by Susan Barrie
She dived and floated just above a garden of coral and weed as they took to the water. She could hear the voices of the young married couple, and she had already glimpsed Johnny Hainsforth, with Willow and her host the last to make their way down from the house. Willow this morning was wearing a floral bikini, and her bright hair was loose and flowing round her shoulders, for she always disdained to conceal it beneath a cap—just as Angela herself disdained to wear a cap.
She could hear Felipe’s voice, sounding just a little impatient and edgy as Willow called something to him, a trifle mockingly. There was a clear laugh from Willow, and then a challenging cry as she struck out for the breakwater, and a violent churning up of the water as Felipe plunged in and followed.
The others were merely amusing themselves in the water, but Willow was in a perverse mood, and she was determined to prove to Felipe her prowess as a swimmer. Actually, she was far from being a strong swimmer, and usually she admitted as much to herself and everyone else and contented herself with floating gracefully on her back and looking like a mermaid in the water. But this morning, for some reason such tricks did not appeal to her—or not any longer—and she called out triumphantly in the sun-warmed air that she was challenging Felipe to a race.
Angela was crouching in the shallows as the floral bikini shot past her, but somewhat to her surprise Felipe did not follow in pursuit. He shot off at an entirely different angle, and whether she knew it or not Willow went on her way without any attractive male host cleaving the water in her wake and ensuring that, should she get into difficulties, he would be on hand to go to her assistance.
It seemed rather strange to Angela, but she assumed that the two had had some sort of a tiff, and Willow was demonstrating her femininity by provoking him with it and no doubt anticipating the result with some excitement. Angela had never been able to decide whether she was physically attracted to Felipe, or whether it was his wealth that attracted her, but she did know all at once that the widow was recklessly courting danger, for apparently she had no knowledge that the bay was full of cross-currents, and she was heading straight out into the middle of it in the confident anticipation of being followed.
Angela was not a particularly strong swimmer, but she had collected quite a few medals for her aquatic performances in the past. She had even won a medal for life-saving. And now she received the peculiarly strong impression that her skill in the water might be tested in a very short while, and if anyone was to benefit from that impression she ought to keep Willow Ruddock in sight at least. So she struck off after her, swimming cleanly and silently, and managed to keep the bright gold head ahead of her in sight without giving any indication that she was following in pursuit. In order to do this she swam partly under water all the time, and when Willow looked back challengingly over her shoulder there was no sign of her. There was no sign of Felipe, either, and this annoyed the widow so much that she struck out even more recklessly. She was quite sure Felipe was somewhere on hand, but he was remaining hidden beneath the waves in order to give her a fright—or teach her a lesson, perhaps.
She decided to give him a lesson. She was revelling in a sense of freedom and rebellion one moment, and the next she was overtaken by cramp, and the resulting horror threw her into absolute panic. Instead of resting herself and giving the attacked limbs a chance she turned for home and the nearest beach, and started to thresh out wildly like an utterly inexperienced bather. She even called out, in terror, and Angela, who was not many yards away, suddenly surfaced and swam to her rescue.
Willow caught sight of her and was filled with wild relief.
‘I’m drowning!' she called. ‘I’ve got cramp!’
‘Keep absolutely still,’ Angela cautioned her, ‘and let me grab hold of you! Whatever you do, don’t struggle!’ But Willow was in such a state of panic that struggling was inevitable, and so soon as Angela was alongside her she grabbed at her, and it took all Angela’s skill to maintain them both afloat. Willow’s hampering grip was not merely choking her it was preventing her from sticking to the rules of live-saving and getting them both back to shore, and the knowledge that unless she could control the widow’s panic and get the better of it they were both in danger of ending their existence in the sparkling blue sea, under that unclouded sky, caused Angela, for the first time in her life, to feel the rising tide of panic herself.
Gasping, she managed to call instructions.
