HF - 01 - Caribee (29 page)

She crawled again, upwards, and he followed her. His sword scraped on the rocks, and he took off his belt, left his pistols behind as well. He ca
ught her as she reached the li
p of the rock, and lay on his belly beside her to look down on a pool of still water, so clear and so bright they could see the white sand at the bo
tt
om. All around the pool the rocks glistened, with a tremendous bright light which welled up towards them, and spilled into the outer cavern.

'The ver
y rocks are burning,' she said.

'Not burning,' he said. 'Just glowing.'

'So, now I am not even afraid of that, any more,' she said.
‘It
will be somewhere to come.'

He waited, slowly threading his fingers through her hair, while his body swelled. But he could wait, now. She would not have brought
him
here without meaning more than to show him the burning rocks.

‘I
am not mad,' she said.
‘I
wished to go mad, when the leather was biting into my flesh. I would like you to look at the marks.'

Her voice was even, her chin rested on her hands as she gazed at the water. But she had slightly raised her body from the rock, to permit him to ease the skirt of her nightdress high, past thigh and bu
tt
ock, to leave it resting on her shoulders. There were
stains on the flesh, discolorati
ons but no marks. It was as firm and as strong as he remembered; stronger. And below... his hands caught the curve of her bu
tt
ocks.

'Caribee,' she whispered. 'But I did not go mad, even then. And afterwards, I think I was ill, for months. I cau
ght a fever, and cared not wheth
er I lived or died. I owe my life to Mr Hilton.'

'Do you love him?' He caressed the flesh, parting it and allowing it back together. But he could wait, still. There was no risk of him losing her, this time.

‘I
do not know what love is,' she said.

Very gently he rolled her on her back, and she sat
up to allow him to draw the nigh
tdress over her head. 'Do you sleep with him?'

The air was cool on the cavern, and her nipples were enormous, and splendid to touch. But
then
, so were his, as she now satisfied herself. 'He is my husband.'

'And is he passionate?"

"He is very passionate,' she said, and
kissed him on the mouth, and while holding him with
her lips and her tongue, a
tt
ended to his breeches. She held him close, her hands between them, accomplishing all that should have been accomplished four years before, and finally drawing him into her body, without ever releasing his mouth. He felt conquered, just as much as he had ever been conquered by Yarico, but in a totally different fashion. Yarico's had been bubbling enjoyment, as she might have dived into the cooling waters of the pool, as she had sucked the dying penis. Susan's was all detached. She sought passion, and she found it. She did not have to guide his hands, and she swelled beneath his touch. But the morning was controlled by her brain, hovering above them. She would remember.

‘I
am not mad.' Her hands left his body, and her arms outstretched. She lay beneath him, crucified on the rock, sucking air into her lungs.
‘I
learned to think, under those lashes, under Mr Hilton's body, and I learned that ther
e is no greater pleasure than th
ought
’

'You did not share, with
him
.'

Her eyes were only inches from his face, very bright. 'No.
This hurts him. I see it in hi
s face. He loves me. In
him
, I can see and understand love.'

'But you love me.'

She gazed at him.
‘I
wished to know that.'

He rolled off her, and sat up.
‘I
would like, one day, to know a woman who would seek
nothing
from me. Who would lie in my arms because she has no wish to be anywhere else on the face of this earth. Because she has no wish even to
be in Heaven, when she can lie in
my arms
’

To accomplish that
’
Susan said, 'you would have to be an altogether exceptional man, yourself. You have much talent, within you. But it is restricted, by fear.'

'Still? Of what would you say I am afraid, now?
’

'Many things, Edward. Your father. Mr Hilton. Hurricanes. Caribs. Death. Perhaps even of life. And of yourself. You fear your instincts. They say you are a coward, a man who will not fight, for anything. Because you did not fight for me. Because you did not take part in the raid on the Caribs.

Because now you drink. We hear these things, even on windward. Mr Hilton is troubled by them. He remembers that you are not a coward. He has told me of you in the hold of his ship, when you were just a child. That is why I think you are afraid of yourself. You feel something tremendous stirring in your belly, and you fear that should you ever follow the dictates of your belly rat
her than your head you would un
cover something
that
you do not know how to control, that you will never know how to control.'

He gazed at her. An Irish whore, Father had said of her. Who had spent
three
years thinking, and now wished to love again. 'And if I did that, you'd leave Tony? For me?"

'We were married in the church.' Slowly she got up and picked up her nightdress. But he is a Protestant'

Tom Warner and the militia from Sandy Point had put out the last of the fire. They stood in a group gazing at the sha
tt
ered remains of the plantation. With them was Tony Hilton and his three labourers.

'Edward, by God,' Tom cried. 'Where in the name of Heaven have you been?"

‘I
found no one when I arrived here,' Edward said. 'And so I went hunting in the woods, and found Susan. Mistress Hilton.'

'But....' Tom gazed from his son to Tony.

They could not have heard our gunshots, Tom,' Hilton said. 'But I am rig
ht glad to see you again, sweeth
eart, safe and sound. I would you had stayed where I placed you.'

She allowed herself into his arms for a kiss on the forehead.

‘I
became afraid,' she murmured. And flushed. Tony was frowning as he released her.

