Mirabel said, frowning. ‘Bodger’s right; you need to keep your strength up if we’re to find the ghost orchid.’
‘I’ll do my best.’ Hubert met her worried glance with a smile. ‘Go and enjoy your meal, my dear, and thank Captain Starke for his quick action, which probably saved your life. I’m deeply indebted to him.’
Mirabel left him, although she doubted whether he would eat much. Thinking back she realised that he rarely ate a big meal, even those prepared by a good cook like Mrs Flitton, and large chunks of hog meat burnt at the edge and pink in the middle were hardly likely to tempt a delicate appetite. She fetched her own plate and went to sit beside Jack. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said softly.
‘What for?’ He regarded her with the slow smile that had the power to send her senses reeling and her pulses racing.
‘I behaved very badly in the swamp, but it was fright that made me act as I did.’
‘I kissed you.’
‘And I kissed you back, but it was a mistake. It can’t happen again.’
He seized her free hand, holding it in a firm grasp. ‘I love you,’ he said in a low voice.
She stared down at their clasped hands. ‘You can’t and I can’t. I’m married.’
‘To a man who’s old enough to be your grandfather? That’s not exactly a union of souls.’
‘Shh. Someone might hear.’ She glanced around anxiously, but the others were intent on enjoying their supper and Hubert had lain down, closing his eyes. ‘This has got to end now, Jack.’
‘But you love me. Don’t deny it. I know you do.’
She bowed her head. ‘Don’t make it worse than it is. I can’t bear it.’
‘Leave him. Come away with me. I’ll find another ship and we’ll sail the world together.’
‘In a dream, maybe.’ She looked up and met his intense gaze with a smile. ‘It’s a lovely dream, but that’s all it is. Hubert rescued me from Zilla’s and he’s treated me like a queen. I can’t break his heart. He doesn’t deserve such treatment.’
‘I would have come back for you. I thought I could forget you as I had the other women in my life, but it wasn’t so. I’m not giving up now.’ Jack rose to his feet, tossing the contents of his tin plate into the fire where the fat exploded into flames and the meat sizzled and curled, burning to ash in seconds.
Mirabel had lost her appetite. She sat for a while, not wanting to attract attention to herself, and then she rose quietly, giving her untouched food to Bodger as she made her way to where Gertie had laid out their bedrolls. No matter what Jack said, it was over before it had begun. She would not betray Hubert: her marriage vows had not been taken lightly. Her heart might be breaking, but she would have to be strong.
Gertie was curled up on her bedding with an empty plate at her side. She stared at Mirabel, her brow ridged in a frown. ‘What was all that about, Mabel?’
‘I don’t know what you mean.’ Mirabel sat down, preparing to sleep. ‘I’ll be glad to get back to Mama Lou’s so that I can have a proper wash and clothes that aren’t crawling with insects.’
‘I saw you two with your heads together. I keep warning you about Captain Jack, but you don’t seem to listen.’
‘I’m worn out and all I want to do is sleep. I suggest you do the same.’ Mirabel had not meant to speak so sharply, but she knew from past experience that once Gertie got an idea in her head it was almost impossible to convince her otherwise.
Gertie subsided with a sigh. ‘He’s trouble and always was.’
‘Goodnight, Gertie.’ Mirabel lay down and closed her eyes, although it was a long time before she drifted off to sleep.
The search for the elusive ghost orchid continued next day. Mirabel had toyed with the idea of remaining in camp with Gertie, but the stubborn streak in her nature would not allow her to give up so easily. She kept as far apart from Jack as possible and was careful not to catch his eye, although she sensed when he was looking at her, which was often as the day progressed. Each part of the swamp looked the same to her as they waded through water and clouds of biting insects. She had almost given up hope when a sudden cry from Hubert brought about a sudden halt. Jack was close behind her and she could feel the heat of his body. The temptation to lean back and rest her head against his shoulder was so great that she had to dig her fingernails into her palms to bring herself back to the real world.
‘There it is,’ Hubert shouted, his voice breaking in his excitement. ‘The ghost orchid, and there are several beautiful specimens.’
Mirabel moved forward slowly. She was already up to her waist in water and Abraham, who had accompanied them that day, had stepped into a sinkhole earlier and disappeared beneath the surface. It had taken the combined efforts of Jack and Moses to get him out. She peered up at the trunk of the custard apple tree and saw the startlingly white ghost orchids. Unreal and ethereal, they seemed to be floating in midair, their long fluttery tails moving gently in the light breeze. It seemed unimaginable that anything so delicate could live in such a hostile environment. ‘They’re so beautiful,’ she breathed softly.
