Treasured Dreams (27 page)

The bombardment of plastic-wrapped packages commenced the moment blonde-haired Ginger peeked over the railing. This time not only did they contain dresses but they were also shown scarves, rugs and gaudy trinkets.

In the end, Rosalina paid two thousand Egyptian pounds for eight jalabiyas, five scarves, two rugs, and a little brass lamp that looked like a genie would pop out if she rubbed it hard enough. Rosalina knew she could've bartered more, but seeing the smile on the diminutive Egyptian man's face was better than any bargain.

The thunder of an engine indicated the anchor chain was on its way up, which meant they were about to have their turn along the Suez Canal again. As they began to pull away, the water-bound peddler waved them off, and Ginger and Rosalina collected their merchandise from the deck and went downstairs.

‘That was fun,' Rosalina said, as she placed her purchases on the dining table.

‘Holy cow,' Archer said after a quick look. ‘Thank God we're moving again or I'd have to build you a bigger wardrobe.'

‘Ha ha. Only five dresses, Mr Exaggerator.'

‘Five! When I left, you only had three.'

She reached up on her toes and puckered up. He gave her a quick kiss. ‘You're not mad, are you?'

His dimples punctuated his cheeks, and he pulled her in for a hug. ‘Of course not, babe. I'm glad you had fun. I'm going to help Jimmy on the bridge. Now that we're moving again, we should be on the Red Sea before you ladies have cooked breakfast.' Archer wriggled his eyebrows.

Her stomach began to grumble as if it knew what Archer had said.

***

The journey to the Maldives was expected to take seven days. On day three, they stopped briefly at the port of Aden in Yemen for refuelling. While Jimmy and Archer made the necessary arrangements, Rosalina received an unexpected call on her phone. She frowned at Filippo's number on the screen. All contact so far had been with numbers she didn't recognise.

Rosalina's stomach twisted at the sound of Nox's voice.

‘Put Filippo on.'

‘Hello, Rosalina. Lovely to hear your voice.'

‘Put Filippo on.'

‘Not in the chatting mood today?'

She clenched her teeth, resisting the powerful urge to tell him exactly the mood he lowered her to. ‘Put Filippo on.'

There was a long, silent pause before Nox spoke again. ‘She wants you.'

‘Hello.' Filippo sounded weak.

‘Filippo, are you okay?'

‘Yes, I'm okay.'

‘How about your wound?'

Filippo moaned. ‘It's alright; he gave me antiseptic and bandages. It's nothing serious, I promise. I'm just …'

‘Just what?'

‘He has me tied up all the time on the cold floor. And I'm starving too; he never gives me enough food.'

A sob released from her throat. Rosalina replayed her escape in her mind. The blazing panic in Filippo's eyes was a vision she'd never forget. ‘I'm so sorry, Filippo. I shouldn't have gone without you.'

‘There's nothing you could've done. I'm glad you got out. I couldn't stand it if you were trapped here with me.'

‘Oh Filippo—'

‘How much longer do you think you'll be?'

‘We're at Yemen now, just to refuel. We should be at the Maldives in four days.'

‘Okay.' He sighed.

‘This is crazy, Filippo. I should come home and try to find you.'

‘No.' He sighed. ‘We need to end this. Once you find the treasure and give it to him he'll be out of your life forever.'

She could only dream of it being that easy. ‘But it could take weeks. Months.'

‘It's okay, Rosa. Really. It's the only way.' An eerie crackle on the other end of the phone filled the silence.

‘Are you making any further progress with Archer's father's notes?'

The eagerness in his voice caught her off guard and it was suddenly important to prove to him they were doing everything they could to save him. ‘Actually, yes. We had a huge breakthrough. We've worked out the system he used to assign each notebook to a country. It had us completely baffled until now.'

‘That's great Rosa. You'll find the treasure. I know you will. You're so smart.'

For the last couple of years, whenever she spoke to Filippo, anger always brimmed in his voice, but now he seemed gentle, almost as if he cared for her. The irony about this situation was that it allowed her to speak to her brother more than she had in years. But her stomach churned as she imagined him starving away on the cold concrete floor. ‘Are you sure you're okay?'

