Illyrian Summer (12 page)

CHAPTER
FIVE

Tucked into her sleeping bag
with the minibus curtains drawn, Sarah felt too wide awake for c
o
mfort. In vain she tried to will herself to sleep, taking long, deep rhythmic breaths, thinking about new clothes, savoring the prospect of a deliciously scented warm bath. Twice she fancied she caught the faint sound of thunder, but probably it was no more than a truck rumbling along in the darkness.

It seemed she had no sooner drifted into sleep than she was awakened by deafening claps of thunder. She sat up with a jerk. Through the thin curtains she could see the intermittent flashes of lightning.

“
Not a storm now!
”
she muttered, thinking of all those people sleeping out in the open by the river, on the pavements or under trees.

Her thoughts flew to Edmund, Daniel and the others who might be sleeping in tents. They would be washed away!

Rain drummed and rattled on the bus roof as though trains were roaring across it. She unlocked the rear door and cautiously opened it an inch or two, but soon slammed it shut again against the furious downpour. Even if the men wanted shelter in the bus, they would be half-drowned before they arrived.

Suddenly the violent rain ceased as though a tap had been turned off, and in the lull Sarah heard Daniel
’
s voice as he pounded on the door. When she opened it he came stumbling in, followed by Ricardo and another cameraman.

“
My God! This is a night!
”
exclaimed Daniel, mopping his hair with his hands.
“
Have you a towel handy, Sarah?
”

She handed one to him and found another for Ricardo and his companion.

“
Our tent was flooded in no time,
”
Daniel explained.
“
We got out and went to the truck. Edmund was having trouble keeping all the film gear dry. Nobody had bargained for this kind of hurricane, monsoon, cloudburst or whatever it is.
”

“
Are the cameras or anything else damaged?
”
Sarah asked.

“
No. We helped Edmund and the others lug the stuff about into the driest
corner
s of the truck.
”

Daniel laughed hilariously.
“
In the meantime our tent had collapsed and was washed away.
”

“
All those people sleeping out!
”
Sarah said.
“
They must be in a terrible state in the town. They can
’
t even go inside some of the wrecked buildings for shelter.
”

Ricardo nodded.
“
It is most sad,
”
he murmured.
“
After all they have suffered—and now this flood.
”
Soon it was daylight with a gray, cloudy dawn. In the car park there was chaos. Men moved about inspecting the damage to their vehicles, some of which had sunk axle-deep into the mud.

Sarah splashed through .the puddles to find Edmund. His thin, bony face was streaked with mud.
“
Is there anything I can do, Edmund?
”
she asked.
“
Everyone must have had a terrible night.
”

“
Yes. I
’
m worried,
”
he admitted.
“
I had everything fixed up for an early start this morning, but now I don
’
t know. I
’
ve already heard that the road out of the town up this end is blocked by floods. Even to get out of this car park we
’
ve plenty of soft mud to go through. You might go down to Radmilla
’
s camping spot and see what
’
s happened. By this time they might have gone away somewhere else.
”

“
I
’
ll do that at once,
”
she agreed.
“
What shall I tell them?
”

“
Well, certainly we
’
ll have to postpone leaving for at
least one day and hope that we don
’
t get visited
by another storm tonight.
”

Sarah took the shortcut toward the river, but the grassy slopes were sodden and she slithered and floundered down to the road, which was completely flooded. She rolled up the ends of her pants and waded through the shallowest places to the riverbank where so many families had scattered themselves.

There was no sign of anyone, and that was hardly surprising, for the gardens were half under water and the flower beds washed away. Although she hunted about among crowds of excited, gesticulating people spreading their belongings to dry in the sunshine, she could not see any of Radmilla
’
s family.

After a brief question or two, Sarah was escorted to a
corner
of the square, where Radmilla
’
s parents were trying to dry mattresses spread across chairs from a nearby cafe.

Radmilla came to greet Sarah.
“
Tell Edmund we are sorry to be so late and delay him,
”
she began, but Sarah interrupted her.

“
Don
’
t worry, Radmilla. He
’
s going tomorrow instead. The roads are blocked, but in any case he thinks you would be very uncomfortable traveling today in such wet conditions.
”

Radmilla smiled.
“
It is typical of Edmund that he thinks about us.
”

“
Will you tell your other friends who are coming with us?
”
Sarah asked.
“
And could you all come up to the car park tonight? We can make arrangements for everyone to sleep somewhere. Then we can start early in the morning tomorrow
... You haven
’
t heard anything of
Mirjana
?
”
Sarah knew she must ask.

