Vengeance in the Sun (6 page)

“No thanks, Danielle. Come and get a sandwich.”

“I'm glad I came. I thought it might not be as much fun a second time. First time things are usually best aren't they?”

“Perhaps we could do a first time thing today as well. Would you like to visit some caves?”

“Oooh can we really? Real caves? Under the ground?”

I nodded. Her eyes shone. “That's a
super
idea, Miss Matthews. I
am
glad you came. I only had Miss Blanchard to talk to before and she doesn't like little girls.”

“I'm sure she does, Danielle.”

“She doesn't like me,” Danielle said cheerfully. “I can tell. Do you think Mr Lyall would like to come to the caves as well?”

“Good heavens, no. Why should he?”

“I just thought he might.”

“Anyway, I meant to go to the caves today, after our picnic.”

“I know you did,” she said unabashed. “ I thought I could go and tell him.”

“We can't go back to the villa now, Danielle. There isn't the time.”

“Silly,” Danielle said giggling. “He's in the village. In that little shop with the red and white shade outside.”

“
Mr Lyall is?
”

“Yes. I expect he wants to make sure we don't have another accident.”

“Then perhaps we'd better have a word with him and put his mind at rest!”

Beneath a striped awning three metal tables and shabby wicker chairs waited vacantly for customers.

“He isn't here, Danielle. You must have made a mistake.”

“No,” she said, gripping my hand and leading me confidently into the dim interior.

Ian Lyall looked distinctly sheepish.

“If you wanted to come with us, we could have shared a car,” I said, not trying to disguise my anger.

He smiled. “I just thought I'd keep an eye on you, that's all.”

“In case I drove over a cliff?”

“Don't be so touchy.”

“I
was
forced off the road the other day. I'm not such a lousy driver I'm not safe to take a child out without a watchdog!”

“No-one said you were. Stop being so over-sensitive.”

“I don't like being followed!”

“For God's sake,” he said good-humouredly. “ I'd nothing else to do today. I just thought that I'd keep an eye on you. After all, they haven't found the Cadillac yet. I didn't want anything to spoil your day.”

“Then you're too late,” I said rudely. “It just has!”

He flushed, brushing his hair back with his hand. “I
have
offended, haven't I?”

“Yes, you have. We're going to see the Caves of Drach and I
don't
want a nursemaid!”

Angrily I turned my back on him and stalked across the square to the car.

“Sometimes it sounds as if you don't like Mr Lyall,” Danielle said chattily. “I like him. Before him I had a teacher who was French and very strict. He didn't like it when he left. I heard him tell Mummy that she had no grounds for dismissing him.”

“That's enough, Danielle. You hear far too much.”

“I do, don't I? I'd much rather have Mr Lyall than my old teacher. He and Mummy are friends, you see.”

“Yes,” I said faintly, wondering just how much Danielle saw and heard. “ Isn't that a goat over there, look … behind those trees.”

Danielle agreed that it was a goat and went on to tell me how much she wanted one and how she might get one if only she could persuade her daddy they didn't smell.

I didn't enjoy any part of the visit to the Caves of Drach. I could think of nothing but that Max was in Palma. On his honeymoon. Bleakly I wondered how Aunt Katherine would reconcile herself to having the glamorous Claudette as daughter-in-law. And how Claudette would reconcile herself to the other side, of Max. The side the gossip columnists didn't know. The side that loved to tramp for miles with the dogs at his heels, to play chess in the firelight, to read for hours in companionable silence, to ride the horses across the flat country surrounding Crailsham Place, when the first snow had fallen and the world was a white wilderness.

I couldn't visualise the party loving Claudette striding around the estate with the dogs yapping around her. Or even riding for that matter. It didn't seem likely that Crailsham Place would see much of its future mistress.

When we came out of the caves, the sky was flushing to rose, the shadows lengthening. Sleepily Danielle curled in the car seat.

“That was the
nicest
first thing I've ever done,” she said. “ It's been a lovely day, hasn't it?”

I couldn't answer her, merely squeezed her hand and headed back to the mountains and home.

