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This idea of Drus stepbrother Mart sounded rather fun-he had suggested that she join him
on the beautiful Caribbean island where he lived and pretend to be his fianc, to keep other
husband-hunting females at bay. But that was before she met the enigmatic but irresistibly
attractive Captain Keith Faulkner! From their very first precipitate meeting Dru had
managed to give the worst possible impression of herself, so even after she had fallen
headlong in love with him Keith continued to have the lowest opinion of her. And anyway,
he believed she was engaged to another man...
CHAPTER ONE
THE scream of the jet engines died away. The plane door
opened and the warm air met Dru like the opening o an
oyen door. Already, she was feeling overdressed in her
trim linen suit as she stepped from the plane into a drowsy
sunlit world to the quiet rustle o palm trees murmuring
in the soft aftemoon breeze. Beyond the runway, densely
wooded hills were outlined darkly against the shimmer-
ing haze o a tropical blue sky. Dru's breath of pure
pleasure was mingled wth surprise and delight when her
eyes alighted uponthe red double-decker bus trundling
across the tarmac to pull up beside the plane. It was as
unmistakably British as the island, despite the gay can-
opied roof.
The driver caught her eye and grinned as she boarded
the bus. Men usually grinned at Dru Temple, a natural
blonde with dancing green eyes, a small piquant face and
a smile dazzling everyone who carne into contact with it.
She settled down in her seat confident that she was going
to enjoy her visit to the island o St. Ovis. She had heard
so much about it from her stepbrother Mart, who was
registrar at the hospital. Dru had only to put her hand
inside her white shoulder bag to feel the crispness of his
letter.
'Be a sport, Dru,' he had written. 'Come and rescue me
from the husband-hungry females. There's a shortage of
males on the island and the pressure is terrfic. Have a
holiday at my expense posing as the fiance 1 need for
protection, or your newly acquired brother will never be a
surgeon!' .
Mart's father, a distinguished consultant surgeon in
London, had met and marriedDru's mother within a few
months of their meeting. A widower sinee the death of his
first wife soon after Mart's birth, Steven Loghtan had
fallen headlong in love with Emma Temple, a pretty div-
oreee who ran a high-class boutique in the West End of
London. After the honeymoon he had whisked her off to
graee his eharming home on the Thames near Marlow.
Dru had met her new stepbrother Mart at the wedding,
a light-hared, slightly built young man whose blue eyes
had roved over her with approval. Like his father, he was
clean-shaven and immaeulately dressed, and while Dru
found him likeable, she had decided that one member of
the medical profession was enough for any farnily. So she
had waved him baek to his island without a qualm.
Mart's letter had come at a time when Dru was feeling
the break with her mother profoundly. Not wishing to
carry on the business herself, she had prevailed upon her
mother to sell it. The new owner was a brash young
woman of twenty-five, four years older than Dru. She had
none of Emma Temple's exquisite taste or delieate ap-
proaeh, and Dru, who had stayed on to help her to learn
the business, was only too glad to get away in the end.
Now she was on the island of Sto Ovis posing as Mart's
fianee to lend an image to the shadowy figure he had
eonjured up o his intended. Mart had not enquired
whether she had beeome engaged herself, whieh was not
surprising since she had told him at the wedding that her
heart was staying under the eounter until the right cus-
tomer came along.
Dru never forgot that her mother had divorced her
father when she herself was little more than a baby and
she had vowed that the same thing would not happen to
her. She was determined to marry the right man or none
at all. She had steered clear from the more promiseuous
way of living, and while her boy-friends had been varied,
there had been no sleeping about with them. Sex before
marriage, in her opinion, did not solve a thing. Dru was
CHAPTER TWO
DRU surfaced dazedly as the shrill ring of the bedside
phone penetrated through the mists of sleep. Her watch
said four o'clock as she reached sleepily for the receiver.
Mart. She might have known.
'Mart,' she protested, 'did you have to ring me up at
this hour? What's wrong? Has one of the nurses assaulted
you?'
. He chuckIed. 'Sorry to waken you, but it may be my
only chance to talk to you. It's been one of those nights
with a steady flow of the rest of the crew from the cruiser,
including several officers. We don't know what it is yet.
Looks like food poisoning.'
Dru said hopefully, 'Is the captain among them?'
'Not him! Tough as old boots. He needs to be, poor
blighter, with man-eating nurses surrounding him on all
sides when he comes to the hospital to enquire about his
men.'
She could not resist saying, 'Some women will chase
anything.'
'He re, hold on!' Mart protested. 'They chase me
too.'
'That's what 1 mean.'
'Thanks,' he answered equably. '1 know you're feeling
narked because I've wakened you from your beauty sleep,
but 1 forgive you. Actually, 1 rang to say 1 shall be too
busy to see you untilthis evening. If I'm lucky, 1 might
get away to have dinner with you. Anyway, come to the
hospital this morning and the chief will show you round
his rabbit incubators. Catch the half past ten bus. It stops
outside your hotel.'
She caught the half past ten bus which put her down at
the hospital gates. Passing pretty nurses flitting across the
grounds, she came face to face with Liane coming off
duty. She looked tired, but she bore her weariness with an
air of sophistication. Wonderful to be disciplined in one's
actions, Dru thought, to be always calm and collected and
still look lovely and desirable at the same time.
Liane's greeting was brief as she walked gracefully
across the grounds in the direction of the nurses' quarters.
Several groups of pretty nurses followed in her wake and
Dru found herself smiling at the thought of the extra
patients from the cruiser. The hospital personnel would
find little difficulty in hooking a sailor for a husband.
They were such pretty girls. Dru had entered the hospital
to the familiar aroma of waxed corridors and clinical
scents when she heard light footsteps behind her.
'Miss Temple?'
She tumed to greet Howell Seabright, wondering why
it was that overweight people were usually so light on
their feet.
'Good moming,' she said. '1 hope I haven't arrived at
an inopportune momento I can go if you're busy.'
'On the contrary, I shall be delighted to show you
around, Miss Temple. Shall we go?'
He guided her past consulting rooms and side wards,
his hands thrust into his pockets, his shoulders slightly
hunched.
'The hospital is rather like a ship at the moment, with
officers and crew filling most of the wards. Mart obviously
had the same idea as myself in thinking your visit will
brighten up their day. Your glowing presence will cer-
tain1y send up their morale, not to mention their tem-
perature.'
Dru laughed. '1 think noto The island girls are realIy
beautiful.'
Howell said quietly, '1 have yet to see a greater beauty
than a fair English woman.'
silver across the water while the white frothy surf washed
caressingly about her feet. The previous evening, at
sunset, the sea and sky had merged together into colours of
flameand gold in thebreathless hush of approaching night.
This moming the sky held a quivering expectancy
offering a new world as newly minted as a coin. To swim
in tropical waters was to appreciate the wonderful gift of
life. Nowhere else could one ever feel so happy, carefree
and relaxed. So thought Dru as reluctantIy she left the
water.
She had slipped on her beach robe when she noticed
the solitary figure swimming towards the shore. With a
lurch of her heart, she recognized him as he carne striding
from the surf some distance away. The fine head set on
powerful shoulders was probably a personality on bis
ship, she mused, imagining bis crew jumping to attention
on bis first deep-voiced command.
It was the memory of bis strength and hateful kiss
which spurred her on to hurry and put space between
them. Unfortunately, in her haste she stumbled and, in
falling, struck her knee on a piece of rock half submerged
in the sand. The pain in her knee was excruciating and
she sat for several moments struggling against a feeling of
nausea. Gulping in deep breaths, she rose slowly to her
feet to discover that she was quite able to stand. Apart
from a painful tingling, her knee was none the worse.
