Island of Mermaids (31 page)

‘
Eighteenth century, I think. Not Roman.
’

Her head came up with a jerk at the sound of that man
’
s voice.
‘
Kent!
’
she gasped.
‘
You!
’
She leaned against a nearby chair for support. Then she glanced wildly around the church for her father. Oh, no, she prayed, not another trick!

‘
Please go away
!’
she begged in a whisper.

‘
No. Not this time,
’
he almost hissed the words at her.

‘
Then I will leave,
’
she said curtly.

‘
Yes, we can
’
t quarrel here.
’

Outside the church door she turned to him, although against her will. Her instinct was to run, to flee through the village and into the sanctity of her home. Yet the word
‘
quarrel
’
caught her attention.

‘
We
’
ve nothing to quarrel about.
’
She marched away towards the street.

‘
Althea!
’
He caught her up in two strides.
‘
I’
ve come a long way to listen to your explanations and give you mine.
’

‘
I
’
ve nothing to say to you. Never! And I don
’
t want to see you.
’

The main street of Anacapri was not one that two English people would choose for a really good storming row and Althea knew she was at a disadvantage, but she hurried towards the piazzetta, hoping that she would not meet anyone she knew, although on second thoughts that might be an advantage. But the street was not crowded, for this was siesta time, and the cafes were deserted.

It was unfortunate from her point of view that the entrance to Kent
’
s villa came before she could reach the gates of the Villa Stefano, for here he pulled her roughly along the path and into the shade of the first clump of chestnuts.

‘
Let me go! If you don
’
t, I
’
l
l—’

Yes? What will you do?
’
he challenged.

‘
This!
’
she exclaimed, freeing one hand and slapping his cheek, but still he refused to release her.

‘
Calm down and behave like a grown-up girl, not like a hysterical idiot. D
’
you think I
’
m going to kidnap you?
’

Tears began to pour down her face.
‘
Why did you have to come back here?
’
she asked brokenly.
‘
Wasn
’
t it enough that you
—’

‘
Why did I come back here? Because I couldn
’
t stay away, that
’
s why. Because I had to know the truth of why you ran away from that pub in Scotland.
’

She raised her tear-stained face to look at him in astonishment.
‘
You ask that!
’
she whispered hoarsely.
‘
When you flirted with me that afternoon, knowing that you had that girl Jennifer staying at the same hotel. What could I do but run away?
’

‘
You could have stayed to listen to quite a simple explanation. That girl Jennifer is my brother
’
s wife. What conclusion did you jump to? That she was mine? Or even not quite my wife?
’

Althea
’
s head drooped.
‘
I suppose so. The register was lying open and I heard her called
“
Mrs. Sanderby
”
.
’

‘
Exactly. And you had so little trust in me that you wouldn
’
t even give me the slightest chance to tell you who she was. If you
’
d stayed to dinner, you
’
d have met my brother, if you wanted proof.
’

‘
And how much did you trust me over Cristo?
’
she demanded.
‘
You didn
’
t give
me
a chance to explain that he
’
d wandered into my part of the villa and I had the job of turning him out? You jumped to the wrong conclusions, just as much as I.
’

He released part of his fierce grip on her arms and his voice became more gentle.
‘
Darling, I
’
ve bitterly regretted that night, but I was so angry. I just let words run away with me. You see, I came because I wanted to tell you how much I loved you.
’

‘
But you were ready to condemn me,
’
she muttered.

‘
Yes. One thing that enraged me was that I
’
d bought you a Neapolitan coral necklace—you know that all Capri girls wear those—and I
’
d not had a single chance to give it to you. Then that artist chap Brian bought you a lava necklace on the top of Vesuvius. I just wanted to tear it off your neck.
’

Althea was calmer now, but she needed more reassurance before she would allow even a glimmer of hope to enter her mind.

‘
Why were you so jealous?
’
she asked.

He turned her shoulders towards him and cupped her face in his hands.
‘
You can ask me that? Because I was enslaved, I was daft about you. That day we went up Monte Solaro in the chair-lift, I nearly told you then. Then that other time
when we went down the Phoenician steps
—’

‘
All seven hundred and seventy-seven of them.
’
She was be
ginnin
g to regain her confidence.

