Dark inheritance (6 page)

It's imperative for her health that she be kept quiet, and it's your duty to see that nothing excites her."

"I'm sorry you disapproved of our little party," Barbara said quietly, "but I saw no harm in it After all, it gave her such pleasure that I'm sure it can't have been bad for her."

"You must allow me to be the best judge of that. It was still no excuse for my rudeness to you, however.
But Aunt is perfectly well aware that I hate the sight of
those opals, and she should have known better than to let you wear them."

"Many people arc superstitious about opals," Bar
bara volunteered. "I can't quite understand it, but I respect their feelings."

"I'm not a superstitious man, Miss Mansfield." He threw his cigarette into the fire and sat down again.
Barbara waited for him to continue but he said nothing
further, and she knew that whatever his reason for disliking the opals he would not tell her. She shivered and huddled closer to the fire.

"Are you cold?" he asked abruptly.

"A little."

"I warned you to dress warmly here. But like most
women you seem to prefer to ignore advice. We seldom use this room as it's too large to heat ade
quately."

"Have you thought of central heating?"

"I've no intention of spoiling the house with un
sightly radiators. That's why I prefer the study. It's smaller and easier to keep warm."

"I know. While you were away I sometimes sat there
and listened to your records. I hope you don't mind."

"When I'm not here you may use the study when
ever you like."

'Thank you," There was a pause. "But it seems a shame not to use this room too. It's so gracious and elegant. The person who furnished it must have been the one who furnished Miss Berresford's bedroom." Her tone held implicit enquiry.

He took out another cigarette and lit it before he answered. "They were both furnished by my mother. I still prefer the study."

"I suppose this
is
more of a woman's room," she conceded. "All the bric-a-brac and the lovely water
colours." She moved across to where two small Turners
hung side by side. "Have you had these in your family for very long?"

"My father bought them just before I was born.'

She stood admiring the brush-work and colouring of
the sketches. "They suit the room perfectly." Moving back towards the fire, she glanced up at the bare ex
panse of wallpaper above the mantelpiece "What hap
pened to the painting that used to hang there?"

"How do you know about the painting?" Rockwood demanded vehemently.

Barbara gasped at his sudden change of tone. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to presume. I just thought there must have been a painting or mirror there because of the mark on the wall."

"You would be well advised to contain your curiosity
for the length of your stay in this house, Miss Mans
field. Any exploring necessary can be done around Crags' Height and not within its walls."

"I had no intention of prying into your affairs, Mr.
Rockwood," she retorted spiritedly, "and apologize if
I've offended you. I know I'm here merely to look after
Miss Bcrresford and I can assure you that your home
and your affairs are of no interest to me whatever." Controlling her rising temper, she walked to the door. "Perhaps it would be better if in future we dined sepa
rately."

But the man had already regained his equilibrium and surveyed her coolly. "It is far less trouble for Emily if we eat together, and I find it rather amusing to dine with a
tanboer."

"What exactly docs that mean?"

"I suggest you find out for yourself. It will give your curiosity something to work on."

Disdaining to reply, Barbara closed the door sharply behind her.

Without Mark the following weeks dragged, and Barbara missed his companionship on her walks and
found the evenings long and tedious without his genial
presence. Of Rockwood she saw as little as possible;
indeed she tried to avoid him whenever she could and had nearly always finished her meals before he came
into the dining-room. If he noticed this he made no re
mark and she was content that he should put it down to
lack of manners on her part, for the thought of having
to make conversation with him through meal after meal
was more than she could bear. They spoke little enough when they did meet, and she was surprised when one
evening as she was getting up to leave the table he asked her to sit down again.

"I'm sorry to inflict my presence on you for a mo
ment longer than necessary, but I have something to say to you. You'd better start packing your things to leave by the end of the week."

"If you're giving mc notice I can go tomorrow."

Unexpectedly he threw back his head and laughed. "Really, Miss Mansfield, a hedgehog couldn't be more
prickly than you are! I assure you that if your services
had been unsatisfactory you'd have been dispensed with long before this. I'm afraid you misunderstood me. I was merely referring to the fact that I've arranged to take my aunt on a cruise, and I wanted you to know that we'd be leaving at the end of the week."