1 t was the slow ominous trickle down her leg that did
it. Dru was no coward, but she had a thing about blood.
Thesight of it always made her keel overo She staggered
on to reach the haven of a friendly rock and leaned
against it. There was dew on her temples and she bit on
her lip in an effort to keep herself conscious.
'Had an accident?'
Keith Falkner loomed over her, wide beach-robed
figure shutting out the heaving sky. Dru made no answer,
nor did she look up. She could not look down either, since
another sight of the blood would be fatal. The next
moment he was down on his haunches taking her sha-
pely Ieg in a firm brown hand with a surprising gentleness.
'The skin is broken, but you'll survive,' he commented
in a tone which conveyed the impression that he did not
know why she should. 'Hurt yourself anywhere else?'
Dru shook her head.
He rose sIowly to his feet, then took in her pallor.
:'Sure?' he insisted.
She leaned back heavily against the rock, knowing that
if she moved it would be downwards to the ground. 'Go
away,' she muttered, and her lips felt as green as her face.
'I'm all right.'
He placed a finger beneath her chin and lifted her
ashen face, pushing back the hair from her forehead.
'You look like death,' he said.
Somehow Dru summoned the strength to push his
hand away feebly. 'Will you please go? 1 .. , 1 can't ...
stand the sight of blood, that's all.'
His answer was to scoop her up into his arms and stride
towards the hotel.
When Dru opened her eyes she was lying on her bed.
The windows were wide open and the salt air was refresh-
ing to her parched lips. Although her mind boggled she
took in an extraordinary number of details about Keith
Falkner, who sat sideways facing her on the bed, the
blue whites of his slate grey eyes, the black lashes, the
dark crispness of newly drying hair curling free without
the usual disciplined brushing.
'That was some faint,' he said. 'And now for operation
number two.'
He moved over to sit at the head of the bed and draw
her up on pillows. It was then that she saw she was lying
on the top of the bed. Her leg had been cleaned and her
knee bandaged neatly.
'Come on, drink this.'
called away to the phone, she told Dru, who excused her-
self and went in search of him.
He was putting the phone down in the hall. 'Sorry,
Dru, 1 have to go to the hospital right away. One of my
special cases is causing concern.' He consulted his wrist
watch. 'As it's not yet eleven o'clock you must stay on.
The fun is only just beginning. 1'11 come back later if 1
can. If not Wisp will see that you're taken back to the
hotel,'
The next moment he had gone. Time passed swiftly
after that, for Dru was claimed for every dance. One of
her most persistent partners had been Francis Gurley, the
good-looking doctor whom Mart had introduced as a col.
league. He was an excellent danger, but he obviously fan-
cied himself as a ladies' man judging by the rather
intimate way in which he held her.
Dru heartily disliked men of this kind and she greeted
Wisp with a sense of relief when she approached at the
end of the dance number to draw her aside.
'Mart has rung up to say he won't be free to come back,
so Keith will take you to the hotel later.' Her face was
flushed with excitement.'Have fun - I must dash to see
about the firework display in the grounds.'
Wisp, living up to her name, was away with a swirl of
perfumed skirts, Ieaving Dru with her dislike of the idea
of Keith taking her to the hotel tuming into a kind of
panic. She would think something out during the next
hour or so, steal away and phone for a taxi. It was a
thought.
'Shall we go to see the firework display?'
Francis Gurley took her elbow and guided her from the
ballroom into the grounds. They were joined by other
guests making for the lake. He walked her to a secluded
comer a little away from the rest of the crowd who were
focussing the illuminated windmill at the far side with its
reflection mirrored in the water. It was there that the
fireworks were to be discharged.
It was a fascinating display as rainbow colours ex-
ploded in the sky to cascade down in fiery rain into the
water. Dru, engrossed in the performance, was almost
unaware of Francis taking her hand. As his hold tightened
however, she was dragged away from the last quivering
spectacle of a realistic waterfall to wriggle her hand free.
'Shall we go to the buffet?' she suggested hurriedly,
preferring anything sooner than linger in the grounds
with him when the other guests had strolled indoors, In
the buffet, they were caught up in the gay crowd and Dru
scarcely had time to finish her long drink before she was
whirled away by Pete for a dance.
By now the ball was becoming riotously gay with car-
nival streamers and balloons floating around. Dru man-
aged to evade Francis by the fact that she was in great
demand as a partner. She had seen Keith from time to
time dancing with Liane more than once, and she tried
not to be aware of him. She failed, of course, and was
annoyed to find it impossible to be as indifferent to him as
he appeared to be to her. His vibrant personality carne
across despite the crowd of people, and she noticed
against her will that he appeared to be a little aloof from
. the young noisy crowd surrounding him, Liane had
caught one of the flowers being pelted indiscriminately
across the room and, after putting it to her lips, placed it
in his buttonhole.
Then Dru saw no more,for Francis Gurley had cut in on
her and her partner to swing her away in the direction of
the garden. The warm scented air of the garden was all
around them as he danced her down a broad path to a
more secluded spot among the trees.
The moon had risen and with the muted sound of the
music floating on the still night air nothing could have
been more romantic, Yet to Dru the very air which she
breathed held a warning. Perhaps Francis could not be
cool water in the heat of the day. Mart found a boat, gave
her a hand and rowed off into deeper water. They drifted
idly after a while and Dru gazed back at the house dream-
ing in the sun with the reflection of the grounds mirrored
in the water.
'Have you noticed that the owners of beautiful large
houses in spacious grounds hardly, if ever, have large
families to enjoythem?' she asked dreamily.
Trailing her hand luxuriously through the water, she
watched as Mart tossed a careless glance back at the
house. 'Children these days cost the earth, and the upkeep
of a Iarge house is virtually impossible unless one happens
to have plenty of money.'
Dru looked at him thoughtfully. 'You do want to
marry some day, though, don't you, Mart? 1 can't im-
agine you remaining dedicated to your work. lt isn't you
somehow.'
'1 have to be dedicated until I've made the grade.
Which reminds me - 1 have something to ask you.'
He had rowed away from the rest of the guests, al-
though they could still be seen and heard. Pulling in the
oars, he allowed the boat to drift and leaned forward.
'1 want you to act as the possessive type of fiance. By
that 1 mean if the question of our breaking off the en-
gagement comes up in public, 1 want you to refuse to
release me.'
'Is that likely to happen?'
He shrugged. 'One never knows. 1 could go berserk and
forget my vow to persist in my studies to the bitter
end.'
Dru asked slowly, 'Have you anyone in mind?'
'No. But it's as well to be prepared.'
'Liane, for instance?'
He laughed a little self-consciously, erm afraid 1 took
Liane out more than the usual number of times. That was-
when 1 was a raw recruit. Fortunately, she isn't the type
to stick to one man. She likes a change. At the moment
it's the dashing Captain Falkner.'
'And Wisp Mallon?'
'Wisp is just a child out to enjoy herself, but there's a
risk that she could become emotional some time.'
Dru sat back in her seat wondering just what she had
let herself in foro She knew little or nothing about his
way of life on the island apart from the hospital. Posing as
his fiance could still be fun if she did not become too
deeply involved. For one thing, she hated scenes of any
kind in public or otherwise and did not fancy being
caught up in one.
Dru steadied her thoughts and said quietly, 'Hadn't
you better put me in the picture?'
'There is no picture, my peto Sometimes circumstances
can be very misleading.'
Dru thought about her encounters with Keith and
'could see his point.