‘
On every one of them I wanted to hold you in my arms.
’

‘
Why didn
’
t you try on at least one step?
’
She gave him a shaky smile.

‘
Oh, I don
’
t know. You were remote and calm as an iceberg.
’

‘B
ut I was never that. I was seething inside with jealousy. First it was Carla, and then Jennifer when she came with the others to the carnival.
’

‘
Carla was never a problem, but I admit I asked Jennifer to act the fond sister to me when we met you. She was safely engaged to my brother and very soon to be married, so we put on a show for you. Oh, I know it was probably childish and a grown man ought not to go in for pranks like that, but I had to get some reaction from you.
’

‘
And you didn
’
t like the one you got?
’

‘F
ar from it. Your father suggested I should come and see you at your house in London, but I telephoned you once and there was no reply. The Scottish hotel was his idea and it might have worked well if you hadn
’
t spoiled it.
’

‘
Perhaps it would have worked if I
’
d met only you there,
instead of
—’

‘
Yes, that was a fool idea of mine. My brother and Jennifer were married a month before and spent their honeymoon in Norway. I suggested that when they landed at Newcastle, they might put in a few days in Scotland at the hotel where I was. I wanted you to meet them. I
’
d no idea you
’
d seen Jennifer in the hall. I made enquiries and was told you
’
d left in a rush. I
’
d have come after you if I
’
d had the slightest notion of where you were heading for.
’

‘
I thought you were playing with me that afternoon,
’
she murmured.

‘
Did you? Then see if you think I
’
m playing with you now,
’
was his grim reply, as he held her close to him and kissed her mouth, her cheeks, her neck.

She sighed with contentment when he partly released her, but his arm was still around her waist, as though he dared
not let her be entirely free.

They walked a little way along the path towards his villa.
‘
I suppose it was my father who arranged this dramatic meeting today in the church?
’
she asked.

‘
It didn
’
t fall out by a happy coincidence. Your father
’
s a
very astute man
‘

‘
Naturally, or he wouldn
’
t want you for a son-in-law,
’
she said with a flash of her old sarcasm.
‘
I suppose you do intend to marry me at some future time? Or am I taking too much for granted?
’

‘
I shall have to consider that question,
’
he said gravely. He put up a hand to his cheek.
‘
Why on earth should I tie myself to a vixen who slaps my face? It
’
s still smarting. One inch higher up and I
’
d have had a black eye
!’

She laughed hilariously.
‘
What a sight you
’
d have looked
!’

‘
In future I might duck when I see your love-pats coming my way.
’

By now they had arrived at Kent
’
s deserted villa.
‘
It looks a mess, doesn
’
t it? But then, after that fiasco in Scotland, I
’
d decided not to come back here again at all.
’

‘
And now?
’
she queried, her eyes sparkling.

‘
I shall find myself dragged back here from time to time, I suppose. Oh, those cases,
’
he broke off to point through the window.
‘
The bits of statues I bought in Naples. I
’
ve never even unpacked them.
’

‘
I know. I saw they were from Naples.
’

He turned towards her. You
’
ve been down here? Spying?
’

‘
I couldn
’
t keep away. I tried to,
’
she confessed.
‘
The place made me feel sad because it was so deserted.
’

He planted a kiss on the bridge of her nose.
‘
Then you do love me a little?
’

Althea turned her head away and spoke to the lavender
-
blue sea.
‘
I
’
ve been wasting my time all this afternoon,
’
she said.
‘
How much more does the man want to convince him?
’

He grunted,
‘
Let
’
s go in and unpack those statues.
’

They were both on their knees surrounded by wood shavings from the cases when he said suddenly,
‘
Oh, I brought this along with me.
’

He took out the coral necklace and she bent her head towards him. When he had fastened it, he said,
‘I
think I shall attach a lead to this collar. Then I might be sure of keeping you.
’

‘
Invisible chains will always keep me tied to you,
’
she answered softly.

The terra-cotta head of a laughing boy was, as Carla had said, delightful. Then there was the blue wolf and, in addition, a small group of white marble nymphs disporting themselves on a long plaque.

Kent went over to the piano and pulled off the covering. He tried a few notes and shook his head.
‘
Wants tunin
g.’