Things that start off as a hobby,' Colin interposed, 'often have the habit of either becoming an investment or an obsession. But I must say collecting corns has never particularly attracted me. Waterford glass, now, that's something I'm really keen on.'
Jane lost trade of the conversation and wished with all her heart that she had never drawn attention to Claire's bracelet. Again suspicion grew within her and tugged at her mind with troubled fingers. Each doubt was caused by evidence as flimsy as chiffon, and yet chiffon could bind and hold and strangle.
'What about you, Janey?' Colin said.
She turned so quickly that her glass shook in her hand.
'I'm afraid I didn't hear the question."
'We were talking about jewellery and Claire said you never wear any.'
'Maybe Janey's father thinks she's too young,' Claire drawled.
'Actually,' Jane drawled in exact imitation of Claire's voice, 'I have so much I'm bored with it. I've handed my jewel-case over to the Purser, and I've no intention of wearing any of it.'
Colin ran a hand over his silver-blond hair. 'What a pity, I think jewellery enhances a woman's beauty. Don't you, Stephen?'
'Some jewels do. But some are so beautiful in themselves that wearing them is only a detraction.'
'I know what you mean,' Claire replied. 'If I had all the money I wanted I think I'd collect jewels and just keep them in velvet-lined boxes.'
'Exactly,' Stephen said. 'Rubies and sapphires look their loveliest when seen against a background of black velvet. They lose their colour when worn against a woman's skin. The only jewel that improves by the wearing is the pearl.'
Jane listened to the conversation with fascinated horror. It seemed too much like a coincidence that in the last few hours there should be so many different fingers of suspicion pointing towards Stephen.
'What about diamonds?' she said in a voice that seemed too loud.
'Diamonds?' The dark eyes narrowed.
'Yes, diamonds. Are they the sort of jewel that looks best in a velvet-lined box?'
'That depends on the diamond,' came the smooth answer. 'Each one must be judged on its own merit. Large ones should never be worn, of course. At least if they're worn the best places for them are in a royal crown or sceptre. But the average woman would do well to stick to small stones of ten or twelve carats.'
'The average woman couldn't afford one or two carats!'
Jane replied dryly. 'But if most women were given the chance they'd wear the largest diamonds they could.'
'I agree with Stephen,' Claire said. 'Large diamonds don't look a bit pretty. I'd much rather have their equivalent in money tucked away in my bank.'
Both the men laughed at this, and Colin in particular seemed to find it amusing.
'It wouldn't be you who's stolen the Lorenz Diamond, would it?' he grinned.
Claire put down her drink. 'I value my life too much to do a stupid thing like that.'
'Why your life? There's no death sentence these days.'
'Maybe not, but you're put in prison, and that would be a death sentence to me. No, much as I'd like to possess jewellery I'm too lazy to go to the trouble of stealing it.'
'I can understand someone wanting to do it, though,' Stephen commented. 'All these treasures tucked away in museums must be a great challenge to people. I'm not just talking about jewels either, but objets d'art and paintings. I've often thought that if I'd been born into another time I'd have become a Raffles.'
Jane moistened lips that had suddenly become dry. 'Take from the rich to give to the poor? You could do that even now without becoming a thief.'
'Give my own money, you mean?' Stephen's head turned sharply. 'Ah yes, but it's dull just giving your money away like that. No, Jane, you can't talk me out of it. In my dreams I see myself as Robin Hood.'
Claire made some comment, but Jane was too shaken to join in the conversation. More than ever she was convinced of Stephen's guilt and she fought against it. She had nothing tangible to go on, only casual remarks which were capable of different meanings, depending on how one looked at them. 'And I'm looking at them with fear and suspicion,' she acknowledged. 'My very love for Stephen is making me biased against him.'
She was so immersed in her problems that it was not until
Stephen put his hand on her shoulder that she realized they were standing up, ready to go down to lunch.
Unless you'd like another drink?' he said. 'You were late joining us and we're one up on you.'
'No mere, thanks.' She stood up. 'I could do with some food.'