She smiled. 'I owe
you
an apology now, for jump
ing to conclusions."

"That's all right," he said briskly. Then: "You need only concern yourself with your own packing. Emily will pack my aunt's summer things."

"Summer things?"

"Yes. Did you think we were taking a cruise in the
Arctic?"

Her eyes crinkled. "It might have suited your humour."

"Touche!
What a pity I didn't think of it—it might have cooled your temper at the same time."

She ignored the sally. "Shall we be away long?"

"I haven't decided. If the change does my aunt good
we shall extend our absence. At all events, we leave Tilbury on Friday."

"So you're going to put mc to the test after all."

"I beg your pardon?"

"When you engaged me you asked if I was a good
sailor."

"So I did! What a good memory you have, Miss
Mansfield!"

"May I return the compliment and say what a man of your word you are, Mr. Rockwood?"

His mouth twitched, but he said nothing, and realiz
ing their interview was at an end she excused herself and went up to bed.

CHAPTER
FIVE

AUNT Ellie's excitement when she heard about the cruise was childishly rapturous, and although Rock
wood curbed it sternly he did not altogether succeed in
calming her. They went to London by train and spent the night at an hotel, leaving after lunch the following day to board the boat. By the time they reached the
Customs shed Miss Berrcsford was bordering on hys
teria, and for the first time Barbara understood why Rockwood wanted his aunt kept quiet. After a whisper
ed consultation between him and one of the Customs officials she was allowed to take the old woman aboard
while her nephew remained to see about their luggage.

Barbara had not known quite what to expect and
was filled with excitement at the sight of the gleaming
white liner which lay off the quayside. Once on board they went straight to their suite and she settled the old
woman in bed with a sedative before going into her
own cabin, a smaller room panelled in the same light
wood, with built-in wardrobe, dressing-table and cup
boards. She was in the middle of unpacking when she
felt the engines beginning to throb and looking eagerly
out of the port-hole saw they were moving slowly away
from the narrow dock towards the open sea.

By the time she had put her things away and seen
that Aunt Elite had eaten a light supper she was almost
too tired to go up for dinner and wondered whether it
was necessary to change. Then, deciding against it, con
tented herself with tidying up her hair and freshening her make-up. Aunt Ellie was asleep when she left the
suite and went up the white corridor towards the com
panionway leading to the dining-room. Rockwood was
already at a table near a port-hole when she arrived, and although she noticed he had changed his tweeds for a dark lounge suit was relieved to see that no one was wearing evening dress the first night out.

He stood up politely as she sat down and immediate
ly enquired about his aunt.

"She was asleep when I left her," Barbara replied. "I gave her a sedative as soon as I'd put her to bed."

"Good. I was afraid the suddenness of the trip might
excite her, but if I'd told her as soon as I'd arranged it it might have been even worse. There's no knowing what's best for her."

After dinner Rockwood suggested that they should go for a stroll on deck before turning in, they went up the narrow companionway to the main deck and then
up a further flight of steps to the top deck. It was prac
tically deserted and they walked slowly along the length
of the boat, making no effort to talk. The night sky
was black, only a few distant stars piercing its velvet
darkness, and the ship seemed as if it were moving over
an undulant floor of glistening jet.

"I think I'm going to like this," Barbara murmured, "and I'm sure I shan't be-sea-sick."

The man's voice held amusement. "One might call
those famous last words. You'll know, as I said before,
when we're in the Bay."

They came to rest at the prow and leant idly over the rail, and Barbara glanced up at the dark profile by her side. "What a pessimist you are, Mr. Rockwood!"

"I have very little to be optimistic about."

"I'm surprised you should say that," she said impul
sively. "It sounds like an admission of defeat,"

He faced her, his jaw-line pugnacious. "My dear young lady, every time I talk to you, you sound more like a Crusader than ever. Why is it that women never know when to leave well alone? I don't think it pessi
mistic to acknowledge defeat. On the contrary, it's folly
not to do so."

