Stormy the Way (2 page)

'This stepbrother can prevent your coming into your inheritance?'

That seemed grossly unfair, she thought, deciding that Leon was not only stingy, but also something of a dictator.

'Indeed he can,' came the grim rejoinder. 'That's why I've decided to be cautious, just for the next four months - until I'm twenty-one.' He would reach that age in September, he went on to inform Tara in case she had not bothered to reckon up. 'My father left a vast fortune between Androula and me, and I can never see why Leon is so mean with my allowance. It's my own money, as I've said.' He frowned and drained his glass. 'I mustn't take a single step out of line between now and September,' he mumbled to himself, 'for I couldn't bear to continue this life of near-poverty for the next four years.'

'Your sister - does she receive a small allowance too?'

Paul looked down into his empty glass and Tara had the impression that he was deliberately avoiding her eyes.

'She seems to manage, but - yes, I expect she receives a pittance as well.'

'And she could have to wait, like you, for her inheritance?'

'She doesn't get it in any case until die's twenty-five, and Leon could withhold it until she's thirty.'

'Thirty!'

'That's right - if she should do something seriously wrong, that is. But Leon won't withhold it because he thinks she's just perfect; she can do no wrong in his eyes. It's a good thing he doesn't know—' Breaking off in consternation, Paul instantly recovered, saying, 'How silly I am! You'll never meet my brother and sister, so it doesn't matter if you know our secrets. You see, Androula has a boy-friend. He's English and he's poor - two circumstances that would instantly turn Leon against him.' Paul gave a short laugh. 'An- droula's not nearly so meek and obedient as he believes her to be, but she's clever, and she'll keep up the pretence until she's safely in possession of her money.'

Tara mused on what had been said. By rights she should have felt no interest whatsoever, and yet the position intrigued her. What an antiquated set-up where two educated young people were so dependent on the whim of one man who, from what Tara could gather, was thoroughly autocratic in his attitude towards his stepbrother and sister of his.

'Your brother doesn't like the English?' He was not averse to sending his brother to an English university, though.

'Leon has two cousins who married English girls; both marriages failed - the girls were unfaithful, and they were extravagant. Leon thinks a lot of these two cousins, he and they having always been great friends together, and he was terribly cut-up by the failure of the marriages. Besides, we don't often have divorces, as you probably know, and when these two marriages failed we had two divorces practically together. It was a dreadful disgrace for our family.'

'So your brother considers all English girls to be unfaithful?'

Tm afraid so - well, let us say he hasn't much of an opinion of their morals. Also, he considers them to be gold-diggers, because there was no doubt that both of these girls were out to get their hands on his cousins' money.'

'These two cousins were just unfortunate,' said Tara indignantly. 'All English girls can't be branded just because of this.'

The young man shrugged.

That may be, but Leon has very fixed opinions about things - and about people. This boy-friend of Androula's, for instance - Leon would send him off immediately, not only because he's English, but perhaps more so because he's poor.'

'So, in your brother's opinion, our men too are merely after money when they marry?'

Paul was beginning to feel uncomfortable and Tara was sorry she had carried the subject so far. But she did feel furious at the attitude of this unknown brother of his.

'Androula's a very rich heiress,' was all the reply Paul gave, and Tara allowed the matter to drop. Having satisfied her curiosity as to the reason for his answering the advertisement she felt she should have no interest either in Paul Dorkas or his family. She got down to business, informing him that the wedding was to take place a week the following Wednesday — which was-in nine days' time - and that it would be celebrated at the Swan Hotel at Brantingham.

'Will you be able to get away?' she asked anxiously.

'Yes, I'll arrange it all right.' He paused; Tara saw the flush appear in his cheeks and waited perceptively for what was to come. 'You - you couldn't let me have the money now - in advance?'

'I could, but I might never set eyes on you again.'

'I promise to keep my word. I'd never let you down, believe me.'

She looked straight at him, quite unable to envisage his being so desperately short of money, and yet he was in need, otherwise he would not be here. What would his brother think, she wondered, were he to know that Paul was practically begging for the paltry sum of ten pounds?

Deciding to trust the boy, Tara made him out a cheque, convinced he would not let her down.

Thank you very much.' Paul took Tara's hand in a firm grip as they both stood on the doorstep. 'I'll go with you to this wedding and we'll laugh and dance, and everyone will think we're in love !' He smiled at her and then, 'Is Brantingham a big town?'

'Fairly.'

'Androula has a friend who comes from there.'

'She does?'

'Yes, they met when Androula came over here for a year to finish learning the language. This girl's going to Athens soon for a holiday and my sister's spending two weeks of her holiday showing her round. After that Androula will go home to our brother. He lives on an island.' Taking the steps three at one leap, he turned.
'Adio!'

'Adio
,' she responded, and he laughed. He said, forgetting his recent assertion that Tara would never meethis family, 'Some day you will come to our island, and we will make you very welcome.'

Tara looked down at him - the handsomest man she had ever seen.

How triumphant she would feel at the wedding! Yet it would all be an act of bravado, calculated to serve as balm to her pride. She would actually suffer agonies, witnessing that profound ceremony in which Freda and Ricky would play the chief roles. Ricky wasn't worth a single thought, Stewart had several times declared, but although Tara admitted the truth of this she could not cease to care at will.

'What is your island?' she called out as Paul proceeded to stride along the path towards the gate. ke turned and his eyes glowed. To every Greek his particular island was the most beautiful of them all.

'Poros!'

'I've heard of it.'

'Only heard! But you should see it. Next time you go to Athens you must take a trip on the boat. You've been to Athens?' And when Tara shook her head he looked pained. 'Everyone should visit Athens. The most beautiful city in the world!'

