The Primrose Bride (10 page)

How could one end it, anyway? The merest zephyr of scandal at this stage might ruin Andrew
’
s future, and at best she would have to endure a few weeks of Nemaka before wilting in the climate or being hurriedly summoned to Cornwall for some reason. But perhaps the time would arrive when Andrew and his career would become less important than her own emotions and peace of mind. Was it possible to fall out of love?

The more she thought, during those two or three days, the more chaotic were Karen
’
s mental reactions. Mixed up and horribly sharpened, her emotions forced her to hear Andrew
’
s car long before he reached the drive, to smell his cigarette smoke as it wafted in from the veranda, to hasten past his room even when it was empty.

Though she took care never to look at the lean brown features, she knew his hands as if they were her own. They were strong, the fingers spatulate, the nails well-shaped; the hands of a man of action, though she knew instinctively,
as
well as from small isolated experiences, that they could linger and caress.

But man of action he was. The mooted drives and picnics, bathing and exploring were forgotten. He slipped back into his office, his substitute was ready to leave on the first boat that could take him, and the medical check-up ordered by the last mail was already in process of organization. In about five days
’
time, when the Governor was due to return from his ceremonial tour of the islands, the administration machinery would be running as smoothly as if Andrew had never left Nemaka.

Karen stayed fairly close to the house. Mrs. Mears came for a chat, there was a note of apology from Rita Vaughan and Tony Horwell dropped in for sundowners one evening.

Then, one day, Andrew arrived for lunch in a small grey car. After they had eaten he said,
“
I
’
ve bought the bus outside from Coppard. He brought it here eighteen months ago and has hardly used it. You
’
ll find it handy for getting about. The government cars are too big for you—awkward to handle.
”

“
Do I need a car?
”

“
We can
’
t have you getting bored or tired. The car will help you to settle in.
”

“
Thank you,
”
she said politely.

“
You can try it out right away—drive me up to the offices. I
’
d rather be with you when you first handle it.
”

“
Very well.
Do you want to go now?
”

“
It might be a good idea—give us time for a run round to get you accustomed to the gears before you drive back home.
”

Karen went straight outside and got into the driving seat of the car. One thing she was not self-conscious about was driving with Andrew as a passenger. He had complimented, her on the speed with which she had learned how to control a car, had said she would soon become a first
-
class driver. Here on Nemaka there could be none of the hazards she had encountered and overcome in England. In fact at this hour of the day the roads were free of cars and there were only a few bicycles to avoid.

She did not look about her as she drove past the government dwellings set back among the trees behind the tamarisk hedge, but at the end of the road she saw the stone pillars and wrought-iron gates which guarded the Residency, and involuntarily slowed almost to a stop. The police guard on duty saluted smartly, and Andrew returned the gesture.

“
You can
’
t see much of the place from here, but it
’
s magnificently placed,
”
he commented.
“
The flag is always flying when the Governor
’
s at home.
”

“
Does he go away often?
”

“
Hardly ever. Last time I did the tour for him because he had lumbago. That was why he had to make it himself, this time, and it couldn
’
t wait, because there was an accumulation of business on Filfua and Malu. They
’
re the chief of the other islands and we have resident officers there.
”

She accelerated slightly.
“
The gardens look lovely,
”
she said.
“
I
’
m almost totally ignorant about the plants.
”

“
You know the common poinsettia and hibiscus. There
’
s plumaria, frangipani and coral vine, and the many kinds of bignonias—the climbing thing with trumpets. Plenty of bougainvillea, too. At my first house here I had an immense avocado tree that produced fruit weighing nearly two pounds each. It was next to Tony
’
s house—young Austin lives there now.
”

“
Do we stay on this road? We seem to be climbing.
”

“
It
’
s as well to try a couple of hills, and you can stop where there
’
s room to turn.
I’ll
tell you a good spot before we reach it.
”

He spoke without coolness but without warmth, indicated the place where she should brake and turn and commended the way she did so.

“
Don
’
t go on for a moment,
”
he said.
“
There
’
s a good view of the house and our lagoon over here to the
left.
Want to get out and have a look?
”

She stood with him in front of the car and gazed down over a thickly covered hillside at the very blue sea. The houses lining Government Road looked squat and tropical, the beach seemed to flow from a background of wild flowering climbers, and the ubiquitous and spectacular coconut palm was head and shoulders above its neighbors or leaning straight out from the beach itself. The tide was in, and the reef showed only fitfully in the vivid white line of foam which marked its position.

He turned his head and gestured at the low mountain behind them.
“
The coconut plantations hereabouts produce most of the island
’
s copra. Our next main crop is coffee. Can you see the peak there in the distance? That
’
s our landmark, Oponui.
”
He looked at his watch.
“
We go back the same way and keep left past the Residency.
”

Which was her cue to get back into the car and set it moving. A few minutes later the guard outside the Residency repeated his salute, and they passed on, into a road which ran at right angles to Government Road. Here the buildings were not unlike the houses, except that they were bigger and clear of growth. The first was marked
‘
Public R
el
ations Dept.
’
, the second
‘
Land and Mineral Resources
’
, the third
‘
Co-operative Development Dept.
’
Then came a larger building of two storeys; this had a flagstone path, semi-circular steps and a porticoed entrance with the words
‘
Local Government and Islands Administration
’
. This was
it, apparently.