"Then the world is full of fools."

"Possibly, but I prefer not to be counted as one of them."

Once again Barbara wondered what had marred his life, for only an unhappy man could speak so bitterly. And yet studying his rugged face, with its arrogant
nose and chin, and seeing the strong hands gripping the railings, she could not imagine him submitting willingly
to any blow Fate might deal him.

As Rockwood had prophesied, Barbara's hopes of
being a good sailor were optimistic, and she spent two
agonizing days in her cabin, feeling so ill that she longed
to die. To her secret chagrin Miss Bcrresford did not succumb to the Bay and delighted in helping the stewardess look after her companion, flitting continu
ally in and out of their communicating cabins and turning a deaf ear to Barbara's entreaties that she lie down and rest.

Gradually the sickness abated, and it was a pale girl
who finally emerged from her cabin as the boat passed the Rock of Gibraltar and entered the more peaceful waters of the Mediterranean. As the sun's intensity
increased the decks blossomed with gaily coloured deck
chairs, mattresses, lilos and play-suits, and gradually the barriers of reserve between the passengers were broken down. Deck games and various other amuse
ments were organized and slowly everyone was inveigled
into some form of social activity.

Barbara joined in the sports and played deck quoits
and tennis every morning with the other young people, and sun-bathed next to Aunt Ellie in the afternoons.
Rockwood never joined in any of these pastimes— indeed he seemed to be the one passenger who could not be persuaded to do so, and spent his time keeping as far away from the friendly crowds as possible.

One morning, climbing to the top deck to ask if he had a further supply of his aunt's sedative, Barbara
came upon him unawares, her crepe-soled shoes making
no noise on the ladder. Unconscious of her presence, his face wore an expression of such misery that a feel
ing of almost maternal solicitude overwhelmed her and
she longed to make some gesture of comfort. But as
soon as he turned and saw her his face changed com
pletely, once more assuming the arrogance and aloof
ness she knew so well, and she chided herself for having
softened even for an instant towards a man who seemed
to have so little use for sympathy.

Barbara looked forward to visiting their ports of call
and was disappointed when Aunt Elbe was confined to
bed with a headache the day they docked at Marseilles.
But she comforted herself with the hope that she would be able to visit it on their return journey, and her en
forced sojourn on board while most of the other pas
sengers went ashore made her the more eager to see Naples later that week. .

She was up early the morning they arrived there and watched breathlessly as they entered the Bay described as one of the most beautiful in the world. The town clustered down to the very edge of the water-front, the sky so blue that it seemed to reflect the colour of the
sea, while in the distance the peak of Vesuvius towered
menacingly above the city.

Rockwood had refused to allow his aunt to go ashore
and as far as Barbara was aware remained on board himself, and she knew she could safely leave Miss Berresford under his supervision. She followed the
stream of passengers going ashore and on the quay join
ed a small group of people with whom she had made
friends and who were now bargaining with a taxi-driver
to take them to Pompeii. At last a price was agreed on
and they clambered into the ancient taxi, enduring an
extremely bumpy ride through the town and out over the cliff road towards the old Roman site.

She was glad that the four other passengers were as
interested as herself, and with a guide to explain the layout of the ruins they spent an exciting if extremely
tiring few hours. The steep stone roadways of the ruined
town; the empty, faceless shops—the artisans' tools
still displayed as they had used them—made it hard to believe that they were the relics of a civilization two thousand years old, and the guide proudly showed them
mosaics and paintings whose colours were still vivid.

All too soon it was time for them to leave, but al
though the rest of her party were ready to go, Barbara felt she could not miss the chance of visiting the muse
um, and assuring them she would find her own way back to the ship, went alone into the two large rooms housing the relics of the destroyed metropolis.

She was so fascinated that time seemed to stand still,
and it was not until she was out in the bright sunshine once more that she looked at her watch and saw with horror that the ship would be leaving within fifteen minutes.

Taking to her heels, she flew through the gate and down the steps, relieved to sec a waiting taxi parked by the roadway.