Wealth of the Islands (4 page)

“
And I suppose his death meant nothing at all to you?
”
Helen had asked her witheringly.
“
Or to me either, come to that!
”
she had added with a touch of bitterness that was normally quite foreign to her nature.
“
You
’
d better leave me to see Mrs. Hastings alone,
”
she had told Anita imperiously.
“
Go and make
some tea or something, and for heaven
’
s sake put on some make-up. You look like a little ghost!
”

Mrs. Hastings had not been an easy proposition.
She had, apparently, taken it upon herself to go into Michael
’
s financial affairs, and it seemed that he had left virtually nothing.
“
So you see,
”
she had told Helen with ill-concealed triumph,
“
he
’
s left you almost penniless!
”

Helen had said nothing at first, then finally she had burst out with,
“
Mrs. Hastings, I have quite a bit of
money saved. I
’
m going out to the Melonga Islands myself to find out what really happened to Michael, and I want Anita to come with me.
”

“
It
’
s out of the question!
”
Mrs. Hastings had gasped.
“
What should I do without her
?”

“
I
’
m more worried about Anita,
”
Helen had observed dryly.
“
Have you looked at her recently?
”

It had been a long battle before Michael
’
s mother had given way. She had refused to pay so much as a penny towards Anita
’
s fare to New Zealand and had made the poor girl
’
s life quite miserable before they had finally left, but leave they had on the long exhausting flight right round the world to New Zealand. Yet, despite the tiring, non-stop flying, the eating of meals at unheard-of hours, and the hours of sleep snatched here and there at curious times, Anita had looked a great deal better on arrival than she had when they had left.

Twenty-four hours after their arrival in Auckland, Anita had gone down with appendicitis, and so it was that Helen had come on to the Melonga Islands alone. And now, she thought with satisfaction, she had got the chance of getting the job she wanted, the job that was going to keep them while they were there
.
There was the sound of shouting on the deck above her head and she flew up the companionway to see what was happening. The last light of the sun lit the small harbour and the island beyond, silhouetting the
palm trees that fringed the silver sands. She had finally arrived.

The jetty had been built from roughly felled trees, joined together to form a platform, alongside which the boats of the local inhabitants could be tied up in safety. It was a rickety structure, but it served its purpose and so no one had ever thought of changing it for something more elaborate.

The
Sweet Promise
slipped into the still waters of the little harbour and berthed easily alongside the
jett
y
.

“Now all we have to do is get you ashore! Gregory de Vaux said teasingly.

Helen smiled. “I didn’t know I was going boating,
”
she said.

“
No?
”
He lifted his eyebrows faintly and grinned at her.
“
If it weren
’
t for the wedding-ring on your finger, I
’
d think you were too young for such adventures.
”

“
It doesn
’
t mean that I
’
m inefficient—at diving, I mean,
”
she said defensively.

He looked amused.
“
Of course not,
”
he agreed.
“
We
’
ll be able to find out about that tomorrow. Meanwhile, I
’
ll take you to the hotel and book you in there.
”

She thanked him prettily, uneasily aware that he was adept at making her feel feminine and useless in a way that Michael had never been able to. She wished he wouldn
’
t stand there, looking as if he didn
’
t care a damn about anything, with the last of the light bronzing his skin until he looked like a statue of some pagan god demanding someone
’
s worship. Well, it wouldn
’
t be hers, she told herself with a no-nonsense little nod of the head. She was far too worldly wise to be taken in by a handsome face and a light-hearted manner.

Even so, she was not prepared to allow him to hand
her ashore.
“
I can manage perfectly well by myself!
”
she assured him sternly.

“
All right,
”
he drawled. He leaned back against the masthead and watched her struggle with her luggage. When she dropped one of the suitcases on the deck, he signalled with a lazy finger for one of the Polynesian crew to take it from her and carry it ashore, but he made no move himself. He only watched her until she was nervous and convinced that she would do something daft, just because he had succeeded in unsettling her.

“
Are you sure you can manage the jump?
”
he drawled as she hesitated before taking off to land on the flimsy jetty, some feet below.

“
Of course I
’
m sure!
”
she answered exasperatedly.

“
Pride goes before a fall,
”
he commented, as though he were speaking to himself.

That
made her jump! She too
k
off with her eyes tight shut and landed with a jerk that knocked all the breath out of her. The timbers of the jetty creaked ominously, but to her infinite relief they held beneath her, and she gazed triumphantly upwards at the mocking face of Gregory de Vaux.

“
See!
”
she said.

He laughed and the Polynesian crew laughed with him, their dark faces breaking into wide grins and their heavy flesh jumping up and down in time to the great guffaws of laughter that came out of their mouths. Helen was at first startled and then she began to laugh herself.

“
What
’
s so funny?
”
she demanded.