“
No.
”
Radmilla smiled.
“
But Adam is sure to have thought of her and he will see that she is safe.
”

“
Of course.
”

For the rest of the day Sarah was too busy to give any attention to her own problems. Edmund needed all the help she could give him on the day
’
s filming and whenever she had a spare half hour she used it to carry bundles of clothing or bedding to the car park in readiness for next day.

It was on one of these journeys when she was struggling with a mattress that persisted in bending unexpectedly that she met Adam. In one way she had been hoping not to see him again and go through all the goodbyes once more, yet her longing for the sight of his face, to hear his voice, was so strong that she would have been desolate if the reprieve of one more day had not brought another meeting with him.

“
Can I help?
”
Adam asked, taking one end of the mattress.

“
Thanks. It
’
s rather awkward trying to keep it out of the puddles.
”

For a few yards along the street, they discussed the storm and its effects. Sarah told him that Edmund had decided to film the aftermath of the storm and would now leave tomorrow morning,

When they reached the car park Adam helped her to put the mattress in the minibus.
“
We can make room here for at least four or five women,
”
she explained,
“
and more in the daytime. What happened to Mirjana in last night
’
s storm?
”

Adam looked away into the distance before replying.
“
She was taken down to a boat and since then I
’
ve been able to get her into a dry house at the steel plant. She
’
ll be well looked after now.
”

He gave her a smile that turned her heart right over.
“
You
’
re not wearing the hat. What have you done with it?
”

“
In there.
”
She indicated the minibus.
“
This morning was not really the weather for it.
”

He gave her what in other circumstances she might have construed as an affectionate pat on the top of the scarf she had tied over her hair. She glanced down dubiously at her mud-encrusted pants, dirty sandals and dirtier feet. She sighed.
“
Not even that straw hat could make me look smart today.
”
She raised her face swiftly.
“
I suppose what you really mean is that I
’
m less bad-tempered today?
”

He shook his head.
“
I
’
m not a connoisseur.
”

“
Will you stay and have a meal with us? Edmund would like to see you, I
’
m sure.
”

Adam glanced at his watch.
“
I
’
ll come later, about nine perhaps. I ought to see if Radmilla and her family need any more help.
”

He gave her a sketchy salute and went striding over the rough ground until he disappeared behind a row of trucks.

The day
’
s sunshine had dried out most of the puddles and top surface of the ground, although there were ruts a foot deep where vehicles had sunk in. Sarah put out her table and began to type notes for Edmund.

When Adam came again, he brought a generous supply of food.

“
How did you manage all this, Adam?
”
Radmilla asked.

“
A snap of the fingers—so!
”
he answered.
“
Some of my friends at the steelworks feel it their duty to help. Besides, you and all your friends will need food for the journey tomorrow.
”

Daniel tapped Sarah
’
s arm.
“
Remember me? I haven
’
t seen you all day.
”

“
We
’
ve both been busy.
”

“
Come with me, Sarah.
”
He had risen to his feet.
“
There
’
s something I want to talk to you about.
”
Something in his manner made her wary. For a moment she remained still, not looking at him.

“
Sarah! Please! It
’
s important,
”
he urged.

She allowed Daniel to pull her to her feet and together they slipped away into the shadows.

“
Well, Daniel, what is it?
”

Daniel had maneuvered it so that he and Sarah were now on the far side of the minibus and hidden from the rest of the party. He took her almost roughly into his arms and kissed her, savagely and demandingly. She tried to push her hands against his chest, but he held her in too firm a grip.

“
Daniel!
”
she gasped when his bruising kisses gave
her a chance to speak.
“
Please, Daniel, don
’
t be
—”

He crushed his lips on her mouth and suffocated her words.

Suddenly he released her as though he had been dragged away and she staggered against the side of the bus. In the dimness she saw another man
’
s figure, and then Daniel fell to the ground.

“
Why can
’
t you leave her alone?
”
came Adam
’
s furiously angry voice as Daniel scrambled to his feet and rushed at him.