'1 agree. But aren't you forgetting 1 shall only be here
for a short time? What happens when I'm gone?'
'By then you'll have been here long enough for every-
one to meet you. You're such a sweet person that no one
will have the slightest desire to step into your shoes.
They'll regard me as your property when you've gone.'
He regarded her gravely, 'Will you do it?'
Dru hesitated, realizing that her life on the island had
already been cut to a pattern. Perhaps it was something in
the clear air, or the intoxication of the breathless, lovely
evenings, which gave her a feeling of wanting to be free
from any entanglements - free from belonging to anyone,
even to Mart. But she had already committed herself, and
to Dru, who was always loyal to any contract, that was
that.
Dinner that evening at Government House was up-
roariously gayo The food was delicious, the wine perfect
and the service second to none. Sir Athol and Lady
CHAPTER FOUR
DRU had awakened during the night reeal!ing Mart's
thoughtful regard when he had brought her back to the
hotel. His subsequent embrace was something she could
not entirely banish from her mind. She turned restlessly
in her bed, disturbed by it. Was it possible for him to
become fond of her? He was certainly not the man she
wanted to marry, although he appealed enormously to
the protective instinct in her. Dru wanted something more
from marriage than mothering her partner. She was not
really sure what she did want, but there had to be a
tremendous need sweeping her from her moorings in a
great tidal wave towards the man of her heart.
When she awoke again at seven o'clock, she felt more
settIed, although beneath her tranquillity an inner
emotion seemed to hold her in a strong grip, an emotion
leaving her trembling with a strange anticipation. After a
swim, she was one of the first to go down to breakfast.
The waiter looked her over appraisingly when he carne
for her order. Her dress was simplicity in itself, a tur-
quoise pattern on a white background with a cool neck-
line. The youthful line of her throat was unbroken by
jewellery, apart from two turquoise studs in her ears.
There was no sign of Keith or the O'Brians in the
dining room and Dru ate alone. Dru did not mind being
alone. She needed intervals of solitude in which to con-
tain al! the strangeness of an entirely new environment.
Back in her room, she touched up her lipstick and was
checking the contents of her beach bag when she heard
Mart outside sounding the car hooter very softly in short
peeps.
Have fun, she told herself, and went down to meet him,
seat.
'That was neatly done. He drves up and takes the
woman away without a by your leave,' he muttered in
disgusto
'We are supposed to be a practically engaged couple,'
Dru commented dryly. 'The man evidently thinks he's
doing us a good tum in taking away a third person.'
'Nothing personal,' Mart said abruptly, rather too ab-
ruptly. '1 wanted a word with Liane about one o my
patients. I understood she was on duty today.'
'Is she that good?'
'Not only good, when you've worked with the same
people for ayear you sort of come up with the same de-
ductions. Yes, Liane is extremely efficient at her job.'
"Then couldn't that be one of the reasons Captan Falk-
ner whisked her away? He might have wanted to ask her
about O'Brian or members of his crew, How are they
doing, by the way?'
'They're all doing well now that we've established the
cause o the mystery epidemic.' After a brief silence, he
added, 'Why the sudden defence o the Captain? I
thought you didn't care for him?'
Dru was a little taken aback at this since me had been
surprised at her own defence of the mano She chuckled,
'Do you know, I haven't a clue except that I like to be
fair and try to see things in their true perspective,' she
said rather weakIy.
Mart made no answer but drove on in silence. If he was
unusually preoccupied for the rest of the journey, so was
Dru. Bud's illness and the encounter with Liane and
Keith had blunted the sharp happiness of her day. She
kept seeing Liane and Keith together at Govemment
House, spending the day there and leaving early to dance
at some night spot to music backed by the rumble o the
surf. Later, in the flame-colour gloaming, they would sip
cool drinks from long glasses beneath the banyan trees
and look meaningly into each other's eyes. .
It was after breakfast the following morning that Mart
phoned to say he would not be free all day. He suggested
that she should go to the Coconut Club where there were
all kinds of activities to fill her day with people she had
already met.
Dru welcomed the break. Relations between them were
becoming a little strained and she was beginning to view
Mart's possessiveness with more than a little apprehen-
sion. It would be a good idea to get away from it all and
explore the island. Neither Mrs. O'Brian nor Bud had
been at breakfast, but earlier, wherr she had gone down
for her bathe, Keith, virile and glowing in a bathing robe,
had been making his way back to the hotel. Perversely,
Dru had looked the other way and had taken a path
which forked off away from him. It had taken a little
longer to reach the beach, but rather that than having to
pass him. Her heart, however, had still been beatnz
heavily from the chance encounter when she slipped off
her robe and entered the water.
Her relief at not seeing him at breakfast was overlaid
by a sneaky sense of disappointment. Accepting a holiday
at Mart's expense and posing as his fiance had not been a
good idea. Her commitments had secured her with a ball
and chain to Mart, making her feel reaIly bound to him
when actually she was as free as air.
Dru knew she was not the same person who had come
to the island so lightheartedly with the idea of helping
Mart and having a good time. Since her arrival the lone-
liness brought on by her mother's recent marriage had
dissolved into a new sensation, something both breath-
taking and deliciously frightening. Since it was not Mart
who invoked the new emotion it must be the island with
the cruiser in the bay filling her foolish mind with roman-
tic notions.
It had nothing to do with the Captain. How could it?
Dru felt her dislike of him welling up into her throat as
she repaired her make-up after breakfast before going
out. Her mind bauIked at the thought of hirn. She had
timed the bus neatly, for it drew up at the hotel as she
emerged neat and trim in a cool sun-suit showing long
tanned legs.
. There. was only a sprinkling of passengers, a few house-
wrves gomg to market and a few brown-skinned children
eyeing her solernnly with big black eyes beneath caps o
tight black curIs.
The road leading to the village encircled tbe island
meandering at times past sea-grape and casuarinas as it
dipped close to the sea. The village lay huddled against a
background of rock as though for protection against the
gales which swept mercilessly across tbe island. Heavy
shutters gave. the ~ittle ~hops an air of mystery and tbey
were not unlike dimly 11t caves displaying tbeir treasures
to Dru, who was drawn to the lttle tightly packed stalls
in the market place.
She wandered past stalls displaying herbs in pots, tom-
atoes and strange-Iooking small eggs, mangoes, red
peppers and sweet bananas to gift displays.
'Lucky shell necklace, lady. Very pretty. Bring good
luck. Come from sea to protect you from harm, Very
cheap.'
White teeth gIeamed in tbe dark face of the vendor
who held up a pretty sheIl necklace. His dark eyes rested
hopefuIly on her face, Dru's pink-tipped fingers reached
for the fastener o her shoulder-bag as a voice whispered
in her ear.
'Why not? Take it with you on your tour o strange
men's bedrooms. At least it will protect you from some
man's irate wife when she finds you in tbeir room.'
Dru swiveIled ro~nd to Iook up into the mocking slate
grey eyes o Captain Falkner. Refusing to be moved in
any way by tbe man, she smiled sweetly.
'Captain Falkner, how sweet of you to remind me. The
small matter of self-preservation never entered my
head. I can see now why I must buy one. I might come up
against someone like you who really enjoys thinking the
worst of poor little me.'
Her piece delivered in crushing style, Dru turned, ad-
justed her sunglasses and presented a slim back as she
bent over the stall to choose a necklace.
She chose a very pretty one of perfectly matched pink
and white shells and put it in her shoulder bag as the
vendor fished for change in a small tin on the stall.
'Capitan! Capitan!'
