Daring Masquerade (20 page)

He returned carrying a tray containing cups of tea, a plate of sandwiches and scones with jam and cream.

"Are you trying to fatten me up?" she teased.

"You could do with a little more meat on your bones," he admitted with a grin. "Not that I want you to be fat."

"Gil always called me scrawny."

He watched a shadow flit across her face.

"You still miss him badly, don't you?" Picking up her hand he inspected the nails carefully. "I miss Eric, too. Strange, you know, sometimes I think he'll come back, that he's just on holiday. I've seen his grave. It's on a cliff overlooking the sea, very peaceful when the shooting stopped. It will be a sad and lonely place now that Gallipoli has been evacuated."

"Maybe when the war is over you could arrange for his body to be brought back to Devil's Ridge."

"I did consider it actually." He thoughtfully sipped his tea. "Jack favored the idea, but I don't know. He'd probably prefer to stay with his mates, I know I would."

"Don't talk about it anymore." She shivered. "It frightens me."

"While we're talking seriously, I've organized an army allotment for you, and I've seen my solicitor to update my will."

"Ross!"

The war clouds gathered over them once more, black and frightening. "These things need to be done, it's only sensible for you to know about it. I'll make arrangements with the bank at home for funds to be put at your disposal while I'm away. Jack can see to everything else."

How could he speak so dispassionately about such things?

"I don't want to think about it. Please, can't we have these few days to ourselves without thinking about the war? A couple of days, is that too much to ask?

She tried to divert his thoughts. "I'm going to save these crusts to feed the ducks."

"I can buy you a bag of stale bread if you like."

"No thanks, these crusts will be enough."

"Harry." He tilted her chin up and she gazed into his clear gray eyes. They captured hers. "If something happens, don't mourn me for too long. I wouldn't expect you to."

The black war clouds encircled them again. "There will never be anyone else for me."

"Don't be foolish. You're young, you could easily find someone else, but I want your solemn promise. If we do have a son, you'll make sure Devil's Ridge goes to him."

"Of course I will, I swear it."

"Good, and this son, if we do have him, I want him to go to Melbourne Grammar like Eric and I did."

"What if we have a daughter?"

"You can send her wherever you like."

It won't be to the Presbyterian Ladies College, purely and simply because Virginia and Sarah attended there.

"The Methodist Ladies College has an excellent name," he said with a smirk, and she realized he had correctly interpreted her thoughts.

She wrapped the crusts for the ducks in her handkerchief and hand in hand they strolled down a fern shaded path leading to the lake. The green lawns stretched almost to the water's edge.

While he sat on the ground resting his back against an ancient red gum, she threw crusts to the ducks swimming close to the bank. Two black swans in the middle of the lake ignored the tit bits she threw at them as they gracefully floated past.

The muted laughter of children in the distance and chirping of birds failed to intrude on the tranquility. She glanced over at Ross, staring straight ahead with a sad, faraway look in his eyes. He was in a place where she could not go, a place of rocky cliffs and scrubby plants, where an army of young Australians now slept, thousands of miles from home.

She sat down beside him without speaking, and picked up his hand. A slight pressure on her fingers acknowledged her presence. Bull ants scurried around carrying crumbs someone must have dropped on the ground nearby. They were far enough away for her to feel safe from having them crawl on her and give her a nasty bite. What industrious, busy little creatures.

He finally roused himself. "Sorry, I drifted off for a while." He swung to his feet bringing her up with him. "You're a restful person to be with."

Barely five feet tall, she had to stand on tiptoe to kiss him on the mouth.

"Let's go." He glanced at his watch. "Do you feel up to walking to the circus, it's hardly worth getting a taxi?"

"No, let's walk."

By the time they arrived at the circus she had a raging thirst. He bought glasses of lemonade from a drink stand and they wandered around the different stalls. She tried her hand at the coconut shy, but failed to win a prize.

"You have a go," she urged.

"No, you never win at these things, they're set up so you can’t. Let's go inside the big top so we can get good seats, it will be cooler, too."