‘You’ll have to let me go! You must let me go or I can’t—’
Willow was blue in the face, and her eyes were staring. She clung like a limpet around Angela’s neck.
‘Save me, save me!’ she moaned. ‘If I let you go I’ll drown, and you’ll be pleased.... Felipe will be pleased! Oh, why doesn’t someone save us both...?’
A masculine voice in Angela’s ear stilled the panic that was getting out of hand.
‘All right, I’ve got her! You can let go, and try and unfasten her hands from your neck.... Willow,’ he ordered, ‘let go of Angela and I’ll get you back to shore. You’re quite safe now! There’s absolutely nothing to be afraid of! Just relax completely and leave everything to me!’
His voice—and almost certainly his strong, sustaining hold—acted like a charm, and Willow responded immediately and instinctively, letting go of Angela and sinking back into his arms. By this time she looked as if she was on the edge of unconsciousness, and he concentrated on manoeuvring her into a position that would enable him to swim with her to shore, and while these manoeuvres were taking place Angela was of necessity forgotten. In any case, he probably had little fear that, relieved of her burden, she couldn’t fend for herself, and she kept out of reach until he was heading strongly and surely for the distant yellow line of beach, and then, with her neck smarting from the indentations Willow’s nails had made in her flesh, she struck out after him and followed in his wake until he was treading water and carrying Willow up the beach. There the others were all grouped and waiting for them, and as Johnny Hainsforth was the most anxious amongst them there was no lack of assistance in restoring the inert widow to full life and vigour again. She had swallowed a lot of water, and it took some time before she was able to sit up and recognise them. Then she moaned continually, and insisted that she had had a terrible time and it was nothing short of a miracle that she had been saved at all. She seemed to think that Angela, instead of helping her, had been willing to leave her to drown, and her condemnation of his fiancee at length drew a short, sharp reproof from Felipe.
‘But for Angela you almost certainly would have drowned,’ he told her. ‘I couldn’t possibly have got to you until it was too late, and in any case Angela was doing her very best for her. I think she’s got a few scars on her neck that will prove that to anyone with doubts.’ He looked round for Angela, but she had grabbed her towel and her beach-robe from behind the rock where she had left them, and made a quick disappearance up the beach to the house. He directed at the shimmering sea behind him a searching glance to make certain she was not still at the mercy of the waves, and then concentrated his attention once more on Mrs. Ruddock.
She was looking more like herself now, but she was still very pale, and her eyes were unnatural hollows in her pinched cheeks. He crouched down on his knees beside her and demanded to know why she had been so foolish.
‘I thought you were following me,’ she explained.
Felipe shrugged his shoulders. There were occasions when women were a little too much for him, but at the same time he was obviously greatly concerned for this one. He insisted on carrying her into the house, had the local doctor summoned, and supported the latter with emphasis when he prescribed rest and warmth.
‘You must rest in your room, at least for several hours, Carmelita,’ he told her. ‘Everything is all right now, but you have had a shock. It will take some little time to get over it.’
The doctor agreed with him. The senora must rest, and advised her host to take the maximum amount of care of her. He was a small, dark, suscepti
ble man, and Willow in one of her most attractive house-gowns, with a certain amount of colour returned to her cheeks and her eyes very darkly grey and appealing, lying on a couch before an electric fire, was well-nigh irresistible ... or so he would have asserted had he been asked for his own very private opinion.
He had not so far seen Angela, and it occurred to him that Felipe was making such a fuss over the lovely English lady that he probably had plans for marrying her. And the doctor couldn’t find it in his heart to blame him. It was one thing to admire one’s own countrywomen, but when one came across such a specimen as Mrs. Ruddock one either succumbed outright or was very difficult to please indeed.
The doctor departed, promising to look in on the following day, and Willow settled down on her couch before the electric fire, which had successfully abated her shivering attacks, and prepared to make the most of being a temporary invalid. As a result of what had happened to her that morning Felipe, who had been a little casual sometimes during their stay in Madrid, was being most attentive. Indeed, she could hardly wish for him to be more attentive.