Moving away from the stall, Dru heard the cries of
children as they milled around Keith. In the white uni-
form with the gold braid, he was a picturesque figure at
any time with his flashing smile and powerful physique.
Island people had gathered round to greet him, the men
jocular, the women admiringly, swaying their beautiful
bodies. They were meltingly alluring with their dark eyes
luminous as lamps.
Dru's progress between the tightly packed stalls was
slow, but she managed eventually to put space between
herself and the admiring crowd around the Captain.
Consequently, her feet in the rope sandals felt lighter as
she left air fraught with the electricity of his presence for
a more normal, natural atmosphere. -
The sun was already high in the sky which verged from
a horizon of palest blue to a vast cloudless ceiling of a
deeper hue. The sea, a blue and shimmering silver mirror
edged by frothy white foam, beckoned her from the
crowded market to breathe in deeply of the clear invigor-
ating air.
The smart cabin cruiser, newly painted blue and white,
was anchored not far out on the placid water. It Iooked
bright and perky, as cool and fresh as a newly plucked
lettuce to Dru, who puUed back slim shoulders to loosen
the beach suit from her hot skin. Longingly, she looked at
it, imagining the cool sea spray on her face from its deck
as it roared through the water.
A dark-skinned man wearing a uniform hat and with a
brown torso above blue trousers was approaching it in a
dinghy and she watched him pull up alongside to carry
fishing tackle and provisions aboard. Then he was back in
the dinghy again, making for the shore where someone
was striding across the sand to meet him. It was Captain
Falkner. He saw her and their eyes met simultaneously.
'Care to join me?' he called. 'I'm going fishing.'
Dru shook her head. 'No, thanks.'
'Poor sailor?' he queried mockingly.
Dru did not answer.
'It doesn't need as much spunk as entering strange
men's rooms,' he baited.
'Perhaps not. But at least the company is varied,' she
shot at him across the narrowing distance as he strode
towards her.
'The day is going to be really hot. It will be much
cooler on board.' He had stopped to tower above her.
Beneath the beck of his uniform hat, the slate grey eyes
narrowed speculatively. 'What are you afraid of, the sea
or me?'
'You flatter yourself!'
He smiled at her swift rejoinder, an odd sort of smile,
tongue in cheek.
'Not afraid of anything?' he suggested. 'That doesn't
tie up with your refusal to accompany me.'
'It might when you pause to consider your lack of hos-
pitality in the past.'
Unconsciously, Dru lifted a hand to a slow trickle of
moisture down one side of her nose. He watched her
remove it with a nervous finger and she wished desper-
ate1y that he would go. When he made no attempt to do
so, she decided to leave him flippantly.
'Enjoy your fishing,' she said airily, and turning away,
could not resist a parting shot. 'Don't lean too far over
the side, though. Fish are usualIy very partial to a
worm.'
What happened next was so sudden that she was
speechless. He scooped her up into his arms and strode
with her as easily as he would a child to the dinghy. Dru,
temporarily immobilized by the swiftness of his action,
carne to shakily when he put her into the dinghy. The
bare-torsoed man, obviously the owner of the cabin-
cruiser, pushed the dinghy out of shalIow water, lifted his
hat to the back of his head and stood, hands on hips,
watching them go.
Dru watched him growing smaller and smaller as the
line of frothy white foam between them lengthened. Her
kidnapper made short work of landing on the cabin
cruiser. She was lifted on to the step up the side and
seated on one of the built-in seats of the covered deck.
The island was now some distance away and she found
herself seeking familiar landmarks, Government House in
its nest of greenery in the hilIs, the white buildings of the
hospital and a tantalizing glimpse of striped awnings on
the forecourt of the GarIand Hotel.
A freshening breeze from the windward side freed
curIy tendrils of hair to fall across her green eyes. She
pushed them away, loving the cool, exhilarating breeze so
welcome after the enervating heat on shore. Keith had
started up the engine and they roared through the water
for quite some time until he final1y decided to drop
anchor. He then busied himself with a fishing rod, throw-
ing the line over the side of the boat expertly with a
powerful arm slotting the rod firmly into the fixture on
the built-in seat.
'How come you're on your own today?' he asked,
lowering his long length down beside her.
Dru's eyes wandered over the c1ear blue of the water
-----
CHAPTER FIVE
DRU had dined alone that evening and had gone up to her
room expecting Mart to phone. Accord.ing to the rece?-
tionist there had been no phone call during the day while
she had been out. There had been snatches of talk she had
picked up in the dining room about a truckload of f~rm
workers overtuming on a bend not far from the hospital,
which meant that Mart could be dealing with the cas-
ualties.
Several times Dru had picked up the phone by her bed
to ring him, only to put it down again in case he was too
busy to bother with her. In the end, she decided to settle
down on her balcony with a book.
It was eight-thirty when the knock came on her door
and she opened it eagerly.
'Hello ' said Bud. He was clad in his pyjamas and was
carrying a small cardboard box under one armo :'Are you
alone?'
He fixed her with a wide innocent stare and Dru could
have hugged him.
She chucked. 'If you mean is my husband here, no. And
I'm not married. The young man you saw dining with me
is a friend.'
He beamed. 'I've come to show you my new game.
Captain Falkner bought it for ~e.'.. . .
He walked into the room, his fair hair tousled, his little
face oddly delicate beneath the new thin coating of tan
Dru closed the door and watched him empty the contents
of the box on to a low coffee table.
'Shouldn't you be in bed? Surely Mummy hasn't left
you alone?' .
She strolled up to him as she spoke to see him deeply
immersed in the task of making two neat piles of coloured
cut-outs on either si de o the table.
'It's all right,' he said without looking up. 'Marie keeps
an eye on me. She's one o the maids. She comes to see if
I'm asleep, then she goes.'
'But won't she come back and find you missing?'
He shook his head. '1 pretend to be fast asleep, so she
won't come again. She goes out to meet aman if she
thinks 1 won't wake up. I've seen her from iny window.
Marie always does that.'
'Does your mummy know?'
Again he shook his head. The cardboard cut-outs were
now in two even piles on the table and with deep con-
centration, Bud placed a dice in a red plastic cup and
shock it.
'Number four,' he cried as the dice rolled to a halt. He
fished among the cut-outs and produced a clown's head
with the number on it and placed it away from the littIe
pile on the table. 'Your'tum.' He held up the dice in the
cup.
Dru sank into a low chair by the table and said dazedly,
'What do 1 do?'
'Shake it, silly.'
Dru shook the dice and threw number one. It was the
clown's torso which Bud took from her littIe pile of cut-
outs to place in front of her. His second throwalso pro-
duced the number one and he fixed a torso to the head o
his clown.
'Oh, 1 see,' exclaimed Dru, shaking the dice and en ter-
ing into the spirit o the game. 'It's a kind o jigsaw which
fits together with numbers.'
'Not a jigsaw,' he said in disgust. 'Clowns. We have
three each and the first one to complete them wins the
game.'
He was taking the game quite seriously. His small faee
grew more determined as Dru went on to complete her
second clown while he was still trying to get a much
needed number five to complete his first. At last he threw
the number he wanted and went on to win the first
game.
They went on to play a second game, munching nut
chocolate - Dru had remembered a slab in her handbag.
At half past nine, she rang room service for two hot
drinks and biscuits and they went on to play their final
game. It was ten o'clock when Bud went sleepily to bed
with his game tucked under his armo
'See you tomorrow night,' he said after she had tucked
him into bed.
Dru bit her lip, hating to disappoint him. '1 might be
out.'