“Y
ou are!
”
Gregory told her. He jumped
down beside her as agile as a cat and grabbed her suitcases in either hand.
“
Come on,
”
he said.
“
Let
’
s get you checked in and settled.
”

He was as good as his word. He led the way through the shanty town and fish market that had grown up round the harbour, to the wider streets beyond, lined
b
y utilitarian houses, mostly built on a single-storey plan, past the Government buildings, and finally to the hotel itself. It must have been by far the biggest building on the islands. It towered some twenty storeys in the air, a vast construction of steel and glass in symmetric patterns of windows and balconies.

“
Is
this
the hotel?
”
Helen asked with awe.

“
That
’
s right,
”
Gregory de Vaux assured her cheerfully. He looked the building up and down with an amused smile.
“
Ain
’
t it somethin
’
?
”
he said.

It appeared that he was not at all in awe of the place. He opened the heavy glass doors for her to go into the foyer first, and came in after her, burying his naked toes into the deep pile of the carpet.

“
Gregory!
”
a strident female voice reproved him.

“
Why, Ethel,
”
he drawled.
“
I have your young friend from England here. I gather you are expe
c
ting her?
”

A
n English lady of uncertain age came out from behind the desk, her hotel-key chinking in an eager, trembling hand.
“
Where is she?
”
she screamed in acute pleasure.
“
I
’
ve been
longing
for her to arrive! I knew her father, you know. Such a
kind
man!
”
She advanced across the foyer, her cheeks and dewlap flapping, her pale grey eyes alight with interest and delight.
“
My dear!
”
she exclaimed, embracing Helen with an awkwardness that betrayed her lack of practice.
“
My dear! How like your father you are
!”

“
I
’
m surprised that you can see what she
’
s like in this gloomy place,
”
Gregory observed flatly.

M
iss Corrigan shook her head at him.
“
You are a naughty boy!
”
she informed him roundly.
“
Helen has come here as
my
guest, so you can just mind your own
business!
”

Gregory grinned.
“
I can
’
t very well do that,
”
he said.
“
She
’
s already asked me for a job.
”

Miss Corrigan shuddered visibly.
“
And are you going to give her one?
”

Gregory shrugged his shoulders.
“
It depends ho
w
good she is,
”
he said cagily.

“
There
’
s no doubt about that,
”
Miss Corrigan said roundly, her cheeks
quivering with emotion.
“
She was taught by her
father
!
”

Gregory
’
s face became serious for an instant.
“
I don
’
t care who taught her! I
’
m not having any more amateurs botching up my operations and that
’
s that
!”
Nor am I having any more conflict with the authorities about unnecessary deaths, or anything at all—
”

“
Ssh, dear,
”
Miss Corrigan interrupted him, shocked.
“
Michael was this girl
’
s husband!
”

Gregory looked at Helen, his face hardening.
“
So he was,
”
he said at last.
“
I
’
d forgotten that.
”

He turned on his heel and walked quickly out of the hotel, the bottoms of his to
rn
jeans flapping round his bare feet. Even from his back view it was possible to tell how close his suppressed anger was to erupting like a geyser all round them.
“
I
’
ll call for you in the morning,
”
he said from the entrance, and added by way of an afterthought,
“
And wear something sensible, will you?
”

Helen watched his departure, her eyes wide with indignation.
“
And just who does
he think he is?
”
she demanded.

Miss Corrigan shook her head sadly.
“
He
’
s a fine boy really,
”
she said pacifically. Her eyes met Helen
’
s, steely grey and twinkling.
“
It
’
s a pity, dear, you
’
re any connection of Michael
’
s—
”

“
I
’
m not just a connection, I
’
m his
widow
!
”
Helen pointed out.

“
Yes, dear, I know. Very sad. I
feel
for you. I
’
m sure Gregory does too underneath. Only Michael
’
s death was a teeny bit inconvenient, if you don
’
t mind my saying so. Everything was held up for so
long
while they held endless investigations that got absolutely nowhere. So you can
’
t be surprised if Gregory prefers to forget all about him, can you?
”

“
Yes,
”
said Helen loudly,
“
I can. I
’
m sorry he was inconvenienced, but Michael
died.
Doesn
’
t anyone care about that
?”

Miss Corrigan patted her hand with awkward sympathy.
“
You do, it would seem,
”
she observed dryly.
“
You can
’
t expect the rest of us to be so involved emotionally, my dear. Michael was a loner all the time he was here. None of us really knew him at all well.
”

“
Nevertheless, he was a man and he died,
”
Helen insisted, swallowing a painful lump in her throat.

“
Quite right, my dear,
”
Miss Corrigan agreed.
“
But although one mourns the dead, life
does
go on. You
’
ll find that out. Now, I must find young Peter Harmon and he can take you to your room. You
’
ll dine with me tonight, of course?
”

Helen licked her lips.
“
Thank you very much,
”
she said.