There was a visitor at the villa D'Este when we returned.

“David!” Danielle squealed as we stepped out onto the terrace, racing across to where her parents sat beneath the shade of a magnolia tree. “David!”

A large, handsome African turned his head, smiling broadly as she hurtled into his outstretched arms. Laughing, he swung her into the air.

“You've grown, little Danny! You're nearly as big as me!”

“Silly,” she gasped. “
No-one
could be as big as you, David. You're bigger than
everyone
.”

No-one seemed to notice me. John Van de Naude was in swimming trunks, his body still glistening with water. Helena had a short towelling robe over her costume, her hair wound carelessly into a knot on the top of her head, her long legs curled beneath her in her chair as she laughed across at her visitor. I turned to go to my room, but as I did so, Helena Van de Naude called out gaily: “Lucy! Please come and join us.”

I walked over to them and John Van de Naude rose to his feet, saying: “ Lucy, I'd like you to meet an old friend of ours, David Katjavivi.”

My hand was crushed in a giant handshake. Close to, David Katjavivi was even bigger, broader and blacker, his head the magnificent leonine of the African portraits in the villa, the lines of forehead and jaw, powerful and strong.

“I've heard a lot about you,” he said, and as he smiled I knew that I had seen him before. Not only in the portraits, but in the flesh … or was it on film?”

Reading my thoughts, Helena said: “You've probably seen David's picture in the papers or seen him on the news. He's the leader of APFO, the organisation that I work for and which keeps Leonie so busy.”

“APFO?”

“African Peoples Freedom Organisation,” she said with a smile.

“Is the paperwork finished?” David Katjavivi asked, turning to Helena again.

“All but John's final speech. It's in its second draft. Do you want to see it now or after dinner?”

“Now I think,” David Katjavivi said, putting his glass down.

“Oh,” Danielle said disappointed. “ What about my stories? You haven't told me any for
ages
.”

“Later,” he said gently. “When you are in bed, then I will come and tell you stories.”

Her eyes glowed. “Promise?”

“Promise.”

“It's time for your bath, Danny,” her mother said practically.

She slipped off his knee, saying resignedly: “I'm
always
having baths. I have one
every
night!”

“Yes Danny, and you're going to have one tonight.”

“It's not fair. When I grow up I'm not going to have baths. Not
ever
!”

She took hold of my hand and skipped across the terrace, telling me all about David's wonderful stories, the ordeal of the bath forgotten: “He knows all about lions and warriors and all
sorts
of exciting things, and he never gets tired of telling me them. I hope he's staying a long time. Then we can really have fun!”

Peggy met us at the foot of the stairs.

“Did you have a nice time?”

“
Super
, Peggy,” Danielle said enthusiastically. “We had our picnic and then we went to visit some caves, absolutely
enormous.
There was one that even had a
lake
in it, and we went in a boat and there was a man singing and it was
fabulous
!”

“Well, I'm glad you enjoyed yourselves,” Peggy said comfortably.

“I was beginning to get worried. You were gone an awful long time.”

“
Everyone
is worried about us,” Danielle said with a world weary sigh. “Even Mr Lyall came to make sure we were all right.”

Peggy looked at me. “I thought you'd gone by yourselves?”

“We had. For reasons I don't yet understand, Ian followed us as far as Valldemossa. Keeping an eye on us was the expression he used when I asked him what he was doing.”

“Dear me, what a strange thing to do. Though of course, Mrs Van de Naude might have asked him to, after the car accident you know.”

“Perhaps, but I think she would have told me.”

“She's a lot on her mind at the moment,” Peggy said confidingly. “What with Mr Katjavivi coming and all.”

Danielle had gone on up the stairs. I said: “Is he a regular visitor, Peggy?”

“Oh yes. Always here he is. He's the leader of Mrs Van de Naude's organisation.”

“So Mrs Van de Naude just said. What organisation is it?”

