He shone a flashlight and they managed to find their way to a bamboo-framed hut, covered with woven coconut fronds. He pushed open the door, wheeling the bike inside and then helping Louisa. She sniffed. Though it still smelled of fish, the hut felt damp and abandoned. His flashlight lit up a few old ropes coiled on the ground and some sacking in one corner. He helped her to sit away from a leak in the roof and then took out a hurricane lamp from his saddlebag and sat next to her. He lit the lamp and she watched as it threw shadows against the walls. Feeling a little apprehensive, she shivered. Even from inside the hut she could hear the wild waves crashing against the rocks.
“Are you cold?” he asked.
She smiled. “Proper Boy Scout, aren’t you?”
“I’m always prepared when out on the bike.”
“Well, I’m not really cold. I’m just wet.”
He took off his cape and then his jacket and put it around her shoulders. “You sound as if you need a stiff drink.”
“Yes.”
In the dim light from the lamp he brought out a hipflask of whisky, unscrewed the cap, which acted as a tiny cup, poured some out and then offered it to her. She took a sip and the heat curled in her chest.
“So,” she said, very aware of the fact that they were alone together in this small hut and trying to think of something normal to say. In fact, nothing about the situation was normal and nothing about him was ordinary. The truth was, she found him vitally alive and exciting to be near.
“It must be lonely up at the plantation,” she eventually said.
“I’m not much of a social animal.”
“You enjoy your own company?”
“Yes. But I’m busy all the time.”
“Did you and Elliot ever talk?”
“Not much.”
A flash of lightning lit up the hut, turning his face blue.
“Do you have electricity there?”
“Not yet. We’re quite basic.”
“Elliot said so too.”
Leo nodded but didn’t meet her eyes. He poured another whisky and drank it.
“Will the bike still go?”
“It’s not damaged.”
She attempted to get to her feet but her ankle hurt. She sat down again, not wanting to go back home anyway—and couldn’t help dwelling on thoughts of Leo. There was something untouchable about him, as if he were a little out of reach, and she wanted to know more. Was he lonely up at the plantation? He appeared to live a lonely life. But how to ask him more without seeming to pry too much?
“So,” she eventually said. “Have you always lived alone?”
“Pretty much. I’ve traveled around a bit, here and there. It was only when I inherited the plantation that, I suppose, you could say I started to settle down. Now I’m nearly forty, I guess it’s about time I did it properly.”
She hesitated for a moment, then smiled at him. “You never wanted to marry?”
Another flash of lightning lit up his face and she saw him hesitate.
He met her eyes and there was a still moment. “Never seemed to be in the right place at the right time, or with the right person,” he finally said.
“But there must have been women?” she said.
She heard his sharp intake of breath. “Oh, yes.”
“Any in particular?”
“Just the one.”
“Do you want to tell me about her?”
He shrugged. “Not much to tell. She married someone else.”
“What happened?” she asked, and though he had spoken resignedly she sensed some hurt in him still.
“It was about eight years ago. Her name was Alicia and she was a singer in a Singapore nightclub.”
“And?”
“She was beautiful, long chestnut hair, bright blue eyes and the voice of an angel.”
“Sounds like you loved her.”
He sighed deeply. “We were going to be married.”
“What happened?”
He bowed his head before looking up at her. “Turned out it wasn’t me that she loved.”
“Were you actually engaged?”
“We were.”
There was a short silence and she reached out to touch his arm. Something flowed between them and she felt it acutely.
“I’m sorry.”
“That wasn’t the worst of it. She walked out on me one night and I never set eyes on her again. Later I discovered she had married my best friend, and had been seeing him for months behind my back.”
“Oh God! That must have hurt,” she blurted out.
There was a prickly silence.
“So,” he said at last. “I really do understand how you feel about Elliot and Zinnia.”
“Yes. I see that. Did you ever hear from them again?”
He lowered his voice and she had to lean in closer to hear. “Eventually, yes. A couple of years later I received a letter from him saying Alicia had died in childbirth.”
“Gosh, that’s awful.”
She glanced at the ground before looking up and meeting his gaze. A gaze that had not wavered and did not now. “You must wonder about what might have been.”
“Maybe. I’m not really given to dwelling. The future is what matters to me.”
“And the past?”
“I was searching for something when I was younger. I thought she might have been the answer.”
“But she wasn’t?”
“No.”
“Did you ever find it? The thing you were looking for.”
“Not entirely. I don’t think I even knew what it was.”
“We’re all searching for something, aren’t we?”
“I imagine we are.”
Deeply conscious of him sitting so near to her, she inhaled slowly then let her breath out as she tried to weave through her complicated feelings.
“What is it you’ve been searching for, Louisa?” he continued.
She liked how he’d said her name. The way it felt new and special. “Perhaps it’s more of an unfulfilled need than a search. I wanted children. I wanted them badly.”
“I am sorry.”
