Sweet Revenge (10 page)

'Are you coming in?' asked Toni breathlessly, gulping the fresh air into her lungs.

Francesca shrugged. 'You swim well,' she said grudgingly, and Toni wondered why there should be a note of such disappointment in her voice. 'Be careful,
senhorita.
The pool is very deep!'

Toni sighed. 'I'm not afraid, Francesca. Sorry to disappoint you.'

Francesca lifted her shoulders. 'Why did you come with me,
senhorita
? What were you and Paul arguing about?'

'That's our affair,' Toni replied shortly. Really, these della Maria Estradas were impossible! Did they think they had the right of kings to ask such personal questions?

'I think it was to do with my father,' said Francesca angrily, her cheeks flushed. 'Something happened last night, didn't it?'

'Oh, really, Francesca, stop trying to understand adult complexities. You're no psychiatrist, and nothing happened last evening. Nothing at all!'

Francesca sat down, dangling her legs in the water. 'You're lying,'- she said sullenly. 'You are not fooling me for one moment. You're becoming involved with my father, aren't you?'

'Oh, lord!' Toni raised her eyes heavenward. 'Does everybody's mind revolve around the same dreary topic?'

Francesca's eyes flashed. 'So! That is what you and Paul were arguing about!'

'I didn't say that.'

'No, but you said enough,
senhorita.
What is the matter? Is one man not good enough for you?'

'Francesca, one day you'll drive me too far,' muttered Toni furiously. 'You're thirteen. For goodness' sake stop behaving like a spoilt baby!'

'But you must admit you do deliberately annoy my father,' exclaimed Francesca. 'He left this morning for Lisbon. He was not expected to leave for several days. Now why should he do that?'

'Heavens, I don't know. I'm not his keeper.'

'It's like I said, something happened between you two last night.'

'Oh, don't be
stupid!'

Toni swam across to her impatiently. 'Francesca, please, can't we be friends? There isn't such a great gap in our ages, we could have such fun together.'

She looked up at the girl appealingly. Francesca was alone somehow. When her father was around she was happy, but when he left, when he interested himself in something or someone apart from her, she felt lost.

Francesca pouted her mouth. 'Go away,
senhorita,'
she muttered sulkily. 'I do not wish to be your friend.
I hate you!'

Toni stared at her. 'Don't be so silly, Francesca.'

'I'm not silly. It is you who are silly,
senhorita.
Imagining that my father would interest himself in a nonentity like
you!'

Toni grasped Francesca's ankle angrily, intending to pull her down into the water and thus halt this horrible conversation. But Francesca was stronger than she thought, and remained firm, kicking out with her leg and throwing Toni back with violent force. Toni gave a gasp of surprise, and then there was an awful blinding pain and the pounding of water in her ears, before she knew no more.

She was lying on something soft, and her body felt weak and helpless, but her head hurt, terribly, as though she was resting it on a bed of nails, and one nail in particular was digging into her with persistent pressure. When she tried to move the pain grew unbearable, and she uttered a faint cry that sounded like thunder in her ears.

She felt something cool on her forehead, and a voice very faintly soothing. Everything was blue and her eyelids seemed stuck so that she could not open them. The effort to do so was too much for her, and she felt blackness overwhelming the blueness.

Then later she found she could open her eyes, and as things swam into focus, she distinguished the uniformed figure of a nurse seated beside her bed, who noticed her awakening at once, and came over to look down at her with anxious eyes.

'
Senhorita!'
she said. 'How do you feel?'

Toni swallowed with difficulty. 'A drink,' she murmured hoarsely, 'could I have a drink?'

'Of course. A moment,
senhorita.'

The water was sweet and reviving, and Toni relaxed back on her pillow tiredly. 'Wh ... where am I?' she murmured.

'At the Castelo Estrada,
senhorita.
Surely you remember. You were swimming....'

Toni tried to think but the effort hurt her, and she shook her head slowly. 'Tell me, please,' she whispered. 'What happened?'

The nurse smoothed her forehead with a cooling towel. 'Later,
senhorita,
later,' she said, smiling a little. 'Relax, and I will ask the doctor to come and see you.'

