Tears poured down her cheeks again.
It was all over. She had spoken of ‘one day’, but in her heart she knew that ‘one day’ would never come.
She would never see Hugh again, never kiss him, never tell him what he meant to her. And it was only at this moment that she knew how totally, completely and passionately she loved him.
“Goodbye, my love,” she whispered through her tears.
“Goodbye, goodbye.”
CHAPTER TEN
It was two hours later that Hugh and Robin returned to the yacht. Robin’s angry mood had subsided and now he was quiet and slightly shame-faced.
“If only my temper hadn’t got the better of me,” he mourned. “I should have listened while you explained how matters really stood.”
“Yes, you should,” Hugh agreed with a grin.
“I must say, Hugh, you played a dashed clever trick.”
“Hmm! A sight too clever for my own good. What Martina will say when I have to confess all, I do not know. Or rather, I do know.”
“And you have not yet told her?”
“I couldn’t. At first I thought it would be easy, but then I came to see that she might be angry that I had deceived her somewhat. Now I am wondering if she will ever forgive me.”
“And I am afraid that Harriet will never forgive me,” Robin added. “I said such terrible things.”
“Of course she will forgive you. She loves you a great deal better than you deserve.”
Hugh stood on the quiet deck and looked around him.
“They are probably both asleep,” he said. “Shall we wait until morning before telling them everything or dare we wake them up now?”
“They might not be asleep,” Robin observed. “We could venture to knock on their doors.”
Together they went below and Hugh rapped gently on Martina’s door. When there was no reply he knocked again louder.
Robin tried Harriet’s door but again there was silence.
“There must both be asleep,” Hugh said.
“Yes, of course.”
But an uneasiness had descended on both men. Neither of them felt able to march into a lady’s bedroom, but they were troubled.
“Kitty,” Hugh suggested. “She can go in.”
He headed for Kitty’s room and knocked. Again there was silence. Taking a deep breath Hugh turned the knob and looked in.
There was light coming through the porthole, and he knew at once that Kitty was not there. His unease was growing by the second.
He determined to chance it. Knocking once more on Martina’s door and receiving no reply, he opened the door.
“She’s not there,” he reported grimly, as he emerged. “Now we’ll have to check on Harriet’s cabin.”
But the moonlight falling on the pillow had shown Hugh the letter. He reached out to take it and stood holding it, not trying to open it.
“Leave me a moment,” he requested.
“Hugh, what – ?”
“I said leave me,” he repeated with soft violence.
Robin backed out, leaving Hugh still staring at the envelope.
At last he lit a lamp and sat on the bed. As he read the letter a stillness came over him, until at last his shoulders sagged and he let his head fall forward.
“My God!” he whispered. “What have I done? How could I have been so stupid as not to tell her and prevent all this?”
Moving slowly, like a man who had received a stunning blow, he left the cabin to find Robin.
“What is it?” Robin asked, alarmed at the sight of his face.
Hugh handed him the marriage certificate.
“It seems that Harriet accidentally signed her own name and now they think that she and I are married. So they have run away to put distance between us.”
“You mean they’ve left the yacht?”
“So it seems. Let’s find out if anyone saw them.”
“If they left the ship, sir, it was without informing me,” the Captain asserted. “I hope you do not feel that I was at fault in any way.”
“Not at all,” Hugh said at once. “If they were determined to slip away unnoticed, there is nothing you could have done. Indeed, there is nothing you could have done even if you had known, for you could hardly have stopped them.”
“Does the maid know anything, Sir Hugh?”
“She is missing too.”
“How far can they have gone?” Robin demanded.
“Not far. They will have made for the railway station, in which case, we can still catch them.”
“Then let’s hurry.”
As one man they turned and headed for the gangway.
“Sir Hugh!”
At the top of the gangway they stopped, arrested by a shriek from somewhere in the harbour.
“Sir Hugh!”
“There!” Robin shouted, pointing to a figure that was flying down the road shrieking.
“It’s Kitty,” Hugh exclaimed after a moment. “And she’s alone.”
They hurried down to meet Kitty on the quay.
She was distraught, her hair flying in the breeze, her clothes dishevelled.
“Sir Hugh,” she gasped, almost collapsing into his arms.
“Kitty, whatever is the matter?” he enquired, steadying her. “Where are your Mistresses?”
“They took them, sir. Oh, sir, they carried them off.”
“What? Tell me everything.”
Inwardly he was terrified by what he had heard, but he forced himself to be calm.
“We were walking to the station, sir, and two men jumped out at us. They seized the misses and kidnapped them. I was just a bit behind and I don’t think they saw me, so I managed to slip away around the corner.
“I didn’t go far because I thought I could find out where they were going. I crept after them and heard what they said.”
“And what did they say?” Hugh asked in agony.
“Something about money,” Kitty gasped. “They knew Miss Lawson had made a big win at the casino.”