She glanced at him and even in the dim light of the lamp felt heartened by the compassion in his eyes.
“Motherhood. It’s what we women are programmed to do, isn’t it? To be a mother. My childhood without my mother was lonely at times, and I suppose I wanted to make the family I’d never had.”
“Hard for you.”
“Very. But there it is.”
He gave her a long searching look. “I admire how you’ve coped with everything.”
She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Really?”
“Absolutely.”
“Thank you.”
They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, Louisa thinking about her lost children and Leo thinking of she knew not what.
“But what an exciting life you must have had,” she eventually said. “Tell me about some of the places you’ve been.”
“You really want to know?”
“Yes.” She felt her tension unraveling and understood that since being in this little hut and listening to the rain, she wanted to stay like that, secluded together, talking, hearing his voice.
“Well, I worked on a rubber plantation in Malaya for ten years, and I’ve spent time in Indonesia. Mainly I’ve been around the tropics one way or another.”
“Sorry to pry,” she said, wondering if she’d asked too much.
“Not at all.”
She heard a movement. “Are there bats in here?”
“I doubt it.”
But she jumped when he shone his flashlight on a lizard creeping out from a corner and scuttling across the floor. As they slipped into silence again she could smell the spicy sal
ty scent from his skin and the paraffin from the lamp. It was then he leaned toward her and gently stroked her cheek.
She closed her eyes and felt it throughout her entire body. And yet, after a few seconds, she pulled away. She heard the cry of some creature out in the rain, a lonely disturbing sound, followed by the hooting of an owl.
“Leo…”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have.”
“It’s just—”
“I understand.”
“Let’s just sit here until the rain eases off.”
Neither of them moved and although troubled by what had almost happened, and what it might mean, she felt aware of a still center of peace within her.
Cooper, the Australian man, was still preying on her mind, as was the fake contract. Louisa felt uneasy about both so, in the morning, after Leo dropped her off and before walking the dogs, she asked Ashan to come to the main sitting room. Fortunately, her ankle hadn’t been twisted and was hardly bothering her now, and she prowled the room as she waited, watching the slanting sun layering the floor in stripes of light. The whole room seemed to sparkle, but it was one of those times when she wished Elliot was with her: times she still couldn’t prevent from arising, no matter how much she struggled against them. And what had happened with Leo, and the fact she had wanted him to touch her so much, only made her feel more unsettled. She felt starved of physical contact, but in her mind she was still a married woman and, despite everything, it wasn’t easy to just switch that off.
She didn’t ask Ashan to sit, but gazed at him from where she stood. It upset her to think somebody in her household might be to blame but she had to ask the question.
“Look, Ashan, you’ve been with us as butler for years.”
He nodded and gave her a broad smile. “Ten years, Madam, and houseboy to your father before that.”
“And during your time as butler you have looked after us well, for which I thank you.”
He made a slight bow. “It is my pleasure.”
She sighed before broaching the subject. “I’ve got a little problem and I wonder if you can help me. You’ve always assisted me, and my father before me, in choosing new staff. Haven’t you?”
“Yes, Madam. Glad to do so.”
“So, I have a question for you.”
“Madam.”
“I wondered, is there anyone here you don’t fully trust?”
He frowned as if to say the question bothered him. “Some I know better than others, but I trust them all.”
“Well, I need you to keep your eyes open. I fear somebody may be passing on information about what I’m doing. Can you manage that?”
“Certainly, Madam. That would indeed be a worry.”
“And I don’t have to say we must keep this strictly between us.”
She dismissed him and then sat for a while considering the members of her household and hoping there wasn’t one she couldn’t trust. The cook had been with her father long before moving with her after her marriage. He’d had a kitchen boy under his charge who was a bit slow but very cheerful, but now he had the French girl, Camille, who had proved indispensable. There were two further houseboys who took care of cleaning and serving, one was a nephew of the cook and the other had been with her for about six months. There was also a part-time housekeeper and a laundryman. Only Ashan, Camille and the cook lived in. There was a gardener too, but he was rarely privy to her whereabouts.
While the rain held off she collected the dogs and set off to visit Himal, a Sinhalese builder she had used before, to ask for a quote for the refurbishment of the Print House. As she walked she threw a ball for the dogs. Usually Bouncer jumped on it first and wouldn’t return it, but today Tommy caught it and brought it to her to be thrown again. They played while the street was quiet, then she put them back on their leads.
When she reached the builder’s yard, she quickly found Himal. Though not the cheapest, he was both trustworthy and reliable and he’d successfully added a whole new floor to her house. In his office, she unfolded her plans and laid them on his desk. While he bent his head and pored over them, she pictured the emporium in her mind’s eye: a gleaming glittering palace of exquisite sapphire jewelry and fascinating objects, an Aladdin’s cave of opportunity.
“As you see, I want to keep the upper galleried area to display artwork, and then turn each downstairs room into an area selling specific goods. But I do need to keep the costs down.”