'With a man?' he snorted in disgusto
She smiled. 'Possibly. You'll be aman yourself some
day. When you are you'll be taking girls out and loving
it.'
He shook his head. '1 shan't get married. I'm going to
have a ship like Captain Falkner's. Then 1 can give
Daddy lots of leave to come home.'
There was a prickle of tears behind her eyes which she
blinked on determinedly. 'That will be wonderful. You'll
make a very handsome captain.'
He considered this gravely. 'A-s big and handsome as
Captain Falkner?'
'Of course.'
It only occurred to Dru when she was back in her room
that Bud had done something he had refused to do before,
drink a glass of miIk. Maybe he had been too engrossed in
his game to care what he was drinking, 'but Dru preferred
to think that he had drunk it because she had shared a
glass with him. It was good to feel she had influenced him
to take something to do him good. Would to heaven she
could do more and commute his death sentence to one of
long life.
---
She was in bed when Mart rang to ask how she had
spent her day. Dru 'told him she had been shopping in the
village and fishing in that order, deliberately omitting the.
fact that she had been with Keith. For some reason she
was reluctant to mention him.
Mart said he had been busy all day and would be busy
the following day too. He was, however, hoping to call for
her the next evening to take her to a party. Dru fel! asleep
wondering where it might be.
Awakening on the island after a restful night was to be
instantly and gloriously alive. Dru had never experienced
anything like the exhilaration she felt on leaving her bed.
The lethargic, empty feeling familiar since her mother's
marriage had gone. The beauty of the morning dazzled
her as she made her way down to the beach for her early
morning bathe.
The swimming, the air and the walk back to the hotel
provided an incentive for her to explore the island after
breakfast. It was something to know that the day was
going to be sunny and hot. The blood sang in her veins at
the thought of a day spent in the greenery and sunshine
among the flowers and she set forth feeling gay and ad-
venturous. As the day had started so it would go on.
Dru had left the beaten track to take a path behind the
hotel where, for a while, she would be sheltered by trees.
N ow and then there were clearings between the jungle
scrub where thatched houses nestled in between patches
of sweet potato and banana groves. In one garden trailing
thunbergia cast a mauve shawl up the side o the
house.
The sun moved higher in the blue sky and although
Dru had clirnbed well above sea level, the negligible
breeze coming from the sea did not entirely offset the
overpowering heat. She began to feel hot and thirsty.
Then she saw it, . a dear little villa set at the end of a
clearing. One carne upon it quite unexpectedIy and unless
one knew the path or carne upon it accideotally like Dru
had, one would not find it. It was built rather high above
the ground with a screen of trees guarding it like sen-
tinels.
A sense of adventure lightened her footsteps, She forgot
the heat. One peep, she told herself, staring wide-eyed at
candy pink walls and white shutters in a garden filled
with tropical flowers. Behind the house casuarinas made a
drama tic blue-green background. Dru was enchanted
until a movement in the garden told her she was not
alone.
A large shady straw hat lifted above a patch of crimson
bougainvillea to reveal a pair of sunglasses framing a
familiar face. It was Liane, glamorous and sultry in a
black halter-necked top, bare midriff and scarlet shorts,
She carried a long flower basket in which laya few choice
blooms.
'Hello there,' she called. "})on't stand looking. Come
right in.'
She waved a gloved hand in the direction of the garden
gate. Dru obeyed and said apologetically, '1 didn't mean
to intrude. As a matter of fact you're the last person I
expected to see.'
Liane had stripped off her gardening gloves. 'Come sit
on the patio,' she said, 'while I take the flowers away and
get you a cool drink. Have you walked here?'
'Yeso 1 shall be glad o a rest, though.'
Dru sat down on a lounger and felt a sudden upsurge of
heat as she lay back with relief.
'Slip out o your shoes.' Liane was there with two tall
glasses o fresh lime with ice tinkling against the glass. '1
always think it cools you to feel your feet free. It's the first
thing 1 do when 1 come off duty.'
'Thanks.' Dru slipped off her sandals and accepted the
drink gratefully.
Liane draped herself gracefully opposite to Dru, who
was conscious of silky black hair, dark lustrous eyes and
long slender legs. For no reason at all Mart carne into the
picture. Had he been in love with Liane? Anyone might
fall in love with Mart working with him as intimately as
Liane did, she thought loyally. If they had been lovers,
Liane was certainly not the kind to fret over it. For all her
femininity, she had a sense of balance. The affair had
probably been a short-lived passionate one with a sense of
unreality about it ..
Dru wanted to ask Liane about Mart. After all, she liad
the right to know if there was anything between them.
When it carne to realities, it was herself who had to
strengthen Mart's side in his tug-of-war against the island
lovelies, and Liane was certainIy one of the, dangerous
ones. An inadequate feeling washed over her as though
Liane was a challenge to Mart and herself. On the other
hand any inquiry about Mart could be an act of disloyalty
towards him,
'That was deliciously cool and refreshing,' she said as
the cool drink moistened her dry throat. 'You'll be as
surprised to see me as 1 am to see you. 1 wasn't aware that
you had a place of your own.'
Liane raised a delicate brow. -'1 tliought you'd come to
look me up before coming to the housewarming party
tonight with Mart. Surely he told you?'
'I'm afraid noto All he said was that we were going to a
party this evening. 1 had no idea where.'
Liane shrugged. '1 bought this place twelve months ago
from an old friendo It was in abad state of repair and it's
taken all this time to put it right. There are still things to
be done, but at least it's habitable.'
Dru had taken another drink from her glass. '1 think
it's enchanting. And what a view over the sea! Is it a
retreat, or are you considering matrimony?'
'Now that's a good question.' Liane carefully un-
wrapped a packet o cigarettes from the table between
them and proffered it. When Dru refused, she lighted one
for herselvNo, I'm not a prospective bride. I wouldn't
mind being one, I'm twenty-five.' She studied Dru's fair
hair, green eyes and golden skin dispassionately. "You're
much younger.'
'Twenty-one. Twenty-five isn't old. It's an ideal age to
marry.'
'Only by English standards. I'm half Polynesian. My
father was American, my mother Polynesian. To be re-
garded as a perfect beauty a Polynesian must be short-
necked with practically no waist. Fortunately, my skin is
not as dark as a full-blooded Polynesian - they tend to
run to fat as they grow older.'
"But you have a perfect figure. You've probably in-
herited it from your father's side.'
Liane did not contradict this. 'You mean 1 won't grow
fat and age early. I'd like to think so. But we foreign
women don't wear as well as you English.' She tapped ash
from her cigarette on to an ash tray. 'What do you do job-
wise?'
Dru told her briefly about her mother's shop and sub-
sequent rnarriage.
'It was fortunate then for you that you met Mart?'
Liane said,
Dru had not disclosed the fact of Mart being her step-
brother, so she had to tread warily. 'Ves, wasn't it?'
'Was it love at first sight?'
Dru smiIed. 'One can't help loving Mart!'
'Mart is a remarkable man.' Liane tumed her gaze to
the garden. 'He's been spoiled from the moment he drew
breath, first by an induIgent father and by the staff of the
hospital here. His fondness for all kinds of sport has kept
him fit and given him an appetite for women.'
Slowly, she tumed a curious glance on Dru. ~Are you
annoyed at my analysis of a nian I know better than
most?'
CHAPTER SEVEN
To awake was to recall immediately the disturbing events
of the previous night. Dru sat up in bed pushing the
heavy waves of hair from an aching brow and prepared to
face a new day. The night had been oppressively hot and
the patch of sky visible through her window glowed om-
inously like molten metal. Her rage against Keith had
gone, leaving only the sharne of responding to his kisses.