As they took their places in the dining-room Jane was glad to be sitting with Colin. At least she was saved the effort of having to pretend to an animation she did not feel. Indeed at the moment she was hard pressed not to rush back to her cabin and try and make some order out of her thoughts.
'What's the matter, Janey?' Colin asked. 'You seem upset about something. You haven't bees quarrelling with Stephen, have you?'
'No. And there's nothing wrong, honestly there isn't.'
'Well, something's on your mind, then. Care to tell me about it?'
She shook her head, but saw from the obstinate look on his face that he was not to be satisfied Early in their friendship she had realized he was no fool, and she had had no reason to change her opinion. Rather to the contrary, for the more she got to know him, the more she realized that he was a man of subtle perception. The last thing in the world she wanted was for him to start probing.
'As a matter of fact,' she said quickly, 'you were right. It is Stephen. We haven't quarrelled, but - well, I suppose you'll think I'm childish when I tell you that…' She stopped, desperately trying to make up some reason. But her hesitancy helped her, for in the pause Colin spoke again.
'You like the chap, don't you?' he said. 'It sticks out half a mile, so you needn't bother denying it.'
'Yes, I do like him. He's so different.'
'Different? I'd have thought you'd met many men of his type.'
'I've met lots of rich ones,' she said quickly, 'but none so young and attractive - present company excluded, of course.
Thanks for those kind words, Janey, but they're not necessary. When Stephen whisked you out of the ballroom last night, I knew he had the edge over me. Come on, tell Uncle Colin what you've quarrelled about and I'll see if I can help.'
'It wasn't a quarrel,' she said. 'It's just that there's so much I don't know about him.'
'That's no reason for you to look depressed,' Colin said in surprise. 'I thought you were going to tell me you'd had some ghastly row."
'I knew you'd find it difficult to understand,' she sighed. 'You know all about the people in your own circle. I mean, you grew up with them and went to the same schools and attended the same dancing classes!'
'Don't tell me you didn't do the same?' He raised his eyebrows. 'You talk as if you'd come from a different world.'
'A different generation,' she said quickly. 'Stephen and I never went to the same dancing school.'
'I should think not. You were probably in your pram at the time! But is that what's worrying you - the fact that you didn't dance together as children?'
She laughed. 'Of course not. But I do wish I knew more about him.'
'So do a lot of other people,' Colin replied. "Drake's always been a mystery man. He came from a moneyed background, but his father went through a fortune. He'd have gone through the lot if he could have got his hands on it, but a great deal of the money was in his wife's name. That's probably one of the reasons why he never walked out on her. Stephen was the only child, and from what I gather he hated his old man. As soon as he left Oxford he wait abroad - Canada, I believe it was. He only came back when his father was ill. I remember hearing about it from a chap I knew. He said that Drake senior realized he couldn't keep control of his empire. There was talk of a take-over and I suppose he felt that unless there was someone to follow in his steps everything he'd built up would disappear. Anyway, Stephen came back and the two of the
m patched it up. But he never really got going on this tycoon stuff until his father died. It was as if the old man's death was a release for him, and from that moment he went from strength to strength.'
Jane sighed. 'I wonder if Stephen and his father had any real liking for each other at the end, or whether it was only a sense of duty and pride that brought them together.'
'Those are very often the only two emotions that exist between father and child,' Colin said cynically.
'Not amongst the men I know,' Jane retorted.
'Then we must mix in different circles.'
Realizing the truth of this, she said nothing, and Colin continued speaking.
'A lot of people have been curious as to what Stephen did when he was abroad, but no one's been able to find out. Some said he fanned near Vancouver, others that he was engaged in smuggling and gun-running in the Caribbean area!'
'I don't believe it.'
'Well, I can't see him farming,' Colin admitted. 'He's much more likely to do something that held danger.'
Jane's fork clattered to her plate. Strange that Colin should also feel that Stephen would be more likely to have an occupation involving danger. Did one feel this because of his virile looks or because one instinctively sensed the strongly leashed power, the tightly controlled aggressiveness?
