The Far Reaches (28 page)

“Not at all. For instance, you attended our marriage ceremony.”

Josh held his face in his hands, vaguely remembering a crazy ceremony he'd taken as a joke. Chief Kalapa was there, and Mr. Bucknell, and Ready and the marines. He'd seen this woman before, too. He recalled ogling her breasts and acting the fool. But, no, that was all a dream fueled by the gin, wasn't it? He spoke through his fingers. “I must have gone off my gourd. That damned fever, then all that gin. Not a good combination. Though I fear the answer, how is it that we came to be married?”

Her reply was to the point. “It was determined that you required assistance since you insisted on drinking all of Mr. Bucknell's gin, and also because of all your injuries from the war. Since I of all the women speak English the best, and since I am a widow with two children, it was also determined that it would be to our mutual benefit to be married. You readily agreed to the arrangement.”

“I did?”

“Yes.”

“Who did all this determining?”

“Chief Kalapa, his first wife, Mori, and Mr. Bucknell approached me.”

Josh rubbed his temples again, the only thing that seemed to help alleviate the pain, and did some rapid thinking. “I presume you have a name.”

“Ranumu, although my English name is Rose.”

“Well, Rose, what if I am already married?”

“You are not. I asked one of your men, and he said you were a single man.”

“Which of my men did you ask?”

“Bosun O'Neal.”

“I'll have to remember to thank Bosun O'Neal for his honest answer,” Josh replied. Then, still thinking as quickly as he was presently able, which was
similar to dragging his thoughts through molasses, he countered, “I am not a citizen of these islands and therefore not bound by your traditions or laws.”

“That is true,” she calmly replied. “You may ignore the requirements of our society, but if you do, I shall have no recourse but to commit suicide, considering the dishonor.”

“Suicide? But what of your children?”

“They will be parceled out to more deserving women.”

Josh knew he'd met his match, at least as far as he could play it while still nursing what was apparently the gin hangover of all time. “We'll talk more later,” he suggested.

“So we shall, husband. May I provide you with breakfast?”

“Is there a possibility, any possibility at all, in which you might provide me with a gallon of coffee?”

She smiled, and he noted she had a very pretty and radiant smile with very white teeth. “A nice species of coffee grows on this island,” she said, “though, as British subjects, we prefer tea, which also grows here.”

“Are you saying there is no coffee?”

“I am saying I do not have any.”

“Ask Bosun O'Neal. I trust he will have picked some beans by now. Please also ask him to visit me at his first opportunity.”

“Of course. As your wife, I will be happy to accomplish this and other chores. You will find there is no more obedient woman anywhere in the Pacific than a woman of the Far Reaches.”

“Well, hooray for that,” Josh murmured, although he supposed she hadn't heard him since she was off like a shot.

Ready found Josh sitting cross-legged on the sleeping mat inside Rose's house. In one of Ready's hands was a steaming mug of black coffee and in the other a coffeepot. Without preamble, Josh snatched the mug and poured the scalding coffee down his throat. Ignoring the pain, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and held out the mug. “More, much more,” he croaked.

Ready refilled Josh's mug, then set down the pot and sat beside it. “How are you feeling, sir?” he asked solicitously.

Josh didn't answer because he sensed Ready had asked the question with a certain amount of obtuse satisfaction. “Tell me the latest,” he growled.

“Yes, sir. I have agreed to take over the defense of the island.”

“What do you mean?”

“Mr. Bucknell asked me if I would command here, and I said I would.”

“You command? ” Josh cocked his head, squinted a bit, and then said, “Let 's hear it all. What else? ”

“The marines and I have decided to stay on Tahila. I guess you will, too, now that you have a wife.”

Josh absorbed the information and desired to yell at the bosun but refrained, fearing it might blow the top off his skull. “You know, of course, this is mutiny,” he said quietly, though menacingly, “and she is not my wife.”

“Chief Kalapa says she is.”

Josh's voice was low and dangerous. “Chief Kalapa ain 't no preacher or priest, last time I looked.”