When Angela saw her fiance again he was dressed and looking rather grave and controlled. She had dealt with the livid marks on her neck with a lotion which had taken a lot of the sting out of them, and covered them up further after the application with a dusting with talcum powder. But nevertheless they still showed, and she had been keeping out of the way of her grandmother in case the old lady, who had very little time for Mrs. Ruddock, should have something to say about the method by which she had acquired them. In Angela’s present state of mind it was no time for any awkwardness involving Willow Ruddock.
‘I sent a message up to your room to enquire whether you were all right,’ Felipe told her, his eyes on the marks which were not entirely hidden. ‘The maid said you were resting.’
‘Yes, I—I did feel a bit all-in after what happened this morning,’ Angela admitted, by no means anxious to make the most of her own feelings, but hardly yet recovered from the shock of his complete lack of interest in what ultimately happened to her after he himself had rescued Willow.
He went across to her and, taking her by the shoulders, moved her into the light. He frowned as his eyes studied her neck.
‘These should have been looked at by the doctor while he was here,’ he observed.
She shrugged off his hands with impatience. ‘What nonsense! They are only scratches! Besides ...’
‘Yes?’
‘There was enough furore in the house without my adding to it when the doctor was here. With Mrs. Ruddock to attend to I don’t think he would have thanked you if you had presented him with another victim.’
Felipe continued to frown. Despite the fact that she backed away from him all the time he managed to catch hold of her again and cupped her face with one of his hands. He looked down at it, taking note of its paleness and the dark circles under her eyes. There was no doubt about it, there was strain in her eyes, too, and their blueness seemed to have a dark, opaque quality. They also held a kind of open distaste that was new to him.
‘What is wrong, querida?’ he asked her gently. ‘I thought you were in control of the situation this morning, apart from those evidences of the struggle you had with Willow, and it never occurred to me that I should have made more effort to get you to shore, too. You are such an excellent swimmer, and I know you’ve acquired a lot of trophies. I thought you would have resented it if I’d made a fuss over the occurrence; and besides—’
‘You had Mrs. Ruddock to look after. I know! ’ Her lips tightened so much that they appeared thin and contemptuous. ‘Naturally, you must have been dreadfully upset because she had such a narrow escape from drowning, and one could hardly expect you to have eyes or ears for anything else while your anxiety lasted— certainly not a fiancee who was all part of a bargain! I’m sorry, Felipe, but when you failed to remember my existence this morning I realised that I couldn’t possibly marry you. You’ll just have to accept it that I can’t marry you, and perhaps something can be done about those estates of mine! Can’t I make them over to you...? A Deed of Gift, or something of the sort? I assure you my grandmother will be the first to recognise that my failure to keep to our bargain justifies your insistence that some recompense shall be made to you! Oh, I know you haven’t insisted yet ... but naturally you will!’
Felipe’s hands dropped away from her as if he had been stung. He regarded her at first with astonishment, and then his dark eyes narrowed and his whole face grew hard as a rock.
‘So, senorita,’ he said softly—the words so soft that they alarmed her slightly—‘you think I will insist on the fulfilment of our bargain, do you?’
‘Yes.’ She stood before him, almost defiantly, and no one would have guessed that she was enduring a kind of agony deep down inside her. ‘A bargain is a bargain, after all, and we Cazenta d’lalgos—’
‘Oh! So you are a Cazenta d’lalgo now, are you? I thought you were very proud of being a Grevil! ’
‘I am.’ She drew herself up to her slim height, and the blue eyes were undoubtedly very proud indeed. ‘But the Grevil half of me is English, and English people do not enter into the kind of agreement you and I entered into— or into which other people entered on my behalf. As a Cazenta d’lalgo I am committed to become your wife, because my grandmother decreed that it should be so. Also as a Cazenta d’lalgo I have to submit to my grandmother. But as a Grevil I have the right to change my mind, provided my withdrawal from our contract does not involve you in any material loss, and that is why I suggest that a Deed of Gift be drawn up making over to you the estates you covet.’
