Rachel Lindsay - Moonlight and Magic

by Rachel Lindsay

  Feeling she was finally putting aside her identity, she took off her things and hung them in the back of the wardrobe. Although the steward had said a maid would attend to her needs, she decided to unpack for herself; at least it would give her the opportunity to see everything she had at her disposal. She unlocked the four white pigskin cases and flung back the lids, catching her breath in delight as she took out one beautiful dress after another.

  It was not until she opened what she took to be a vanity case that she realized there were jewels to go with each outfit too. And what jewels! Never in her life had she seen such diamonds or pearls, and she had certainly never held anything in her grasp as exquisite as the flower spray of rubies, sapphires and emeralds. Hastily she put all the jewellery away and locked the vanity case. She might have to wear Janey's clothes, but nothing would induce her to wear any of these valuable trinkets. Horror at what would happen were she to lose one of them made her slip on her dress and hurry down to the Purser's office. She handed over the case to him and watched with relief as he placed it in a locker and handed her the key.

  Returning to her stateroom, Jane put the clothes away and then relaxed in a warm bath. Even the bathroom was bigger than her own bedroom, and peach-tinted mirrors lined the walls and gave back myriad reflections of her figure. In such surroundings it was difficult not to be aware of herself, and as she reached for a towel she could not help appreciating the graceful line of her shoulders and thighs.

  Fashion writers might say that youth and beauty needed no adornment, but when, fully dressed some half-hour later, she stared at her reflection in the full-length mirror in her stateroom, she realized how untrue this was. Always considered to be a pretty girl, Jane now looked radiant in a long dress of hyacinth chiffon lightly spattered with pink roses.

  With careful hands she applied her usual amount of make-up, but somehow the discreet application of lipstick and mascara seemed insufficient and she had the fanciful notion that the dress would come in for more comment than she would herself. It was as if the thing had a life of its own!

  'Probably because I know it must have cost about a hundred and fifty pounds,' she murmured. 'If I'm not careful these damned clothes will give me an inferiority complex!'

  Luckily there was a complete make-up kit in Janey's luggage, and though Jane had put it to one side, not expecting to use it, she retrieved it from the bottom of the wardrobe and set it out on the dressing table. Thoughtfully she stared at the little pots and tubes, and then, deciding that in for a penny in for a pound, she proceeded to make up her face the way she had seen Maggie do it so many times in the office.

  The result made Jane feel even more of a stranger to herself, but she was none the less delighted at the added confidence it gave her. 'Maybe I'd have got a few more scoops if I'd tried this before,' she thought cynically, and peering at her face closely in the glass fluttered her long eyelashes up and down.

  Only her hair had been left in its normal fashion, falling soft and blonde to her shoulders, the ends curling gently outwards. In normal circumstances it made her appear young and unsophisticated, yet now, allied to heavier makeup, it gave her a provocative look of innocence belied by the blue-lidded, almond-shaped eyes and the pouting red mouth.

  's.s Cambrian, here I come!' she said out loud, and picking up a blue evening bag, closed the stateroom door behind her.

  Only as she reached the lower deck and the dining-room did her nervousness return and she stood hesitantly at the entrance, wondering which was her table.

  The maitre hurried forward to greet her. 'I am delighted to welcome you on board, Miss—'

  'Janey Belton.'

  The man glanced at the list in his hand. 'Ah, so. You are sitting with some delightful people. Of course, if you care to change later, just tell me and I will see to it at once.'

  Jane lowered her eyelids in a supercilious way and followed him to a table at one side of the dining-room. Many admiring glances followed her, but none more admiring than that of the slim, fair-haired man sitting next to a middle- aged couple, whose admiration changed to positive disbelief as the maitre stopped in front of him and held out the vacant chair.

  Introductions were made, and Jane sat down, making a pretence of studying her menu. As the maitre murmured the names of her dining companions she was glad of her newspaper background, for she had been immediately able to place them. The middle-aged couple were Sir Brian and Lady Pendlebury. He was the first baronet and had acquired his title through the charitable use of money which he had acquired in less pleasant ways. His first wife had been discarded by the wayside and the present Lady Pendlebury came of impecunious but landed gentry.

