by Anne Hampson
‘I couldn’t eat anything.’ Linda’s big brown eyes were glazed and tired. They used always to be laughing, Teri recollected, sighing deeply.
‘I haven’t had anything either, so we’ll have some toast with our coffee.’
‘I couldn’t, Teri.’ Pleading the tone and edged with tears. ‘Jon will go back to Rosalind - I’m sure of it. Rosalind wants her child; this action of hers has proved it, so Jon will feel he must go back.’
Jon has confidently asserted that Rosalind was bluffing, but naturally Teri could not mention this to Linda, much as she desired to comfort her, and give her hope.
‘Try not to think about it, Linda—’ Teri shook her head sadly. ‘I suppose I’m talking stupidly; you must think about it. I’ll go and make the coffee,’ she added, feeling helpless and inadequate. ‘And you must have something to eat.’
‘You’ve been through all this,’ Linda said much later as they sat over their second cup of coffee. ‘With your fiance, I mean. You know the emptiness of losing someone you love.’
‘You haven’t lost Jon,’ Teri gently reminded her.
Linda looked up, sheer misery in her eyes.
‘I have, Teri; I know it. He isn’t for me.’ She put her cup down and burst into tears. ‘Wendy, too - she will go away and I’ll never see her again. I never thought I could care for anyone else’s child the way I care for Wendy. I thought she was adorable the first time I set eyes on her.’
A small silence followed; Linda was searching for a handkerchief and Teri rose and went to fetch one from her bedroom.
‘Don’t cry, Linda. I - I don’t know what to say to you - only that Jon loves you and that must surely influence him. . . .’ She tailed off, fully aware that no matter how great his love for Linda Jon would never put his own happiness before that of his child.
‘He’ll consider Wendy first,’ said Linda, as though reading her companion’s thoughts. ‘I wouldn’t have it otherwise, and yet— Oh, Teri, what can I do? How did I come to care like this?’
Rising again, Teri put her arms around her, speaking soothingly even while her own heart seemed to be seared in two. How could she and Brand be happy if Linda and Jon were to live out their lives in misery?
‘Linda dear, wait and see what happens. After all, you’re only surmising - jumping to conclusions.’ Teri’s gentle soothing tones, and the comfort of her arms, had their effect and Linda stopped crying and dried her eyes.
‘Let’s get some work done,’ she suggested. ‘It’ll help to make the time pass more quickly. Shall I do the dishes, or the tidying up in here?’
It was four o’clock before the car came up the Karunda driveway; both girls were on the stoep, their hearts beating wildly.
‘She’s with them!’ exclaimed Teri, running down the steps. ‘Thank God!’
‘Little Dainty,’ breathed Linda, following swiftly in Teri’s wake. ‘All safe and sound.’
Wendy had bounded from the car the moment it stopped and, still clad in pyjamas and the coat which her mother had taken from the wardrobe, she flung herself into Teri’s arms.
‘Auntie Teri! I’ve been a long way. Why did you go out and leave me? I told you I didn’t like being in by myself. I didn’t wake up - and I was stole!’ She clung tightly, her arms round her aunt’s neck, and chattered on, obviously no worse for her adventure. ‘I was stole,’ she repeated awfully, giving stress to her words by turning her head to look at the other three in turn. ‘Just like the little princess you read me about, do you remember? She was asleep as well, but she was stole by fairies, and it was exciting. But it was my mummy who stole me—’
‘You weren’t really stolen, darling,’ Teri felt forced to say, but Wendy interrupted her.
‘I was stole! And I didn’t like it. I woke up in a big bed in a big room, and Mummy was in the bed. I was frightened and cried for you and my daddy. Mummy got cross, so I kicked and screamed and ran about all over the bedroom. And then a man came and said if I didn’t be quiet me and Mummy would have to leave that place because everybody was being wakened up. I cried and told the man I wanted my daddy and he started asking Mummy questions and she got angry with him so they had a big quarrel, and the man said he would have to fetch a policeman because I told him I was stole from my daddy and auntie— Ooh, I am hungry!’
Everyone laughed - but it was the way Jon laughed that caused Teri’s eyes to widen and move from him to Linda.
‘Go and get dressed,’ Jon said as Wendy was released from her aunt’s arms. ‘Then you can have your tea.’
‘Tea?’ she flashed indignantly. ‘I haven’t had my lunch yet. You and Uncle Brand wouldn’t stop when I wanted you to - and the chocolate you gave me wasn’t enough.’
‘We told you that Auntie Teri and Auntie Linda would be waiting, and worrying about you....’ Jon tailed off, his eyes tender as his daughter went to Linda and, taking hold of her hand, put it to her cheek.
‘Shall I help her to dress?’ Clearly Linda wanted to get away, before the full explanation was given, but Jon shook his head, telling Wendy once again to go and get dressed.
‘All right. Have I got to wash my face as well?’
‘Of course. Don’t you always wash your face before you get dressed?’
She nodded, promised not to have a ‘line’ and trotted away in the direction of the stoep.
‘If I can help her?’ Linda began, then stopped as she also noticed the expression on, Jon’s face.
‘No, dear; stay and listen. There’s nothing you won’t like to hear.’
