Mirrors of the Sea

by Sally Wentworth

  'Of course.'

  She put her hands on either side of his face, gazing up at him with eyes overflowing with love and happiness. Shakily she said, 'And I'll promise not to be a coward in future.'

  'You found the courage to stay on the ship.'

  'Because in my heart I so wanted this to happen, hoped against hope every minute of the day. And, anyway, I couldn't have left, not when there was the chance of just seeing you, of hearing your voice—even if you were talking to Gail,' Alys admitted. 'Oh, Titus! Hold me. Don't ever let me go.'

  'Never again. Never again!' He found her mouth, kissing her compulsively, his shoulders hunching as passion deepened, sending them both into a dizzying whirl of emotion, where roaring need drowned out the noise of the sea, and the fire of desire took the warmth from the night. Titus rained kisses on her eyes, her throat, explored her mouth almost as if it were the first time, but his need was deeper, more urgent than the first time, because now he knew the pleasure that her body could give him, knew that only in their mutual love could there be true sensual perfection.

  At last he lifted his head, his breath rasping in his throat, his heart thumping. 'Let's go back to the ship,' he said urgently. 'Let's go now.'

  Alys laughed a little, her heart beating as crazily as his. 'Oh, yes! Yes and yes and yes.'

  Her undisguised eagerness made Titus burst into laughter, too, and they stood there on the shore, like a pair of fools, laughing uncontrollably. But then Titus put his arm round her and began to walk her back towards the town, his step brisk. 'Come on.'

  'Hey, not so fast,' Alys laughed, but her step was just as eager.

  'Are you crazy? I've waited two years for tonight.'

  She slowed a little and looked into his face, able to see him now by the light of a lamp-post. Sure of him now but still wanting to hear his answer, she said, 'There hasn't been anyone else?'

  'No one. Not Camilla, not Gail. Surely you must know that I couldn't possibly want anyone after what we had?'

  Alys smiled and reached up to kiss him, thinking that she would never be unhappy again, but couldn't help saying teasingly, 'Aren't you going to ask me whether or not I met anyone else?'

  'Another man?' Titus grinned, a light of triumphant happiness in his eyes—that, and deep, impatient desire.

  'I knew you hadn't. Your aunt told me before I came on the cruise that ‑' He broke off, realising what he'd said. 'Ah! I meant to tell you about that later. You see ‑'

  'I'm beginning to,' Alys interrupted. She drew back a little. 'Are you telling me that you knew I'd be on the ship?'

  'Well, yes. You see, after I got back to England I immediately tried to find you, but your parents, quite rightly thinking that I'd upset you enough, wouldn't tell me where you were. Then I remembered your aunt and went to see her. It seemed that she was starting to get a bit worried about you, but she wouldn't give me your address either; she said that she felt we ought to meet on neutral ground and that she'd think of something. Then she read about the original lecturer's accident and thought it would give us an ideal opportunity. So she immediately rang me and asked me to apply to go in his place. She guaranteed to get you to come along if I got the job.' He grinned. 'She also said that you wouldn't be able to run away again.'

  'Did she indeed?' There was growing indignation in Alys's voice. 'So between you, you—manipulated me into coming on this trip!'

  'Only because we both loved you,' Titus said swiftly.

  'But when I saw you I did turn and run. Surely that must have made you realise at once that I still cared about you? Why didn't you come right out then and tell me that you loved me and wanted me? Why let me go through all this—this torment of letting me think you were in love with Gail?'

  'But I wasn't sure how you felt,' Titus answered urgently. 'OK, I knew that seeing me again had made an impact on you, but it could just as easily have been hate as love. I had to be sure. And your aunt had told me she was afraid that you were sinking into a kind of apathy, that you were hiding yourself away in the school. So I thought that if I made you jealous about Gail then it might shake you out of it, make you start fighting back.'

  'I took the job at the school because it was a kind of sanctuary,' Alys said sharply. 'A place where I could lick my wounds... Because your not coming for me hurt like hell! You don't know how much. I wasn't apathetic-, I was hurting and trying so hard not to show it. And now you've put me through all this again, twisting the knife, making me despair of hope, when all the time you ‑'

  'Alys, I'm sorry. I didn't know. How could I know? Darling, please, let me ‑'

  But she wrenched herself free of his hold and ran ahead of him up the beach to some steps leading to the pavement. But then Alys had to stop and turn. 'Give me my shoes.'

