A Masterful Man

by Lindsay Armstrong

  After dinner, they sat together in front of the fire and he asked her about her family.

  'Well I was an only child,' she said slowly, 'and my parents-well, my father…' She stopped and sighed.

  'Tell me about him, Davina.'

  'He was such a difficult person.' She laid her head on his shoulder. 'He was intensely ambitious and he started and built up the business that was to be his downfall and it took a lot of drive and energy and expertise to do it. Yet looking back now I think he was rather insecure or something, because he was never really happy and he could be terribly critical, so that both my mother and I, we later discovered, always felt as if we were letting him down in some way or other. If I did well at school he always pointed out that it was possible to do better. If things went wrong at work, he took his frustrations out on her-oh, not physically, but she once told me she often thought that she was never a good enough mother or housekeeper or wife, yet she was all of those things. And he never let us forget that our growing wealth and so on was solely due to his efforts. This may seem crazy but we both acquired guilt-complexes, I think.'

  'Which didn't help when it came to paying him back when the chips were down,' he said thoughtfully. She swallowed. 'No. But I did it more for my mother than I did it for him, although she begged me not to. But I couldn't bear to see what she was going through.'

  'Did you consciously decide on a course of passive resistance when you married Smith-Hastings?'

  Davina thought for a while. Then she said bleakly, 'I was conscious of two things. That he frightened me in a way that was hard to define-perhaps I just didn't want to think about it too much; and that I didn't know how, without jeopardising my father's position, but no one was going to blackmail me into faking love. I told Darren that before I did it. He said it didn't matter.'

  'How long were you together?'

  'Twelve months.'

  He moved abruptly. 'Twelve months of… coercion?'

  'No… After about three months of, well, I suppose passive resistance on my part is a good way of putting it-his ego got in the way. I think he was genuinely stunned that he couldn't… bring me round. So he then set out to humiliate me, or so he hoped, with any willing woman he could find.' She smiled without humour. 'I was so relieved I just didn't care. But he made one stipulation. Either I put up a front or he pulled the plug on Dad. So I did. For nine more months I went everywhere I was commanded to, did all the kind of socialising he wanted me to, entertained all the people he needed me to, wore all the clothes his money paid for, got photographed and written about and even smiled at him in public and stood by his side like the dutiful wife I wasn't. He used to make a habit of parading his latest lover at all those parties and making sure I knew who she was.'

  'My dear,' Steve took her hand, 'you deserve a medal.'

  Davina grimaced. 'If Paul Grainger is to be believed, I didn't fool everyone.'

  'He could have been talking from hindsight.'

  'I suppose so.' She shivered.

  'When did you find out he was going under?'

  'My father was the first to tell me. He was… so shocked and ashamed-something Darren had relied on to keep him from telling me, incidentally-but apparently the rumours had been circulating for a while. It was when Darren started to want to transfer a lot of things into my name that I knew I had to get out. That he was a fraud as well as everything else. On the day my father died I did just that and left everything he'd ever given me behind.'

  'He didn't try to stop you?'

  'He did. He threatened me and all sorts of things. He said he had, after all, propped my father's business up- he didn't know my father had finally told me that there'd been a lot of promises and that for a while being associated with the Smith-Hastings name had kept the wolf from the door, just. But nothing had actually eventuated. But I went straight to a lawyer and set the thing in motion. And then I concentrated on keeping out of his way and trying to help my mother get over it all.' 'How is she now?'

  'I don't think she ever will get over it but she wasn't left destitute, fortunately, though only by coincidence-she had a very elderly maiden aunt who died not long after Dad did and left her some money. She tried to give it all to me but I wouldn't take it and, well, she's finally got interested in of all things, saving endangered species like the rhino. She gets quite impassioned about it.'

  'I'm glad,' he said quietly. 'But you're still left with this fear of Darren Smith-Hastings, even although it's been over for what…three years?'

  'Yes, since the divorce came through. But I don't think I'll ever forget the last words he said to me-he said that if he ever got his hands on me again, I'd regret the day.' She shivered again and he drew her closer and said drily, 'I'd like to get my hands on him but possibly they were only the words of a man who'd taken several severe joltings to his ego.'