‘I'm fine. Really. Just uncomfortable. And the rations of food he does give me are disgusting. No! Aaarrgggh! Shit!'

She strangled the phone at the agony in his voice. ‘What happened? What did he do?'

‘He kicked me.'

‘Oh Jesus!' She could picture her brother tied up by the wrists, curled up on the floor while that stinking bastard kicked him. The thought of that madman being near anyone she loved drove the acid in her stomach right up her throat. But as she processed that image, she wondered how Filippo was holding the phone if his hands were tied.

‘Rosa?'

‘I'm here, Filippo.'

‘Just get that treasure as quickly as you can.'

‘I will. I promise. I love you.' The phone clicked, and she listened to the silence for a short while before she realised he'd gone. As she placed her phone on the kitchen bench, she wondered if it was Filippo who'd ended the call or Nox.

She cast the puzzling thought aside as Archer walked into the galley with a bundle of paperwork. ‘Hey babe, we're ready to get going again.'

‘Okay.'

He frowned at her. ‘What's wrong?'

‘I just spoke to Filippo.'

‘And?'

‘He's okay. He was actually really chatty, and as I was talking to him I realised that he seemed normal. Usually he's angry with me, and right now he has every reason to be. Yet we had a conversation as if everything was …' she shrugged, ‘normal.'

Archer cocked his head. ‘Nox must be treating him alright then.'

She tugged at her gold loop earring. ‘He's not giving him enough to eat and has him tied up on the floor. And while we were talking, Nox kicked him.'

‘Asshole!'

She nodded. ‘Filippo still wants us to go after the treasure. He said it's the only way to end it all.'

Archer reached for her hand, and his lips curved to a smile showing off his dimpled cheeks. ‘Let's go get it then.'

***

The afternoon before they were expected to arrive at the Maldives, they hit a huge storm. While Jimmy and Archer coaxed the yacht into doing what she did best,
Evangeline
bucked and kicked over the huge waves. Rosalina and Helen were sitting on the lounges to ride out the storm when Alessandro appeared from the hallway, bounced off one of the walls and launched himself onto the La-Z-Boy recliner chair.

‘This is
orribile
. How much longer?' His lovely olive skin had an interesting shade of green to it.

‘I have something that'll help.' Rosalina strode to the kitchen and raided the first-aid kit for seasickness tablets that had come in handy with many of the Japanese tourists Archer chartered around. ‘Take these, then go lie down.' She folded the tablets into his palm. ‘Trust me, it works.'

Alessandro growled as he stood up with unsteady legs. He bounced off a wall before he disappeared down the corridor.

‘I never had any problem on the waves,' Helen said. ‘I always thought it was fun.'

Rosalina sat back on the lounge beside Helen and turned her knees towards her. ‘You and Wade must've been through many storms like this.'

‘Oh, dozens. His boat wasn't as smooth as this one though.' She chuckled. ‘He called her the Dancing Princess, and he'd say, she's really kicking up her heels now.' Helen said it in a deep voice, impersonating Wade, or so Rosalina imagined.

‘It was a Conrad Cabin cruiser—a real gentleman's boat. He loved it. So did I, for that matter.' Helen's eyes were distant, and Rosalina thought she was probably picturing the Dancing Princess. ‘The deck was this beautiful rich teak wood, like molten honey. We'd sit out there with our morning coffee, and as the sun dried the overnight dampness the decking would change from a dark cherry colour to a lovely golden shade.'

‘Sounds wonderful. What happened to the boat?'

Helen blinked at her and then placed her palm on her chest. ‘I asked one of Wade's friends to look after it. David Clementine. I wonder if he still has it. Wouldn't it be fabulous if he did?'

Rosalina was surprised at that. With the way Helen has resisted any mention of the past, she would've thought something as memory-filled as Wade's boat would be the last thing she'd want to see. ‘That would be perfect. I'm sure Archer could locate David and ask him.' Rosalina tried to commit David Clementine's name to memory by saying it three times in her head.

‘Mmm,' Helen mumbled, as she played with the string of pearls around her neck.

The sun found a hole in the blackness outside and speared light onto the boiling sea. ‘What was your favourite country you visited?'