'How long has he been in England?' she asked. 'I know he's been in the news over the last three years, but was he here before that?'
'About a year long, I think. As a matter of fact Claire mentioned it to me earlier today. She and Stephen were comparing notes about something and he said he'd been in England since August 1967.'
'August 1967?'
The words, innocuous though they seemed, pointed one more finger of suspicion in Stephen's direction. Or was it merely a fateful coincidence that the daring robberies of jewellery and objets d'art should have begun exactly four weeks after Stephen had set foot in his country again?
CHAPTER SEVEN
Immediately lunch was over Jane's one desire was to plead a headache and return to her cabin, but in this she was thwarted, for, as she threw down her crumpled napkin and pushed back her chair, Stephen's voice spoke behind her.
'I've been trying to attract your attention the last five minutes,' he said.
She avoided looking directly at him. 'Did you want me for anything?'
'Do I have to have a special reason?' His voice was so low that only she could hear. 'I'd have liked you to have joined my table, but I can't alter the seating arrangements of my own accord. I'll speak to Dinky Howard about it this afternoon.'
'Don't do that,' she said quickly. 'It would be rude to Colin.'
'Blow Colin,' he said, and tempered his words by a smile in the direction of the man hovering on Jane's other side.
Sandwiched between the two of them, she walked out of the dining-room, relieved when Claire left her own table and joined them.
'What about a foursome at deck quoits?' she asked.
'I've got a headache,' Jane replied. 'I'm going to lie down in my cabin.'
'You should be in the fresh air,' Stephen said. 'Our chairs are reserved, so they'll still be vacant.'
Before she could protest, he edged her to the lift and within a few seconds they had ascended to the main deck.
Seated once more at her side, he looked at her so searchingly that she knew he would not be appeased until she had satisfied his curiosity.
'Have you really got a headache, or has Claire said something else to annoy you?'
'Claire hasn't said anything. No one has.'
'Then what's wrong? Why did you look at me with dislike when I came up to you in the dining-room just now?"
'I'm sorry, Stephen. It's nothing. Maybe I forgot to tell you I'm moody. Most girls of my age are.'
'Moodiness is not confined to girls of your age.' There was humour in his voice, but she did not respond to it and with a grunt he lay back and closed his eyes.
For a long while Jane pondered on all she had learned, but gradually tiredness overcame her and her eyelids drooped.
'My dear Miss Belton!' She was jerked into wakefulness by a lisping voice, and tilting her head saw Dinky Howard. Looking at him, his arms folded across his chest, his eyes twinkling, she was reminded of a bird: a magpie-cum-robin-redbreast with a touch of eagle!
'I've been wanting to talk to you, my dear Miss Belton, but you've been so busy with our dear Mr. Drake.' He glanced across at Stephen's recumbent form and lowered his voice to a whisper.
Jane glanced at Stephen and saw by the twitching of his lids that he was feigning sleep. Standing up she motioned the American to the far side of the deck.
'Of course,' Dinky Howard nodded as they moved across. 'We don't want to wake the dear man, do we? He's exhausted. Exhausted. I'm not surprised, though, when I consider the pace at which he works… Not that I don't work hard myself, little lady. This sort of cruise takes a great deal of energy…'
He meandered on, and Jane listened with a mixture of amusement and disbelief. Never would she have believed a character like Dinky existed outside a work of fiction. But here he was - large as life and twice as surprising.
'Of course, I promised your father I would keep an eye on you,' the unctuous voice continued, 'but when I saw that Mr. Drake was doing it for me I thought I'd leave you alone.' He laughed gently and tilted his head on one side, waiting for Jane to follow suit.
She did so, at the same time mentally composing another article for the Morning Star. What luck to be talking to Dinky Howard! Remembering the difficulty she had had in trying to persuade him to see her for a mere five minutes, she could not help being amused at the change in her position.
'You're not a bit like your father, of course,' Dinky Howard gushed on. 'I suppose you take after your mother?'