If she had been mad there was a conviction deep down in
her heart that the sarne madness would return again in
bis arms, What would have eventually happened was
anybody's guess and bis passion matched her own,
flarning as it had like dry twigs tossed on to an open
fire.
After a shower and a great deal of thought, Dru finally
convinced herself that there was enough distraction on
the island to fill in her time and heart and leaving no
room for loneliness. Bud, for instance.
Sheila O'Brian would be in hospital for a while and
when Mart was on duty she would do her best to keep Bud
happy. Breakfasting in her room in order to keep away
from any possible contact with Keith, she set off for the
village intending to make a few purchases for Mrs,
O'Brian as promised and have lunch there before going to
the hospital in the afternoon.
The air was still humid, the sky metallic when the bus
droned along past hedges trailing mauve thunbergia and
graceful casuarinas. A draught of cool air came in through
the open window of the bus when they swung around
corners and a sense of tranquillity settled on her which
had nothing to do with the tangled emotions within
her,
The village was astir with stallholders in the market
place and shopkeepers busily displaying their wares. Dru
enjoyed popping in and out of the shops on the shady side
of the street making purchases for Mrs. Q'Brian from the
pharrnacy and later at the fruit and flower stal!s in the
market. At the little restaurant where she stopped for
lunch, a waiter looking darker-skinned than ever in bis
crisp white suit showed her to a table in an air-con-
ditioned room overlooking the market square and she
lingered over an excellent lunch.
Mart was the first person she met at the hospital. He
carne along the corridor, bis white coat flying open and
his stethoscope flopping from his pocket. He was scowl-
ing.
Dru beamed. "Good afternoon, Mart,' she said.
'Good afternoon, darling. You look happy.'
She could have told him she was feeling anytbing but
happy. However, his tone told her he was not feeling par-
ticularly happy hirnself and she wondered fleetingly
about it.
'Aren't you?' she queried.
He shrugged. In that moment he looked rather young
for a responsible job. Perhaps his slight build and light
curly hair combined with his well-scrubbed boyish fea-
tures were apt to emphasize bis immaturity. He was like
bis father, yet unlike. Mart wore his badge of office, the
white coat, carelessly like a painter, whereas his father
wore the much longer one, as befitting bis status, with
gracious forrnality and charrn.
Mart would learn, Dru thought, eyeing his jaded look.
'You look tired, Mart. I should have a lie-in at the first
opportunity,' she suggested.
'I'm al! right. It happens to be one of those days.' His
eyes narrowed down at the picture she made, taking a
brief inspection of her bright hair, the colourful bouquet
in one slim suntanned arm, the long slender legs and all
her slender freshness. ''Y ou're too bright a vision for tired
eyes, my peto 1 hate to think of you wand,ering around
without me.'
Dru chuckled in sympathetic amusement. "So what? I
shall soon have an escort - Bud.'
"Budi" Mart echoed, dragging back his thoughts from
where they had flown.'Bud isn't here.'
'Not here?' Dru's heart jolted. 'Why not? Where is he?'
'Out with Marie, the chambermaid from your hotel.
She called to see how he was as it's her day off duty and
he wanted to go out with her. He'll be back at the hotel
tonight. By the way, should you take him out, take care
not to overtire him. He's apt to get breathless at the least
exertion.' He smiled down at her, a smile filled with
boyish charm. 'He can't wait to get back to the hotel, and
I think you're the reason. He's very attached to you.'
He had taken her arm and was walking with her along
the corridor towards Mrs. O'Brian's ward. Suddenly the
door of one of the small private wards they were passing
opened and Liane stepped into the corridor carrying a
chart, She looked crisp, vital and glowing, as beautiful in
her uniform as she was out of it. She greeted them
both briefly and continued down the corridor with her
lovely graceful walk showing an enchanting back view
of her legs. -
Mart's eyes were glued on her, but they revealed
nothing. Liane had revealed a little more. Dru had seen
the look she had given Mart, brief though it had been.
She herself had never looked at Mart in that way, for a
very good reason. She was not in love with him. Liane
was.
'Lovely girl, Liane,' she remarked as Liane's skirts
swung around a comer out of sight.
'Hmm. What did you say?'
Mart looked round at her almost startled. She
laughed.
clerk is with the rest of the hotel staff Iooking for the
O'Brian boy.'
At the mention of Bud's name, her fingers tightened
around the receiver.
'PIease hurry,' she pIeaded.
She waIked to and fro across her room for what seemed
like hours and was steaming beneath her waterproof with
moisture when the key finally turned in the lock and the
waiter whom she had seen earlier leaving Keith's room
stood hesitatingly in the doorway.
''Y our key was in the lock, madame,' he informed her
graveIy. "Sorry to be so long. 1 happened to be passing the
reception desk when you rango As 1 expIained earlier, the
clerk was engaged eIsewhere.'
Dru,poised for flight,paused. "Thank you. They haven't
found the boy, 1 suppose?'
Her green eyes were hopefuI and he gazed into them
appraisingly,
i'No, madame.'
1'1 didn't think they would. Well,' she smiled sadly,
"thank you again. Y ou've been very kind.'
The rain was still coming down in sheets when she
passed the windbreak of trees on her way down to the
beach. lt was quite dark now and she walked along the
shore with the visibility down to a few steps ahead. For-
tunately, the clump of rocks she was making for would
show up whitely in the gloom.
Every step was a prayer for Bud and she was half-way
there when the light appeared just ahead. The rain ap-
peared to be easing off and she stopped, waiting for it to
come nearer. It carne swiftly and Dru thought only Keith
would move like that. With her hands clenched at her
sides, her whole body tensed, she faced him as he loomed
out of the gloom. The torch illuminated her face before
he lowered it. It was then she saw the bundle in his arms.
Swathed in a blanket, it looked ominousIy still. Dru
moistened dry lips as a snake of fear rippled up her
spine.
'Y ou ... you've found him?' she stammered.
'Yes/ he answered. A breath rasped in his throat. 'Why
didn't you stay indoors?' .
But she was staring at the motionless bundle. 'He ... he
isn't ... ?' she gasped, unabIe to go on. .
'No. He's unconscious. My guess is he was runmng out
of the deluge back to the hotel when he collided head-on
with the rocks and knocked himself out.'
In the light of the torch he looked down at her in a way
she did not understand, and she wondered afterwards
what he had been thinking.
'Will he be a11 right?' Her eyes, wide and piteous, were
suddenly lifted to his. .
Keith continued on his way and she kept level with
him waiting for his answer. ....
'1 hope so. We must lose no 'time ID gettmg him to the
hospital. 1'11 put him in the car and ask Qne of the hotel
staff to alert the hospital that we're on the way.'
The short journey to the hospital was a nightmare for
Dru as Keith drove at a terrific speed, silent and grim.
She knew she had not helped matters by disobeying him,
but she couId not have stood the suspense of not knowing
what had happened to Bud when it was a11 her fauIt.
Whatever her parents would think when they heard was
something that did not bear thinking about. .
Howell Seabright was waiting when they arnved and
he followed Keith who carried Bud to a side ward on his
instructions.
Bud had not recovered consciousness when he was
taken to the children's ward and put to bed with hot
water bottles. Dru wanted to stay and wait, but both
Howell Seabright and Keith were against this. The sur-
geon strolled with them to the door. His round face looked
as sad as it was withdrawn.
He said,'The boy is in a state of shock from the blow
on the head and the exposure. But don't distress yourself.'
