‘Now listen to me. I’m in Singapore. I’m on my way home and I’m bringing two guests—my step-grandmother and her companion.’ The last word was accompanied by a wink at Cathie.
Lola gave a low laugh. ‘You mean you’re carrying a pair of old ducks? How very boring.’
‘Not as boring as you think,’ he retorted. ‘In the meantime I’d be grateful if you’d prepare the upstairs bedrooms, because at a later date my parents will also arrive.’
‘But until they come you’ll be stuck with these two old ducks?’
He frowned. ‘Must you refer to my guests in that manner?’
Lola went on, ‘I trust they’re not completely paralysed, and that they can cook for themselves.’
‘I’m sure they’ll manage,’ he snapped. ‘And please get in bread and milk.’
‘You know I’m good at keeping your house in order,’ Lola continued, ‘but I draw the line at becoming a slave for your guests.’
‘Are you forgetting you are paid for all you do in the house, Lola? And also for doing my shirts—’
‘For your information, I loathe ironing shirts—but you know perfectly well why I take so much trouble over them. Please hurry home, Baird—I’ve missed you so much. Don’t let those old ducks delay your return with ideas of sightseeing.’
He ignored her last remark as he said crisply, ‘I have just one further request to make, Lola. I want you to ask Ralph to bring my car to meet us at the Palmerston North airport.’ He then gave details of the plane’s arrival time.
Lola’s voice came eagerly, ‘There’s no need to take the foreman away from the factory. I can meet you, Baird. I’m sure I can drive your car.’
‘I said I want Ralph,’ he barked into the receiver. ‘Is it understood, or must I ring him myself?’
‘Yes, it’s understood, bossy britches—but you know I’m longing to see you.’ Lola’s tone had become petulant.
‘All in good time.’ He replaced the receiver then turned to Cathie. ‘Well, that’s all under control—I hope.’
‘Quack-quack, quack-quack,’ she giggled.
‘What? Oh, of course—you could hear Lola’s voice just as I could hear everything your mother said. Don’t let it disturb you. She’ll soon cease to look upon you as an old duck.’
‘She’s more likely to look upon me as a cuckoo in the nest.’ She stood up abruptly, leaving his side on the edge of the bed to go to the window where she stood gazing at the mass of lights that broke the velvety darkness of the night.
He followed to stand beside her. ‘You’re jumping to conclusions again. My home is not her nest, potential or otherwise.’
‘Then why do I get this feeling that my presence will upset her? Perhaps you’d be wise to explain that I’m a Campbell, and that she has no need to fear—’
He laughed. ‘Fear? Fear what, for Pete’s sake? That I might take you in my arms—like this?’
She made no protest as he proceeded to do so; instead she stood with her head leaning against his shoulder. The pressure of his arms about her body gave her a feeling of security, while the slight roughness of his chin against her forehead was an added homely comfort. His kiss, when it came, was long and deep, and her own arms seemed to go about his shoulders of their own volition.
Cathie knew that her thumping heart was sending the blood racing through her veins. She felt her nerves tingling and she became aware of delicious sensations creeping through her body. They were sensations she was unaccustomed to experiencing, and she was not sure how to cope with them, especially as they made her feel weak with longing to be even closer to him. Then, as she became conscious of his arousal, her lips parted.
It was enough to draw low sounds from him—murmuring sounds that betrayed his hunger to make love, and, sweeping her up into his arms, he strode towards the bed. As he laid her upon it he wrenched open the collar of his shirt then tossed his tie aside, but even as he did so a faint tapping noise reached their ears, causing them both to freeze into immobility.
‘What the hell is that?’ he muttered, listening for the sound to be repeated.
‘It’ll be Amy,’ Cathie gasped, pushing him aside and springing from the bed. ‘I must go to her.’
‘Is she having a table-rapping session?’ he demanded, making no attempt to conceal his frustration.
‘I—I told her to bang on the wall with her stick if she needed me. I’m sure that’s what we can hear.’
‘Have you got your card to open the door?’
‘Yes, it’s here on your table,’ she said, snatching it up.