He glanced up at her with an intelligent expression. “Do you know if any of the walls are partition?”
“No. Will it matter?”
“It might. I’ll need to see. But really, it seems a question of cleaning the glass and the floor, making sure everything is sound and giving the whole place a lick of paint. Is there electricity?”
“Yes. The building will need fitting out, of course. I thought jak-wood cabinets to keep costs down but beautiful Ceylon ebony counters.”
“I have excellent carpenters,” he said as he scratched his head. “I’m sure we can keep the costs down while maintaining the quality you want if the building is sound, but, as I said, I’ll have to give it the once-over. Can you let me have the key?”
She gave him the key and asked when he might be free to make a start.
“In a month or so, I reckon.”
He agreed to get the quote to her within the week and she left feeling happy things were getting organized and, at long last, her glittering dream was about to become a reality.
* * *
—
Two months passed by slowly. Louisa still thought about Elliot, but gradually she found herself waking with a lighter heart. Household tasks began to interest her as much as they had always done, and she enjoyed long walks on the beach. She had accepted Himal’s quote and work was now well underway. She had also finally put the Australian man and De Vos to the back of her mind. No one had come back to her so far.
In less than a fortnight, they would be celebrating the annual Galle summer ball held at the New Oriental Hotel. Most of the rubber planters attended, along with their wives, and Louisa had enjoyed being out with Elliot on such a romantic occasion. It had always been special to them. This year she would have to go with her father.
She thought back to the previous year and remembered that although they had been getting on well, Elliot had disappeared for nearly an hour during the evening. When he finally returned, he’d made some excuse about chatting to an old friend and she’d felt a little annoyed. It had seemed slightly odd at the time, though not of any real consequence. Now she wondered if Elliot’s debts had already begun back then.
The agreement she and Leo needed to sign to allow her to export his cinnamon had finally arrived after a tediously long delay. She hadn’t set eyes on Leo since the trip to Colombo, and she couldn’t work through the complexity of how she had felt about him then. That she felt something, she couldn’t deny, even now, and she wondered if it might be safe to ask him to accompany her to the ball. She didn’t want to give him the wrong idea and, although nervous at the thought, she was also aware of a tingling feeling of pleasure. After taking a deep breath, she laughed at how youthful it made her feel and decided she would do it. But because she was still faintly aware of an inchoate desire to get back at Elliot, she knew she had to be clear about her motivation in asking Leo. She walked back and forth, turning it over, but decided anything that made her feel as if she was moving forward couldn’t be wrong.
She was just checking her hair in the hall mirror when a knock at the front door broke into her thoughts. She didn’t wait for Ashan and, opening the door herself, was surprised to see a stranger standing there, a fair-haired man.
“Can I help you?” she asked, wondering if he might be some kind of salesman and wishing she’d let Ashan answer.
The man looked a little uncertain as he began to speak. “I’m sor
ry to intrude. But I’m looking for Margo Reeve. I was told in Colombo that she’s staying with you.”
Louisa frowned. “Is she expecting you?”
He glanced down at his feet and twisted his hat in his hands.
“I’m William Tyler. She may have mentioned me.”
Louisa’s hand flew to her mouth and she instantly felt protective of Margo. “Oh…Well, I suppose you’d better come in. I’m Louisa Reeve, by the way.”
“Very pleased to meet you. I hope you’ll accept my sincere condolences, Mrs. Reeve.”
“Thank you.”
She took him through to the sitting room and then went in search of her sister-in-law, who turned bright pink when Louisa told her William had arrived. Her lips parted in astonishment and her eyes, darting about the room before they settled on Louisa’s face, betrayed her nerves.
“Oh, my God. What shall I say to him?”
Louisa couldn’t help smiling. “That depends on what he wants.”
She went ahead of Margo to the sitting room and, at the door, began to move off.
“No, please stay,” Margo whispered and put a hand on Louisa’s arm to keep her there.
“Are you sure?”
As soon as they were inside the room William got to his feet. “Margo, I…”
Margo didn’t go up to him but stood still and Louisa could feel the tension between them. Though the room was silent, outside the birds were making a racket and the gardener was mowing the lawn. Louisa listened to one of her dogs barking at the mower and glanced about the room, itching to make her escape.
“Margo, I really think I—”
“Stay. William can’t have anything to say to me that he can’t say in front of you.”
“Actually, Margo,” he said. “I do—”
“I want her to stay,” Margo interrupted, in a firm tone of voice.
Louisa nodded and gestured toward the sofa and chairs. “If that’s what you really want, but shall we sit rather than just all standing here. I’ll ring for some refreshment.”
William sat on an easy chair and Margo perched on the edge of the farthest chair she could find. Louisa watched intently as Margo stared at the ground, seemingly unable to look at him for even a moment. Then she summoned her courage.
The Sapphire Widow Page 18