His expression softened at the marble rigidity of Dru's
smaIl face. 'We shaIl do everything possible for Bud. By
the way, 1 thought Mart was with you. He's off duty.'
Her face flamed beneath his curious regard . 'He's gone
to see an oId friend,' she volunteered.
At least that was true, she thought bitterly, angry with
Mart anew for exposing her to embarrassing moments.
He nodded kindly. "Registrars are always grossly over-
worked and under-paid. The further they're away from
work in their off duty hours, the better the break.'
Dru nodded miserably, wondering if he knew the truth
and the identity of Mart's old friendo She took her leave
hurriedly before pity replaced the kindness in his eyes.
Then Mart was forgotten when she was once more in
Keith's caro They were weIl on their way when he
spoke,
'You weren't planning on hanging around until that
fianc of yours decides to turn up, were you?' he asked
sharply. "1 don't know why yu bother with him.'
Dru was beginning to think the same. Strain wobbled
her voice,
"You know, I'd forgotten Mart until HoweIl Seabright
mentioned him. I'm much too upset about Bud.' Her lips
trembled and she controlled her tears with an effort. "1
did a dreadful thing in leaving him alone. But for me we
wouldn't be here now and Bud wouldn't be hovering be-
tween life and death.'
He said impatiently, "Boys are tougher than you think.
If they weren't half of them wouId never grow to man-
hood.'
He turned his head and met eyes wide with weariness.
"But Bud isn't going to live that long, is he? If he dies
now~ 1 shall have killed him. Don't you see?'
He gave his attention to his driving. 'I can see you
tossing and turning all night while you crucify yourself.
Snap out of it. What's done os done. We know the boy
isn't strong. On the other hand, he has no idea that any-
thing is wrong with him. 1 have a feeling that he'll pull
through tonight's ordeal and be none the worse for It.' .
Hope dawned in her green eyes. A small hand reached
out tentatively and touched his sleeve.
'Y ou really think so?'
Coolly he replied without turning his head, -'1 wouldn't
say so if 1 didn't.' He put on speed. :'Close your eyes and
empty your mind of all worry. If yo~ can fall asleep all
the better. 1 can carry you to bed and you won't remem-
ber a tbing.'
But although she closed her eyes, Dru was wide awake
when they reached the hotel.
'Y ou're going to my room first for a nightcap,' he told
her as he gave her a hand from the caro .
Despite her pro tests that she did not need one, he P1-
loted her through the doorway, taking off her waterproof
and divesting himself of bis own. Then while he busied
himself with bottles and glasses Dru sank down rather
hysterically into a chair. It was not so long ago that he
had thrust her from this same room. Now he had forced
her there and was mixing some deadly potion to put her
out for the night.
"There you are. Drink every drop.'
He stood over her pushing the glass into her hand and
she stared at it stupidly.
'AlI of it?' she gasped.
He nodded grimly. ''Navy punch,' he said laconically.
Dru, knowing that if she refused, he woul~ not be
within pouring it down her throat, drank part of it.
,'Phew!' she exclaimed as the heat rose In her face.
Keith lounged on the arm of a chair facing her, his arm
along the back, and gave her a look of satisfaction. 'Go
on, don't be afraid of it. You're certainly a better colour,
You're not the same bubbling creature who flung herself
at me on arrival. You're engaged to the wrong man.'
His slate grey eyes had the texture of steel and bis
mouth had thinned.
Dru quivered. 'Mart and 1 have an agreement which
you wouldn't understand."
,:'You're right,' grimly, '1 don't understand a set-up
where the woman clings to a fellow she knows is doing the
rounds with other women.'
Dru lowered her eyes with the stunned certainty that
he knew where Mart was spending the night, and guessed
that she knew too. Too shaken to answer, she swallowed
the rest of her drink. She simply had to get away.
"Take your time about standing up,' Keith warned.
The next moment she was swaying on her feet. Gently
he took the glass from her and put it down. Then he
paused, looking down at her with both hands closing on
her shoulders. When he swung her up effortlessly in his
arms she closed her eyes and he bore her swiftly to her
room.
:'Can you manage?' he asked, putting her into a chair
and taking off her wet shoes.
She nodded, wondering if her giddy reaction carne
from the rum punch or with being in bis arms.
"Go to bed. Sweet dreams,' he said, and was gone.
CHAPTER EIGHT
FOR the next few days Bud hovered between life and
death .. Sheila was with him most of the time and Dru,
after going to see her to explain, went away feeIing
wretchedly unhappy. Mart was philosophical about it,
He was far too busy with his usual routine cases to treat it
as emotionalIy as she did. When she saw him again at the
hospital his night out with Liane had not been men .
tioned. In her opinion1 Mart was only being Mart; Dru
realized that now, as she also realized how little she had
known him until she had come to the island.
With so little knowledge of a person one liad little
chance of reacting in the right way to their ways. It was
doubtful whether his affair with Liane would end with
marriage, To him the woman was satisfying a need and
was part of his growing up. And her own role as his
supposed fiance was to help him towards that end,
As for Keith, apart from one ortwo bref encounters,
he seemed to have gone out o her life, Bis manner at
such times had been politeIy cool and impersonal. Most of
his crew had now recovered from their indisposition and
were to be seen brightening the village with their cheery
uniforms as they helped to fasten sturdy shutters to shops
and houses in preparation for the hurricanes,
According to Mart, Bill O'Brian was much better and
was taking nourishment. Dru had not the heart to inquire
whether he had been told of his small son's dllness. For-
tunately, Liane was in charge of Bud and telephoned her
each morning about his condition. Dru was very grateful
for her kindness, for it meant that, after the daily bulletin
on Bud, she was free to go out and let the beauty of the
island act as a balm to her troubled mind,
CHAPTER NINE
By the following moming the hurricane had blown itself
out. Dru was up and dressed when the maid carne with
early morning tea. The heavy window drapes were drawn
aside and the shutters unbolted. In her neat tailored
blouse and slacks, Dru went on to her balcony to breathe
in the fresh warm moming air. The damage was appalling,
utter devastation as if vandalism had been rife.
The once irnmaculate grounds were a shambles. Apart
from the more hardy trees few were left standing. Others,
tom up by the roots, were strewn about among heaps of
greenery and tangled vines, She clutched the balcony rail,
breathing inthe odour of crushed leaves, broken flowers
and mangled earth. It smelt strongly like tears. Debris
fIoated on the sea and she blinked back the tears thinking
of all the birds blown out there who had died. Like Liane,
they had gone for ever,
The grounds, the plantations and fields of grain could
be sown anew. Growth was luxuriant and swift on the
island. The native population would have taken the cata-
strophe in their stride and would even now be building up
again. Disconsolately, Dru made her way downstairs.
The morning-room presented a far different picture
from that of the previous day. The windows were flung
open to sunshine and fresh morning air. Keith, freshly
shaved and vital, greeted her with his charming smile,
"Good morning, Miss Temple. Sleep well?'
"Yes, thanks. A well built house makes all the difIerence
to the clamour outside. Thanks for bringing me,'
''Y ou can show your appreciation by eating a good
breakfast,' he said smoothly, seating her at the table laid
for two, 'No breakfast, No work.'
He sat down in the chair opposite to her across the
table and his eyes scanned her pale face ruthlessly, so Dru
thought. It was evident that he meant to have his way.
He went on.
'No one can work and give of their best on an empty
stomach. Not that there's any need for you to plunge in
with the resto You look tired. Sure you wouldn't prefer to
stay here for the day, read a book Qr listen to records?'