‘You’ll be back?’ He grabbed her shoulders and stared down into her face, his eyes burning with intensity.
‘No—no, I’d better stay with her.’
‘OK. Goodnight.’ He released her abruptly, making no move to kiss her again.
It was almost like a dismissal, she thought, conscious of the wave of disappointment that engulfed her as she fled from the room. And then she was suddenly grateful for the banging of Amy’s stick, which had saved her from making a colossal idiot of herself. Facing up to the truth, she realised that the feel of Baird’s arms about her body seemed to deprive her of all power to think clearly, while his lips on her own sent her soaring into realms where reason simply did not exist.
Amy’s voice quavered through the darkness. ‘Is that you, Cathie? I can’t make the light go on. I need to go to the bathroom.’
‘It’s all right, I can fix it,’ Cathie assured her. ‘They have a card system here. Instead of opening the door with a key you put a card into a slot and then the door will open. And the same card goes into a slot to turn on the power for the lights. I had taken the card with me, otherwise I couldn’t have opened the door to get in again.’
‘I hope I didn’t interrupt any important discussion,’ Amy said while making her way to the bathroom where the shine of tiles vied with the glisten of glass.
Discussion—or event? Cathie made no reply as she thought about the question while preparing for bed. Had Amy interrupted something that had been about to alter her life? Honesty compelled her to admit that she could feel herself reaching out to Baird, and that little persuasion would be necessary for her to fall for the magic of his charismatic attraction.
Lying in the darkness, she recalled the intensity of his kisses and the ecstasy that had swept through her entire being. But did that mean she was in love with him? No, it did not. It was merely a—a bodily need that required satisfaction, she assured herself. It was just sex. It wasn’t love.
As for Baird, he was probably in the habit of making love with Lola, but had not yet come to the point of mentioning marriage, she decided with a twinge of jealousy when thinking of their long and close association. No doubt he was missing it—and no doubt he’d felt a surge of desire when speaking to Lola on the phone. But Lola was in New Zealand while she herself was here, which meant that her availability was the only attraction she held for him.
And that meant he’d been about to use her solely for his own fulfilment, and definitely not because he had the slightest atom of affection for her. The thought caused her anger to rise, and her fists clenched beneath the blankets. The confounded nerve of him—just let him try it on again, she fumed inwardly while giving the pillow several good thumps.
Amy’s voice came through the darkness. ‘Are you all right, dear? You sound very restless. I can hear you tossing and turning.’
‘Yes, I’m OK.’ She forced herself to lie still, wondering why she should have become so agitated, then impulse caused her to ask, ‘Has Baird ever mentioned his friend Lola to you?’
‘Lola? I don’t recall hearing that name. Who is she?’
‘She’s his neighbour. His mother hopes he’ll marry her.’
‘Then what’s holding up the peal of wedding bells?’ The query was accompanied by the sound of a yawn.
‘Good question, Amy. What indeed? But I dare say he’ll get round to it sooner or later,’ Cathie said, unaware of the doleful note
in her voice.
Amy spoke softly. ‘My dear—it’s always a mistake to jump to conclusions without having knowledge of every detail. Baird does not do things in a haphazard, sooner-or-later manner. He is a man of decision. If he loved this Lola person he’d have married her ages ago.’
The words comforted Cathie, filling her with a sense of relief and enabling her to sleep much sooner than she had expected.
Next morning they woke to find that rain was sheeting down in torrents. It lashed at the windows of the hotel and formed lakes in every available hollow, causing all tours and outdoor activities to be cancelled, and of course Baird’s proposed visit to the zoo was an impossibility.
However, they were able to fill in the hours before the time of their flight departure when Baird led them through wide doors and into the large shopping complex adjoining the Pan Pacific. Yet even while browsing through stalls of tourist items, or shops filled with glittering jewellery, Cathie’s mind kept returning to the previous evening when Baird had carried her to the bed. Had he been looking upon her as a substitute for Lola? The thought niggled, making her feel thoroughly cross.