'Perhaps one day I will manage to visit it—' Paul, fired with enthusiasm, was coming back, but she waved him away again. '
Adio
,'

she called, and a moment later he was gone.

As Tara had predicted, the wedding was a triumph for her with Paul the object of many admiring stares, and herself regarded with unconcealed envy. Ricky was tight-lipped as Tara introduced her

'fiance' to him, and she did wonder if Ricky and Freda were in love, or whether, as Stewart maintained, the marriage was merely a business arrangement. Philip, from the
Brantingham Observer,
cornered Paul in Tara'& absence and when at the week-end the newspaper appeared Tara read, right at the end of the report of the wedding,

'Included in the list of guests was Miss Tara Maine with her fiance, Mr. Paul Dorkas, a wealthy landowner from Greece. When interviewed, Mr. Dorkas, at present studying law here in England, said that he and his bride would eventually make their home on the beautiful island of Poros. Lucky Tara!'

'Such rubbish!' declared Stewart on reading the report. 'What did you let him be interviewed for? ~ Never have I known you act in so immature a way. How you could attend that wedding, and put on such a pretence, has me utterly beaten!'

Flushed, and herself angry that her name should have been mentioned, Tara said nothing. Had she had the least inkling of Phil's intention she would have made sure he did not manage to get Paul alone. However, as the report was quite harmless she soon put it from her. In any case her time and mind were fully occupied. On the tenth of next month she was leaving her present fob. She had three weeks'

vacation due to her and this she intended using profitably in setting herself up in a flat and becoming familiar with her new surroundings.

She had to attend for interview in Liverpool and should she be successful in obtaining the post for which she had applied, so much to the good, but even if she failed she would not be too disappointed.

There were plenty of posts available and with the testimonial given her by Mr. Bairstowe she knew there would be no difficulty in finding one. Meanwhile, she was spending her time and money in picking up pieces of furniture for the home she intended setting up for herself in the north, and these were at present accumulating in her bedroom at her brother's house. Joan, who had naturally been surprised at Tara's decision to live so far away, proved in the end to be more understanding than her husband - perhaps because she was a woman, and knew just how Tara was feeling.

Three days before she was due to leave her job Tara came in from work to be informed by Joan, who was just emerging from the kitchen with a tea-tray, that there had been a telephone call for her.

'Your young Greek. He wants to see you urgently.'

'Urgently?' Tara frowned as she took off her coat and hung it in the hall. 'Did he say what it was about?'

'Wouldn't say a word, but he seemed rather perturbed about something - or so it appeared from the tone of his voice. I told him you'd be in this evening and he said he'd call about eight o'clock.'

Still frowning, Tara followed her sister-in-law into the sitting-room and sat down by the fire.

'Thanks, Joan,' she said a moment later on being handed a cup of tea.

What could the boy want? More money, probably. Would she give it to him? He had certainly played his part to her complete satisfaction so perhaps she would let him have a further five pounds - but that was her limit.

However, it was not money that Paul asked for - but Tara's help in a totally different way. Without preamble he poured forth his story, telling Tara how the newspaper report, read by Androula's friend, had been taken to Athens and passed on to Androula who, naturally believing all she read, and feeling excited at the idea of her brother being engaged, had promptly posted off the cutting to Leon in Poros.

Leon's letter to Paul had arrived that very morning.

'He wants to see you,' continued Paul in troubled tones. 'Here, read the letter for yourself.'

'He wants to see me? I thought you said he doesn't like English people.'

That isn't important,' returned Paul with the impatience born of anxiety. 'If I'm engaged then I'm engaged. Though I don't know why Androula should have sent on that cutting, knowing full well that Leon would be far from pleased that I was engaged at all.'

'You mean, he himself would pick a wife for you?'

'Oh, no, he wouldn't go that far. It's just that he'd expect me to finish my studies before getting down to marriage.'

'Well, as you're not engaged I can't see what all the fuss is about.'

Taking the letter from Paul's hand Tara sat down on the couch and unfolded the single sheet of paper. An icy inflection ran through the words, which were brief in the extreme. After explaining how the news of the engagement had reached him Leon went on to say that he desired to see Paul's fiancee as soon as possible. As Paul's vacation would naturally be spent at home, there was no reason why his fiancee should not accompany him to the island and have a holiday there. This would enable her to meet her future in-laws. That was all, except for the abrupt ending, 'I shall expect you both within the next fortnight.'

Placing the letter on her knee Tara made a fuller examination of the imperious sweep of the handwriting. And then she went through the contents of the letter again. A thoroughly pompous and autocratic type, without a doubt. Did he think this supposed fiancee could leave her work and home at such short notice merely to satisfy his demands? For a brief moment her blood boiled, but then a rueful smile broke as she became fully aware of the drift of her thoughts.

'You'll have to enlighten me,' she said, puzzled. 'Obviously you're not expecting me to accompany you to Poros?'

Paul leant forward in his chair.

'I should be eternally grateful if you would.' Tara could only stare uncomprehendingly and he went on, a sudden droop to his mouth,

'I've been in enough scrapes lately and a broken engagement on top of it all will just about finish my chances of getting my money. It would be such a disgrace to the family.'

Tara's face was now impassive.

'It isn't a broken engagement. You've never been engaged.'

'I can't tell Leon that.'

'I'm afraid you'll have to.'

He became sunk in dejection.

'You wouldn't consider coming over with me? - just for a couple of weeks?'

'What good would that do?'

'Once Leon saw you he'd approve of my choice - yes, he would, even though you are English. He considers me empty-headed and immature - too immature to handle my money. You're level-headed and sensible and Leon will soon see this.'

She had to smile on recalling the disparaging comments made by her brother. He certainly did not consider her level-headed and sensible -

quite the opposite, in fact.

'He doesn't like English girls,' Tara reminded Paul again, but he merely shook his head.