The Island of Love (Camfield Series No. 15) (8 page)

“I do hope so!”

She spoke with such enthusiasm that the Earl said: “Are you intending to study the flora and fauna of Hawaii, as well as everything else?”

“Of course,” Lydia replied, “and most of all, I want to see the ‘Hawaiian Honeycreepers.’”

He gave a short laugh.

“Again you have surprised me, Lydia. I have never yet met a woman who travelled to some strange country who was more interested in its Honeycreepers than its King!”

“I mean no disrespect to His Majesty,” Lydia answered, “but that is the truth, and I cannot help feeling that, however resplendently everybody may dress themselves for the Coronation, they will not equal the flowers we shall see in Hawaii, unless of course the books you bought for me on the subject were lying!” She gave a little laugh and before he could speak she added;

“And do not dare tell me I shall be disappointed. I am determined not to be!”

“I would not dream of doing anything of the sort,” he said. “That would deprive you of your ‘hope.’ I know that is more important to you than anything else.”

She was surprised that he had remembered their conversation, and said:

“I have a feeling—and because of my Celtic blood my feelings are often right—that Hawaii will not only live up to my expectations and hopes, but exceed them!”

“That is exactly what I hope too,” the Earl said.

Without saying any more he walked away and left her, and she stared after him a little puzzled.

There had been a serious note in his voice that was inescapable, and she wondered what he was hoping for and why it was so important to him.

‘He has everything,’ she thought to herself, ‘and Heloise!’

She knew if she thought of the Earl and Heloise together there was a sharp little pain within her breast which she tried to ignore, but which seemed to grow, day by day.

“No couple could be more suited to each other,” she kept telling herself. “He is so handsome and she so beautiful!”

Then some critical voice at the back of her mind asked her if beauty alone would ever be enough for somebody like the Earl.

“Of course it will,” she insisted, “and Heloise will grace the Royston diamonds as no other woman could possibly do. When he sees her at the head of the table he will know that she is exactly the right wife, who those who admire him would have chosen for him.”

She was thinking of the Earl when she was joined by the young officer who had sat next to her at dinner the first night they arrived.

“I want to talk to you, Miss Westbury,” he said.

“What about?” Lydia enquired.

“What do you think? About you of course!” he replied. “I suppose you know that to have you with us in the ship is like being given a glass of water in a dry and very thirsty desert!”

Lydia laughed.

“Very poetic!” she said, “but you can hardly expect me to believe anything like that when I have been reading about the beauty of the girls in Hawaii, and I am certain that Honolulu and any other place at which you call abounds with beautiful women!”

“But they are not English,” he said, “and while they are exotic, to me there is nothing more lovely and exciting than an English girl like yourself!”

“You flatter me!” Lydia laughed.

She could not take him seriously, but he tried to go on flirting with her.

At the same time it made her feel not so insignificant as she did when she was at home.

When she sat next to the same young man at dinner that night he continued to pay her compliments and, although she told herself she was being very stupid, in a way they warmed her heart.

All too quickly for Lydia four days had passed and the Captain told her that tomorrow they would see the volcanic mountain of Hawaii.

“If it is erupting,” he said, “it will be a bad omen for the King, which will not go unnoticed by his subjects.”

“Does it often do that?” Lydia enquired.

“Fairly often,” he replied. “Sometimes it just has smoke coming out of the crater. At others there is a certain amount of burning lava rolling down the side of it. But no one takes much notice, and it is not very serious.”

On the last evening of their voyage, the Captain arranged for a Band to play after dinner.

At first, while they sat out in the moonlight, the Band played more or less classical music.

Then, and perhaps it was Heloise who suggested it, they broke into dance tunes and both Heloise and Lydia were claimed at once by two eager young officers.

It was something Lydia had not expected, but which she enjoyed, quite content to play second fiddle to Heloise.

She soon found that the English had adopted the American fashion of ‘cutting in’ during a dance so that she was passed from one man to another.

She found also to her surprise, that most of them were exceedingly good dancers.

She was sure that as far as Heloise was concerned the evening could go on forever, but the Captain ended the gaieties at midnight.

The Band played ‘
God Save the Queen’
and they all stood to attention, after which they went to bed.

“I have enjoyed myself!” Heloise said, as Lydia helped her out of her gown. “If it could always be like tonight I would not mind the voyage going on for longer!”

“It has been as calm as a mill-pond,” Lydia answered.

Even as she spoke she felt the ship give a lurch and was aware that the wind was beginning to whistle through the shrouds.

She hoped Heloise had not noticed it, and because she was busy reciting all the many compliments she had received during the evening she got into bed without complaining.

By the time Lydia had reached her own cabin the ship was beginning to pitch and toss.

She thought with dismay that Heloise would be ill again and she would have to attend to her instead of, as she had hoped, being able to see the ship coming into port at Honolulu.

The wind was certainly getting up and by the time she was in bed the whole structure seemed to be creaking almost deafeningly, and her shoes, which she had not put away in the cupboard, were sliding backwards and forwards on the floor of her cabin.

She listened but could not hear Heloise calling for her and was sure therefore that she had not yet been disturbed.

‘It has been lovely weather up until now,’ she thought.

But she knew from her books that sudden squalls and very strong winds could get up at a moment’s notice around the Hawaiian Islands, and the weather could change, as one said—‘in the twinkling of an eye.’

“I am sure it will be calm again by tomorrow,” Lydia told herself consolingly.

Instead the wind seemed to be increasing and growing really violent.

She was however not frightened, thinking it impossible to feel anything but secure in a British Battleship.

Then quite suddenly there was a ringing of bells in a way that seemed almost deafening, and the sound of raised voices.

The next minute the door to her cabin burst open and a voice said:

“Fire! Get up on deck immediately!”