“Of course they did,” Hugh groaned. “She told the whole world while we were coming back to the yacht.”
“And made herself a target,” Robin moaned.
“Whoever they are, they must have followed our carriage until they saw her go aboard,” Hugh agreed. “Then they hid and waited their chance. They probably couldn’t believe their luck when they left with no male escort. But Kitty you said they had taken them away somewhere.”
“Yes, Sir Hugh. They were just going to rob them at first, but then one said they could ask ransom from the owner of such a fine ship.”
“Did you see where they went?”
“Part of the way, sir. Then I lost them.”
“Take us as far as you can.”
Hugh turned to the Captain who had come down to the quay and was listening.
“Send someone to the Police Station to bring back help. In the meantime I want as many able-bodied men as you can spare.”
The Captain hurried away. Hugh looked at Kitty with concern.
“My poor girl,” he said, “you must be exhausted. Have you the strength to come with us?”
“Oh, yes, sir. I couldn’t rest until the ladies are safe. They have been so good to me and I want to help them.”
In a few minutes the Captain returned, followed by several crew members.
“Every single man wanted to come,” he said. “I have just left enough on board to man the ship.”
Kitty had recovered her breath and was ready to lead on. They all followed her up the road from the quay.
“It was just here,” she informed them as they turned a corner. “They seized my ladies just over there and took them away down that street.”
“One man must remain here to direct the Police,” Hugh ordered. “The rest of us come this way.”
They headed off down the road and Kitty led them right to the end. From there she was able to show them another road, but at the end of it she became lost. There were two t
urnings.
“I didn’t see which one they took,” she admitted in despair. “I’d lost them by then.”
“All right,” Hugh said. “You’ve done very well, Kitty. “We will split into two parties and each take one turning.”
But the divide was an illusion as the two streets met again a hundred yards further on.
“They could have taken them into one of these houses,” Robin muttered.
“Or onto a boat,” Hugh suggested suddenly. “The ground is sloping down. This must be another way down to the harbour.”
“Then they might already be out to sea,” Robin said aghast.
“Don’t panic. They will not have set sail if they are hoping for a ransom.”
“Hallo there, Sir Hugh!”
It was the crewman who had gone for the Police and he was accompanied by several hefty looking gendarmes.
Briefly and in faultless French, Hugh explained the situation and the chief among them, a stern authoritative man said,
“We know these men. We have been trying to catch them because they give the whole place a bad name. If you can help us you will have done everyone a service.”
Together they all headed down to the harbour.
Suddenly Kitty stopped.
“There,” she said urgently.
She was pointing through the window of a tavern, where a man was sitting drinking ale.
“That’s one of them, I am sure of it.”
“Let me get to him,” Robin exclaimed, launching himself forward.
He was restrained by both the Policemen and Hugh.
“Be silent, you idiot,” Hugh snapped. “We must wait until he comes out and then follow him.”
They did not have long to wait. Ten minutes later the man rose and walked towards the door. They all pressed back into the shadows as he emerged and paused a moment before setting off in the direction of the harbour.
He walked for some distance away from the luxurious yachts like Hugh’s in the direction of smaller vessels.
They followed him at a distance.
At last he turned sharply in the direction of a small boat shabbier than the others.
“Can they really be here?” Robin breathed. “How monstrous.”
As soon as the man disappeared, they crept down closer to the boat. There they paused.
“We should proceed carefully,” the Policeman advised. “As many of us as possible should sneak aboard before they know we’re here.”
At that moment they heard a woman’s scream from the boat. That finished all caution. Hugh leapt onto the boat closely followed by Robin and with the sailors and Police hurrying after them.
Hugh tore through the ship like a madman, calling Martina’s name.
At last he thought he could hear his own name called in a distant voice. It seemed to be coming from under a hatch.
He and Robin wrenched at the hatch and finally managed to pull it open, but they could see only darkness beneath.
“Martina!” Hugh shouted.
“I am here,” came a faint voice.
“Harriet,” Robin screamed down into the hole.
“Oh, Robin, Robin.”
Someone shone a lamp down into the hold and by its faint glow they could just see the two girls huddled together on a pile of sacks.
With an oath Hugh shinned down the ladder followed by Robin. In another moment he held Martina in his arms.
“My darling,” he cried fiercely, “thank God you are safe. How could you run away from me like that?”
“But I had to,” she whispered. “Didn’t you get my letter?”
“Yes, and you are wrong. I am not married to Harriet. I never was. Hush! I will explain it all later. For now it’s enough that I have found you and I will never let you go.”
“Hold me,” she gasped. “I have been so frightened.”
“Let me get you out of here quickly.”
He helped her up the ladder followed by Harriet and Robin. The gendarmes had just finished rounding up everyone on board.
“It’s a magnificent night’s work,” the chief gendarme was saying. “Thanks to all of you. I should really ask you to come with me to the Police Station, but perhaps you had better leave that until morning. By then, hopefully, the ladies will have recovered.”