Toni felt her eyelids closing after the nurse had gone, and she tried to keep them open, but after a moment , she was asleep. When she opened her eyes again she found the room dark, only a lamp by her bed illuminating the scene. The nurse was still there, but her face had changed, and she realized it was another nurse entirely. The room, too, became familiar to her. It was her room. She was at the
castelo,
with Paul - Paul Craig. Yes, that was right. Paul Craig.

The nurse came over to her. 'So you're awake again, Senhorita West,' she said.

West? West?
Toni's mind rejected the name. Her name was not West. It was Morris - no, Morley; yes, that was right, Morley. She opened her mouth to deny her identity, when she remembered the deception Paul had induced her to share. They thought she was called West, Janet West. Thank goodness she had remembered in time!

The nurse put a cup to her lips and she sipped gratefully, then asked: 'How long have I been here?'

'Not long,' said the nurse reassuringly. 'Do you remember what happened?'

Toni tried to think again, but now it was all clearer. 'Y-e-s,' she said slowly, 'I - I think so. I - I was swimming. Francesca was there.'

'That's right. You fell, and hit your head on the rocks. Francesca saved your life. You would have drowned!'

'I — I would?' Toni frowned, trying to bring every detail into perspective. 'Yes - I would. I remember now. . . .'

She remembered what had happened. She had not slipped and fallen. Francesca had pushed her away, with her foot. She must have hit her head on a rock. She could remember the pounding in her ears and she shivered.

'You're cold?' asked the nurse quickly. 'No?'

'No,' replied Toni, shaking her head. 'No.' She sighed, and managed a faint smile.

The nurse gave a reassuring pat to her shoulder. 'Wait a moment,
senhorita.
Try not to sleep while I fetch Doctor Rodrigues.'

Now it was much easier to stay awake, and Toni moved her head very slowly on the pillow to look towards the door. What a shock Francesca must have had. How frightened she must have felt!

A white uniform heralded the return of the nurse accompanied by a small, dapper little man with a moustache. He came briskly over to the bed, giving Toni the ghost of a smile as he asked the nurse a lot of questions in their own language. Toni tried to follow them, but it was impossible for her to do so. Then Doctor Rodrigues placed a thermometer under her tongue and took her pulse with expert precision.

'Good, good!' he said at last. 'I am glad you are feeling a little better, Senhorita West. You gave .us quite a shock, but I am happy to say you are improving with satisfactory speed.'

Toni ran her tongue over her dry lips. 'Thank you.'

The nurse smiled down at her. 'Would you like something to eat? Some soup perhaps?'

Toni nodded. 'Please. I do feel rather empty. How long have I been lying here?'

The doctor frowned. 'Just a little over twenty-four hours,
senhorita
,' he replied. 'It is usual when one has concussion as you had that the consciousness rejects the discomfort. You have two stitches in the back of your head,
senhorita.
That is why your head is so sore.'

'Oh!' Toni couldn't quite assimilate this. She had actually been unconscious for the better part of a whole day and night! It seemed incredible.

'So now Nurse Gonzales will bring you some soup, and I will see you again tomorrow,' said the doctor.
'Boa noite, senhorita.'

After the doctor and the nurse had both gone, the nurse to get the soup, Toni tried to struggle up a little on her pillows. A wave of giddiness overwhelmed her and she broke out in a cold sweat with the nauseating dizziness. She sank back weakly, as the door opened to admit the Conde della Maria Estrada.

She stared at him in astonishment. 'But - but you're in Lisbon !' she said disbelievingly, almost believing she was having delusions.

Was
in Lisbon,' returned the Conde smoothly, closing the door and leaning back against it.

Toni's fingers clenched under the bedcovers. 'What do you want,
senhor?'

'Is it not conceivable that I might be concerned as to your welfare?' he said harshly.

'Frankly, no,' said Toni, closing her eyes for a moment, and then opening them swiftly as she heard movements and found him beside the bed. 'N-Nurse Gonzalss will be back in a moment with some soup,' she continued, refusing to meet his eyes.

'I know it. How do you feel?' His eyes were intent.

Toni moved her head from side to side. 'All right, I guess.' She was trembling. 'I wish you would go away. You make me nervous.'

'Why? Why should I do that,
senhorita
?' The Conde thrust his hands deep into the pockets of his trousers. 'Unless, perhaps, you have something to hide?'