  'Alys, please listen. I ‑'

  'No!' She dropped her shoes to the ground and thrust her feet into them. 'I've been going through hell! All the trouble we had before was because you weren't open with me and you're still keeping things from me now.'

  'It wasn't like that.' Titus came up the steps and tried to catch hold of her but she pushed him away, arms flailing angrily. 'Keep away from me! If you touch me I'll scream.'

  'Don't be ridiculous! All I wanted was for us to be happy, to be sure.'

  He took hold of her wrist. Alys opened her mouth and screamed—loudly. Titus cursed and reached out to put his hand over her mouth, but it was too late—already several people were running towards them, shouting. A couple of men caught hold of him, making Titus let her go as he turned to speak to them, to explain. But Alys took the opportunity to hurry away, abandoning him. Let him sort it out! She was still fuming with anger, too furious to care if he got into trouble.

  It was quite a long walk back to the ship and at any other time Alys might have felt uneasy walking through a foreign town alone at night, but tonight she strode along so purposefully, her anger so obvious, that any man who wanted to approach her immediately thought better of it and left her strictly alone. Reaching the ship, Alys climbed the gangway, but instead of going to find her aunt to vent her anger on her, too, she paced the length of the ship and back again, wishing there were something violently physical she could do to work out her anger. There wasn't, of course; there was nothing to do but stride the deck, waiting for Titus to come back. Jack and Gail returned, arm in arm, and went off to the bar by the pool for a drink, as did many of the passengers. Midnight came and still Titus hadn't come back. Then, open-mouthed, she saw him being marched along the quay by two policemen! And the cruise director had to go down and vouch for him before the police would let him on board. Serve him right! Alys thought, and went down to her cabin, deciding to make him suffer for at least another day before she forgave him.

  By the next morning the whole ship was buzzing with the news of Titus's 'arrest'. He came looking for her early, banging on the cabin door before breakfast.

  'Who on earth can that be?' Aunt Lou exclaimed.

  'It's Titus,' Alys said calmly. 'Probably worried in case I murdered you for getting together with him behind my back.'

  'Oh! So he told you. Does that mean...?' Her aunt looked at her tentatively.

  Titus banged on the door again.

  'Will you please tell him to go away and leave me alone?'

  'Are you quite sure that's what you want me to say?'

  'Quite sure,' Alys answered firmly.

  Aunt Lou put her head round the door to give him the message, but Titus was waiting in the corridor, leaning against the wall, arms folded, when they came out to go to breakfast. Alys ignored him and walked past. Titus immediately came after her. The corridor was too narrow to walk side by side, so he said forcefully into her ear, 'Would you please explain to the cruise director what happened last night? He's convinced I'm some kind of sex maniac!'

  'Too bad!' Alys retorted, enjoying herself.

  'Are you going to tell him?'

  'No.'

  'You're going to pay for this when I get you alone, my love,
' Titus told her, a menacing glint in his eyes.

  'Threats won't make me change my mind.' But Alys's heart sang with excited anticipation, and she thought that maybe she wouldn't punish him for quite so long after all.

  He moved away as they neared the dining-room and Alys and Aunt Lou went to sit at a table with Gail, who was waving madly at them. 'Have you heard about Titus?' she demanded of Alys as soon as they sat down.

  'Yes. It was me he had a row with. I'm afraid I left him to get out of it alone.'

  'I thought it was probably something like that,' Gail said offhandedly, surprising Alys, who had thought she would have been more interested. But Gail leaned towards her and said, 'Imagine! When I got to my cabin last night I found that gorgeous leather coat I told you about, the one that cost the earth. Jack must have bought it and had them send it to the ship. Wasn't that sweet of him?' She frowned. 'You know, I really like Jack. He's good fun. Not at all boring. And there's nothing intense about him. Do you know what I mean?' Alys nodded and Gail gave a regretful sigh. 'It's such a pity he hasn't any money; I feel I could be comfortable with him.'

  Alys didn't say anything, but after breakfast she sought out the woman who'd told them about Jack being a consultant. 'Do you know Mrs Turnbull?' she asked, pointing Gail out. 'She was telling us about a relative who has an illness that's beaten all the doctors. I wondered, if you told her about your sister...'