  'I keep telling myself that, but when you've been forced to do-certain things, it's not easy to believe it.'

  'Do you feel safe now?'

  'Oh, yes…' She stopped.

  But all he said was, 'Good.' And he took her to bed presently.

  It was a Lord Howe special the next day. Sunshine, a sparkling sea and a wide, clear blue sky.

  Steve told her about his plans over breakfast. 'I'm going to take you to all my favourite spots. Bring your camera and your costume.'

  She looked up eagerly but then her expression became a bit wary.

  'What?' he queried.

  'I…would hate to bump into Paul Grainger.'

  'You won't, he left yesterday.'

  'How do you know?'

  He smiled slightly. 'I know a lot that goes on here. Any more objections?'

  'Not one…'

  It was a marvellous day and it gave her a new insight into Steve Warwick. She told him a bit about it as they sat on the thick, lush turf of the Clear Place looking out over Mutton Bird Island, Wolf Rock and Mount Lidgbird, and ate the picnic lunch she'd made.

  'You really do love this island, don't you?' she said a bit dreamily as she thought back over all he'd shown her so far, the fantastic banyan trees and many others, the mutton bird holes, the Valley of Shadows, the spot on the cliff edge above Middle Beach where he'd pointed out two white terns flying in tandem, swooping and wheeling in perfect unison and as if they were flying just for the love of it.

  'Yes, I do. I think it's in my blood.' 'How much time do you spend on the mainland?' 'Quite a lot.' He grimaced. 'I don't know if it was a conscious policy of my forebears but we acquired little bits of this and that, all quite humble at first but they've mushroomed now to the extent that I decided to go public in quite a few of them so there's not only myself and the family to consider but shareholders as well.'

  'Darren-that was his forte, he always reckoned,' she said involuntarily. 'He saw himself as a corporate raider par excellence. But when interest rates went through the roof, he-well, he blamed the banks for being prepared to lend him so much.' 'It happened to a lot of them.' 'But basically you must enjoy such a diverse empire, mustn't you?' she said with a tinge of curiosity.

  'I have to confess I do. I also look upon it as a trust, to keep it all going and healthy, wealthy and wise, and I enjoy the cut and thrust of commerce so I couldn't, much as I love it, simply live here and watch birds. But I couldn't ever envisage not being able to live here a lot of the time, either.'

  'So you have the best of both worlds,' she said slowly. 'Perhaps.' He leant back on one elbow. 'The one thing I haven't done yet is provide any heirs to carry on the tradition. It's probably hard for outsiders to understand but I think most of us who have roots here regard the island as a bit of a sacred trust too. I think it comes from the isolation of the place as well as how self-supporting it's always been.' 'The Kentia palm,' she murmured. 'It is a bit amazing, isn't it? And still going on.'

  'Yep! Although we only sell seedlings now, as opposed to seeds.'

  Davina lay back and crossed her arms behind her head. 'It's so lovely,' she said softly, relishing th
e warmth of the sun and the clear air.

  He looked down at her from close range so she could see the little yellow flecks in his eyes. 'So are you. I wonder if you have any idea of what I'd like to be doing right here and now?' Her lips curved. 'I don't think it would be legal.' 'Not even an embrace?'

  'Oh, well, perhaps.' But at that moment they heard voices approaching and they sat up, laughing quietly.

  'So much for the isolation,' he said wryly. 'By the way, I'm taking you out to dinner tonight.'

  'Thank you, but I can-'

  'This will be educational as well as epicurean. You'll need to bring your camera.' 'Oh. Why?'

  'Well, you know all those mutton bird holes in the ground we've seen?' She nodded. 'The adults,' he continued, 'leave their chicks in the holes all day while they fly out to sea to do a spot of fishing. They all return at more or less the same time just before dark and unerringly find the right hole in the ground. It's quite a sight and there's a restaurant ideally positioned above Ned's Beach to watch the spectacle while you have a pre-dinner drink.'