  The fair-haired man was Colin Waterman, a playboy whose name figured prominently in the Society columns. She remembered that his father had been killed when he was a child and that he had been brought up by his mother, an extravagant woman who had frittered away a great deal of money. Not all the money, though, Jane thought, for Colin Waterman was still considered an eligible catch and was to be seen at all the big functions.

  His glance of admiration was more expressive than words, and Jane coloured. She was glad when Lady Pendlebury joined in the conversation and discussion was general for the rest of the meal. She was amused at the way Sir Brian tucked into his food; he obviously believed that what he paid for must be eaten, and he tackled everything with the gusto of a starving man. Something of what she felt must have been apparent in her face, for as she caught Colin Waterman's eye he grinned.

  'Been to the Zoo lately, Miss Belton?' he asked conversationally.

  Jane choked on the wine she was sipping, but Sir Brian and his wife did not raise their eyes from their plates, and she breathed a sigh of relief and gave the young man a reproachful look.

  He continued to grin back at her unabashed, and she could not help warming to him.

  It was not until she was eating a mouth-watering souffle that she glanced round the room, wondering which one of the men could be Janey's suitor. For the most part the people were middle-aged, although in the far corner there was a younger group, their loud laughter and chatter causing her to remember Maggie's remark about high-pitched voices and chi-chi'.

  The conversation seemed to be dominated by a slim, elegant girl with dark hair who, glancing across the room, noticed Jane's stare and responded to it with a haughty look. Hastily Jane averted her eyes.

  'I suppose you know lots of people on board,' Colin Waterman said.

  'I don't recognize anyone,' Jane said carefully. 'I spend most of my time in a small town, and my father doesn't like me racketing around.'

  'Not even in your pretty red sports car?' As he saw her look of astonishment, the young man's pale eyes crinkled. 'You figure in the gossip columns almost as much as I used to do, Miss Belton. Which reminds me, we can't go on calling each other Mr. and Miss all the time, so let's make it Janey and Colin.'

  She nodded and relaxed a little. 'I suppose you know everyone here.'

  'Quite a lot of them - which is one of the reasons I came on the cruise. It's easier to relax among people you know. If you go to the usual holiday places they're jam-packed with tourists and working girls on the prowl for rich husbands.'

  Jane bit back an angry retort. 'How right you are,' she drawled. 'I've had exactly the same experience - in reverse, of course. So many men are just fortune-hunters.'

  Colin grinned. 'Well, you can relax for the next couple of weeks at least, and give nightly thanks to Dinky Howard.'

  'Where is he, by the way? I've never met him.'

  'He doesn't come into the dining-room often, and when he does you'll find him at the Captain's table with the richer of the millionaires.'

  Jane laughed. 'I never thought millionaires needed qualifying.'

  'They certainly do.' There was a dry humour in Colin's light voice. 'Millionaire, multi-millionaire, Greek shipping tycoon, oil sheikh and rich Texan.'

  'The last one being a masterly understatement, I take it?'

/>   He nodded. 'Right in one. It's a pleasure having a quick dinner companion.' He pushed back his chair. 'Would you like to have coffee with me in the ballroom? There's no dancing yet, but it's pleasant to sit there.'

  'I'd love to.'

  She followed him out of the dining-room and noticed that he acknowledged greetings from a great many people, and in particular the occupants of the table she had noticed a few moments earlier.

  'What a pretty dark-haired girl,' she remarked. 'Her face is awfully familiar. Who is she?'

  'Claire Saunders. She was the most famous deb of her year about ten years ago.'

  The name brought to mind all the stories Jane had heard about her; a poor little rich girl whose escapades had landed her on the front page of most of the tabloids a few years ago. There had been rumours that she had run through most of her money, but she still seemed to dress as well as ever and her name was linked frequently with middle-aged industrialists.

