Authors: Katrina Britt
Nora was in no fit state to reason. The scarf had been one of the last presents she had received from her parents before they had been killed. To lose it was unthinkable. She was aggravatingly near to reaching it, but not quite near enough. If only her arms had been a bit longer! she thought desperately, stretching herself out to the full limit.
One last desperate lunge and it happened. Losing her balance, Nora fell into the water. Just before she plunged she thought she heard someone call, but could not recall seeing anyone apart from a boat anchored to a buoy some distance from the pier.
It was the work of seconds to snatch the scarf from its resting place before she made for the pier steps again. By the steps was a small dinghy with a lone occupant when she clambered on to them dripping wet.
‘
Lady,
’
drawled a deep voice,
‘
was it necessary to do the rescue act for a mere scarf?
’
Nora straightened, dashed the soggy wet hair from her streaming face and favoured the man with a withering look. With the sea water trickling dismally down her back and front, and blinking the water from her eyes, she looked at the speaker. He had evidently come from the yacht anchored by the buoy.
There was something familiar about the dark crispy curling hair beneath the yachting cap, the lean tanned features, and the powerful breadth of shoulder in the polo-necked sweater. It was the man
in the red motorboat of the previous evening who had been towing the girl.
‘
Sentimental reasons. It was a present from someone I loved very much,
’
she said coldly.
‘
Oh, come now! He wasn
’
t worth all that effort, surely?
’
The deep mocking voice held impatient undertones as he surveyed her dripping figure. He stood up in the rocking dinghy and it would have given her the greatest pleasure to see him lose his balance and plunge overboard.
‘
Yes, he was. My mother too, and I can
’
t see what it has to do with you
!’
She watched his changing expression as he reached out a powerful arm.
‘
Come with me,
’
he commanded in the tones of one who was used to being obeyed.
‘
You must get out of those wet things as quickly as possible.
’
By now Nora, whose teeth were already chattering, could not have agreed more. Without question she took his outstretched hand and let him almost lift her into the dinghy. The next moment they were skimming over the water to the chug of the outboard motor and making straight for the anchored sloop. The man had stripped off his polo-necked sweater and pulled it over her head.
Nora could feel the heat from the sweater easing the clammy impact of her soggy clothes against her body. Part of her quivering was due to the situation which she now found herself in. Here she was speeding towards a boat with a complete stranger who could be for all she knew some kind of nut or sex maniac.
But the man had no idea of her dark thoughts as he lifted her aboard his boat.
‘
Welcome to the
Dancing Belle,
’
he said with a grin as he let his hands linger on her trim waist.
Nora managed a quivering smile and followed him down a short ladder from the cockpit of the boat into the saloon. The sense of roominess had surprised her as they had descended through a large fibreglass hatch in the coach-roof which pushed forward, leaving the after-part of the saloon open to the sky above.
Two large non-opening windows gave plenty of light in headroom that was well over six feet. Her companion could just about stand upright.
‘
Not bad, is it?
’
he remarked, dwarfing the considerable roominess with his height and breadth of shoulder.
‘
Two quarter berths, one well over six feet and the other just under, tuck back beneath the cockpit side seats and this seat here is adjacent to the galley area. Been on a boat before?
’
She shook her head and felt the water trickle down her back. Quelling a shudder, she said,
‘
Not a yacht. It
’
s very nice. I suppose it moves pretty fast?
’
She did not want to look at him, but he was the kind of man who demanded attention. Nora had never felt her sex more keenly than at that moment, and she wanted desperately to go back to the flat.
She did not want to look at him. Even so she was uneasily aware of rippling muscles beneath a skin of bronze satin. He had not been wearing anything beneath the polo-necked sweater which he had discarded for her and his powerful chest was dark and hirsute.
Then with a start she was aware of his dark eyes on her face.
‘
Better get out of those wet things as soon as possible,
’
he said.
‘
Shan
’
t be a tick.
’
He turned to go towards the galley, but she stopped him.
‘
I
’
d rather go home to change, if you don
’
t mind,
’
she said primly.
He gave her a friendly grin.