Peggy looked slightly flustered. “To be truthful I don't rightly know. Something to do with Africa. Mrs Van de Naude is African herself though you wouldn't think it to look at her. She looks more Spanish to me. She does a lot of work though and people are always coming to stay for a few days. We had two Anglican ministers not long ago. Nice gentlemen they were. Black, you know, but nice.” She glanced over her shoulder to make sure no-one was approaching and lowered her voice: “ You won't credit this, but when she married Mr Van de Naude they had to leave South Africa on account of how he was white and she was coloured. Shame I call it, but there you are. That's their law and laws is laws when all said and done. Not everyone thinks alike or ever will.” She shrugged philosophically. “ They're happy and that's what matters. Not that it didn't make things difficult for Mr Bradley, because it did. He was over here not long ago. A very nice young man he is. He stayed on in South Africa to finish his education when his father re-married. Not that he's a schoolboy now. Twenty-two or three he must be. A nicer, more well-spoken young man you couldn't wish to meet. I took to him straight away. I said to Mario.…”

There came the sound of chairs scraping back on the terrace and she said hurriedly: “What am I thinking of? Chattering here and the dinner still to do.…” She bustled back towards the kitchen and I followed Danielle up the stairs. The mystery of Mrs Van de Naude's need for a secretary finally solved.

Leonie drifted into the bathroom as I was shampooing Danielle's hair. I glanced round, surprised. Visits from Leonie were unheard of.

“We have a visitor, or did you know?”

“I know.”

“Yes, he's not exactly easy to miss, is he?” She leaned against the door as I towelled Danielle's hair. “ The Saviour of the African race. Dinner will be just one long bore … and I hate being bored.”

“So do I,” a little voice said clearly from beneath the towel.

Leonie's green eyes flickered dangerously, but she said merely: “There's going to be a party in honour of our visitor tomorrow night. I imagine you will be asked to bring the devastating Mr Patterson.”

I ignored the sarcasm on the word devastating, and said only: “Will we be invited?”

She raised her eyebrows, saying mockingly: “ But of course! No class distinctions at the villa D'Este, darling. Haven't you learned that yet?” and she left the room, leaving the door open and a draught blowing on the naked Danielle. I closed it after her and as I helped Danielle into her nightdress, she said: “ She
smiles
a lot, but it isn't like when other people smile, is it?”

“Into bed, or you'll have no time for a story.”

“I haven't had my medicine yet
or
my hot chocolate.”

“Do you really need your medicine, Danielle?”

“I'll have bad dreams if I don't,” she said blackmailingly.

I laughed. “All right. Get into bed and I'll bring it in to you.”

“
And
my hot chocolate.…”

“Your hot chocolate is by your bed, cooling.”

“Goody,” she said, scampering quickly into her room. I picked up her clothes and the medicine bottle and followed her. My head was beginning to ache and when I had finished the first chapter I said: “No more tonight, Danny. David Katjavivi will be up to tell you a story soon. Be careful with your drink. You won't spill it, will you?”

“Silly,” said Danielle affectionately. “I'm not a baby. I'm six.”

I kissed her cheek. “Goodnight, pet lamb. Pleasant dreams.”

I left the light on and closed the door quietly behind me. On the threshold I fell over Ian Lyall.

He steadied me saying: “ Is David in there?”

“No, why?”

“He said he was going to tell Danielle a story and I'm looking for him.”

I began to move away and he stepped in front of me.

“Did you enjoy your trip to the caves this afternoon?”

“Yes. You didn't follow us, did you?”

He grinned, looking disarmingly boyish. “Suspicious little devil, aren't you? No, I didn't follow you and I'm sorry if I offended. Somewhere I got off on the wrong foot with you. It isn't just this afternoon's incident, is it? You've been unfriendly with me ever since you arrived. Why?”

I was in no mood for a heart to heart talk with Ian Lyall.

“I have a headache and all I want to do is lie down in a dark room. Would you make my apologies at dinner please?”

“Sure. Would you like a disprin bringing up?”

“I have some in my room. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” he said, and I knew that he was watching me as I walked away, but what his expression was I neither knew nor cared.