Andrew said casually,
“
This might be
a
good time for you to meet my secretary and some of the juniors. We always train the most promising of the islanders to do the clerical work and learn all they can about the government, and the bunch we have now are really good and keen to work for their own people.
”
Karen didn
’
t move at once, and he said,
“
I
’
m not asking you to do this simply because it
’
s expected of you, but even if I were, there
’
d be nothing reprehensible about it. You do have a position to maintain.
”

“
Do I?
”
she said under her breath, and at once got out
of the car.

He had the cool, arrogant sm
il
e as he led her into the dimness of the building. There was the usual obeisance from a guard, and then Andrew unlocked the first heavy
door
.

“
This is the Governor
’
s office—he doesn
’
t use it
much.”
A turn of the key and on to the next door.
“
This is the Council Room—priggish, Victorian and a horror, as you might put it,
”
with smiling mockery,
“
but every inch a good solid Council Chamber. This next one is Bingham
’
s office—the Governor
’
s secretary you remember? Next to that is where I do my job unless I happen to be chasing up someone or paying an official call. Interested?
”

A massive desk, two opulent green leather chairs, a vast bookcase packed with government and legal volumes, a table loaded with files that were in daily use.

“
Most impressive,
”
she said.

“
Is that all?
”

“
It
’
s
...
like you.
”

“
Most impressive? Thanks,
”
with irony. Almost negligently he closed the door, shutting them in.
“
I
’
ve thought once or twice that this might be the one place where we could really talk—where you wouldn
’
t be afraid of the consequences of anything you might say. After all, there are twenty clerks in the rooms opposite and my junior is right next door.
”
And adding sarcasm to the irony:
“
That should be sufficient protection against your husband.
”

She drew in her lip, to moisten it.
“
You really think that
...
talking would help?
”

“
It
’ll
have to, some time soon. We can
’
t go on as we are for much longer. You must realize that.
”
She didn
’
t answer and he went on steadily,
“
You
’
re making everything terribly difficult, Karen. If it were true that all you need is my assurance that I married you because I love you, and not for a more worldly reason, you certainly have it. When I swore to love and cherish you, I meant just that.
”

“
I
’
ve never doubted it,
”
she answered jerkily.
“
All these years you
’
ve been keeping your emotions marshalled, ready for use. I quite believe that you
’
d be as efficient in marriage as you are in everything else.
”
She paused, and added in low tones,
“
Please, Andrew, I
’
d like to go now.
”

He stood back, shoved his hands into his pockets and said grimly,
‘
You
’
re a coward, Karen. I wouldn
’
t have believed it of you. For heaven
’
s sake face up to things. This damned situation just can
’
t last!
”

“
I know that, but there
’
s nothing I can do to alter it.
”

“
There
’
s everything you can do,
”
he said swiftly,
“
beginning with showing a little trust in me. Your lack of trust hurts more than anything that
’
s ever happened to me.
”
He drew a sharp breath.
“
How do you think it feels to come home to someone who won
’
t even look me in the eye?
Don
’
t you ever think this out on your own, and realize what it
’
s doing to us? There
’
s no alternative for either of us—we
’
ve
got
to be happy together!
”

Her lips felt cold and rigid but she spoke clearly.
‘
That
’
s one thing even you can
’
t order, Andrew—happiness. I know what worries you. You
’
ve seen yourself introducing a radiant young wife to the Governor, because even he, for all his outmoded ideas, would prefer to believe in the existence of romance.
Well,
I shan
’
t scintillate, but I won
’
t let you down. I do realize that you took me on in good faith, believing that I understood what you expected of
me...”

“
Great heaven,
”
he said in a savage undertone. You don
’
t
realize
anything! You
’
ve about as much understanding as that desk. I
’
m not demanding the earth of you; I
’
m not even insisting on rights. Lord knows, I
’
m fully aware that we married before you were ready for it, and I
’
m willing to
make
every allowance for nerves and fears, however, groundless they may be. But I can
’
t live with subterfuge and evasion, with wariness and shrinking. I
’
m getting to the point where I
’
d even settle for the sort of relationship we had a few weeks ago; at least it had possibilities!
”

Had his voice softened then she might have broken down and wept, and altered the end of that particular scene. But his tones, though muted in case they should be heard, were tight and forceful, and his narrowed eyes were bright and hard as steel. He was in no mood to be tender and comprehending, and in a way Karen was relieved.

