Inheritance (18 page)

By Friday afternoon, Rosie hadn’t heard from Ben. No firm arrangements had been made for the following day and Cassie saw she was dejected.

‘Why hasn’t he rung me?’ she fretted. ‘How am I supposed to know what’s happening?’

By eight o’clock on Friday night, she told Cassie he had forgotten all about her. When the phone rang at eight thirty, and Cassie passed it to her with a smile, she took it eagerly, but made her voice cool as she responded to his cheerful greeting.

When the conversation was over, she hung up slowly.

‘So?’ Cassie asked. ‘Are you going out?’

‘Yes,’ Rosie answered slowly, ‘he’s coming to pick me up tomorrow morning and we’re going to the rodeo.’

‘You don’t sound madly happy about it.’

‘Oh, I’m happy about it. It’s just that his attitude is so casual. He couldn’t bother to pick up the phone all week and then he comes on all cheerful as if he’d only just seen me, tells me how much he’s missed me and that he couldn’t stop thinking about me all week.’

‘So how do you feel about it?’

‘Well…he’s a bullshit artist, there’s no doubt about that.’ Her face brightened. ‘But he seemed genuine enough the other day when he stopped clowning around. So I’ll just take it slowly, see what happens.’

***

Saturday was another fine, warm day. A gentle breeze blew as they boarded the boat, the
Gemma
, a thirty-foot catamaran, gleaming white with a teak deck, its brass fittings shining in the sun.

Cassie helped Nadia to stow the food away in the refrigerator in the galley below, which was fitted out with a table and chairs and benches with colourful cushions to provide extra seating. Through a door, a small passageway led to two cabins and a minute bathroom.

When they went up on deck, they saw there was not enough wind to fill the sails, which meant Mark was using the motor to get under way. Gemma and Larry were sitting by the rail near Mark, chattering as they watched the ocean slide by and tried to spot fish.

Cassie had not heard from Mark since the day they visited the caves. She had been a little surprised by his silence and annoyed with herself for finding him in her thoughts so often in the days leading up to the planned boat trip.

While Mark steered the boat, Nadia and Cassie took a seat nearby. Cassie sat with her legs stretched out to catch the sun, the rest of her body protected from the sun’s rays by the shadow cast by the cabin, which she leant against, while Nadia sat in the shade next to her. They sat side by side companionably, enjoying the seascape and talking idly while Nadia kept a close watch on the children nearby.

As they headed further out to sea, the water became a deep cobalt blue, reflecting back the shimmering sunbeams that danced lightly on its surface. The
Gemma
sailed past a small island with trees growing on its gently sloping terrain and a white sandy beach curved between two rocky headlands. A boat was drawn up on to the beach and a group of people clustered nearby, while others swam and splashed in the sea. Their voices and laughter drifted across the water.

‘Sounds like they’re enjoying themselves,’ remarked Cassie lazily, at the same time observing how well Mark handled the boat. But then he seemed to do most things well. She had thought they were establishing a rapport during the outing to the caves and was puzzled she had not heard from him since.

Today he had greeted her pleasantly but had made no reference to his lack of communication.

Probably been spending his time with Stella!

***

Cassie could not know that Mark had needed to restrain himself every day from coming over to Yallandoo, or even speaking to her on the phone. He was aware that his feelings towards her were changing, and he no longer thought of her only as the owner of Yallandoo, a person to be persuaded to sell him a property for business reasons. After the end of his disastrous marriage, he had built a wall around his emotions, determined to never again let a woman become important enough to him to be able to cause such pain again, and he was angry with himself to find his determination crumbling the more he saw of Cassie.

So he had thrown himself into work and couldn’t believe he was unable to shake her from his mind. He tried to tell himself that it was purely sexual attraction he felt for her. But when he remembered her friendly and affectionate manner to Gemma and the warmth she showed his mother, almost as much as much as he remembered her beauty, he knew his feelings went deeper than lust alone.

His heart leaped as he looked at her now, leaning back in her seat, long legs stretched out in front of her, hair ruffled by the breeze. Large sunglasses covered her eyes but he had no trouble in remembering exactly their colour, deep green flecked with gold. He had no trouble remembering that long and passionate embrace by her front door, either. It had stirred him to his depths. He had felt her response and was sure she had felt the same.