  'Oh!'

  'Mmm. In the meantime, I'm going to try and find you some Masked Boobies, unfortunately named birds one feels, but also well worth the sight.'

  'Lay on, Macduff!'

  * * *

  But they didn't find any Masked Boobies and were laughing about that as they got back to the cottage, late in the afternoon.

  'I'm tempted to think they didn't want to be found,' she told him. 'Perhaps they're embarrassed about their name?'

  He grimaced. 'We'll see them tomorrow, anyway. I thought we might take Candice to Ball's Pyramid- they're always flying around the base of Mount Gower. Do you need to rest before we go out? We've done a hell of a lot of walking and climbing.'

  'No,' she said, 'and a hell of a lot of that sort of gentle rambling we did today is small time to someone who has climbed Mount Lidgbird! But I am going to soak in that bathtub for a little while.'

  'Done,' he said. 'I've got a few calls to make.'

  'I'm surprised there's a telephone.'

  'The two things I insisted on were the shower and thephone.'

  It was blissful in the tub with a haze of lavender-scented steam rising above her-she'd found the lavender oil in the credenza. And just as she was thinking reluctantly of getting out, Steve came in.

  'I'm coming,' she said ruefully, and stood up.

  'I wasn't coming to chase you up,' he replied and held out a hand to help her climb over the steep side of the tub. 'I was actually coming,' he went on, 'to feast my eyes on you. I've been plagued by visions of you without your clothes all day, you see.'

  'I…' Davina stopped and felt herself starting to colour. 'Well, here I am,' she said a bit breathlessly, as his gaze wandered over her wet body, the sweep of her hips and thighs, the small mound of her stomach, her waist, her rosy, satiny breasts with their darker rose velvety tips. 'I can't help feeling a bit like a B-grade actress without her clothes, though,' she added involuntarily.

  'Don't,' he said barely audibly and put his hands round her waist. 'I was not only wrong but a bloody idiot when I said that. You're exquisite-why, oh, why did I ever mention mutton birds?' And he looked into her eyes wryly.

  'There's always later,' she said softly, and moved into his arms.

  'Not if you do that,' he murmured.

  'I'm only going to do it for a fleeting moment more. Steve-' She stopped and looked up at him.

  'Say it, Davina.'

  'I… thank you for a lovely day.' Which was not what she'd been going to say and she thought he might have guessed because something flickered briefly in his eyes, but she moved away and reached for a towel before he could comment. She also said brightly, 'Give me twenty minutes and I'll be ready.'

  He paused and she held her breath but in the end he said, 'OK. I need a shower myself.'

  She dressed with unsteady hands and the knowledge in her heart that she'd been almost unbearably tempted to say-I love you…

  'I like that dress,' he said from the doorway.

  She looked down at the chalk-blue dress she'd worn once before. 'Thanks. It's the kind of dress it's nice to be in.'

  He pulled the towel he'd tied round his lean hips off casually and reached for his clothes. Davina turned away and started to brush her hair at the old-fashioned dressing-table. But, before she'd finished, he loomed up behind her in the mirror, still without his shirt and still with droplets of water on his broad shoulders and in the tawny, springy hair of his chest, and their eyes met in the glass. She was a little shocked to see the vulnerability in hers and blinked a couple of times then saw him smile absently as he looked down at her and slid his hands round her waist again as he said, 'Davina?'

  'Yes…' she answered uncertainly.

  'Don't go away from me.'

  'I…I'm not.'

  'Good.' He turned her to face him and fixed the collar of her dress that was a little awry and added, 'Are you sure?'

  'Yes, I'm sure,' she whispered.

  'Then shall we go and witness these blasted birds before it gets too dark?' He took her chin in his fingers and kissed her lips very gently.

  'Oh, yes, please.'

  And so it was that she arrived at the restaurant unable to help feeling reassured about some things, but still with the weight of what she'd nearly said on her mind-to be confronted by Mary Hargreaves, who greeted Steve delightedly and confided that she was on her own; she just hadn't felt like cooking after a tough day at the office, and how she'd so wanted to talk to Davina at the cocktail party but hadn't somehow got around to it…

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  After the barest hesitation, Steve said, 'Well, you'd better join us, Mary.'