Helen turned to her. The older woman's eyes were as green as freshly podded peas. ‘Oh, there were so many.' She blinked a few times. ‘I love the colour and vibrancy of Morocco. I love the food in Italy. I love the raw beauty of Australia. Thailand has dazzling scenery. Shall I go on?'

Rosalina laughed. She'd be happy if Helen talked all night long. ‘Yes, please.'

‘Okay, let's see. I was born in England, and I've been back—'

‘Were you?'

‘Yes.' Helen's brow's furrowed. ‘Where did you think I was born?'

A flash of lightning lit up the sky, and twin forks hit the ocean in the distance. ‘To be honest, I don't know. I guess because Archer lived in Australia, I assumed that's where you grew up too.'

‘Oh, I did grow up there. But I was born in England. My parents immigrated out when I was eight. They were what you'd call ten-pound Poms. Eight weeks they took to travel from England to Sydney.' Helen puffed her cheeks out and shook her head. ‘I can't imagine how horrific it would've been to cross the ocean on those giant rust buckets.'

The boat lurched and the roar of
Evangeline
's thrusters kicked into gear. ‘Me neither. We certainly have luxury these days.'

‘
You
do.'

Rosalina laughed. ‘Yes, I do. Archer's yacht is incredible. So you lived in Australia until you met Wade?'

‘Yes. Once he lured me onto his boat, and I can tell you that was no easy victory. The thought of living in that steel hull for months on end turned my stomach. At first, anyway. I grew to love it. Taking your home with you as you explore the world is the best way to live.'

A wave bigger than anything Rosalina had ever seen broadsided the yacht. She guessed a five- to six-metre swell. It was like liquid metal driving into the side of
Evangeline
.

Helen reached for her hand. ‘Don't worry,' she said. ‘Archer knows what he's doing.'

It was a relief Helen didn't mix Archer up with her husband. ‘I'm not worried.' And it was true. She'd seen Archer navigate many storms where she'd felt like her stomach was being ripped out. Riding a storm was part and parcel with owning a boat.

A crack of lightning exploded outside the window. The noise was a wrecking ball smashing into solid wall. The lights dimmed and bounced back, but the digital clock on the oven remained off, which meant one of the transformers had been hit.

‘Let's go to the bridge and see if Archer and Jimmy need help.'

‘Okay.' Helen didn't hesitate and slid forward on her chair.

Rosalina helped her to stand, and together they bounced off the walls as they walked along the hall to the bridge. They stepped over the threshold just as a wall of water tumbled over the front bow, smothering it in swirling foam. The Arabian Sea was putting up a serious fight against the wind.

‘Are we having fun yet?' Rosalina said.

‘Hey ladies.' Archer's grin proved the adrenaline pumping through his veins had him wired.

Rosalina clutched the console. ‘Some of the power has gone out downstairs.'

‘Figured it might have,' Archer said. ‘That last crack of lightning hit us.'

‘Don't worry, ladies.' Jimmy didn't raise his eyes from the console as he spoke.

‘We're not worried. We thought you might like help.'

‘No need, we've got this. Right, Jimbo?'

‘Sure do.' Jimmy beamed.

‘Take a seat and enjoy the show.'

Rosalina helped Helen into a bolted down seat and then slipped into the seat beside her. She ran her eyes over the instrument panel. Archer had shown her how to use the equipment many years ago. He'd said if ever he was incapacitated for any reason, she'd have to know what to do. The thought had terrified her at the time, but the lessons had proved useful over the years.

Evangeline
rocked and rolled with the waves, not in jerky movements, but more like she was taking it all in her stride. It was five hours before they punched out the other side of the storm, and soon the ocean was a smooth sheet of glass reflecting the almost luminous white clouds like a mirror. The rainbow that arched the full length of the horizon was crisp and complete. Rosalina breathed in the fresh ocean air and smiled as Nonna's saying, to find a rainbow you must ride out the storm, once again flashed through her mind.

Chapter Thirty-One

Archer led his mother upstairs and found all the others already on the sundeck. Ginger and Alessandro were in the spa, nursing their sore stomach muscles from yesterday's seasickness, and Jimmy was in his new trademark position behind the bar. It didn't matter that it was only nine a.m.; he looked like he'd be ready to crack open a beer at any moment.