“
Oh, stop!
”
exclaimed Sarah.
“
Have some sense, the pair of you!
”

“
Listen
to me,
Thorne
!
”
Daniel
’
s words came low and hissing.
“
I
’
m sick of your interfering and snooping on us all the time: Why don
’
t you mind your own business and let Sarah and me mind ours? We
’
re engaged.
”
Sarah gasped, but before she could deny Daniel
’
s assertion, Adam spoke.

“
Engaged! Oh, I
’
m sorry I knocked you down. But you must forgive m
e
. Your
fiancée
seemed reluctant to accept your embraces. I was wrong, of course, to trust to appearances.
”

He was gone before Sarah could even open her mouth to protest.

She turned on Daniel.
“
Why did you tell him that? You had no right to—
”

“
Hush, my sweet. Perhaps that
’
ll put paid to his hanging around you at all sorts of times and places when I
’
m not there to protect you.
”

“
Protect me!
”
she echoed.
“
If by
‘
protection
’
you mean crushing me in a bear hug—
”

“
I
’
ve tried being gentle with you, Sarah,
”
Daniel retorted harshly.
“
Now I
’
m trying the opposite.
”

“
And neither is any use.
”

“
Why won
’
t you give in?
”
he replied angrily.

“
Because there
’
s no love between us,
”
she answered softly.

“
You mean you
’
re hankering after Adam.
”

“
No. I don
’
t love you, Daniel, and I don
’
t think I
’
ll ever be able to.
”

He grasped her wrist, but this time with only moderate force.
“
I
’
ll make you love me, Sarah. I swear I will.
”

“
I
’
m just not the girl for you,
”
she said.
“
I
’
m grateful for what you
’
re offering me and I realize I ought to jump at the chance, but I must be honest with myself.
”
She wanted to urge Daniel to view his own feelings with the same degree of honesty, but she knew he would not agree that his love was impermanent. She disengaged her hand from his and returned quickly to the group, but was careful to sit in the shadows where the lantern light did not shine on her. She was in no mood to tolerate questions or raised eyebrows from Edmund. Adam had, of course, left the party.

At
dawn
she awoke stiff and cramped, and dismayed to find that a steady rain was falling. The other women, too, protested that there should be no rain at this time of year.

Daniel kept out of Sarah
’
s way, perhaps prudently, for most of the morning. When the truck and minibus stopped at the first village to drop some of the passengers, he approached her.

“
I
’
m sorry about last night,
”
he said with some diffidence.

“
Let
’
s both forget it, shall we?
”
she answered coolly, and turned away to help one woman to alight from the truck.

“
All right, if that
’
s the way you want it,
”
he replied sulkily, and walked away.

Radmilla wanted Edmund and all the film unit to have dinner at her aunt
’
s apartment in Sarajevo, where she was taking her parents and sister, but he gently refused on the grounds that he and his companions were all rather too scruffy and stained to be entertained in a civilized flat.

“
You could go, Sarah,
”
he suggested,
“
if you want to.
”
She jumped at the chance, partly for Radmilla
’
s sake, but mostly for her own, since she would thus be able to avoid Daniel
’
s company for an hour or two.

Edmund said that he and the other men would find an inn with a courtyard where their rough appearance at a meal would not be so noticeable.

As the English guest, Sarah was given first chance of a hot bath, enjoyable beyond belief, but she giggled at the anticlimax of having to dress again in grubby pants and a rather crumpled blue shirt.

Edmund had arranged to pick her
up in the minibus outside the apartment of Radmilla
’
s aunt and uncle. The goodbyes were hastily said; Radmilla spoke rapidly in an undertone to Edmund, and waved.

When they met the truck at a prearranged spot outside the town, Ricardo and two other men of the unit came into the bus, but Daniel evidently preferred a rougher ride in the truck.

The party arrived at the Villa Kristal in Dubrovnik halfway through the morning, and Edmund decreed food, rest and a long siesta for everyone. The cameramen could scarcely believe their luck and scuttled off to lose themselves before Edmund could change his mind and demand immediate development of all the reels of film taken in Krasnograd.

“
Where am I to stay?
”
Sarah asked Edmund.
“
I gave up my room at the hotel and canceled Radmilla
’
s, as well. Do you want me to go back there?
”

“
Of course not! There are plenty of rooms here. Ask Pepica which one you can have.
”
Edmund grinned.
“
See that she doesn
’
t give you Melanie
’
s suite—or there might be trouble.
”

Sarah laughed.
“
I
’
ll make quite sure of that.
”