Lydia gave a cry of horror and jumped out of bed.

She groped her way in the darkness to the door and moved into Heloise’s cabin.

Her sister was sitting up in bed having been awakened in the same way, and she was screaming.

“What is happening? What is happening? Where is the fire?”

“It is all right, dearest,” Lydia said calmly. “But we have to go up on deck as we have been told to do.”

“I am ... frightened!”

“I know, but you will be quite safe! You may have to get into a small boat, but I am sure we are not far from land.”

“I shall drown—I know I shall!” Heloise wailed.

Even as she spoke the Earl’s authoritative voice said from the doorway:

“Hurry! I am waiting to take you up on deck. Put on a warm coat, but do not worry about anything else.”

Then Lydia heard her father say:

“I will go ahead to see that the boat is ready for the two girls.”

The way he spoke told Lydia all too clearly, that things were very serious.

chapter five

The
Earl had a lantern with him, and while he lighted the cabin with it, Lydia opened the door of the wardrobe and groped amongst the clothes in it for Heloise’s sable coat.

By the time she had with difficulty found it, Heloise was screaming.

“I am not—going in a—small boat!” she cried. “I shall—drown in the—sea! I want to—stay here.”

The Earl did not speak and Lydia forced her sister’s arms into the arms of the coat as she said quietly: “You will be quite safe, Heloise, everybody will look after you.”

“I will not go—I will—not!” Heloise screamed and now her voice was completely hysterical.

Lydia looked towards the Earl.

“I think you will have to carry her.”

Still without saying anything he handed her the lantern and picked Heloise up in his arms.

For a moment she tried to struggle against him, then half-sobbing, half-screaming, she put her face against his shoulder.

He carried her out into the passage and walking behind them Lydia lighted the way.

As she passed her cabin door she realised she was wearing only the nightgown in which she had slept.

As if the Earl was aware of it at the same time he said:

“Put on a thick coat and follow as quickly as you can.”

For a moment Lydia hesitated, thinking that it might be difficult for him to reach the companion-way in the dark.

Then she saw lights at the top of it and knew that other people on the ship were carrying lanterns.

The ship gave a lurch as she entered her cabin and almost threw her to the floor, but she managed to prop the lantern up on the dressing-table before she reached for the wardrobe.

Now the ship was rolling so badly that she thought it would be a mistake to linger, and instead of finding her coat she merely took a blanket off the bed and threw it over her shoulders.

She picked up the lantern again and went back into the passage.

She could see ahead that the Earl with Heloise in his arms had just reached the top of the companionway.

She was about to follow him when she heard a voice calling:

“Help! Help!”

She paused on the bottom step wondering if she should go on, then again there was a faint cry for help.

Holding the lantern high to illuminate as much ground as possible she moved a little way down the passage and saw there was somebody lying on the ground.

“Please—help me!” a young voice cried.

Now by the light of the lantern swinging in her hand she saw it was one of the midshipmen.

“Are you hurt?” she asked.

“I think I have—broken my—leg.”

He spoke bravely but she could see there were tears of pain in his eyes.

“I was running to warn His Lordship of the fire in the Engine Room, as I had been ordered to do,” he said, “but I—slipped.”

“Perhaps it is only a bad sprain,” Lydia said, “but you will have to be carried up on deck. I will find somebody.”

She turned to go towards the companion-way, but as she did so the boy asked:

“You will not forget about me?”

He sounded like a frightened child, and she replied: “I promise I would not do that.”

For a moment the ship seemed a little more steady although she was sure the wind was whipping the waves up into a tempest.

Then as she reached the bottom step she saw the Earl coming down obviously in search of her.

“Come along!” he said. “I was worried about why you were taking so long.”

He reached her as he spoke and she replied:

“One of the midshipmen has broken his leg. He cannot walk, and if he is left here he may be forgotten.”

She looked at the Earl pleadingly as she spoke and thought he hesitated for a moment before he said: “Your father and Heloise are already in the boat and they are waiting for you.”

“Please come to carry the boy,” she said quickly. “He is in great pain and unable to move.”

The Earl did not argue, and as she was already hurrying back towards the midshipman, he followed her.

“Here is somebody to help you,” Lydia said cheerfully.

The Earl bent down and picked the boy up in his arms.

“I am going to carry you in a ‘Fireman’s lift,”’ he said, “because it is easier.”

He put him over his shoulder, his head down his back.

Then because the ship was rolling again the Earl steadied himself with his hand on the wall before he reached the railing of the companion-way.

He went up it quickly and Lydia following thought how strong he was, but she found it difficult and wished she had taken a little longer to find her coat. As it was, the blanket trailed onto the ground, and she found it impossible to lift it out of the way and at the same time hold onto the railing and the lantern. When she reached the top of the stairway she found that the Earl had already disappeared on the deck with the boy over his shoulder and there were lanterns hanging from hooks on the walls.

There was therefore no need for her to carry hers any further and as she handed it to the first sailor she saw, he said:

“Hurry up. Miss! Get into one of the boats as quickly as you can!”

Lydia walked unsteadily towards the door that led out onto the deck and the moment she stepped out she felt as if the wind swept her off her feet.

For a moment it was impossible to see anything except the waves that were illuminated by the moonlight, and seemed as they broke over the side of the ship determined to sink her.

The decks were awash, but now Lydia realised there was a light coming from the ship itself and that it was the light of the flames that had started in the Engine Room.

As she looked at it holding onto the doorway she saw the Earl coming towards her and realised the boat into which he had put the midshipman was already being lowered down the side of the ship into the sea. He reached her and said sharply:

“Why did you take so long? You should have gone in that boat!”

“I am sorry,” Lydia said humbly.

“There is another one,” he said, “and this time I do not intend you to be left behind.”