Why, then, had she backed away so quickly? And why did it matter so much to him? After all, there was no shortage of female company nearby, many of whom were more than willing to accommodate him in all ways. He sighed and went back to his contemplation of the ocean.

***

They were all dragged from their reveries by excited cries from Gemma and Larry. Both were standing now, Gemma jumping up and down and squealing with excitement as Larry pointed down into the water. A pod of dolphins had come alongside and were now surfing in the wake of the boat.

‘Daddy, Daddy. Look, look!’

‘Dolphins! They like to swim with the boat. They’re having fun. If we’re lucky, they’ll stay with us for quite a long way.’

‘Ooh, I hope so, they’re beautiful!’

Cassie and Nadia joined the children by the rail and they all stood enchanted, watching the graceful creatures as they leapt and dived, streaks of silver keeping pace with the boat.

‘I wish I could swim as good as that,’ Gemma said with longing.

‘I’ll teach you if you like,’ Larry offered.

‘Can you swim as good as that?’ She gazed at him in wonder.

‘Mum says I swim like a fish.’

‘We’ll all be swimming today,’ Mark told them. ‘I’m going to teach Gemma to snorkel. Have you ever been snorkelling, Larry?’

‘No. I’d love to do it, but I haven’t got a snorkel.’

‘I’ve brought some gear for you, so you’ll be able to have a go too. But you’ll have to be careful not to get out of your depth until you’re more used to it.’

‘I can help show Larry how to use the gear and we can snorkel together. We won’t go out too deep,’ Cassie promised.

The dolphins stayed with them for the next twenty minutes, entrancing them all with their twists, turns and pirouettes as they performed their water ballet like a troupe of precision dancers.

Not long after they disappeared, another island appeared in the distance. Mark pointed to it. ‘That’s where we’re going; we’ll be there in a few minutes.’

They crowded to the rail again and watched as the island drew closer. It was smaller and flatter than the one they passed earlier. Trees and bushes came down to the water’s edge as far as they could see, except for one horseshoe scoop of golden sand. At the furthest end of the sand, a large cluster of rocks lay between the trees and the water, like marbles scattered by a giant’s hand. The indigo of the deep water gave way to light turquoise as they entered the shallows surrounding the island. Dark patches lay spread-eagled beneath the water in front of the rocks.

‘Coral reefs,’ explained Mark. ‘They come in so close you can snorkel off the beach. Very safe for beginners. We’ll anchor out here and go ashore in the dinghy. The water’s too shallow to go in further.’

Cutting the motor, he went forward to the bow. With a great rattle of chain, he released the anchor and it slid over the side and dropped into the water, settling down with a firm grip into the seabed.

Then Mark went back to the stern and pulled in the dinghy, which had been bobbing along behind the boat on a long rope, cheerfully waiting its turn for freedom. He climbed down the rear ladder into the dinghy and secured it firmly.

‘Now then,’ he called, ‘hand me the sun umbrella, Mother, and the snorkelling gear and anything else you want ashore.’

The two women passed him the gear and Mark stowed it under the seats in the small boat. They clambered down the ladder one by one, Gemma squealing as the boat rocked when she jumped from the ladder, but they all took their seats without mishap and Mark started the outboard motor and they headed in to the beach. He anchored the boat by the shore and they waded the remaining few feet through the shallow water.

While Mark set up the sun umbrella and Cassie and Nadia carried the other things to place in its shade, Gemma and Larry were already stripping off their shorts and tops, down to their swimming togs.

Laughing with glee, they raced down to the water, throwing themselves in and splashing around.

‘What a good idea. I’m going in to cool off too before we do anything else.’ Cassie stripped off her outer gear as she spoke. ‘Anyone else coming?’

Soon they were all in the crystal clear water, lazily swimming and floating in the shallows. Once Nadia had cooled down, she left the sea and retreated to a chair Mark had set up for her beneath the umbrella.

Mark called to the children to come in to the edge of the sand. ‘Now, a snorkeling lesson,’ he said, handing them each their mask, snorkel and flippers. First, he showed them how to slip their feet into the flippers, checking to see they fitted properly.

