Island for Dreams (20 page)

The yacht race began the next morning from the entrance to the harbour at the stone pier. Nora was up early, but she did not go to see it. It was a most peculiar morning, and she was alternating between breathless anticipation and fear. In one moment she fully decided to confess her love for Juan; in the next she shrank from seeing the dismay in his dark eyes. He would be utterly confounded, but he would deal with it in his chivalrous fashion, might even pretend that he returned her love just to spare her feelings.

Nora cringed at the thought. Somehow she had to get through the day without too many torturing thoughts. It was perfect weather for the yacht race,
the sea as smooth as a millpond.

Around eleven Jony called. Nora would have welcomed a visit from anyone to take her mind off her troubles. Jony, covertly watchful at her cordial greeting sat down awkwardly in a chair, refusing her offer of coffee or a drink.

‘
I hear you
’
ve married Juan Cregeen,
’
he remarked.

‘
Goodness!
’
she cried.
‘
You know already? We
...
we didn
’
t tell anyone until last night. Who told you?
’

He shrugged heavy shoulders.
‘
Word gets around. This puts a new light on things.
’

Nora perched on the arm of the chair opposite.
‘
I suppose it does.
’

‘
You
’
ll have to let the lawyer know.
’

‘
He knows already. He was there at the time Juan announced it.
’

‘
Clever of him. Though I
’
m not surprised. I knew he wouldn
’
t let the grass grow under his feet. His kind never do.
’

Steadily, Nora said,
‘
I don
’
t think you have any reasons for saying that other than that he
’
s attractive and also popular among his friends. You aren
’
t jealous of him, are you? I don
’
t mean where I
’
m concerned but for what he is.
’

‘
Why should I be jealous? I
’
ve never had any time for his sort. A playboy, that
’
s what he is. You might know you present a tempting proposition with what you stand to gain by marrying a Manxman.
’

‘
I know that,
’
she returned.
‘
But I resent your remarks about Juan being a playboy.
’

‘
Well he is, isn
’
t he?
’
he insisted.
‘
Has he told you what he does for a living?
’

‘
No, he hasn
’
t.
’

Jony
’
s laugh lacked mirth.
‘
And you married him knowing nothing about him. You must be crazy, unless
... was it the money?
’

Nora
’
s face deepened in colour. She said frigidly,
‘
I
’
m sorry. You must be very disappointed at not getting the entire estate, but it was what
Mr.
Kelly wanted.
’

‘
Maybe,
’
Jony conceded gruffly.
‘
Goes to show what people will do for money.
’

Nora said sweetly,
‘
I suppose if the boot had been on the other foot it would have been all right for you to marry a Manx girl in order to qualify
—
a pity it wasn
’
t. I don
’
t think she would have much of a bargain, though, if it was Cissy, do you?
’

He scowled fiercely.
‘
And what do you mean by that?
’

‘
Well, you
’
ve kept her hanging about for ten years. Who do you think you are anyway? Cissy is very attractive and a nice person too. Juan likes
her and there
’
ll be many more who do. For all you know this might be your unlucky period. They say bad luck comes in threes.
’

Jony stared at her blankly.
‘
How did you
know I
’
ve just lost one of my cows?
’
he blurted.

Nora laughed, then apologised immediately.
‘
Oh, I
’
m sorry. But you know how news travels. I would say a good wife such as Cissy would make is far above the price of a cow or the money you
’
ll lose by my marriage to Juan.
’

Nora actually found she was enjoying herself. It did not matter that she had deceived him, that she had no idea that one of his cows had died. What mattered was that he would now get around to marrying Cissy, with a bit of luck.

She added for extra measure,
‘
You won
’
t always have your housekeeper, you know.
’

By now Jony
’
s consternation had turned to anger.
‘
You
’
ve been spying on me, haven
’
t you? You know about my housekeeper talking of going across the water to live with her sister?
’

Nora stared wide-eyed at this disclosure.
‘
I had no idea she was thinking of leaving the island,
’
she told him frankly.
‘
But if this is true then I advise you to ask Cissy to marry you before she hears of it. Every girl has her pride, and she won
’
t take kindly to being married just for convenience on your part.
’

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
‘
Maybe it
’
s time I settled down. I could do much worse, I reckon.
’

‘
Worse?
’
Nora echoed indignantly.
‘
You
’
d be marrying a nurse, man, who could save you pounds in prescriptions with her knowledge of the sick.
’

‘
You aren
’
t so dumb, are you?
’
Jony smiled for the first time since arriving.
‘
I
’
ll think about it.
’