  'Oh, of course. I'll go and tell her at once.'

  'Er—she did sort of tell me in confidence, so if you could just bring it up in conversation,' Alys suggested.

  'Of course. I quite understand.'

  Alys walked away, grinning to herself, thinking that she'd done her good deed for the day.

  But there she was wrong. The ship was sailing through the scattered islands off the Turkish coast, islands that belonged to Greece. Some of them were very small and uninhabited but others had long golden beaches and were popular holiday islands. Because the ship was small it could go closer in to the shore, giving the passengers a better view, the officer at the bridge giving the names of the islands and towns they passed over the loudspeaker from the bridge. They rounded the rocky headland of one of the islands—and found a pedalo with three young boys on board immediately in their path.

  There was little the helmsman could do. Shouts of alarm came vividly over the loudspeaker and everyone rushed to the side. The siren sounded a furious warning but the two seated children panicked, both trying to turn different ways. The third boy, who had been standing up behind them, slipped, hit his head on the edge of the seat and fell into the sea. Alys kicked off her shoes, climbed the rail, and dived cleanly in.

  Her biggest fear was the ship's propeller, making her swim fast to the pedalo. The boys had got it together now but were looking into the sea for their friend.

  'Get going! I'll find him,' Alys yelled, and waved them away.

  The ship was very close now, only yards away. She dived deep, thankful that the water was so clear, and found the boy almost at once. He was coming to, struggling to get back to the surface. Grabbing him, Alys put her hand over his mouth and nose, taking him deeper down. He struggled at first, and it took all her strength to hold him, but then he grew still. Overhead there was a great roaring sound which was gradually silenced as the ship's engines were stopped, but it took a while for the blades to slow and become still. The roaring went on but it was in Alys's head, in her tightening chest as she strove to hold her breath. She kept her eyes on the bottom of the ship and, as soon as the screws stopped, shot up to the surface, going fast, afraid for the boy, but her arms aching and feeling very weak now.

  They broke through to the blessed air, and suddenly Titus was there, taking the boy from her, giving him mouth-to-mouth while he held him. Alys sank back under the water, exhausted, felt Titus grab her and pull her up. 'Hold on to my shoulders.'

  She got behind him, put her arms round his neck and closed her eyes, floating, letting life gradually creep back into her limbs. Dimly, she became aware that a boat was being lowered from the ship, that the two other boys were miraculously OK on the pedalo, that people had seen from the distant beach and another boat was putting out from there.

  'Hang on,' Titus said urgently. 'Just a little while.'

  'I'm all right. The boy?'

  'I think he's breathing.'

  The boats picked them up, took them back to the shore. They sat together in one, Titus's arms close around her, while Jack worked on the boy in another, and again stood together on the beach, waiting, a little apart from the crowd that had gathered, until the boy was taken away in an ambulance. After seeing him off, Jack came over to them and gave a thumbs-up sign. 'He's fine. Crying for his mother. How about you two?'

  'We're OK.' Titus grinned. 'In every way.' And his arm tightened.

  'Glad to hear it. You've certainly given the passengers something to talk about. We'd better get back to the ship.'

  'Titus?' Alys gave him an appealing look. 'Do we have to go back? I've had enough of that cruise.'

  He gave a sigh of relief. 'Thank goodness for that. I'm sick to death of that damn boat! Jack, do you think you could persuade them to get our things together and bring them ashore?'

  'Of course. No trouble.'

  Alys said, 'Please apologise to Aunt Lou—and tell her it worked. She'll understand.'

  Jack went off in the ship's boat and Titus grinned at her. 'Have you any idea where we are?'

  'No. Does it matter?'

  'Not in the least.'

  'Maybe there'll be a little house we can rent for a week or so.'

  Titus bent to kiss her. 'I think we'll need it for longer than that.'

  'A month or so, then.'

  'I don't have to be back until October,' he pointed out.

  Alys chuckled richly. 'But I have to be back in September.'

  'I'm afraid they'll have to get along without you, my darling. Because by then you'll not only be married but pregnant.'

  'Will I indeed? Is that a threat?'

  'No, my dearest love. That is a promise.' Titus took her in his arms to seal the promise with a kiss, and the cheers of the passengers still lining the rails of the ship echoed enthusiastically across the water.