‘
Be ruled by me, little one,
’
he told her.
‘
Get out of those things now—less risk of a chill.
’
He disappeared into the galley, and Nora wondered how many girls he had entertained on the boat before her. He certainly was calm and cool about it. She could imagine girls making passes at him by the score. He was that type. Well, he would take no liberties with her!
She was still standing where he had left her and she was only conscious of the tall bronzed figure coming back. Above the frightened beating of her heart she saw his dark eyes narrow and a frown crease his forehead.
‘
Not started disrobing yet?
’
he teased.
‘
Come on, this won
’
t do, you know.
’
‘
You
... you mean
... I
’
m to undress right here?
’
she gasped.
He laughed, a deep chuckle that struck her quivering heart.
‘
Of course,
’
he replied in such a normal way as to make her feel ridiculous.
‘
Don
’
t worry,
I
shall be too busy in the galley making a hot drink to see you. I
’
ll pull the curtain across.
’
He tossed two clean fluffy towels, another polo
-
necked sweater and pants at her.
‘
They
’
re all freshly laundered,
’
he assured her.
‘
The clothes will be miles too big for you, but that isn
’
t important. What is important is giving yourself a brisk rub down first.
’
When he had gone Nora hastily peeled off her wet clothes and rubbed herself quickly with the towel, all the while keeping her frightened eyes on the curtain covering the galley.
She could hear him whistling and relaxed visibly when the sound of it came no nearer. Thoughtfully, she had put one towel to stand on to catch the dripping water, and also to place her wet clothes on when discarded.
The whistling had stopped when glowing from a brisk rub down, Nora gathered up the wet things in the towel to go tentatively towards the galley. She could hear the kettle almost on the boil, then suddenly the man was there.
He had changed into a cream woollen shirt and dark slacks. His firm mouth quirked with amusement at her appearance, at the loose sweater almost drowning her an
d
the slacks which she had to hold up with one hand.
‘
I never thought my clothes could look so glamorous,
’
he commented.
‘
I
’
ll take those wet things and roll them in a towel before putting them out to dry. If you go down that tiny corridor you
’
ll find the washroom fixed up with a mirror if you want to comb your hair.
’
Nora passed a deep hanging wardrobe under a shelf and right opposite to this behind a folding door was the washroom. There was a marine toilet and a plastic washbasin fitted with a mirror. Nora rooted in her shoulder bag for her make-up and combed her hair.
When she emerged still holding up the trousers, he was waiting with a piece of cord which he placed around her waist as her hair brushed his chin. He tied it in front with swift impersonal movements so that the few moments of his close proximity could not possibly have given offence.
‘
That
’
s better.
’
He smiled down at her.
‘
Not much around the waist, are you? I can span it easily with my hands. Come on, I
’
ve made a drink.
’
Nora was not sure whether her giddy reaction was due to his nearness or to the feeling of fright which was not, as yet, diminishing. The dinette was opposite the galley and she entered on wobbly legs.
The table stood on one single tubular leg with stowage space beneath its top for spare charts and a drawer beneath the base. The seats were upholstered in comfortable foam in orange to match the curtains.
Nora sat down, feeling more relaxed. Her companion was behaving like a gentleman up to now. She liked his deep cultured voice, the direct gaze of his dark eyes meeting her own rather wary ones full on, and his courtesy.
‘
I think it
’
s time we introduced ourselves.
’
He was there with a tray containing freshly made coffee and thick slices of fruit cake.
‘
Juan Cregeen at your service.
’
‘
Nora—Nora Bain.
’
‘
Coffee black or white, Miss Bain? It is Miss, isn
’
t it?
’
The dark intelligent eyes took in her ringless left hand.
‘
That
’
s right. White coffee, please—and call me Nora.
’
She smiled up at him feeling very peculiar.
‘
May I call you Juan?
’
He grinned.
‘
But certainly. Help yourself to sugar.
’
He pushed a cut glass bowl containing brown sugar across the table to her and gave her a plate on which to put her fruit cake.
‘
Are you here on your own?
’
he asked politely.
‘
Yes.
’
‘
On holiday?
