Authors: Katrina Britt
‘
Got your car keys?
’
Juan
’
s deep voice prodded her into speech.
‘
They
’
re in my purse.
’
Turning round from him, Nora swiftly went back into the lounge to pick up her purse and to snatch a stole from a closet.
‘
I
’
m dining with friends,
’
he said as they made their way along the corridor to the lift.
‘
They
’
re quite used to me bringing someone with me, so you
’
ll be very welcome.
’
Nora did not lift her head but kept her eyes on the carpet as they entered the lift.
So she was to be another of his girl friends. Who was she following, the beautiful dark-haired Tricia
whom he had been towing across the water?
‘
Where are we making for?
’
she asked as the lift doors opened on the ground floor.
‘
In the country.
’
Her head jerked up then.
‘
I see what you mean it being dark later on. There won
’
t be any lights at all for miles, will there, when we come back?
’
‘
That
’
s right. You
’
ll meet very few cars, so you
’
ll be broken in gently to night driving.
’
He let this sink in, then,
‘
I
’
ll drive going and you can look for landmarks as we go, because I
’
m leaving you to bring us back.
’
Slipping into the driving seat beside her, he waited for her to fasten her seat belt, then fastened his own, and in a moment the car was moving.
‘
You
’
re very quiet,
’
he commented.
They had left the coast behind and were making for the open country.
‘
Perhaps I
’
m looking for those landmarks.
’
He said casually,
‘
The main roads are easy to follow. It
’
s the turnings of the country lanes that you have to remember.
’
He laughed on recognising the look she shot at him.
‘
You
’
re worried, aren
’
t you? I
’
m trying to figure out whether you are worried about driving in the dark or about me.
’
Her answer came swiftly,
‘
I am in the dark about you, so it isn
’
t the darkness of the country roads on our return journey which worries me.
’
Her eyes were sparks of anger.
‘
I just have to trust you.
’
‘
You can,
’
laconically.
‘
Good. Then perhaps we can get on to a less boring subject.
’
Raising a dark sardonic brow, he shot her a whimsical glance.
‘
I can always hot the conversation up, make it more exciting, if that
’
s what you want?
’
Nora said hastily,
‘
I
’
ll manage, thanks.
’
And that, she told herself, was what she had to do. The island was having an unsettling effect upon her, including Juan. But it was not Juan entirely. There was the condition in her benefactor
’
s will, the fact that a great deal of money was involved and that he wanted her to have a share of it. Nora knew that normally she would have accepted what was hers and come to some arrangement with Jony about the money and income involved. But she did not want to let
Mr.
Kelly down by not carrying out his wishes. There were lots of things she could do with the money if she did not want it for herself.
Their destination was a farmhouse set in the country and backed by hills. Built of Manx stone, it was sturdy and had remained untouched through the years.
‘
What an enchanting place,
’
Nora murmured as he swung the car up the tree-lined narrow lane leading to it.
‘
Belongs to a friend of mine. He has guests staying with him at the moment,
’
Juan explained.
‘
You
’
ve already seen one of them at a distance.
’
‘
Tricia?
’
she said, and felt an unease which was unexplainable.
‘
The very same.
’
He swung the car to a halt behind several others on the drive, and helped her out.
A tall blond man stood waiting to greet them at the door. The slight thickening of his waist suggested that he was around forty.
‘
Good evening, Juan. Glad you could make it.
’
His wide grin included them both, but his blue eyes rested curiously on Nora.
Juan said easily,
‘
Nora, Finn Cullan. Finn, Nora Bain, on holiday here.
’
Nora liked the firm grip of the hand that closed on hers. His look of appraisal was within the bounds
of courtesy and the superb cut of his grey business suit was matched by his manner.
A door to their left in the hall was open and voices came from the room on light waves of laughter. Among a dozen or so guests a young woman was holding court. The red bathing suit which had adorned her shapely figure was gone and in its place was a rather low-cut gown in green that emphasised the green of her eyes. Her dark hair with auburn overtones was parted in the middle with soft waves of hair detracting considerably from the hardness of her features.
Tricia, thought Nora, as the girl came forward to give her a rapier-like glance before smiling angelically at Juan. She held Juan
’
s arm as he introduced them for all the world as if she had a prior claim on him.
Nora watched him, saw his easy smile as he took in the plunging neckline and provocative smile.
‘
So glad you
’
re here, darling,
’
Tricia was smiling up into his eyes.