‘
You do that. Did you call just to see if it was
true about my marriage? Or was there something else?
’

He was offended.
‘
It does concern me, you know. You
’
ve certainly kept it dark. Why didn
’
t you let me know?
’

‘
Because I didn
’
t know myself...
’
Nora bit on her lip, blessing her unwary tongue.
‘
I mean, we made up our minds very quickly.
’

‘
Is that why you
’
re not wearing a wedding ring? Or did you put it away to keep the marriage secret?
’

She said coolly,
‘
I
’
ll be wearing it when I see you again. I see now that it
’
s impossible to keep secrets here. I hope you aren
’
t too disappointed about my marrying Juan?
’

He shrugged his shoulders philosophically.
‘
Too late for that now. It was a crazy will in any case. I suppose you
’
ll be going along the pier this evening to meet the conquering hero when he arrives?
’

Nora felt her limbs stiffen. She went pale.
‘
I don
’
t think so.
’

Jony seemed surprised.
‘
Being the good little wife, are you, and cooking him a hot meal for when he returns?
’

‘
I never thought of that,
’
she admitted weakly.
‘
I forgot it was Sunday. Thanks for reminding me.
’
She paused, wishing it was possible to read his thoughts. She had never got very close to Jony because he was the kind who would always keep one guessing. But there was more to it than that. The incident on the pier was something she would never forget, and now here he was wanting to know if she was going along that night.

Was there a motive behind his probing, his whole visit? Nora told herself not to be a fool. After all, there would be no motive in him wanting to harm her since she was married and the money she stood to inherit would now go to Juan if anything did happen to her.

All the same she said warily,
‘
Why did you ask if I was meeting Juan on the pier this evening?
’

Jony looked a little sheepish, went a dull red and moved uneasily in his chair.

‘
Well, you being newlywed and all that,
’
he mumbled.

Nora
’
s fears fell away as she watched his embarrassment. She laughed with relief.

‘
You
’
re blushing, Jony,
’
she cried accusingly.
‘
So you are a bit romantic, after all?
’

‘
I don
’
t know about that,
’
he replied, getting redder in the face.
‘
But being a farmer I know all about the birds and the bees.
’

It was Nora
’
s turn to blush.
‘
I won
’
t be going to meet Juan, but I will cook a meal for when he returns.
’

But as it turned out, she did go to meet Juan. She was putting the finishing touches to the special dinner she had prepared when she had a visitor. Tricia came in wearing a short fur jacket over slacks.

‘
I thought you
’
d like to go along the pier to meet Juan,
’
she said by way of introduction. Her eyes brightened at the pleasant aroma of cooking filling the flat.
‘
Mmm, something smells nice.
’

Nora watched her drop into a chair and loosen the fur jacket. For the second time that day she was trying to work out the motives of a caller. Maybe she was becoming hypersensitive, or perhaps it was because it was nearing ten o
’
clock and time for Juan
’
s return.

‘
Nice little place you have here.
’
Tricia gazed around the lounge with approval.
‘
When the curtains are drawn you have a nice snug little nest. Good thing Juan is used to being in a confined space with being on the boat, or he
’
d feel constricted, don
’
t you think?
’

‘
He hasn
’
t complained yet,
’
Nora replied, hoping she had not called with the idea of staying for supper.
‘
I
’
ll fetch my coat.
’

Outdoors there was a sweet salty tang in the slight breeze across the water. It was dusk now, throwing the rising moon into relief as it sailed among a peppering of stars. During their walk along the promenade, Tricia prattled on about her activities that day, but Nora hardly listened, although she did manage to make the right rejoinders.

Before they reached the pier the yachts were already rounding the headland, their lights like fireflies in the scented dusk. Nora reckoned that by the time they reached the end of the pier quite a few would be home.

Soon their footsteps were sounding eerily on the boards of the pier and she turned the big collar of her camel coat around her face against the breeze. The yachts were now making for the stone pier and the harbour, with the exception of one which made for the buoys bobbing up and down below them near to the stone steps.

Tricia quickened her steps.
‘
Finn hasn
’
t won. He
’
s late in,
’
she said.
‘
It looks as though we
’
re the only ones on the pier.
’

Nora quivered and snuggled deeper into her jacket. The shadows ahead looked menacing, but Juan would soon be there, she thought. There was already a boat tied to one of the buoys near to the pier, but it wasn
’
t the
Dancing Belle
. Then Tricia was running forward to meet the men mounting the steps at the end of the pier. She flung herself into the arms of one of them while the others passed on their way along the pier.