She whipped her hat off and started fanning herself with it. "Yes, I am hot."

He bought their tickets and they positioned themselves near the front. The scent of sawdust filled her nose, and as opening time drew near she became as excited as the numerous children in the audience.

The elephant came out first, with a girl dressed in a net frock perched on his back. The massive beast stood up on his hind legs, trumpeting loudly. What if the rider toppled off? She didn't, of course. A clown arrived with a ball, which he threw to the elephant. The huge beast kicked it around the ring. Harry clapped so loudly, Ross laughed at her enthusiasm.

When the lions came out, she grabbed his arm. "I don't think I can watch." The clown put his head between the beast's huge jaws.

"It's probably got all its teeth pulled out and is as harmless as a kitten," he said.

"Oh look." She watched in awe as the lions jumped through burning hoops when the ring master cracked his whip. The trapeze artists held her enthralled; she could have heard a pin drop when they performed their routine.

"How do they dare?" she whispered, watching the tight-rope walkers. One slip meant death, because they were so far above the ground.

She devoured a huge multi-colored lollipop on a stick, a bag of peanuts and ice cream, while Ross ate an ice cream.

"How you could eat all that rubbish?" he scolded with a grin.

"I've been greedy, I know," she admitted, discarding a half-eaten toffee apple. "If I eat another thing, I think I'll burst."

"I should think so. You'll make yourself ill," he warned, pretending to be severe.

"Gil would have loved the circus," she said as they strolled back to the hotel. "Once when we were young the circus came to town. We both wanted to go but Dad said he couldn't afford to take us."

"Jack took me once," he mused. "Eric was only a toddler at the time. It was a raggedy flea-bitten affair. Terrible really. The animals were mistreated, half-starved, poor creatures."

"Oh, no." She clutched his arm. "I didn't think about the cruelty involved."

"Jack went berserk when some kid lifted up one of the pony's fancy coverings and we saw open sores on the poor creatures back. There was just about a riot, the police arrived and arrested the ring master."

"What happened to the animals?" Worry sharpened her voice.

"The authorities took them away to be properly cared for."

"I'm glad." She clung to his arm. "I can't stand cruelty to animals."

"Me either, but there's a lot of cruelty around unfortunately, it's so unnecessary."

"Dad used to tell us some of the cruel tactics used by the horse breakers on some of the big cattle stations he worked on."

"There's no cruelty on my place. If I see a man mistreating animals he's instantly dismissed," Ross declared fiercely. "Jack's the same."

By the time they got back to the hotel, she felt exhausted and queasy in the stomach.

"Are you all right?" he asked. "You've gone as white as a ghost."

"I don't feel so good. Serves me right for being greedy." She just made it to the bathroom before being violently ill.

"Lie down for an hour or so, there's plenty of time before we need to go down for dinner."

"No dinner for me," she moaned, wiping her face on a damp towel. "If I never see food again it will be too soon, but I do feel weary." In fact, she felt exhausted. They had walked a long way, but she was used to hard work and considered herself fit. Being pregnant might explain it.

"Do you think you'll be up to going to the theater tonight? We have to go home tomorrow on the lunchtime train."

"Of course. I'm not going to miss out on Oliver Twist."

She started undoing the buttons on her dress.

"Do you want me to stay up here with you?"

She knew he only asked as a matter of courtesy.

"No thanks, you go downstairs. You might find some other poor lonely soul to share dinner with. Come up for me later."

"All right, I'll see about getting tickets for the theater first. I'll need to organize for Jack to pick us up from the train too."

He brushed a kiss across her lips, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. "You could lie down here with me."

"You're a brazen hussy," he declared with a grin, "but you wouldn't get any rest if I joined you."

"I want you to."

"Later." He disentangled his arms.

As soon as he left, she took off her clothes and without bothering to put on a nightgown slipped between the cool sheets.

* * *

Ross strode downstairs. In the foyer a porter scurried up to him.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Calvert. There's a phone message for you at reception."

"All right, thank you."

Hope there's nothing wrong at home. He marched over to the counter.

"You have a message for Ross Calvert?"

