Dangerous Waters (15 page)

Annette
’
s eyes, a lighter blue than Terry
’
s, flashed fire at him, but Vida said quietly,
“
Vic is right, Annette. Your sis
t
er needs a good long rest before she can be in a condition to get excited over your wedding, and over Roger.
”

Terry squared her shoulders and her smile at Mrs. Winchester was perfectly natural.
“
I
’
m all right—really. A bit weary, and everything is very strange and a little puzzling. Where is Roger?
”

“
We haven
’
t told you!
”
said Annette.
“
He
’
s gone to find you.
”

“
Good heavens! Where?
”

“
Well, he convinced himself that you would have gone back down the river to Shalak, and the easiest way to get there, now that the railway is out of commission, is to go straight out to the coast from here and hope to pick up a plane, or even a helicopter. He left two days ago.
”

Vic said,
“
And I heard this morning that there was a plane out yesterday. He
’
ll have caught that.
”

“
Can
’
t we get in touch with him—send a telegram or something?
”

“
Where would we send it?
”
Vic shook his head.
“
I
’
m afraid poor old Roger will just have to scout round till he discovers where you are, and then come back. He was terribly fed up when Pryce told him you were coming the tedious way with Mrs. Pryce, by train and river.
”

“
But I wanted to come that way, so that I could make the most of my trip. I probably saw more of this country during the journey than you
’
ve seen in your seven or eight months out here!
”

“
I certainly haven
’
t canoed for four days along a river through the rain forest. That must be something to remember, Terry!
”

Something to remember. Oh, sure, she thought, unconsciously borrowing Pete
’
s inflexion in her mind. But it was already receding a little. Here she was, at the Winchesters
’
table with a plate of delicate food in front of her and a white-clad Malay servant clinking ice as he filled her glass with water. Vic was himself, solid, purposeful but unsure of Annette. The Winchesters were charming, and Annette
...
well, Annette seemed to have lost something. Terry was in no condition at the moment to discover just what it might be.

Sponge jellies and fruit were brought to the table, coffee was served with a cheese savory. At last there was a general move.

“
I suggest, Terry,
”
said Vida Winchester,
“
that you undress and lie down. Just let yourself sleep for as long as you can. I won
’
t invite anyone in for this evening. Tomorrow will be time enough for that.
”

The two men smiled at Terry and went outside. Mrs. Winchester said she thought she would rest herself and drifted into her bedroom. Annette put an arm round Terry and squeezed her.

“
You
’
re tops,
”
she said.
“
I
’
ve been in anguish, wondering if you
’
d got lost somewhere, or perhaps decided, after all, to stay with Mrs. Pryce
...
”

“
You knew I wouldn
’
t do that. All I thought of was getting here in time for your wedding.
”

Annette
’
s hand dropped to her side.
“
I
’
ve put it off for a week. I was too anxious about you to go through with it.
”

Not too anxious to play bridge, apparently. Terry caught herself up; never in her life had she judged Annette, and she didn
’
t intend to start doing so now.

“
Come into my bedroom with me,
”
she said.
“
I have another case to unpack and we can talk while I do it.
”

A few minutes later she was on the bedroom floor, unlocking the case, while Annette sprawled across the bed. There had been a time when Annette had practised sprawling gracefully in order to model a selection of bathing suits, and she had profited beautifully.

She said,
“
You weren
’
t surprised when I told you I
’
d postponed the ghastly day for a week. Had Vic already unburdened himself?
”

“
Yes. And don
’
t call it the ghastly day to anyone else, will you?
”
From her kneeling position, Terry looked across at her sister. Annette
’
s titian hair, which she wore fairly long, was spread across the bed cover, her profile was clear and lovely against the rose pink.
“
I thought you
’
d feel so much better about everything now that you know you can stand the climate.
”

“
Wait till you
’
ve been here a little while and you
’
ll understand that the climate is the least of it, my pigeon. There
’
s nothing here in Penghu—nothing but grass houses and smiling brown people—though what they have to smile at, heaven knows. Just off the main road—which you must have travelled, to get here—there
’
s a street of buildings—the only solid structures in the place. Everything else just goes to rack and ruin and has to be renewed with grass from the jungle. I ask you, Terry!
”

“
I must be crazy, because I like it—the rain and the ruin, the cheerful people repairing damage almost every week. What about the block of flats you wrote about?
”