‘Let me get nearer, Bundy,’ Hubert said, his voice trembling with emotion. ‘Give me your knife so that I can ease the roots free. I want to take home living specimens.’
Jack moved closer to Mirabel. ‘This might take some time. Let’s get you onto dry land.’
She was about to refuse, but Bodger was pushing so that he could get closer to Hubert and there was a scramble of bodies churning up the water, to the obvious annoyance of a couple of snapping turtles that had been lazing just below the surface. ‘I’ll follow you,’ she said reluctantly. The dark water felt like treacle as she waded slowly towards dry ground, and her sodden skirts hampered her movements. The mud sucked at her feet, and fronds of resurrection fern growing on overhanging tree branches slapped at her face. Jack reached out to help her onto firm ground.
‘Thank you.’ She withdrew her hand, wrapping her arms around her body as she turned to watch Hubert’s efforts to prise the orchid roots from the tree trunk.
‘You can’t avoid me forever,’ Jack said softly. ‘And you can’t deny that you have feelings for me.’
‘No, I can’t deny it, but it’s no good, Jack. You can see how things are.’
‘I see a beautiful young woman tied to an elderly man by a promise she made when she was under duress.’
‘That’s not true. I wasn’t forced into anything.’
‘He took advantage of your situation.’
‘Don’t do this. I meant what I said yesterday.’ She turned away resolutely. ‘There can never be anything between us, Jack.’
‘Never is a very long time.’
Hubert was like a new father, nurturing his ghost orchids as if they were his own flesh and blood. They were packed individually and carried as tenderly as newborn infants, each one receiving his full attention. He seemed to have forgotten his aches and pains and his eyes shone with enthusiasm as they packed up camp next day and made ready for the trek back to Coconut Grove.
Mirabel was everything a solicitous wife should be during the long days that followed. She kept close to her husband, making sure that in his desire to protect his precious orchids he did not neglect himself. It was the only way she could demonstrate to Jack that she meant what she had said. She was Hubert’s wife and there it must end. It was only at night, when she lay beneath the stars listening to the steady breathing of those around her punctuated by Abraham’s loud snores, that she allowed herself to grieve for the love she must deny. In the velvety darkness she was painfully aware that Jack was wide awake even when it was not his watch. The telltale scent of his cigarillo wafted in the night air, and the desire to join him, if only to talk and take comfort from his presence, was almost unbearable. She resisted somehow but wanting to be with him was a nagging ache that would not go away.
They had endured the steamy heat of the Fakahatchee swamp and survived the scorching sun on the prairie, and on the fifth day they finally
reached their destination. Hubert’s first concern was for his plants and he rushed them into the cabin at Mama Lou’s, leaving Mirabel to her own devices. Bundy had been paid and he announced that he was going to the beach hut to get drunk, inviting Jack to join him. The Bahamian porters said their goodbyes and marched off to the hotel. Gertie was left to unpack on her own as Bodger had mumbled an excuse and followed in Bundy’s wake.
Mirabel found herself alone with Jack for the first time in almost a week. ‘I suppose this is goodbye,’ she said lamely.
‘If that’s what you want.’
‘It’s what must be, you know that.’ She could not bring herself to look him in the eye.
He seized her by the hand. ‘You can’t do this, Mirabel. Leave him and come away with me.’
‘Don’t.’ The word came out on a sob as she snatched her hand free. ‘I can’t.’
He fixed her with a hard stare. ‘You’re prepared to destroy both our lives for the sake of a selfish old man who loves orchids more than he does you.’
‘That’s not fair and it’s not true.’
‘You’re condemning yourself to a loveless marriage with no hope of having children of your own.’
It was true and she knew it, but she was trapped both by her own conscience and the vows she had made in church. Miss Barton had quite literally instilled the fear of God in her at an early age, and although Mirabel was in no way superstitious, she still believed in eternal hell. It was a place with which she had become familiar during the journey back to Coconut Grove. Her mouth was dry and she was overcome by exhaustion. ‘I’m sorry,’ she whispered. ‘I can’t do this any more.’ She was about to walk away when Bodger suddenly reappeared, waving his arms as he ran towards them. ‘A ship,’ he cried joyfully. ‘There’s a ship at anchor and a jolly boat heading for shore.’
Events moved so quickly that Mirabel was swept along like a leaf caught up in a fast current. The ship had come from Nassau, stopping off to take on fresh water before setting sail for Newport News with a cargo of fresh fruit, vegetables and rum. Hubert had been revitalised by the prospect of taking his prizes home and had hurried off with Bodger intent on speaking to the captain. They returned two hours later, tipsy from imbibing a quantity of rum, but triumphant, having secured berths for them all as far as Newport News.