Toni's eyes flew open, staring at him in dismay. 'I - I have nothing to hide,
senhor.'

'Haven't you?' He looked sceptical. 'You are not a convincing liar, Senhorita
Morley.'

Toni felt the pain in her head intensify. She winced, and closed her eyes, and as she did so the door reopened to admit the nurse.

'Oh!' The nurse was embarrassed.
'Desculpe,
Senhor Conde. I did not realize—'

'Esta bem,
Senhorita Gonzales,' murmured the Conde, his tone light and smooth, much different from the cold insensitivity of his words to Toni. 'I am going.' He looked down at Toni as she opened her eyes. 'I will see you later,
senhorita!'

Toni did not reply and after he had gone, closing the door behind him, Nurse Gonzales studied her patient with more concern. 'The - er - the Senhor Conde was concerned about you?' There was a questioning tone to her voice.

Toni sighed. 'Maybe,' die said wearily, and the nurse did not press her further.

The effort of drinking the soup exhausted her, and despite the disturbing turmoil of her thoughts she slept again. Now she was floating in a green world; there was water everywhere, pouring into her ears, her eyes, her throat, choking her! She awoke, sweating, her heart pounding in her ears.

Now it was light; the shutters were thrust open and a faint breeze off the sea fanned her forehead. She relaxed, and as she calmed down she realized that the pain in her head had eased considerably. Now there was only a dull ache, and she moved quite easily, stretching her legs, and bringing her arms out of the covers.

The room was empty, but presently the door was pushed open slowly, and a face appeared. It was Francesca, and Toni looked at her, noticing the faint lines of strain around her eyes. She looked pale, and Toni wondered what had caused her such concern. Surely not her own condition; she doubted that even Francesca's part in the whole affair would give her so much anxiety.

'Come in, Francesca,' said Toni, struggling up on her pillows with difficulty.

Francesca hesitated a moment, then advanced into the room. She walked indolently, a sullen expression as usual marring the smooth features. She did not speak, and Toni swallowed hard and said:

'I'm sorry if I caused you a deal of trouble, Francesca.'

The girl shrugged her shoulders. 'You didn't trouble me,' she denied coolly.

'Well, at least, I have you to thank for saving my life,' said Toni patiently.

Frarfcesca gave a short laugh. 'Yes, I did that,' she said coldly. 'I had no desire to have you on my conscience!'

Toni gave an exasperated gasp. 'Honestly, Francesca, you really are the limit! Why have you come here? Just to try and intimidate me?'

The girl fingered the bedcovers without giving any thought to the action. She seemed thoughtful and withdrawn, and Toni thought she had probably come to make sure she was really recovering. After all, in spite of her denials of caring whether or not Toni was alive or dead, she was still very young, and not everything she said was really meant.

If only there was some way to reach her, thought Toni regretfully. No young thing was ever all bad and Francesca had proved she had all the normal reactions to circumstances.

'Why did my father come to see you?' she asked suddenly, and Toni was taken aback.

'Well, I guess he came to see how I was,' said Toni awkwardly, not wanting to think about the Conde, and the possible outcome of his knowledge of her identity.

Francesca chewed her lip. 'Why should he care?'

'Oh, lord!' Toni shook her head. 'I don't imagine he gives a damn,' she exclaimed. 'However, I was a guest in his home at the time of the accident, and I suppose, like you, he didn't want me on his conscience!'

Francesca considered this. 'But why did he come back from Lisbon? He could have telephoned,' she persisted. 'After all, Doctor Rodrigues was called immediately, and he himself informed my father of the - accident.'

Toni couldn't answer this. She could hardly explain to Francesca that her father had returned to confront an impostor in his home, without revealing the full circumstances of the affair, which she was not at liberty to do. It was up to Paul to explain. Indeed, she would be glad if it all were resolved. There were too many undercurrents here, and she wanted to get away before they overpowered her completely. She didn't know why she felt so strongly about it. She had never considered herself an hysterical, imaginative person, and yet the Conde della Maria Estrada aroused the most peculiar sensations inside her.

Francesca moved restlessly about the room, picking up perfume sprays and hand-creams, studying them intently for a moment, and then putting them down again.