’
‘
Sort of.
’
He sat down opposite her at the table and spooned sugar into his coffee.
‘
Not very forthcoming, are you? You
’
re young to be on holiday alone,
’
he commented drily.
‘
I
’
m twenty-four,
’
she volunteered.
‘
I
’
m twenty-nine. Help yourself to cake. Arrive yesterday?
’
‘
Yes, I saw you last night towing a
girl in a red swim suit around the bay.
’
He laughed, said lazily,
‘
Ah yes—Tricia. Not bad, is she?
’
‘
You mean in looks or prowess?
’
Nora helped herself to a piece of the fruitcake. Her dive in the sea had sharpened her appetite and the cake looked good.
‘
Her performance on the water-skis, of course. I
’
ve been teaching her.
’
Nora wondered what else he had been teaching the absent Tricia and found herself resenting the girl.
Juan ignored the cake and drank his coffee.
‘
Rumour has it that you
’
re here concerning a will. You
’
ll discover in a very short time that it
’
s impossible to keep anything dark in a place like Ramsey.
’
Nora nearly choked on a morsel of cake.
‘
Did you know
Mr.
Kelly?
’
‘
No, but I know Jony Cesar—a wily character if ever there was one.
’
She felt the hot colour rush beneath her clear skin and said indignantly,
‘
I suppose you know all about the will too.
’
‘
That you have to marry a Manxman to inherit part of the money?
’
Nora pushed the rest of her cake away, having lost her appetite.
She said tightly,
‘
I have a sneaky feeling that you knew all about me before you met me.
’
He grinned, and reached in his breast pocket for
cigarettes.
‘
Do you smoke?
’
he asked.
‘
Not very often.
’
‘
Have one now. It will help you to relax.
’
He offered her the open packet and took a lighter from the pocket of his trousers.
‘
Any friends here, or relations?
’
he asked, sitting back in his seat after lighting their cigarettes and exhaling smoke.
‘
I don
’
t think so. Mother was Manx, but she went to the U.K. when she married.
’
‘
Then you could do with a friend,
’
he said coolly.
‘
Will I do? To begin with, I could take you out for dinner this evening.
’
Nora felt her face go hot. A few moments ago she had
begun
to look upon this stranger as someone who was to be trusted. Now she was not too sure. He was behaving in the subtle way of all wolves who were suave and charming in stalking their prey.
She knew less than nothing about him and he had no kind word to say about Jony. Though what he said about Jony could be true, if her own opinion of the man was anything to go by. She bit her lip nervously. To be fair, she had not really felt alarmed at being on the boat with him, only wary. She was still going to be wary.
‘
Sorry, I can
’
t see you this evening
... I
’
ve made other plans. Some other time, perhaps.
’
He lifted powerful shoulders.
‘
As you wish.
’
He leaned forward to tap the ash from his cigarette on to an ash tray on the table as Nora noted with dismay that her ash had fallen from her nervous holding of her cigarette on to the table.
Perhaps he had noticed it, hence his own action in tapping the ash from his own cigarette on to the ashtray. His next remark verified this.
‘
If you need help any time I want you to promise to contact me,
’
he said evenly.
He looked across the table at her slender, vulnerable sweetness, at the dark brown eyes so attr
a
ctive against the fair hair, and the sensitive pretty mouth.
A little vexedly he added,
‘
You shouldn
’
t have come here on your own in the present circumstances. Had you no man friend who might have come with you?
’
He leaned back in his chair, keeping his eyes upon her face.
‘
Don
’
t get me wrong. This island is one of the safest places to be in at the moment. I meant...
’
he made an expressive gesture with a lean brown hand,
‘
you
’
re a very attractive girl. Need I say more?
’
Nora leaned forward to put out her cigarette in the ashtray.
‘
Nice of you to be so concerned. By the way, I don
’
t usually allow men to pick me up as you did earlier on,
’
she said quickly.
‘
But the circumstances were exceptional. I wanted to get out of my wet things as quickly as possible.
’
She eyed him for a second beneath her lashes.
‘
I
... I never expected to
... be brought on this boat.
’