A Garland of Marigolds (21 page)

She lifted her elegant eyebrows and stared
at me.

“
You mean you started all this without knowing
anything about it!
”

“
Pretty
well,
”
I
admitted.
“
I
’
ve seen it done at home
in England,
but the problems aren
’
t quite the same.
”

“
Look,
”
she said, brushing away my remark.
“
I want to talk to
you. Does anyone around here speak English?
”

I shrugged my shoulders.
“
Some do.
”

She pouted, patting her skirt into place
around her slim hips.
“
Never mind, it
’
ll have to do. Gideon doesn
’
t
seem to get out
much with his leg in plaster, so we never have an
opportunity to
talk back at the house, do we?
”

I sat down on the bank and wished that Joseph
would come
back with the P.V.C. The sky looked very odd to me and
I was
getting increasingly fearful that the rains would come before we were ready.

“
Do you think it will rain this week?
”
I asked pessimistically.
“
Who cares? Susan, I may call
you
Susan,
mayn
’
t I?
”

“
Most people call me Suki,
”
I told her
carelessly.

“
How quaint! Not that it
matters.
What are
you
going to do when you
’
ve finished this dam?
”

My enthusiasm was immediately aroused.

“
But don
’
t you see? Once we have water we can really get to work! I hope to double or even treble most of the crops in my charge. It will take more than water, of course. Selective breeding, proper manures and modern methods will make a tremendous difference too. It
’
s exciting, don
’
t you think?
”
Julie tossed her head and I was pleased to see that she also was beginning to feel the heat. She was not a superwoman after all.

“
I
’
m afraid it wouldn
’
t excite me,
”
she said primly.
“
I think it
’
s rather a masculine interest for a woman.
”

So we were back on that again! But this time I felt more sorry for her than angry.

“
Didn
’
t you ever want to do something other than stay at home?
”
I asked impulsively.

She gave me a cynical smile.

“
Oh, I think you have to be rather insecure to want to compete with men in their own fields. My father has always given me everything I want. Why should I work? All I want to do is marry and be a good wife.
”

I swallowed down my impatience with the whole Burnett family.

“
Here, in India?
”
I asked her.

She leaned against the jeep with a secret look in her eyes.
“
It will have to be in India,
”
she said.
“
I can
’
t imagine England would suit me at all! Servants at a premium and those cold winters! Besides, Gideon has rather turned his back on England, hasn
’
t he?
”

I wiped the sweat out of my eyes and looked at her.

“
Not necessarily,
”
I told her.
“
He might go back any time if an interesting opportunity arose.
”

She bit her lip and trembled, her hair nodding in the wind.
“
I
’
m telling you! He can
’
t go back to England! My parents are here and they would never leave, so you see—
”
Her voice trailed away and she smiled.
“
But I forgot,
”
she said.
“
You don
’
t like my parents, do you?
”

“
No,
”
I said briefly,
“
I don
’
t.
”

“
Charming!
”
she retorted.
“
Not that it matters. You will be going back to England.
”

“
Oh? Is that a threat or a promise?
”

She tossed her head. She looked very sure of herself, but then perhaps she had reason. Gideon had asked her to stay, after all.

“
It was advice really. Camilla will be going back to England soon. If you
’
re wise, you
’
ll go with her. There isn
’
t room here for us both, is there?
”

“
We
’
ll see,
”
I answered. The rains had not yet started and Gideon was still a free man. But I couldn
’
t bear to look at her again in case she knew how she had unsettled me. And I didn
’
t want her to know that I, too, was in love with Gideon.

Julie smiled gently into the distance.

“
No, we shan
’
t see at all,
”
she said.
“
I
’
m telling you!
”

That rather brought the conversation to a close, and I think my relief must have been more than obvious when Joseph came triumphantly back with the news that the supplies had arrived. He drove the jeep straight up the bank and nearly landed in the reservoir. With a paralyzing whoop, Camilla jumped clear and landed in a huddle beside us.

“
Are you all right?
”
I asked her, laughing.

She jumped to her feet, sheer exuberance showing in her every movement. Then her eyes fell on Julie and her smile died.
“
What are you doing here?
”
she demanded rudely.

Julie looked at the young girl, noting the dust on her hair and the creases of her face.

“
What are you doing, dear?
”
she returned coldly.
“
I
’
m sure Gideon would never approve if he knew you were holding up the great work!
”

I interrupted quickly before Camilla could say anything she might later regret.

“
What nonsense! She and Joseph have just been to collect some supplies. Where are they, by the way?
”

“
It
’
s following,
”
Joseph shouted to me triumphantly. He leaned out of the jeep and pulled Camilla back into the seat beside him.
“
Gideon wants to know when you start welding and he
’
ll be out to help.
”

A tide of excitement rose within me.

“
Tell him I
’
ll be waiting for him,
”
I answered cheerfully. Joe backed the jeep off down the slope, practically turning it over at the bottom, he was going at such a speed. I grinned and waved at the two of them and then turned my attention back to Julie. To my surprise her face was taut with temper.

“
How dare he ignore me?
”
she demanded.
“
How dare he?
”
I said nothing. It didn
’
t seem to matter what she said just then. It was a long job. The sheets of P.V.C. were laid out, edge to edge, until they covered the whole of the dug-out area. Anxiously, I helped to walk out the air pockets underneath before we welded the edges together to form a single bottom to the gigantic tank.
“
Right,
”
I said at last.
“
We can begin welding.
”

We sat on the bank and waited for Gideon. He arrived almost immediately. He had come to terms with his leg now and could manage quite well despite the heavy plaster cast.

“
Is it as hot out here as you look?
”
he asked me.

I wiped the perspiration away from my brow almost resentfully.
“
It
’
s extremely hot!
”
I retorted.
“
I daresay one can stay cool with nothing to do but sit on the verandah—
”
His grin brought me to an abrupt halt.

“
I hope you
’
re not referring to me,
”
he said quite gently. But I refused to answer. He was in love with Julie and I would do well to remember it. Instead I turned away, looking in the jeep for the welder, but Joseph had already taken it out on to the reservoir. Shyly, I glanced up at Gideon to find he was still smiling, so I grasped him by the hand and pulled him down the slope.

“
Hmmm,
”
he said thoughtfully.
“
It should keep the water in. What else are you going to do?
”

I explained that I had thought to cover it with a few inches of soil so that it would not perish in the strong rays of the sun.

“
Fair enough,
”
he nodded.
“
I can see that by this time next year we shall be sitting on the banks fishing.
”

“
Oh, do you really think so?
”
I asked enthusiastically.
“
It would be great fun!
”

“
I thought you
’
d think so,
”
he said with satisfaction.

“
If I
’
m still here,
”
I added uncertainly.

He looked at me in surprise.
“
Of course you
’
ll be here!
”
he said impatiently.

We worked hard until it grew dark and the men began to think about lighting their fires and eating their scanty meal before going to bed.

As we drove home Gideon stretched his tired limbs and grunted.

“
There may be disadvantages in employing females,
”
he said comfortably,
“
but this is one of the big advantages!
”

I held on to the wheel with one hand while I swatted at an insect with the other.

“
What is?
”

His smile was particularly charming in the dusky light.
“
Why, traveling through the darkness with you, what else?
”
It would have been bliss if I hadn
’
t known that he was teasing me.

“
You
’
d better let me concentrate on my driving, then,
”
I said primly,
“
or it might not be such fun after all!
”

He chuckled.
“
Are you planning to ditch me, Suki?
”

I could feel myself blushing.

“I ... I...”
I began.
“
I haven
’
t the foggiest idea what we
’
re talking about!
”