A little colour crept up to her temples and her
eyes flashed. Useless to wish she had Liane's skill at her
fingertips so that she could make this arrogant creature
eat his words as he watched her doing a worthwhile
job.
Her soft lips set thinly. "What kind of person do you take
me for? 1'11 eat my breakfast, Captain Falkner, and 1'11 do
a job as efficiently as the rest.'
His mouth quirked. 'I'm sure you will,' he murmured.
"As for my opinion of you, 1 find you very sweet although
a little misguided. 1 only insist upon you eating enough to
sustain you throughout the day. And you're not to do too
mucho Understand?'
Her eyes widened at something odd in his tone. She
said firmIy, .
'1 wasn't aware that it was any concern of-yours what 1
do.'
'You're right. It wouldn't be had your fianc the time
to look after you.' His tone had a faint touch of irony.
'Which,' emphatcally, 'is the reason I took it upon myself
to bring you here.'
Dru lowered her lashes. The heavy beating of her heart
threatened to choke her. His meaning was clear enough.
He had no other interest in her save that of a fellow
countryman whom he felt it his duty to protect. Mart had
told her the man was picking up strays and the arrogant
creature regarded her as one.
Dru was too choked to eat, but she did so after repeated
effort. The weather had resumed its usual serene bril-
liance beneath an eye-watering blue sky when they left
Government House. As she sat beside Keith in the roorny
car, Dru's spirits were as flat as the devastation sur-
rounding them. She felt as lonely and deserted as the
villas they passed, many of which were stripped of their
balconies and half buried in debris. Her own future
stretched before her as flat and desolate as the land-
scape.
Already islanders were clearing the roads and loading
debris on to lorries. The ratings of Keith's ship were out
in force doing their share and they saluted smartly as he
drove by. The main street of the village had been cleared
and a marquee set up in the market square. It was here
that Keith deposited Dru. Inside was a beehive of activity
as willing hands made sandwiches and drinks at top
speed.
Dru lent a hand to practically everything, starting by
filling flasks and sandwich boxes for workers at out-
lying districts who had been working since early morning.
She worked non-stop until her clothes were plastered
against the heat of her body and her head throbbed. The
marquee became an oyen in the oppressive heat of the day
and she felt all in when Keith arrived at four o'clock. Her
lunch, sandwiches and tea, was still there untouched as
she attended to the demands of workers arriving in
Iorries,
She was filling the last of the flasks when it was taken
from her hot hands by a fino brown hand. It was passed
along with the rest to a waiting lorry driver. Then a hand
was placed firmly on her arm-and she was marched out to
Keith's waiting caro
:'Just what 1 expected,' he said roughly, leaning an arm
on the wheel of the car as she almost collapsed in the seat
beside him. 'You would have gone on until you dropped if
I hadn't come along.'
Dru smiled, not troubling to hide her weariness. "1 loved
it,' she said, and meant it.
W orking Il;0n-stop had cleared the fog of unhappiness
from her bramo lt had been numb. Now 1t was clear and
ale~t again. Even though she knew she meant nothing to
Keith the fact that he was there looking after her was
sufficient. Her joy knew no bounds.
Nervouslya slim hand touched the smoothness of her
bright hair.
'1 suppose 1 look awful,' she said, knowing that her
make-up had been absorbed hours ago in the heat.
His eyes lingered on the curly tendrils of hair <in each
side of her flushed face. Then they moved slowly over her
small ears and up to the golden swathed hair on her head
poised so gracefully on her slender neck.
'Y ou always look bandbox fresh to me even after a day
slaving in a marquee,' he muttered forcefully.'l bet you
feellike hell.'
She shone up at him, loving his concem. "You sound as
though you want me to feel that way. 1 wasn't trying to
prove anything, if that's what you're thinking.'
He started the ear, drove through the village and made
for the coast road without speaking. Dru welcomed his
silence. She was too busy coming to terms with the kind
of person she had become since meeting Keith to want to
talk at the momento Her love for him was stronger than
herself. His presence beside her left her feeling as giddy as
a schoolgirl on her first date. Yet he was further away
from her than he had ever been.
He might have been on the bridge o his ship for all the
notice he was taking of her. The bright sunlight played
on the bronze of his profile .showing with clarity the tired
lines around his eyes, and her heart ached at the thought
o him being exhausted too. They were high above the
village now with a faint breeze coming pleasantly
through the open ear window.
CHAPTER TEN
'Then you'd better get cracking and show that you mean
it. For instance.'
He bent his head and took her Iips, drawing her closer
against him until Dru felt part of him. Wisp was for-
gotten. If this was a farewell kiss then she was sure Wisp
wouId not grudge her that. But Keith went right on kiss-
ing her as she had ached and dreamed that he would do -
on her flushed cheeks, the curly tendriIs of hair against
her ears, her neck and then back again on her lips.
There was complete surrender to a sweet space of time
which would never be hers again. The perfume of the
garden enfolded them and the sound of the surf way
down below thudded in rhythm with her heart. Too late,
Dru realized that she had, to her own bitter humiliation,
blindly followed the demands of her heart. Her passion
had matched his. Reality struck her like a blow between
the eyes. Wisp must not find them like this.
'Please,' she gasped when he freed her lips. '1 know you
mean to be kind.'
'Kind?' he echoed disgustedIy.
"Yes. You're engaged to Wisp, you know.'
'Nonsense. Wisp is engaged to some man she met on
the plane after she left the island.'
'But she was arm in arm with you.'
'Why not? We're related. I flew here in the same plane
and when I told her I was coming to the party she asked
to come too. Her parents came with her. Her fianc is to
follow Iater.'
'B,ut I don't understand. You've aIways been so beastly
to me. And ... and the last night at the hotel ... you went
away without a last word. We ... never actually said
good-bye.'
He had drawn her from the garden path on to a seat
screened by casuarinas. They were sitting very close with
his arm around her.
'1 know, my darling.' His deep voice held a note she
had never heard before. "1 didn't have to say good-bye
because 1 was coming back. 1 did foIlow you up to your
room, though. Why didn't you answer my knock?'
;'1 was in Bud's room. That's why 1 missed you.'
He shook his head teasingly. ;'I've never known a girl so
fond of other chap's bedrooms! Thank goodness 1 shall
soon have you locked in mine.'
Dru felt his kiss on her hair as his words sank in her
bemused mind.
'Y ou mean you carne back to the island because of me?'
She lifted wide unbelieving green eyes to sean his face.
-'1 carne back to the island for you,' he said seriously.
;'We're going to be married.' He smiled and drew her only
half resisting closer to him. -'1 met some very interesting
people on the plane coming overo Want to hear about
them?'
Dru struggled to be logical, knowing that the warm
circ1e of his arms was the last place in which she could be
so. There was certainly no logic in the wildthrill coursing
through her veins, but she made an effort.
'1 still don't understand how you knew about the party
here and why you should come back for me knowing 1
was engaged to Mart.'
'I've kept dn touch with Sheila. 1 had a feeling that
things weren't right between you and Mart. You aren't
very good at hiding your true feelings, my sweet. Besides,
1 knew 1 could go on no longer without -you.' His hold
became suffocatingly close, his voice thickened.'Y ou're in
my blood, right under my skin. You're part of me. It must
have happened to me the moment you flung yourself into
my arms at our first meeting. Y ou are so warm, so loving.
But 1 was too taken aback to know it - to know the kind
of girl you really were. So 1 fought against my love. 1 told
myself that 1 should get over it and forget you like all the
others, but it didn't work out that way.' He gave a short
mirthless laugh. '1 saw all my plans of staying in the Navy