  As they sipped their coffee in the ballroom and listened to a pianist soulfully playing Gershwin melodies, Jane studied her escort carefully, revising her earlier opinion that he was just a pleasant young man. His drawling way of speaking was merely a sign of public school education, but beneath it he had an agile mind and a slightly waspish sense of humour. He was not the sort of young man she could relax with, for he would be quick to spot any discrepancies in her story.

  'Dinky Howard told me you were coming on this cruise,' Colin interrupted her thoughts. 'Generally he's pretty tight- mouthed about the people who are going to be on board.'

  'Then why does he send the passenger list to all the newspapers?'

  Colin looked surprised. 'Does he do that? I didn't know.'

  Jane bit her lip. 'I only found out because I - because a reporter came to see me the other day and mentioned it.'

  'You should know better than to give interviews to reporters. They're the biggest liars in the world!'

  'That wasn't my impression of them. They're just people doing a job of work.'

  'You are innocent, aren't you?'

  Sensing the conversation could lead her into difficulties, Jane did what she thought Janey Belton would have done in the same circumstances, and gave a little giggle before changing the subject.

  'What do you do when you're not on holiday, Colin?'

  'Nothing. I made up my mind years ago that I didn't want to work. Life is so short it seems a pity to spend one's time amassing money that one doesn't need.'

  'So you spend it instead.'

  'Exactly!'

  'But aren't you bored doing nothing?'

  'I haven't time to be bored. I play polo, I water-ski, I paint—'

  'But they're all hobbies.'

  The pale eyes looked at her blankly. 'What do you do, Janey? Don't tell me you've got the urge to find a job?'

  Jane wondered what he would say if she told him the truth, and looked forward to the end of the cruise when she would be able to do so.

  'It's different for a girl,' she said lamely. 'And anyway, I - I keep house for my father.'

  'Which one of his houses?'

  She giggled and thanked her lucky stars that she had carefully read the press cuttings Frank Preston had given her.

  'All three of them.'

  'Colin, you beast, why didn't you come and say hello to me?'

  Jane looked up to see Claire Saunders beside their table. At close range she was even more beautiful than Jane had expected, and it was not only a beauty that came from exquisite clothes and grooming, but from her startling colouring and haughty carriage. She was certainly not completely English, for her milk-white skin, blue-black hair and the imperious way she had of turning her head and flashing her brown eyes spoke more for the Spanish aristocrat than the English rose.

  Colin stood up and introduced the two girls.

  'Sorry I didn't come over, Claire, but you seemed pretty occupied.'

  'I'm never too occupied to talk to you, darling,' the girl replied. Her accent and manner were almost identical with Colin's and Jane felt as though she was looking at a different species of beings.

  'Is this the first time you've been on one of Dinky's cruises?' Claire spoke directly to her.

  'Yes. Have you been on them before?*

  'Lots of times. They're quite fun generally, but this one seems as if it's going to be deadly dull.'

  'I hope present company's excepted,' Colin said gently.

  'Oh, darling, don't be touchy! I just meant that everyone else looks so stodgy. There's not one dynamic—' Her voice trailed away as her eyes came to rest on the glass doors that led out to the promenade deck. They were swinging quickly as though they had been violently pushed by the tall, heavy- shouldered man standing in front of them.

  Even at a distance it was impossible not to be aware of his magnetism, and though his features could not be clearly seen, Jane had an impression of tanned skin and hair as black as Claire's own.

  'Well, well,' Claire drawled. 'Now that really is something. Do you know who he is, Colin?'

  'No.' Colin frowned and there was a strange hesitancy in his voice. 'He wasn't on the list a few days ago.'

  Jane looked at him in surprise, wondering why he had expressed surprise when she herself had mentioned the passenger list a short while ago. But both Colin and Claire were watching the tall dark man make his way to a table and, sitting down, bury his head in a book.

  'He obviously hasn't come on this cruise with any sociable intent,' Jane said.