‘Always put them on before you go into the water,’ he told them, ‘because it’s easier. Then you walk backwards into the water or you’ll trip over. Try it.’

Gemma laughed as they walked clumsily into the water, but Larry was all concentration, the tip of his pink tongue poking out the corner of his mouth as he manoeuvred the flubbery gear.

Then Mark showed them how the snorkel fitted on to the side of the mask. ‘You hold it in your mouth with this little rubber bit.’ He showed them. ‘You breathe through the snorkel and if it gets water in it you blow really hard and blow it out the tube. And now the mask. Now, before you put it on, you do this.’ He spat into the mask and used his finger to spread the saliva over the glass.

‘Ooh, that’s dirty!’ exclaimed Gemma.

‘No, you have to do it. It stops it fogging up or you won’t be able to see. Now then, we’re all ready to have a try.’

After adjusting the straps on the masks and checking to see that everything fitted properly, Mark and Cassie donned their own gear and led the children into waist deep water, alongside the edge of the reef.

Mark showed them how to swim with their heads below the water, breathing through the snorkel, how to blow hard if the snorkel had water in it and how to use the flippers to propel themselves along.

Patiently he showed them again and again, helping them when they coughed and spluttered over a mouthful of sea water, building their confidence slowly. It took a while, then, when Mark was satisfied they had mastered the technique, he told them they were ready to swim over the top of the reef.

‘We have to be careful not to damage the coral in any way,’ he warned them. ‘We never tread on it, or break it. Now, we’ll all stay together.’

Slowly the four of them swam over the reef.

They saw a spectacular sight through their masks. Below them was the coral, with sea plants of green and umber waving their fronds lazily around.

It looked like an underwater garden down there, with corals of all different shapes, sizes and colours, ranging from delicate pinks through to reds, blues, yellows and purples. Around and in amongst the coral and swaying plants swam brightly coloured tropical fish. Big ones swam singly or in small schools while large schools of dozens of tiny fish moved in unison as if directed by an unseen choreographer.

Eventually Mark led them back from the reef in to the sandy seabed where they all stood up and took off their masks and snorkels.

Nadia had come into the water by now, floating around in the shallows. The children rushed over to her excitedly, the words tumbling out, bursting to tell her all they had seen.

Cassie turned to Mark. ‘Well, they both did very well. You’re a good teacher.’

‘They both have a natural aptitude for it. Do you want to go out a bit further? Mother will watch them now.’

‘Yes.’ Cassie replaced her mask eagerly. ‘It’s just wonderful. One of the best reefs I’ve seen.’

After Mark called out to Nadia to ask her to watch the children, they swam over the reef again, heading out into deeper water. Cassie loved the feel of the water caressing her body, cool and sensuous, and she was enthralled by the underwater wonderland below them.

Feeling a touch on her arm, she saw Mark pointing downwards to a giant clam a little to one side of her. Using their flippers to propel them down, they dived towards it. As they swam closer, it closed.

When they glided upwards again, a school of tiny electric blue fish darted past them.

Down again they went. This time to see a crimson brain coral forming the colourful backdrop for the slow dance of a yellow sea-horse, while nearby fish swam through the horns of a cerulean coral that looked for all the world like the antlers of a subterranean stag.

They were engrossed in watching a small reef shark cruising around when Cassie lifted her head and heard piercing screams. They came from Nadia.

Mark suddenly left Cassie and swam fiercely towards the shore. Cassie headed back at top speed and as she reached the shallows, Mark was shepherding the others from the water.

‘Sea snake,’ he explained as he led Nadia to the seat under the umbrella. ‘Gave them all a bit of a fright.’

‘Oh, dear! Oh, dear!’ Nadia stood trembling, her eyes wide. The colour had left her face and she gasped as she spoke. ‘I am sorry to have made such a fuss, but it was such a big snake. And it was coming straight towards us. I thought it was going to attack us.’ She turned to Cassie. ‘Are they poisonous when they are in the water?’

‘Yes, they are. You had every reason to be frightened.’

‘When I splashed and hit the water, it turned and swam away. Thank God!’