‘
Aim
é
e wants to see you before she goes to sleep. I
’
ll take care of Nora.
’
As Juan hesitated, Nora felt herself tightening up inside without knowing why she should. But she did wonder who
Aimée
might be.
‘
Aimée is my daughter,
’
Tricia explained.
‘
The poor darling is just recovering from an attack of polio. She
’
s very fond of Juan
—
he
’
s been so kind to her.
’
She sighed theatrically.
‘
He knows what a burden she is to me and takes her out to give me a break.
’
Nora said,
‘
I
’
m sorry. I saw you in the bay the other evening, didn
’
t I?
’
Another exaggerated sigh.
‘
I
’
m afraid I
’
m very protective where Aimée is concerned. She
’
s only ten years old—I married very young. You have no
idea what it means meeting someone as understanding as Juan.
’
I can guess, Nora thought wryly. Her throat was behaving oddly and it was necessary to keep on swallowing to ease the dryness. The woman was shallow, she sensed it. All her mannerisms were too theatrical to be genuine and Nora could not for the life of her see Tricia in the role of ministering angel to her daughter. Poor little mite! It was to Juan
’
s credit that he was showing compassion for the child, but she wondered how far he would be taken in by the mother.
Tricia evidently believed in putting all her goods on display, like going surf-riding with Juan. What better way to show off her feminine charms than in a brief swimsuit? Furthermore, she was nearer Juan
’
s age, although she did not look it.
‘
Where did you and Juan meet?
’
she asked. Shaken out of her reverie by the question, Nora sensed the antagonism in Tricia
’
s voice.
Airily she said,
‘
On the pier at Ramsey.
’
The green eyes glanced calculatingly at Nora
’
s ringless hands.
‘
You
’
re not engaged or married?
’
she asked curiously.
‘
Should I be?
’
Tricia had the grace to blush.
‘
I was only wondering why Juan brought you with him. He probably thought there would be some young men here for you to meet.
’
‘
You know, you could be right,
’
Nora remarked with a smile on her lips.
‘
I like Juan. He has a congenital charm, he
’
s very intelligent and very commanding. His charm works whether he
’
s lazy and watchful or vital and domineering.
’
Tricia looked a bit taken aback and Nora found she was enjoying herself.
‘
Oh ... er ... yes. Do come and meet everybody
,’
she invited weakly.
Most of the guests were young, but everyone seemed to be paired off. Nora accepted a drink and talked for some time with a young couple who ran an arts and craft shop on the island.
Then Juan was there, and her heart missed a beat as he scanned the room in search of her. He was with his host, against whose lightness of colouring he seemed even darker and taller—saturnine in a subdued way.
Nora felt emotions working up inside her as she met his white smile across the room. Come, come, this won
’
t do, she told herself. You
’
ll meet scores of attractive men before you go back home.
The evening passed pleasantly with more guests drifting in later. Everyone drifted into the big beautifully fitted kitchen to help themselves from mounds of all kinds of food from caviare to cheese biscuits.
Nora filled her plate sparingly and sat on a window seat with Juan in the lounge to enjoy it. Juan grinned down at her as she ate daintily. Her clear skin had a pale gold look overlaid by a pink bloom. Her eyes, clear and bright, were veiled by a thick fringe of lashes. Her silky hair had a pure golden sheen and her lips curved into an impish smile.
His mocking smile teased.
‘
Enjoying yourself?
’
he asked.
‘
Glad you came?
’
She nodded and popped a tiny vol-au-vent of prawns into her mouth.
‘
Who
’
s Finn Cullan? He evidently has plenty of money
,’
she asked curiously.
‘
A millionaire spor
t
sman. He has a yacht in the bay at Port St Mary. Lost his wife two years ago.
’
‘
And Tricia?
’
‘
Finn met her at a yacht club in the south of
England, found out about her daughter and invited them here for a spell.
’
He laughed at the expression on her face.
‘
There
’
s no chance of Finn marrying again, least of all Tricia. That was what you were thinking, wasn
’
t it?
’
Sharply, she said,
‘
No, I wasn
’
t. I didn
’
t know whether Tricia already has a husband.
’
‘
She hasn
’
t. If she ever had one.
’
Nora
’
s eyes widened in surprise.
‘
You mean she might never have been married?
’
‘
That
’
s right.
’
‘
Then I suppose she
’
s to be admired for keeping the child instead of sending it to a home.
’
He nodded in agreement.
‘
Aimée is quite a handful, poor sweet.