'Yes,' Jane answered automatically. 'How many people do you have on the cruise?'
Though taken aback by the change of conversation, he rallied well.
'Ninety-eight. Not many for a ship this size, I know, but then everyone has their own stateroom and I've a far larger crew than is usual. But this is a cruise par excellence. It's the third one I've organized and the demand grows greater and greater. Why, I had to turn down unbelievable numbers of people!'
'Really?' Jane said slowly. 'I thought Mr. Drake came on at the last minute.'
'Oh yes, but I always keep a few extra places tucked away for people of importance. Quite a few of my guests came on at the last moment.'
Her interest quickened. 'Anyone I know?'
'Why, yes. Colin Waterman. He booked some months ago, but cancelled it. However at the last moment he changed his mind again and I was able to fit him in. Quite confidentially, I think he was squiring some girl around town, but nothing came of it and he decided to come on this cruise instead.'
Jane was not surprised to hear this, for intuitively she had felt that Colin was looking for a chance to settle down. Indeed, until he had so easily accepted her feelings for Stephen, she had felt sure he had been considering her as a likely wife.
'The latest arrival, of course, hasn't yet joined the ship. He comes on at Monte Carlo tomorrow. Lord Rupert Copinger.'
Jane echoed the name, suddenly realizing why it sounded familiar: the young man Cedric Belton was hoping his daughter would marry!
'That's one reason I wanted to talk to you this afternoon, Miss Belton,' the American went on. 'I'd like to introduce Lord Rupert to you. Such a charming boy and such an excellent family.'
'Poor, though,' Jane said dryly.
'You mustn't be mercenary,' Dinky Howard twittered. 'Not every man has the ability to make a fortune the way your dear father has. Breeding and name mean a great deal, you know.'
'I'd rather have an exciting, dynamic proletarian,' Jane said dryly, 'than a well-bred bore!'
Dinky's beady eyes grew glassy. 'A sense of humour as well as beauty! No wonder your father has such great plans for you. I will enjoy introducing Lord Rupert to you.'
He minced away
, but Jane remained where she was, aware of an overwhelming sense of relief. Stephen had not been the only passenger to board the ship at the last moment! There were Colin and Lord Rupert. Having strong reasons for guessing at Colin's sudden decision to come on the cruise, she dismissed him as a suspect, but Lord Rupert was still someone to be reckoned with. Unlikely though it was, he could be the man she was looking for; he was no more unlikely a suspect than Stephen. Indeed, he had one strong motivation that Stephen lacked: he was notoriously hard up.
Light-heartedly she returned to her chair where Stephen, realizing the coast was clear, was now sitting up.
'You might at least have come to my rescue,' she protested.
'Nothing would have helped you! Dinky was watching you like a lynx all morning and I knew he was anxious to get you alone. What did he want?'
'To tell me Lord Rupert Copinger's coming on board.'
'Good lord! That idiot?'
'Do you know him?'
'Reasonably well. Not that there's much to know. Five minutes' conversation with him and the rest is repetition! Don't tell me Dinky's got him lined up for you.'
'Not Dinky,' she replied. 'My father. He'd like me to marry a title.'
'And what about you? Don't you fancy yourself as Lady Something or other?'
'If I loved the man - yes. But not otherwise.'
He looked at her searchingly and she returned his gaze without any change of expression.
'You've recovered, haven't you?' he said suddenly. "You're not moody any more.'
'I told you I'd be better if you left me alone.'
'I know you did. And I'm glad you're right. I only hope you won't put me in your black books again too soon.'
Although she remained smiling, Jane silently echoed his words, hoping desperately that the suspicions she had felt about him could be directed towards someone else.
The Cambrian docked at Monte Carlo at eight a.m. the next morning, but Jane, anxious to appear blase, did not go on deck until nearly ten. A few of her co-passengers had already disembarked, though Claire and Colin, together with a newly-wed Texan couple, were sipping coffee by the pool.
Rachel Lindsay - Moonlight and Magic Page 9