Baird put an affectionate arm about Amy’s thin shoulders. ‘I’d like to buy you a gift, Amy,’ he said.
She laughed. ‘Really, it’s not necessary. I have everything and more than I need—’
‘Apart from just a small memento of Singapore,’ he pointed out.
‘Very well, if you insist—I’d like one of those silk scarves. It’ll hide the awful wrinkles on my neck.’ She chose one that glowed with pinks and violet, then turned to Baird. ‘Thank you, you’re very kind—but now you’ll have to buy a memento for Cathie.’
Before Cathie could open her mouth to protest Baird said, ‘I’ve already done so—if she’ll accept it.’ He took a small box from his pocket, then opened it to reveal a gold orchid brooch with earrings to match. It was medium-sized, and it shone beneath the lights.
She looked at the set speechlessly, feeling overwhelmed by the sight of such a beautiful gift. ‘Are you sure it’s for me?’ she asked hesitatingly, her mind going to Lola.
‘Of course it’s for you,’ he retorted abruptly and as though reading her thoughts. Then in a more gentle tone he added, ‘They are real orchids preserved in gold by a special process they have here. Would you like to wear them now?’
She took a deep breath. ‘Oh, yes—please—’ Her cheeks became flushed and her eyes glowed as she stood while he pinned the brooch to the lapel of her cream suit. ‘Thank you, Baird, I really love it.’
‘It’s to remind you of your night in Singapore,’ he said softly.
She nodded. ‘Yes—how could I forget—Singapore?’
Amy’s sharp eyes darted from one to the other, then her stick tapped the floor impatiently. ‘Go on, girl, give him a kiss—and I don’t mean a peck on the cheek.’
Cathie obeyed the order, her arms going about him as she lifted her face. Nor did Baird hesitate to clasp her to him, and if the kiss was longer than a casual brush of the lips it was ignored by the crowd milling about them. However, it was not ignored by Cathie’s heart, which began thumping, as it usually did when Baird kissed her.
Even so, a question continued to nag at her, and as the kiss ended she was unable to resist whispering a question. ‘Did you buy a similar set for Lola?’
He frowned as though irritated by the question. ‘Certainly not. Why do you ask?’
She avoided the query. ‘But you are taking something for her?’
‘Yes. She may have the paperweight you almost threw at me in Crieff. It was your own suggestion, remember?’
She nodded, remembering also that she had since regretted her refusal to accept that colourful gift.
The remainder of the day passed hazily for Cathie, mainly because her spirits had been lifted from the depression that had assailed her the previous evening, and she was now in a state of subdued happiness. Even the afternoon had brightened. The rain had ceased by the time they left for Changi, and the palms along the route to the airport looked as if they had been freshly laundered.
A few hours later they were in the air and on their way to New Zealand. Amy, who had taken another pill, slept soundly, but Cathie felt restless because of the turbulence they were encountering. She was not enamoured of flying, she decided, at least not with all that space above and only the sea below and the aircraft giving its best imitation of an earthquake.
Baird sensed her nervousness and, as on the earlier flight, he took her hand and held it tightly between his own. ‘We’ve probably caught up with the storm that lashed Singapore this morning. Don’t worry, we’ll soon be out of it.’
‘You don’t think we’ll have to jump?’ she asked, making an effort to sound light-hearted.
He leaned towards her. ‘If we do, I couldn’t think of a nicer person with whom to jump.’ Then he raised her hand to his lips before replacing it in her lap.
She looked down at her fingers, warning herself not to see too much in that unexpected gesture. It was just that he was feeling good within himself, perhaps even a little exuberant. He was on his way home and, as she herself knew, home was a place that seemed to call. Also, he knew that Lola was awaiting his arrival.
* * *
New Zealand time was midday when they flew over green hills edged with white surf and surrounded by blue ocean. They landed to find the North Island city of Auckland cool with the crispness of early spring, and once through Customs Baird wasted no time in shepherding Amy and Cathie from the International to the Domestic terminal. Nor had they long to wait before a flight took them more than three hundred miles southwards to Palmerston North, a city situated on the flat land of the fertile Manawatu Plains.