‘N-nothing?’ She trembled slightly. ‘Jon - are you—?’
‘Look,’ interrupted Brand, ‘if you want Teri and me to buzz off—?’ He looked at her and held out his hand. ‘We will,’ he decided, and she put her hand in his and they walked away, towards the river, leaving Jon smiling and Linda staring uncomprehendingly.
‘What happened?’ Teri asked, glancing up at Brand. ‘Rosalind didn’t get as far as the airport, apparently? She couldn’t possibly have, seeing as Wendy’s still in her pyjamas.’
‘No, she never made the airport, and neither did we. I stopped on the way and Jon phoned to see if she had booked the seats. They were already alerted, by my phone call of last night, but it so happened that the manager of the hotel where Rosalind was staying, troubled by the fuss Wendy was making, telephoned the police, who immediately contacted the airport to discover whether Rosalind had booked seats on today’s plane. She had, late last night, so they kept her and Wendy at the hotel, giving the airport police the address and telling them to send Jon along when he arrived at the airport. Well, we had no need to go to the airport and we immediately made for the hotel.’ He stopped, and smiled faintly. ‘Was Wendy glad to see her father! And he to see her; you’d have thought they’d been parted for weeks.’
‘Rosalind - what had she to say?’
‘Not very much; she seemed resigned - and thoroughly disgusted with her daughter. She and Jon went off to talk privately, but weren’t gone very long. Rosalind herself wanted a divorce, Jon told me afterwards. It seems he had called her bluff over the possession of Wendy, saying he was determined to divorce Rosalind and allow the court to give the custody to the parent whom they decided was most suitable. She didn’t want Wendy if she couldn’t have Jon as well,’ Brand added almost harshly. ‘And she told him so - most definitely, so there’ll be no trouble. Wendy stays with her father.’
Teri was silent, unable to speak for a while, so great was her relief. She and Brand had reached the bridge over the river and they crossed it and walked towards Candida Lodge.
‘You’re sure about Rosalind?’ she said at last, sudden panic seizing her. ‘She’ll not change her mind — about claiming Wendy, I mean?’
He shook his head emphatically.
‘As I’ve said, she was thoroughly disgusted with the child’s behaviour; she realized she’d lost her love. She told Jon that she never wanted to see either her or him again, so that also disposes of the possibility of he
r wanting Wendy for holidays. Personally, I don’t think it will be long before Rosalind finds herself a new husband. She’s the type who must have a man.’
Teri’s colour rose at this bald implication and Brand quirked a smile at her.
‘You told Jon about us, evidently,’ she murmured, swiftly changing the subject.
‘He had begun to suspect, so wasn’t too surprised.’
‘Linda looked surprised when we walked off - hand in hand.’
‘She won’t be surprised any longer. Jon will have told her we’re going to be married.’
Teri shone up at him and he stopped, taking her into his arms and kissing her gently on the mouth.
‘I’m so glad for Linda,’ she said, as they strolled on again, through the lovely gardens of Candida Lodge, ‘She’s terribly in love with Jon.’
‘So it seems,’ and then, drily, ‘Does there happen to be another girl around these parts who is terribly in love?’
She laughed but returned provocatively,
‘I don’t know why I am, because you were horrid to me at first.’
‘I like that! You yourself had your own particular brand of repellent acidity!’
They had almost reached the house. Against the tall columns bougainvillea rioted, while close by azaleas and poinsettias and camellias blazed beneath a clear metallic sky.
‘Was I very - awful?’ she asked, peeping at him from under long curling lashes.
‘Your manners were revolting. I wanted to beat you especially that day when you gave me such sauce just because I rescued you from that tractor.’
‘I had every excuse,’ she protested. ‘You were highhanded and domineering and - and insufferable!’
‘You said all that at the time, so it would appear that your manners haven’t improved. I can foresee trouble for you, my girl, once I have you safely married.’ But his expression belied his words and in a moment she had melted into his arms and his lips found her in a long and tender kiss. ‘How long, my sweet love, before I have you safely married?’
She looked up, faintly troubled.
‘We’ll have to wait for Jon’s divorce. I can’t leave him and Wendy.’
‘Jon asked me how I’d feel if Linda took over - during the daytime, of course. He knows I won’t wait—’
‘He does?’
‘Of course. I told him I wouldn’t,’ returned Brand almost imperiously. ‘He then suggested Linda’s going over to Karunda each morning and coming back here to sleep. It seems a good arrangement to me, and I told him so. You might as well say you’ll marry me right away, my love, because I have a feeling that you’re going to be turned out of Karunda Farm.’
‘So it seems,’ she agreed, smiling quite happily at the idea. ‘So I’ve no alternative than to marry you - right away.’
Brand laughed and drew her close, into his strong arms, and she felt also the strength of his lips, possessive yet tender, and compelling in a way that awakened her own desires. And it was a long while before he released her, saying,
‘I’ve brought you over here so that we can have tea together, just the two of us, in our own home.’ His hand slid down, clasping hers, and they walked the rest of the short distance to the house. And across the scented garden, over the still clear air, came the barking of a dog . . . and a child’s happy, contented laughter.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine