Authors: Rosalind Brett
“
Why,
you old so-and-so!
”
she exclaimed.
“
How dare you arrive when my back is turned! What
’
s been happening to you? How did you make it? Did Roger catch up with you?
”
She paused and gave a sigh of satisfaction.
“
You don
’
t know how great it is to have you here. I was saying to Vida only this morning
...
”
The sleek and graceful Vida Winchester had paused beside them, smiling, and Annette at once made the introduction.
“
Vida
’
s been charming and kept me sane. She insisted you couldn
’
t possibly come to harm, but I kicked myself for not arranging that you come right up the East Coast by air. It seems that Penghu has never been very important
—
apart from rubber—and that
’
s why we haven
’
t the normal means of transport. The company is going to change all that.
”
She saw Vic then, and added,
“
Hallo, darling. Have you been taking care of Terry?
”
“
Let
’
s go indoors and have a drink,
”
said Mrs. Winchester.
“
I expect lunch is almost ready. Terry looks whacked. Let her relax a little before you ask too many questions.
”
Terry recalled that Mrs. Lunn had described Mrs. Winchester as a striking-looking woman. She was, of course—regular-featured, an attractive smile—but Mrs. Lunn could never have seen her with Annette alongside. Annette always stole the limelight, and somehow it hadn
’
t spoiled her. Or perhaps Vic might say it had.
Terry drank her gin and ginger, was glad that Vic had remembered to make the drink mild and icy-cold. Annette went off to wash her hands, and by the time she returned Mr. Winchester had arrived for lunch. He was a good
-
looking man of about forty-eight, spare of frame, square
-
jawed with just the right degree of grey in the
black at his temples. He was Vic
’
s boss, Terry recalled; part of his equipment for a responsible job seemed to be friendliness and tact
.
They took places at the dining table, ate jellied soup and helped themselves from dishes of cold chicken, tinned tongue and salads. Annette, seated next to Vic, reached past him and squeezed her sister
’
s hand on to the table.
“
It
’
s marvellous to have you here at last. I
’
m just bursting to know how you got through. That beastly train business at Vinan! What was it like there
?
Vic said,
“
Give her time, Annette. She must be worn out.
”
“
Yes, you do look it, rather, Terry,
”
Annette said anxiously.
“
Why didn
’
t we arrange for you to come by air?
”
There had been the best of reasons, but Terry did not mention them just now.
“
It was a lovely journey,
”
she said.
“
I wouldn
’
t have missed any of it.
”
It was true, she told herself firmly; she wouldn
’
t have missed even the painful moments.
“
Mrs. Pryce and I had lots of fun on the ship, right until she had the accident. The ship
’
s doctor advised her to stop in Penang for X-rays, and so on, and I couldn
’
t very well stay with her in case I missed connections. So I travelled on. A rather sweet Army type put me on the train for Shalak, and we did that trip in about twelve hours. There weren
’
t more than half a dozen white people on the train, and the others disappeared at Shalak, in jeeps and things.
”
“
But you got the steamer to Vinan, didn
’
t you?
”
asked Vic.
“
Or did the news about the derailment filter through in time to stop you?
”
“
No, it didn
’
t. The steamer was loaded with freight, and the only passengers were a few Chinese and Malays, a Dutch doctor and his wife and one other white man.
”
She paused and broke a surprisingly white bread roll.
“
The goods were discharged at points along the river, and by the end of the second day only the white passengers were left on board. When we reached Vinan, the Dutch couple went off to a jungle hospital, and I was stranded.
”
“
Five days ago?
”
She nodded.
“
I spent a night in a rest-house at Vinan, and next morning came on here by canoe.
”
“
Canoe!
”
Mr. Winchester made the exclamation.
“
But you can
’
t get through. There
’
s what
’
s known as the Witch
’
s Tunnel and the waterfall.
”
“
Well,
”
Terry said, moving things about on her plate with a fork and taking an interest in them,
“
we did get through. I
’
m here to prove it.
”
“
Wasn
’
t there anyone to prevent your leaving for Penghu?
”
demanded Vic.
“
I can
’
t imagine a headman allowing his boys to take a lone white girl.
”
For a moment Terry was tempted to let them
think
that that was what had happened. It was so terribly difficult to talk about Pete, let alone face having him discussed. But she had to be frank right at the start; at all costs she must avoid complications.
“
I didn
’
t come with Malay boys. I told you there was another white man on the steamer. He had to get through to Penghu himself rather quickly, and I asked him to bring me. At first he refused, but next morning he made the arrangement and we left together.
”
“
So you
’
re here without luggage!
”
cried Annette.
“
My poor sweet!
”
“
No, I brought my luggage—all of it.
”
Mr. Winchester leaned across the table and said in astonishment,
“
Two grown people and luggage? You came through the narrows and the tunnel and past the falls? It doesn
’
t seem possible.
”
By now Terry was trembling again. She lifted her head.
“
He happened to be that sort of man. He didn
’
t make much of it and he had been going to come through on his own, anyway.
”
The inevitable question:
“
Who was he?
”
“
A rubber planter who
’
d been on two months
’
leave and had to get back.
”
There was a silence. Then Annette bent forward again to speak across Vic.
“
You must have been more or less alone with the man for about four days.
”
“
More or less.
”
“
Wasn
’
t it
...
embarrassing?
”
There was an ache along the base of Terry
’
s jaw,
a
thickness in her throat. She said flatly,
“
We stopped for the night at villages, and one night we spent with a white couple who were travelling to Shalak by easy stages. Almost throughout the daylight hours we were moving.
”
You poor darling. I wouldn
’
t have put you through that for anything.
”
“
Who was the man?
”
Vic asked.
“
Does he belong to this district?
”
Terry nodded.
“
He
’
s manager of the Peninsular Rubber Estate. His name is Sternham.
”
“
Sternham? I know of him, but I
’
ve never met him.
”
Mr. Winchester shrugged.
“
We
’
re new to this district. I know the man
’
s name, too. We
’
ll have to get in touch with him
...
”
“
No, please!
”
Terry hesitated and gave a jerky smile.
“‘
Sorry if I sounded panicky, but he wouldn
’
t want that.
”
“
Did he bring you here today—right to the house?
”
“
Yes. We left the canoe at Tembin and borrowed a Land-rover. He dropped me here and drove on to his own house.
”
Another silence. This time it was Vida Winchester who ended it. She said gently,
“
You can
’
t blame us for wanting to thank him, Terry. We
’
ve been very worried about you, and my husband and Vic would certainly have come along the river to meet you, if they
’
d thought for a moment you might come that way. No one even suggested the possibility.
”
“
I thought about it,
”
said her husband,
“
but I remembered that when I first came here with the surveyors we got as far as the falls and had to stop there. The Malay guide told us there were several miles of river which no one could use—it was almost like an underground stream, he said.
”
“
It
’
s just a fast-running rivulet at the bottom of a ravine that
’
s grown over,
”
stated Terry, matter-of-factly.
“
Sternham must be an amazing man!
”
Oh, very, thought Terry tiredly. She managed another smile.
“
He doesn
’
t think so. He simply makes up his mind to do something and does it.
”
“
His tenacity got you here, however dull and plodding he may have been. We
’
ll have to thank him.
”
“
And to think you did it all for me!
”
Annette almost wailed.
“
If only there were some way of giving you a wonderful time, as a tiny reward!
”
“
It
’
s reward enough to be here with you and Vic, and it
’
s very kind of Mr. and Mrs. Winchester to have me.
”
“
It
’
s a pleasure,
”
said Vida.
“
We
’
ve five bedrooms, and at the moment I
’
m pleased to say they
’
re all occupied—at least, they will be when Roger gets back.
”
“
You mean Roger lives here with you?
”
“
Oh, yes, he
’
s been here a month. That old house adjoining Payn
’
s has finally crumbled, and has been taken over by the caretaker.
”
She smiled.
“
I was sure you
’
d like to have Roger here, so I invited him to stay with us till the firm decides about alternative accommodations for him.
”
Annette said suddenly,
“
Change places with me, Vic. I want to sit right next to Terry and talk to her.
”
Vic, the strong-minded, answered,
“
You
’
ll stay right where you are, and let her get on with her lunch. And stop badgering the girl. Can
’
t you see she
’
s had it?
”