’
Nora said slowly,
‘
I could help Aimée and others like her if I had my share of the legacy with Jony.
’
‘
True, but I would decide against it. I would also let Jony know you would never entertain the idea of marrying a Manxman in order to inherit.
’
‘
You
’
d like me to tell Jony I wouldn
’
t even consider marrying him if he asked me or something to that effect? I don
’
t think he would ask me.
’
‘
I wouldn
’
t be too sure. I told you what land is fetching, and Jony is only human where money is concerned.
’
‘
Even so, I might not want to lose his friendship,
’
she said perversely.
‘
Have you forgotten he has a girl-friend?
’
Juan
’
s look of appraisal had a sharpness in its tail.
‘
Don
’
t tell me his Marlon Brando scowl has you hooked.
’
Narrow-eyed with lips that had gone tight, he went on,
‘
He
’
s not only the biggest bore for miles, he
’
s mean with it.
’
‘
And I suppose he drinks heavily,
’
she added sarcastically.
‘
When someone else pays for it. You ought to meet his girl-friend—she
’
s far too good for him.
’
Nora said gently,
‘
She must love him a lot.
’
‘
He said harshly,
‘
Pity he didn
’
t marry her years ago. That would have cured her.
’
‘
No, it wouldn
’
t. Not if she truly loves him.
’
He chuckled.
‘
You have a lot to learn! Fate is just straining on her leash to have a go at you. I
’
m going to get you a cup of coffee. No more wine
—
you
’
re driving us back.
’
While he went for coffee, Nora looked at the other guests draped around the room. Finn Cullan was moving in between them smiling and talking with charm. Nora wondered what his wife had been like and realised that he filled his need of her company by the parties he gave. She saw Tricia approach him, but his reaction to her provocative look was to pat her bare shoulder in a fatherly way and move on.
Nora went cold at the thought of the girl turning her charms upon Juan. Would he eventually succumb? It was on the cards that had she not come with him this evening he would certainly have come to see Tricia.
He was back with the coffee.
‘
Here you are. Yours is white and sweet—just like you. Mine is black, so beware.
’
They left at eleven o
’
clock. Juan said,
‘
Can
’
t have you going to sleep behind the wheel, can we?
’
He saw her behind the wheel of the car, then slid in beside her. Nora started the car and slowly moved it down the driveway of trees. It was almost dark as she joined the main road. There was no moon and the roads were unlit as they sped between sentinels of trees.
To her chagrin Juan leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes with the intention of leaving her to it. Nora
’
s fingers tightened on the wheel. She would show him
!
She had pinpointed the turnings they had taken in coming, and although the roads looked very different in the dark her confidence was good.
There were few cars on the road and they dipped their headlights politely so there was no threat of glare. If it had not been essential for Nora to keep her attention fixed on the roads ahead, she would have enjoyed it. To find herself alone with a very attractive and charming man was in itself a pleasure.
‘
You
’
re staring too hard. Blink a few times and relax. Silly to tire your eyes—that way you can easily drop asleep without knowing it.
’
The deep voice penetrated the silence and Nora flung him a look which cut him down to size.
‘
Thanks for the tip,
’
she retorted through clenched teeth.
‘
The motoring association must be crying out for instructors like you. Just leave me alone! Only when you do fall asleep take care you don
’
t topple from that high pedestal you
’
re sitting on.
’
‘T
hrown off is more appropriate, wouldn
’
t you say?
’
he murmured.
‘
You will observe that I have my seat belt fastened.
’
‘
I
’
d like to put it around your neck and pull it hard,
’
she blurted.
‘
You are the most exasperating man
!’
‘
Calm down, and remember you
’
re driving by signposts. It
’
s so easy to take the wrong road in the dark.
’
They flashed by a side road which Nora hardly noticed in her anger. Juan was mocking her in the way that most men mocked women drivers.
‘
Thanks again,
’
she said sarcastically.
‘
I
’
ll restrain myself from running into the nearest tree.
’
There was no more conversation and the muted hum of the engine was the only sound. The car was eating up miles and miles of country road with only an occasional cottage or farmhouse lighted up by the headlights on the way. Then gradually it occurred to Nora that the signposts she slowed down to look at had unfamiliar names.
She bit hard on her lip. Juan had not opened his eyes and she was determined not to rouse him to ask his help. It did not help to see truant patches of mist waving in the car
’
s headlights like thick nylon scarves directly in front of her.