“No, sir, but he 's a chief, which, I guess, is sort of like the captain of a boat. He married you. I know. I was there. Besides, you said you wanted to be married.”

“I was under the influence. Why didn't you stop me?”

“I tried, sir, but you said you knew what you were doing. At least, I think that's what you said. You were as drunk a man as I've ever seen.”

“I never could drink gin. It is a failing.”

“Yes, sir. I could see that.”

Josh tossed back the coffee, draining every drop, then put the mug to his forehead, its smoothness somehow comforting. He gave Ready a careful eye and said, “You better get back on my side, boy.”

“I am on your side, sir, but somebody had to step up to the plate when you couldn't. Or wouldn't.”

Josh gave the bosun his best glare, though he could sense it wasn't having much effect. “Already planning your defense at the court-martial, is that it?”

“No, sir. Not at all.”

Josh's mind wandered. He was still very tired. “Where did you get the coffeepot?”

“From Mr. Spurlock.”

“Don't make me ask you a bunch of questions, Bosun O'Neal. I ain't in the mood. Who the hell's Mr. Spurlock?”

“He's an American Irishman who lives across the mountain near an abandoned gold mine. He's got two wives.”

Josh gave that some thought, then said, “Keep going.”

“Well, sir, just that this is a nice place to live. The men fish when they want to, and the women do everything else like gardening and picking coconuts or killing the occasional pig or chicken or odd dog for supper. Me and the marines are pretty happy, except for the dog meat.”

“The marines are happy?” Josh asked, dismayed. “I suppose this means they have women.”

“Yes, sir.”

Josh frowned, though it hurt his face. “It's a good thing I am getting back to normal,” he said. “Things are clearly out of control. Do you still have the weapons or have the marines traded them for nooky?”

“All secure, sir, and I taught the women how to shoot.”

Josh thought he'd heard the bosun wrong. “You did what?”

“Taught the women how to shoot the rifles, sir. Even Sister Mary Kathleen. These Tahila fella boys weren't interested. When we tried to teach them, they just acted silly, yipping and running around. They prefer to use their spears and machetes, which ain't likely to be much good against the Japanese. So I got the idea to teach the women, like Amazons. They do all the work around here anyway. We trained twenty of them all day yesterday, and they did pretty good.”

Josh hung his head. “Any sign of the Japanese?” he sighed.

“Nothing. All quiet.”

“Well, at least that. How about the nun? What's she up to besides shooting at targets?”

“She's teaching the children.”

“Teaching them what?”

“Reading. Writing. Arithmetic. That kind of stuff.”

“I thought she wanted to gear up an assault on Ruka. What happened to that idea?”

“She's still got it, sir. Of course, I told her there ain't no way that can get done.”

“That's the one thing you've said that makes sense.”

“Thank you, sir.”

After a long ponder, Josh said, “All right, Bosun, here's my orders. I want you and the marines to gather up your traps, including a rifle apiece and appropriate ammunition, and pack it all on an outrigger. Don't matter which one. We will leave for Tarawa in the morning.”

“No, sir,” Ready said.

Josh's eyes narrowed. “Surely I did not hear you correctly.”

“I don't think you're in condition to travel, Captain.”

“It is not up to you to determine my condition, Bosun. By the way, you're busted down to basic seaman.”

“Thank you, sir. And thank you for not yelling at me. I figured you'd bust a gut.”

“If I raised my voice, my head would surely detonate,” Josh replied. “Will you follow my orders?”

“Not those orders, sir.”

“Then go away. The sight of a mutineer makes me sick.”

“Yes, sir.”

Ready left, and Josh drank more coffee while a white-hot anger mounted him. Then Rose reappeared, dipping inside the low doorway of her house. “Did you miss me, husband?”