"Yes sir, here it is."

The man handed him a piece of paper with a phone number written on it. The message read. Call Virginia, it's urgent. His heart slammed against his ribs. Surely Clyde hadn't hurt her?

In the corner of the foyer stood a private telephone booth and he hurried over to it wondering why Virginia needed him so urgently.

"Good afternoon," the husky female voice answered.

"Is that you, Virginia? What's wrong?" He tried to dampen down the surge of excitement coursing through him.

"Ross, darling, there's nothing wrong," she purred. "I thought we might have dinner together. I'm up the street from you at the Federal Hotel."

"Where's Clyde?"

"Off on business. I'm all alone, desperate for company and you were the only person I could think of."

What a blatant lie. Virginia knew plenty of people in Melbourne.

"I don't know, there's Harry," he protested feebly, knowing full well he wanted to see her. No harm having dinner together. Harry had suggested he find someone lonely to eat with. Virginia's soft breath floating down the phone line escalated his heartbeat, stirred his manhood. This is an act of madness, the voice of sanity screamed out a warning, but he ignored it.

"All right, Harry's not feeling well and decided to miss dinner anyway. Give me ten minutes. I want to see about getting tickets to see Oliver Twist tonight. I promised I'd take her."

"They've been sold out for a week or more. I wanted to go myself. Come up to my suite, we can have something sent up to us."

"In the dining room, Virginia."

"Oh, but it's so much more private in my suite."

"For God's sake," he exploded. "We're both married, it wouldn't be right. The dining room or nothing."

"All right, darling, if you insist. I'll wait for you in the lounge." The line went dead.

He dialed the number of the local pub and organized for someone to go to Devil's Ridge with a message for Jack to meet them at the train station. He would have liked to freshen up a little before meeting Virginia, but decided not to go back upstairs in case he disturbed Harry. He flirted with danger, walked a tightrope to disaster but somehow could not stop himself. It wasn't disloyal having dinner with an old friend.

"You're a weak bastard," he muttered as he stepped out of the Grand Hotel and headed to the new Federal Hotel a few doors away.

Resplendent in the latest fashion, a pale yellow floating affair that emphasized her huge almond-shaped eyes and flawless olive skin, Virginia waited for him in the private lounge. There was something almost oriental about her tonight. Like a swarm of bees, excitement swirled around in the pit of his stomach. If he had any brains he would turn tail and run for his life while he still could.

"Ross, darling," she whispered in a husky voice that had haunted his dreams for months.

He was lost.

She glided up to him and put her arms around his neck to draw his mouth towards her lush red lips.

He jerked his head back. "No, I'm a married man."

She gave a tinkling laugh. "And I'm a married woman. No reason why we can't have a little fun together though."

"Dinner is all I agreed to."

"Oh, pooh. You can be so stuffy sometimes, Ross."

Virginia had arranged for a table to be set up for them in a secluded corner. He knew he shouldn't be here. It was disloyal to Harry. A betrayal of his marriage vows.

"Won't Clyde be upset if he finds out you're dining with another man?" he asked as he pulled a chair out for her.

"No. Why should he? He's got a mistress."

"Has he?" Ross was shocked. "I'm sorry." He picked up her hand. "I really am."

"He's had her for years, wasn't classy enough for him to offer marriage, though."

The large diamond ring on Virginia's finger dug into his palm and he loosened his grip.

"I was a fool to have broken it off with you," she said.

"Well, it's water under the bridge now. Let's order, I'm hungry." He was hungry all right, starving in fact, but not for food. His gaze lingered on her breasts, revealed by her low cut gown. For God's sake, what was wrong with him? While his wife lay sick in their honeymoon bed, he lusted after another woman. What kind of despicable creature was he?

They started with leek and potato soup. It might well have been muddy water for all the taste it had. Guilt robbed him of his appetite.

"Clyde is going to re-open the timber mill near Ashborne."

"What! Most of the accessible timber has already been logged."

"There's plenty of timber around. He's won special permission to log on crown land. There are thousands of acres at the back of your place."