Felipe stood staring at her for a moment longer, and
then he started pacing up and down the room, his head bent.
All at once he came to a halt again in the middle of a valuable Persian rug, studied the pattern of it as if he had never noticed it before, and had never before been struck by its intricacy, and then put back his sleek dark head with the movement of an arrogant horse who suspected a hidden fence and was firmly determined not to cross it in any event.
‘So, my dear,’ he said, ‘you wish to retract your word, do you? Erase your signature, in fact, for I believe we signed a document committing us to marry. There were various provisions in it that your grandmother insisted upon in your interests, and as you say there were provisions that concerned myself, and which would make me the loser if some unfortunate happening prevented our marriage. Well, I might as well tell you here and now that I have no intention at this late stage of being cheated ... and that means I don’t mean to be cheated out of you, quite apart from the estates on which you set so much store. I have a mind to make you my wife, and I shall make you my wife!’
‘No.’ She was alarmed because he looked so cool and determined, and her agony was increased because he was so cold-blooded about his intentions. While she wished the floor would open and swallow her up and thus prevent her from having to face a future without him, he was almost brutally informing her that, whatever her wishes, he was not prepared to yield an inch when it came to a question of his rights.
She straightened her shoulders. She felt like someone whose secret aspirations were being dragged in the mud, but her determination not to marry him never wavered for an instant. Not after his complete disregard of her that morning, and his obvious preference for Willow Ruddock.
She tried tempting him, even taunting him.
‘If you do not marry me you will be able to marry Mrs. Ruddock! With a part of my fortune and all your own vast possessions that is a prospect that should look very tempting to you.’
He shook his head, smiling at her in a way she did not in the least like.
‘No, my dear, I have no intention of marrying Mrs. Ruddock.’
‘Then you can make her your mistress, and you will still be able to lavish my money upon her!’
His whole expression altered. The expression in his dark eyes frightened her, and she had never seen quite such a coldly curl
ing upper lip.
‘If you were of the opposite sex I would thrash you for that!’ he told her curtly.
Then he once more turned away, walked over to the window and looked at the sea—that had provided him with quite a tussle that morning—spoke to her without turning his head, and with the greatest incisiveness.
‘It is a pity you appear to have become obsessed with the subject of Mrs. Ruddock. I have suspected for some time that you rather enjoyed looking upon her as a kind of rival. However, whether or not she is your rival I have no intention of setting you free, and whether or not I would sooner marry Carmelita I intend to marry you! It may be a sacrifice on my part, but I choose to have it that way. Whatever you say to your grandmother I shall unsay, and the wedding arrangements will go on as planned. In point of fact, the date is now set for three weeks from to-day—
in Madrid. You and your grandmother will be returning to your own house and make your final preparations, and two days before the wedding you will be accommodated at a hotel in Madrid. It is all arranged. There is nothing ... nothing that you can say that will alter it! ’
She had turned very pale—even paler than when she entered the room. She swallowed twice, and licked dry lips.
‘That is absurd, Felipe,’ she told him coldly. You know you cannot possibly command my obedience. I am
a human being.... Not a horse you are thinking of adding
to your stables.’
‘A horse or a woman.... It is all the same! You will be mine soon!’
He turned triumphantly, and his bleak eyes travelled over her. She felt as she had felt in the beginning of their acquaintanceship—as if a closer tie with him would be something like a nightmare. And knowing now how utterly ruthless he was, and could be whenever it suited him, she was suddenly frankly appalled.
‘I will leave you to dwell upon our conversation,’ he remarked, making for the door. ‘It is high time I made some enquiries concerning the well-being of Carmelita. The doctor insisted that she is in a very fragile condition!’