  'Oh, no! I didn't mean that-'

  But he said with a grin, 'Don't be silly. I'm sure Davina would like to meet you.'

  'Of course,' Davina agreed with a smile, because there was really nothing else to do; the restaurant was small and she couldn't help feeling sorry for Mary Hargreaves, anyway, who had unwittingly given so much away the moment she'd laid eyes on Steve…

  So they watched the mutton birds returning and Davina took some photos, then they sat down to eat. Davina discovered that Mary worked for the island board, that she was basically a bright, cheerful person, intelligent and cultured, probably in her late twenties, as well as being attractive and forthright. What she hoped in her heart was not so was that the four years Mary had spent away from the island had been spent changing herself into a more suitable person for Steve Warwick- perhaps not altogether consciously, but with it at the back of her mind. Because she couldn't help remembering what Steve himself had said about how Mary had changed.

  She found that she was exerting herself so that it would be a pleasant meal, and saw Steve look at her strangely once, but pushed on regardless. Until Mary, who had rather carefully made no reference to Davina's position in the Warwick household, did say with a frown, 'You know, I'm sure I know your face, Davina.'

  'That-' Davina stopped and bit her lip.

  'That would be from when she was married to Darren Smith-Hastings,' Steve said, and as Mary's eyes widened with shock he went on, 'Would you like to come back to the cottage with us for a nightcap?'

  'The…cottage?' Mary said uncertainly and Davina winced inwardly for her.

  'Yes. We're eluding Lavinia and Loretta for a few days.'

  'I-no, thanks, Steve, but I'll take a raincheck.' And, to her eternal credit Davina couldn't help thinking, Mary Hargreaves did battle with her emotions briefly-she swallowed visibly-and came up smiling. 'In fact, I think I'll leave you two alone right now! I've taken up enough of your time as it is. Thanks for a lovely evening-I'll get them to split the bill-'

  'No, Mary.' Steve stood up as she did. 'This one's on me,' he said quietly.

  'You're upset,' Steve said a while later when they were back in the cottage.

  'I…' Davina stood in the middle of the lounge and twisted her hands. 'Yes.'

  'Why?'

&n
bsp; She closed her eyes. 'I can't help feeling sorry for her. I thought it was a little public and brutal to kill her dreams stone-dead like that.'

  He came to stand in front of her and, as her lashes lifted, for a moment he was like the old Steve Warwick she'd first seen at the airport. Impatient, dangerous, big and worldly. He said evenly, 'My dear, I only wish I could have done something about Mary years ago. But how do you? I have never, I repeat, led her on.'

  Davina sighed and shrugged. 'I don't know but…why did you tell her who I was, as well as making it so obvious we were… together? And I mean that from my point of view as well as hers.'

  'Because we are together. Are we not?'

  'Yes, but-'

  'And because everyone will know it anyway and you can't change who you were.'

  'But I've spent years-'

  'I know, but while you're with me there's no need to hide.'

  'How-' her throat closed but she made herself go on '-long will I be with you, though?'

  He gazed down into her eyes. 'That's up to you, Davina. Do you want to-have it out now? I'm quite happy to. Do you want me to tell you that I'm falling in love with you? I am, so-'

  'Steve,' she gasped.

  He smiled a little grimly. 'What's so impossible about that?'

  'I…well, how can you be sure?' she whispered.

  'There are certain quite uncompromising signs. I can't help feeling you might have noticed them yourself, and in yourself,' he added with lethal gentleness and a pointed look down her figure.

  'Steve, why are you angry?' she said barely audibly and with a tightening of her nerves.

  'Am I? Could it be because I get the feeling you don't want to discuss this? You don't want it known we're sleeping together-'

  'You're right,' she flashed suddenly, then frowned in exasperation. 'What I mean is I don't want it broadcast the way you did-'

  'You mean, in other words, you'd rather pretend it's not happening?'