  'The poor man's probably afraid of being overwhelmed.' Claire took a gold cigarette case out of her handbag and lit a cigarette. She did not offer them round and, watching her, Jane was sure her mind was miles away. Seen in repose, her face did not look as young as Jane had first assumed. The girl must be in her late twenties, almost an old maid according to debutante standards! Yet this fact could surely only be one of choice, for it was difficult to believe she had not received many proposals of marriage. Perhaps she had never fallen in love? Jane watched as the dark eyes studied the man sitting at the other end to the room, and she knew that if Claire was still unattached at the end of the cruise it would not be of her own choice.

  She stifled a yawn and pushed back her chair. 'I think I'll go to bed, if you'll excuse me. It's been a long day and I'm tired.'

  'I'll see you down to your cabin,' Colin said.

  'Don't bother, thanks. It's silly to stand on ceremony on a ship.'

  She made her way out of the ballroom and, once on the deck, breathed deeply of the cool air. She walked over to the ship's side and leaned on the rail, staring down at the onyxlike water which, below the cloud-covered sky, gave off no reflection except its own. She stood there for a long time, only becoming aware of her surroundings again when she breathed in the smell of a Havana cigar. Turning, she saw a man half hidden in the shadows. He too was leaning on the rail and as she watched he tossed the end of his cigar over the side.

  "What a pity you've come to the end of it,' she said. 'I love the smell.'

  He turned sharply in her direction, and as he did so a dim light coming from one of the curtained staterooms fell upon his face. At once she recognized him as the man Claire Saunders had pointed out. He was even more good-looking than she had expected, though perhaps good-looking was the wrong word, for his features were too decisive, the nose too prominent, the mouth too large. Yet it was the sort of commanding and powerful face that a woman would be attracted by.

  'If I'd known you were there,' he said, his voice courteous but aloof, 'I'd have inhaled more slowly. But I thought everyone was happily drinking and talking.'

  'I was on my way to bed,' she explained, "but the evening was so beautiful I couldn't bear to go inside. I love the nighttime,' she confided. 'It's so different and - and somehow full of space.'

  'If it's space you're interested in you shouldn't have come on this trip. As far as I can see it's going to be absolute hell. You can't walk a yard without falling over someone!'

  She looked at him in
astonishment, wondering whether he meant his remark to be so rude. As she saw his rigid face she knew he was fully aware of what he had said and that he did not care what implications she drew from it.

  'It seems you're the one who's made the mistake,' she said coldly. 'People who come on a holiday like this do so because they're gregarious.'

  'Nonsense. They merely like the opportunity of parading their clothes and jewels and letting their back hair down without fear of hitting the headlines.'

  'If it isn't a rude question,' she retorted, 'perhaps you'd care to tell me why you're here?'

  'I've been asking myself the same question all evening.' He rubbed the side of his face and smiled ruefully. It made him look disarmingly young, and some of her anger abated. 'Anyway, I can see I've offended you. I'm sorry that you've taken my remarks personally.'

  'They seemed rather personal.'

  'I didn't mean them to be. I apologize again, Miss—'

  'Belton. Janey Belton.'

  He gave a slight bow. 'I'm Stephen Drake.'

  'Stephen Drake!' she echoed his name, too taken aback to say more. What a horrible mischance that he of all people should be on this cruise. The millionaires and oil tycoons Colin had blithely mentioned she could easily have taken in her stride, but not Stephen Drake, who controlled one of the largest newspaper chains in the country and who was, though he did not know it, her boss!

  She made a move to run past him, but as she did so the engines throbbed more loudly beneath her feet and the sound suddenly made her remember whom she was supposed to be. As far as Stephen Drake was concerned she was not a lowly reporter who worked for him but Janey Belton, an heiress who did not fear any man, no matter what his position or power.

  With a sigh she relaxed and studied him curiously, conscious of the pull of his personality. He was younger than the half-scowling pictures she had seen of him, and there was humour in the dark, narrow eyes beneath their thick black brows. There was certainly something to be said for travelling incognito, she thought, and a gleam came into her eyes as she determined to exploit her position to the full and get to know this man who was watching her with such a sardonic expression.