Her hands clenched at her sides, she said defiantly,
“
All right, let
’
s go back to where we were during your early weeks in Cornwall. We
’
ll be just friendly, only this time I
’
ll know more about you. And when you come to the point of proposing I won
’
t be a poor bewitched idiot who
’
d believe anything; I
’
ll know exactly how I should answer!
”

For almost a minute they stared at each other. His teeth were just visible between his lips, angry white teeth which slowly parted as his fury died and a faint mockery took its
place.

“
That
’
s not a bad idea, little one, not bad at all. We
’
ll try it out for just three days.
”

“No, I ... I
won
’
t have a time limit. You
’
re still
thinking
only
of
the Governor
’
s return.
”

“
Three days,
”
he repeated,
“
and I
’
m not thinking of the Old Man. Believe it or not, I
’
m concerned only with you and me. By the way,
”
in a studied drawl,
“
I
hope you remember how we were during that week before I went to Sweden. You might think back, and stiffen that pretty upper lip to bear it.
”

She averted her head and made a slight movement towards the door. He put his fingers on the handle and turned it, slipped his right arm across her shoulders and kissed her cheek.

“I’ll
take you out to the car, my sweet,
”
he said with heavy satire.
“
You mustn
’
t mind if I don
’
t get all the inflections at first go. I
’
ve been through a bit since those days.
”

There was no mention of her making the acquaintance of his secretary or anyone else. She walked uncertainly to the entrance and down the steps, paused while he opened the car door.

“
So long, child. Be careful. See you later.
”

Somehow she started the car, but his hand was still firmly closed on the edge of the window aperture. She looked up.
“
I
’
m going now.
”

“
There
’
s your side of the bargain, you know,
”
he reminded her with faint malice in his smile.
“
On occasions like this you
’
d say, a little breathlessly,
“
Goodbye, Andrew. It
’
s been wonderful!
”

He must have known that such a declaration was more than he would ever be able to wrench from her, for he dropped his hand and stepped back, waved as she moved away, and at once returned to his office.

Karen drove almost without thinking, past several more government buildings, down a wide street where shops she did not see were beginning to get busy with the afternoon trade, and on through a long lane between tiny thatched houses; they stretched away on either side. The islanders sat on the roadside, knots of them gossiping or perhaps a couple sitting beside a heap of bananas or mangoes. The children ran about playing their games, but young and old gazed curiously at the young fair woman in blue and wh
i
te who sped past in the small grey car.

Karen left the township behind and came to a halt on a coast track close to an expanse of crags. She was relieved to see something that kept thoughts at bay. A couple of tents had been p
itched
among the growth above the beach, and logs formed a bridge from the tents to the rocks at the edge of the waves. A few islanders were strengthening the bridge, some of them roping logs together at regular intervals while others poured cement over the joints. A crude pontoon, but it would probably last till the hurricane season. For fishing? she wondered, and thought it unlikely. The islanders could paddle out in their canoes and catch as many fish as they wanted.

Then she saw a man come from the nearest tent. He wore a singlet and shorts and a cloth knotted about his red hair. His skin was the color of polished bronze, but he was a European—not a bad-looking one at that. He saw the car and veered towards it, his smile white and welcoming—a swashbuckling smile.

It took Karen less than a minute to nod a brief greeting and turn the car. She had enough on her mind! But as the man
’
s figure receded in her driving mirror she saw him lift a hand and wave gaily. Quite a character, it seemed, and certainly a different breed from government officials.

She remembered, suddenly, that three men had been given permission to try salvaging a wreck which was thought to lie beneath the waters near the rocks. It was said that the
Salamander
had been carrying a quantity of Burmese rubies when she foundered many years ago, but neither a former salvage group nor the canny islanders had been able to find the ship. There were traces of other craft, for many had been lost in hurricane seas over the years, but
the
Salamander
remained a mystery
.

Thinking of wrecks reminded her of Cornwall, and resolutely, while she drove back through the township and slowed to wind among the blandly unconscious people who threaded backwards and forwards along the shopping thoroughfare, she reminded herself of the old towns
and
the wild coastline, of the moors and mists and gales. What wouldn
’
t she give to be back there, working at the pottery paintshop, spending weekends with young people who had been her school friends. Hard to credit that that had been Karen Hurst, three months ago. She felt so much older now. But she was still a girl with honey-blonde hair and greeny-blue eyes; it took time for loneliness and grief and anxiety to leave an imprint on one
’
s looks.

With a faint lift of the heart, she stopped the car and got out. The street of shops was as unspectacular as she had anticipated, but it was typically exotic. A fairly wide road which had little wheeled traffic, and each side of it a pavement that was like a long arcade with the road on one side and the peeling fronts of the shops on the other. Between the many general stores there were windows crammed with cheap cotton frocks and loud-colored shirts. There seemed to be numerous idle men; they gazed at the wares, lounged against the stone pillars of the arcade, strummed a guitar or lethargically beat at something which looked like a leather bowl and produced their own inimitable rhythm. Perhaps they were seasonal workers enjoying the sun they would later have to work under.