“
Then I
’
ll find Peter,
”
Miss Corrigan said again, and she rushed off into the interior of the hotel, her head several inches in front of her feet in her anxiety to arrive at her destination faster than she could actually travel. Later, Helen was always to think of it as the one outstanding characteristic of Miss Ethel Corrigan. Her interest took her everywhere and she never had enough time to do all that she wanted to, so she was perpetually in a hurry, swooping from one place to another, her head stuck well out ahead of her and with her cheeks quivering with enthusiasm for whatever had seized her fancy at that particular moment. Miss Corrigan had lived for so long on the Islands that they had become her whole life, but she had by no means restricted her mental horizons. Anything and everything was grist to her mill as she poked about the place she had made her own particular domain.

Helen lingered in the foyer, studying the photographs of the Islands which surrounded the wood-panelled walls, until a nervous, fair young man came to rescue her. He stood playing with his fingers, while she
finished her tour of inspection. Then he cleared
his
throat noisily to attract her attention.

“
Mrs. Hastings? Miss Corrigan said you had arrived. I
’
m the manager of the hotel.
”

Helen smiled at him.
“
Mr. Harmon
?”

He looked taken aback.
“
Oh, you know my name? Miss Corrigan, I suppose,
”
he added with a shy smile.
“
I
’
m pretty new here still,
”
he confessed.
“
They only just finished building the hotel.
”

“
But you are open
?”
Helen asked him anxiously.

“
Oh yes,
”
he agreed enthusiastically.
“
Actually, our only customer so far is Miss Corrigan. She
’
s decided she
’
d be more comfortable living with us. But pretty soon we
’
re going to be right on the tourist map! Yes, ma
’
am! We
’
re aiming pretty high here
!”

Helen wondered how all the expected tourists were going to be brought to the Islands. As far as she knew there was only the one steamer a month which called at the tiny harbour. That, and the freight plane which had brought her in that evening. It seemed a far cry from American package tours coming and going in weekly shifts.

“
I
’
ve given you a room at the top, as Miss Corrigan directed,
”
Mr. Harmon went on.
“
For there you can get a view right over the bay. You can even see the different coloured corals of the reef. It
’
s pretty beautiful!
”

They went up in a lift that creaked with newness and walked a short way along a wide corridor before Mr. Harmon stopped outside one of the doors and opened it with the key he had brought with him.
“
Here we are!
”
he said in a pleased voice, and waited eagerly for her reaction.

He certainly had something to be pleased about. The room was full of flowers, beautifully arranged to lead the eye out on to the balcony and the sea beyond. It was too late to see the view properly now, but the lights from the boats twinkled across the moonlit scene,
giving some faint idea of what it would be like in the morning light, with the sun shining from morn to night. The headboard of the bed was designed to resemble the spread tail of a paradise bird, and there was a chair to match set in the corner opposite. It was, Helen thought, rather overwhelming in its opulence.
“
Goodness!
”
she exclaimed.

Peter Harmon laughed.
“
I have the next room ready for your sister-in law when she comes,
”
he told her.
“
It
’
s just the same.
”

Helen walked out on to the balcony and took a deep breath of air.
“
I never thought of the Pacific as
smelling
,
”
she said, amused by her own fancy.
“
But it does, doesn
’
t it? It
’
s quite different from the Atlantic.
”

“
I
’
ll say
!”
Peter Hannon agreed.
“
And I ought to know. I haven
’
t been here long myself. It
’
s my first job as a full-blown manager, though I
’
ve always worked for the same group of hotels.
”

“
Do you like it
?”
Helen asked him curiously.

He nodded vigorously.
“
It
’
s fun seeing people enjoy themselves,
”
he said.
“
Not the fancy types who are always around, but the people who have saved to have a really good bust! I like to see them eating good food and getting good service for their money. They
’
ve earned it, I reckon.
”

Helen found herself liking this fair American very much indeed.
“
I
’
ve never thought about it, she admitted.
“
I
’
ve hardly ever stayed in a hotel. When I was a child, we always went everywhere by boat and then I grew up and became a teacher.
”

His eyes bulged with astonishment.
“
A
teacher?
I thought you were going to be one of Gregory
’
s divers. I thought you looked a sight too smart for that!
”

Helen coloured faintly.
“
Too smart?
”

Peter Harmon tugged nervously at his neatly tied
t
ie.
“
Have you met Gregory yet?
”
he asked in hushed tones.

“
Yes, I have,
”
Helen said.

“
Oh well,
”
he said, completely, embarrassed.
“
But he
’
s always like that. I mean—
”

“
His boat is well kept, though,
”
Helen observed.

“
That
’
s exactly what I mean
!”
Peter said with relief. He isn
’
t the tuxedo type. And you can say that again!
”

Helen sighed. He wasn
’
t any type that she had ever met, she thought to herself. But she was sure of one thing, he had enough sheer animal magnetism for a whole army of men, more in his little finger than this nice American had in his whole body. She puckered up, her mouth and sighed again. She
disapproved
of any man being so attractive! Peter was right, he probably wasn
’
t at all trustworthy. That might even have been why Michael had died. Goodness knows, he had been unnecessarily unkind about that! But she would have to kowtow to him long enough to get a job, but once the job was hers it would give her the very greatest pleasure to tell him just what
s
he thought of
him
.