“
They
’
re not bad, but anyone who can afford the rent can live there, so the population is mixed. Vic has taken one high up, to get the breeze.
”

“
And the furnishing?
”

Annette
’
s fist rose slowly from the bed and dropped back, rather heavily.
“
That
’
s one of the things we quarrel about. The construction company has offered free utility furniture, but who wants to live among that stuff? Seems we can
’
t get anything brought in unless we pay every penny for it, plus transport, ourselves. Vic says we can
’
t afford it.
”

“
Well, he must know. If there
’
s only nine days to go, you
’
ll have to do something about it fairly soon, won
’
t you? Couldn
’
t you start off with the utility and replace it gradually
?
”

“
What would I replace it with?
”

“
There must be furniture shops somewhere. This house has a few old things, but it
’
s quite a dream.
”

“
It
’
s the company
’
s. They took great trouble for the superintendent long before he arrived, and he and Vida chose almost everything either in England or Singapore.
”
She lifted her hand again and looked at her silvery pink nails.
“
Vic is just a staff engineer. By English standards he gets a colossal salary, but when you have to travel a good way to buy a suit or a frock, shell out for imported foodstuffs, run a couple of servants and a car, you need every penny of it. It
’
s all very well for the Winchesters. Besides being top dogs, Vida has money of her own.
”

“
Well, they
’
re older,
”
said Terry reasonably.
“
Vic
’
s only twenty-eight. He still has to make his way in the company.
”

“
You
’
re as bad as he is.
”
A pause.
“
I think I
’
ve known all along that it was stupid of me to come out here.
”

“
Oh, come, Annette.
”
Terry stood up.
“
You had lots of time to think this over before you left England, and Vic didn
’
t promise you the earth, right at the start of your marriage. He
’
s signed a contract for three years, and for that length of time he
’
s bound to live right here in Penghu If you decide to get along with the company furniture you can save, so that wherever you go afterwards you
’
ll have something better. I know it
’
s tough on you, after earning a good salary yourself, but being married to Vic will make up for the lack of pin money.
”

“
I wonder.
”
Annette let out a sigh.
“
Everything was so simple back in England, before Vic got this crazy notion that he
’
d like to work in the tropics for a few years. He was in line for promotion, I did the sort of work that I like and it left me plenty of free time for a home. We could have been engaged for a year, and spent the time haunting sale rooms for lovely old pieces of furniture. I wanted the sort of home that people, would envy. I know that
’
s disgusting, but it
’
s true.
”

“
We
’
ve had this out before, and you
’
ve always ended by repeating that you
’
re in love with Vic. It seems to me that that
’
s the answer to all your questions.
”

“
It would be for you, sweetie, because you
’
re that type. If you loved a lighthouse-keeper you
’
d happily live at the top of the spiral staircase with him for the rest of your life.

T
erry laughed
.
“
Vic isn
’
t demanding anything so drastic. Honestly, I think it would be great fun to be given just the bare necessities in austerity design, and start in to make a home of them.
”

Annette turned her head and took a long look at her sister. Her eyes softened.
“
That
’
s where you come in, Terry. If we can
’
t have anything better, we
’
ll have to embellish what there is. I can design a frock or an evening coat, but creating comfort from sticks and a few yards of material is definitely not my line. I
’
ll need you.
”

“
Well, I
’
m here. Only don
’
t let
’
s have any more defeatist talk. I know how you feel, but think of Vic, and how he feels, too.
”

“
No, Terry, you don
’
t know how I feel.
”
Annette sat up, slowly.
“
You have to be in love with someone, and hating it, before you feel the way I do. I
’
ve found out that it
’
s possible to fall deeply in love with a man who isn
’
t a bit suitable. What should have happened, of course, was for Vic to have been quite unmoved by me—then I
’
d have had to forget him. In the long run, my life would probably have been much happier. As it is, I
’
m committing myself to living with someone simply because he stirs my emotions. In every other way we
’
re no good to each other.
”

This was turning into one of those discussions which had punctuated the months of Vic
’
s absence, before Annette had left to join him. There was nothing you could say to alter her outlook. And what she said was partly true. Her red-gold beauty, her physical poise, the things she liked, her talents—none of them were very important here in Penghu. Possibly she wasn
’
t even envied very much by the other women, because each had her man, and there were several bachelors in the district for good meas
u
re. This wasn
’
t really the place for Annette, though a spell here might be good for her character.