Josh took a moment to study her anew. All in all, he reflected regretfully, she was indeed pretty, as was his first impression. She had very nice, round breasts and wide shoulders and good legs. Her most attractive feature was her skin, which was so smooth and golden it appeared to have been poured on her from a honey jar. Josh also noted, with some dismay, that the intelligent expression on her face he had earlier discerned seemed even more intelligent now that he could see her more clearly. This meant trouble since Josh had always been a fool for bright and pretty women, a predilection inherited from his father and likely the entire line of Thurlow men in his family tree. If, as he reflected further, he allowed his natural proclivity to proceed, it wouldn't be long before this intelligent lovely with two children would have her legs wrapped around him, and that wouldn't be all she had wrapped around him, no, not by a long shot.
Here before me, in a honey-skinned package,
he thought with sudden clarity,
is nothing but trouble.
He congratulated himself for recognizing this irrefutable fact and then, uncharacteristically, proceeded with caution. “Now, Rose,” he began.

“Yes, husband? Do you wish food?”

“Yes, in a bit. But first, we need to establish some rules.”

“Of course. May I sit in your presence?”

“Yes. You may do anything you like in my presence.”

“Very good. I should like to embrace you.”

Which she did, in the Forridges style, holding his shoulders while nuzzling first one side of his face, then the other, and sniffing his cheeks. “You smell just a bit,” she said disapprovingly, “and your whiskers are prickly. A bath is in order and a shave. I suggest the pond. I have Australian soap, and I will borrow Mr. Bucknell's razor.”

Josh had taken the opportunity to smell her, too, and she did not smell, at least in a negative way. Quite the contrary, she seemed to have the perfume of roses about her, though he did not recall that they grew in the Far Reaches. In any case, her appropriate scent, considering her name, had taken his breath completely away. He worked to regain it, then said, “Yes.
Thank you. I will bathe shortly as well as shave. But first, you see, although you are a very pretty woman, and intelligent, for sartain, and any man would be lucky to have you, I'm afraid it's my duty to tell you that I'm in no position to have a wife. I'm in the Pacific to wage war and only war, you see, not take up a family. Do you understand?”

“Then why did you marry me, husband?” she asked, lowering her eyes.

“I was clearly out of my head,” he said. “Why in God's name would you marry me? Surely you saw how deranged I was!”

“That is a good word. You were indeed deranged. Chief Kalapa and his first wife, Mori, said your only chance was to be cared for, night and day, and that the best way I could do that was to be your wife. So I agreed.”

“That was very something of you. I can't think of the word.”

“Altruistic?”

“Maybe. Now, Rose, here's the thing. I shan't stay in the Far Reaches long, and therefore it would be unfair to you and your children to have the likes of me, as a husband and father. So what I'm getting to is asking how divorcements are accomplished here, that is, without any form of sadness or hysteria, I mean whereby everybody is left happy.”

Even as Josh spoke, he sensed his words were not being well received. In fact, Rose's expression had darkened completely, and her eyes had become a bit damp, and there was a subtle trembling of her lower (and undeniably luscious) lip. “It is not credible, that which you ask,” she said, “unless you abandon me for at least a year.”

“Well, there you have it, then!” Josh said, grasping at the straw. “Let the abandonment begin! Although,” he was quick to add, “if there is anything I can do for you and your children, don't hesitate to ask.”

“How can you do anything for me if you are not here?”

“Well, I don't guess I'm going to leave right away. First, I have to bring that idiot Bosun O'Neal and the marines back under my command. Until then, I'll still be around if you need anything.”

Her expression changed to one of confusion. “But abandonment requires actually leaving. As long as you are in the village, and certainly if you offer me assistance, that is not abandonment.”

Josh thought a bit. “Look. How did Chief Kalapa marry us with me unconscious?”

“You were not unconscious! You were singing. Something about Spanish ladies. And when Chief Kalapa asked you if you were willing to take on your responsibilities as my husband, you said,' Oh, for sartain!' I remember you saying it exactly that way in your peculiar accent.”

“It was the gin talking,” Josh supposed.

“The bottle in your hand was quite silent as I recall, although you were not. 'Farewell and adieu, ye fair Spanish ladies,' that was part of the song you kept singing. Then, to everything Chief Kalapa said, you said, 'Oh, for sartain!' Ask Bosun O'Neal if you don't believe me. He was standing beside you.”