'Aye, well,' Tom said, suddenly in a bustle. 'You'd best return to Sandy Point with us. There i
s naught you can do here. And th
ose devils may come again. Fortunate we are
that we have suffered no human loss. If only
..
' he pulled at
his lip. 'We have lived here now for four years, with no trouble from the neighbouring is
lands. What can have brought th
is venture?"

They may have learned that there are no longer any of their own people living here,' Hilton suggested.

‘
But how?" Tom demanded. 'There has been no embassy, no investigation of our affairs.'

By Christ, Edward thought: Wapisiane. He had all but forgo
tt
en, Wapi
siane. Three years since th
e massacre. Three years for Wapi
siane to make his way from empty Nevis to Dominica or one of the
other
populated islands. Three years to survive the stake which would have been waiting for him there. Now, how had he done that? But if he had, it could onl
y have been by rising amongst hi
s people. So,
three
years in which he had become a leader, the cacique, as he had been selected by Tegramond. And thus, after three years, he was in a position to begin his campaign of vengeance. By Christ. If these people knew
that
, they would hang him on the instant.

'However it came about,' Hilton said,
‘It
has done so. But
I do not agree, firstly, that
they will return in a hurry. It can scarce be even a Carib's idea of pleasure to paddle up and down these waters all day and all night. In the second place, if we are to be subjected to visitations like these, I think it all the more i
mportant for me to remain on thi
s coast, at least to give you warning of their next appearance. But spare me some of your Irish people to rebuild my house, and be sure
that
this time it shall be intended to withstand a siege.'

'By God, Tony, but I bless the day you elected to follow me,' Tom said. 'Of course you are right, and of course you shall have all the labour you require. I only wish I had others of your stomach in my c
olony.' He glanced at Edward. ‘I’l
l requisition from amongst my planters. But you're sure you'll be able to keep order amongst the rascals? Had I not be
tt
er also send you some able-bodied men to maintain discipline?'

Hilton smiled; the huge mouth became the gash whic
h could be so terrifying.
‘I
'll manage, Tom. But leave me Edward. He's a likely lad. And it's about tune he entered upon his manhood's duties, would you not say?"

Edward opened his mouth, glanced at Susan, and closed it again. He felt he was acting hi a play, in which everyone on the stage save himself knew plot and lines, and yet in which he was the leading character.

'Aye,' Tom said.
‘It
would be be
tt
er than lying about the beach drunk, to the detriment of discipline and my reputation. You'll stay and overseer Mr Hilton's works, Edward, for as long as he requires your services. It would be best for all if that period does not end until my return from England.' He hesitated
, and then held out his hand. ‘I’l
l say goodbye, boy;
I'm truly sorry it has to be th
is way, but we'll put our trust in the future.'

"We'll not rebuild on this ruin.' Hilton stood on the high land overlooking the beach, hands on hips. 'Well let that scar remain there
to remind us and keep us watch
ful. There's our site.'

The men turned their heads to look at the thick grove of trees a hunched yards to their right, standing on a shallow bluff, and
then
trooped a
cross the beach towards it, beh
ind their leader.

'From here well command the sweep of the beach in both directions,' Hilton said. 'And this is going to be a fortress, lads. Solid wooden walls, with loopholes, and when we're ready, the Governor will let as have a cannon. The ships will put it ashore here before they return to England. We're to be more than just a plantation, lads. We're to be the windward bastion of Merwar's
Hope. Now fall to. The first th
ing I want done is that copse reduced to logs.'

The twenty Irishmen exchanged glances. 'There's a lot of work, Mr Hilton
,' Paddy O'Reilly remarked, softl
y. 'Are ye and Mr
Warner
going to give us a hand?"

'Me and Mr Warner have things to do,' Hilton said. 'We've the future plantation to plan, and some talking to do. So they're a lot of logs, Paddy. You're fortunate in having your building materials close at hand. I
s there a man amongst you'd rath
er go back to Sandy Point? I promise you this, lads: work well for me from sun up to sun down, and you'll have all the liquor you can drink. You'll eat what we eat, too. You've my word on that. My wife will seat you round our own camp fire. There'll be no stocks and no whip, but so help me God, any man who wants to question my authority can get down on that sand and put up his fists, now.'

He stood above them, tall and broad and filled with
strength. His beard remained th
in, and thus did nothing to hide the power of his face, the strange a
tt
raction of the pock marks and the deep set eyes. It occurred to Edward that in calling him a would-be buccaneer Roger North had shown a shrewd judgement of character. He glanced at the forest, into which his father and the militia had disappeared but an hour earlier. Was he afraid? He looked down at the beach. Susan stood there, watching the men. She still wore nothing more than her nightdress. She possessed nothing more, at the moment, although no doubt the women of Sandy Point would come to her aid with a few spare garments. Now the breeze stretched the linen sheer against her flesh. Twenty men, one lover, and one husband. She did not look the least apprehensive. But
then
, neither did her husband.

O'Reilly spat on his hands.
‘I
'm thinking that's a fair proposition, Mr Hilton. Well build your fort, if ye'll promise not to return a man jack of us to Sandy Point. We've no mind to stifle.'

'Aye, Mr. Hilton,' Connor said. 'Yell need a lot of labour, to plant your tobacco all over again. For a long time.'