As they walked into the airport lounge a tall fair-haired man greeted Baird with his hand outstretched. ‘Welcome home, boss. It’s good to see you back.’ Then, after being introduced to Amy and Cathie as Ralph Wallace, his blue eyes became puzzled as he drawled, ‘You did a switch somewhere in mid-air?’
Baird shot a swift glance at him. ‘What do you mean?’
‘I understood from Lola that you were bringing—’
‘Lola is in for a surprise,’ Baird said, then changed the subject abruptly. ‘Is there any sign of the luggage coming off?’
Cathie smiled inwardly. She knew exactly what Ralph had meant, and, while she longed to hiss a couple of quack-quacks in Baird’s ear, she resisted the temptation. This was mainly because she was in a state of subdued excitement caused by the thought of seeing Baird’s home for the first time. His New Zealand home, she amended mentally, which seemed to be more important than the one in Scotland.
A short time later their suitcases were stacked into the boot of a dark grey Daimler. Baird ushered Amy into the front seat, then took the wheel, leaving Cathie and Ralph to sit at the back. The car was typical of Baird, she thought. It reflected quality without being flamboyant.
She was also aware that Ralph studied her profile with interest, but she had no wish to answer any of the questions she sensed to be simmering in his mind. However, the need for this did not arise, because Baird had questions of his own, which he flung across his shoulder at his foreman.
Their talk about factory affairs was over Cathie’s head, therefore she sat back to watch the passing scene of suburban houses until the car turned into an avenue lined with round-headed prunus trees massed with pink blossoms before the advent of their dark purple leaves. It was a quiet area with houses of quality, and the driveway Baird entered led to a solidly built house with gables above the upstairs windows, its upper storey white roughcast above a red brick base. The front door was sheltered by a portico, and as Cathie assisted Amy up the concrete steps they paused to turn and regard the garden. The recently mown lawn was bordered by yellow daffodils and blue grape hyacinths, while rhododendrons near the boundary fence made a brave show. Behind them trees were getting ready to break into leaf.
The men then carried the suitcases upstairs. Amy was us
hered into the larger of the two guest rooms, and then Baird led Cathie into a smaller but sunny room with a view of the distant Tararua Ranges which still had a faint sprinkling of snow along their tops.
He said, ‘I think you’ll be comfortable in here. It was my room when I was a child.’
‘Then I’ll enjoy sleeping in it,’ she said impulsively. ‘I’ll try to imagine you as a little boy.’
‘In that case, welcome to Glengyle—New Zealand style.’
She laughed. ‘You have two houses with the same name? Isn’t that a little unusual?’
He did not join in with her mirth. ‘No doubt you’ll consider it to be lack of imagination, but I couldn’t think of any other name I preferred.’
‘But I remember reading that there were other MacGregor lands in the Highlands, some with quite nice names. There was Glenorchy—’ The words faded as, too late, she realised she was treading on delicate ground.
Almost as if reading her thoughts, he scowled as he said, ‘Then perhaps you’ll also remember that the Glenorchy lands were taken by Lowland powers and transferred to the Campbells. Those people sure had friends at Court.’ His tone had become bitter.
She looked at him with dismay, flushing slightly as she retorted coldly, ‘Oh—so you still have that worm of resentment wriggling in your system. I was given to understand it would be left in Scotland, but I see it’s still with you. Well, don’t worry—this particular Campbell will remove herself from your premises as soon as possible—but thank you for showing me where I’m to sleep until that happy day arrives.’
He took steps towards her, gripped her shoulders and gave her a slight shake. ‘You will stop this stupid trend of thought at once, Cathie. I was only stating the fact of what happened in the past, and you know it. It has nothing to do with today. Do you understand?’
Before she could answer he kissed her lips with a brief but forceful caress, then as he released her he went on, ‘Now, then—Amy is probably longing for a cup of tea. Come down to the kitchen and I’ll show you where things are kept. And I’ll also turn on a few gas heaters to warm the house.’
Heir to Glengyle Page 7