They thanked him gratefully. All they wanted now was to be alone.
Some of the crew had secured two cabs to take them back to the ship. Robin and Harriet climbed into one, Martina and Hugh into the other.
At once Hugh took Martina into his arms, holding her closely in a passion of thankfulness that she had been restored safely to him.
“My love, my dearest,” he murmured between kisses. “What would I have done if I had lost you?”
“Dearest Hugh, I was so afraid. I thought I would die without seeing you again.”
“You should never have gone. Harriet and I are not married. There is nothing to keep us apart.”
“But the certificate in her name – ”
“Dearest Martina, try to forgive me for my deception. I meant it innocently. That ‘certificate’ is just a meaningless piece of paper. There was no marriage.”
“But the priest – ”
“There was no priest. The old man was a doctor before he retired to a cottage on my estate. He was delighted to help me. He always wanted to be an actor.
“And even if he had been a priest, the Chapel was deconsecrated many years ago and no marriages can be performed there. The whole wedding is totally null and void.”
“But – the letter you wrote to the Archbishop?”
“That simply contained a donation to Church funds. Despite what I said, the letter made no mention of any marriage.”
Martina stared at him dumbfounded. It gave him time to say quickly,
“Forgive me, my dearest. I had to do it. I knew your plan was wild and impossible from the first moment. There were so many things that could go wrong and ensnare us in scandal for the rest of our lives.
“I had to think of something quickly. I could not refuse you in case you thought of an even madder plan. Or went to somebody else. And besides – ”
“Besides?”
“I could not resist the chance to take you away with me on my yacht and have you all to myself for a while. I believed we would grow closer and perhaps I could win your love. And then I would be able to admit everything to you.”
“But why didn’t you?” she asked in wonder.
“Because you made it impossible for me. Do you remember that night in Gibraltar when we walked together and you said I was the most honest man alive and you could trust me absolutely?
“You said, ‘you would never tell me you were doing one thing and then do another.’ If you only knew how those words made my heart sink, because that was exactly what I was doing.
“And you said that if I deceived you, you would mind more with me than with anyone else. That finished me. There was no way I could make my confession after that remark.”
Martina stared at him stricken.
“My darling Hugh, it is I who should ask forgiveness of you. I showed you no understanding. Of course I do not blame you for what you did.
“You were right and you have saved us all from a terrible misfortune. In future, I promise never to think of any more clever plans, but always to be guided by you.”
“No, don’t do that,” he retorted quickly. “If you were meek and dutiful I would not recognise you. Just be your own true wonderful self and that is all I ask. Just say that you are not angry with me?”
“How can I be angry when I love you so much?”
“My darling!” he cried and swept her into his arms.
They stayed locked in an embrace until they reached the quay. As they left the cab, the sailors, who had returned on foot, now appeared in the distance running. They cheered as they saw the couples and ran even faster.
“Thank you, thank you,” Martina cried as they neared and the others echoed her.
; Still cheering, the sailors followed them aboard. The chef was there, urging them to go to the saloon where he would provide refreshments.
“I would so love a cup of tea,” Martina said eagerly.
When they were sitting comfortably in the saloon she quizzed,
“How did you find us? We knew Kitty had gone for help, but we didn’t see how you could track us down to that dreadful boat.”
“Kitty followed you for quite a distance,” Hugh explained. “She managed to take us part of the way and next she spotted one of the men in a tavern and identified him. Then we only had to follow him. My darling, however did they get you onto that terrible boat?”
“We were going to the railway station and they just jumped out on us. They seized our purses and I thought they just meant to take our money. But then they said they would hold us for ransom.
“When they took us onto the boat I thought they meant to sail out to sea and hold us there. We were so afraid. But they only threw us into the hold and left us in darkness.”
She shuddered at the memory and Hugh sat beside her, taking her in his arms again.
“I would dearly love to sail away from here,” he said. “But we cannot do that. We must help the Police to ensure that those fellows are put away for a very long time.”
“And while we are staying here,” Robin announced, “Harriet and I are going to be married. I have begged her forgiveness for the way I behaved, and my darling has promised to be mine.”
Hugh said nothing, but he kissed Martina’s hand. She understood. He would not speak of their love before the others.
He watched her with tender, possessive eyes as she drank her tea and managed to eat something. Then he took her hand and drew her to her feet.
“That is all for tonight,” Hugh said. “We shall all have much to discuss in the morning.”
He carried her down to her cabin and took her inside. There he set her on the bed and sat beside her taking her hand in his.
“I have loved you,” he said, “so completely that, as far as I am concerned, no other woman exists in the world but you. I want you! I love you and my whole life depends on you. But I only want you, if you want me.”
“You know that I want you,” Martina sighed. “I took too long to realise my love for you, but it is real true love. Nothing else in the whole world is as important to me – as you.”
Journey to Happiness Page 13