The Man at Mulera (31 page)

Martin nodded and left in the clutch. Lou lifted her head and stared through the windscreen, and w
ithin a minute
or two there was no temptation to look back.

O
n the whole, Mrs. Acland was relieved next day to hear Ross
’
decision to take her over to
England.
Indeed, after a talk with him she seemed to be extraordinarily happy, and that afternoon she spent more zest on her packing than she had displayed during the whole of her stay in Nyasaland. Lou had no private moments with the older woman, and it was only from dropped remarks that she gathered some of the gist of Mrs. Acland
’
s conversation with Ross.

“
This is the best tonic in the world for me,
”
she
said at
dinner. And then, without elaborating, she turned to Lou.
“
My dear, when you come back to England you must get in touch with me. We mustn
’
t lose sight of each other.
”

Conventional politeness, of course. Lou answered accordingly. Mrs. Acland went early to bed, and Lou, murmuring a cool goodnight to Ross as she went followed at once. She slept very lit
tl
e that night and when morning came it was as bright as ever, not black and empty like her heart.

Mrs. Acland rested till ten o
’
clock, then dressed in her grey suit and a white blouse. Ross was out, giving Greg last-minute instructions, no doubt. He got back just after eleven, ate a sandwich and drank some coffee and changed into a dark lounge suit which turned
him
into a complete stranger.

It was then that Lou had her own and Keith
’
s suitcases brought into the veranda; without being told, she knew that Ross would himself hand his two charges over to the Bains. He always acted in character.

There were goodbyes to Mrs. Acland, promises exchanged which would probably never be kept, and the estate car slid away from the house, carrying Keith in the back seat and Lou in the front. Fortunately, Keith was very much awake and inquisitive. He knew the Bains, wanted to know if they still had the panting bulldogs. Ross answered him, but that was all. He drove fast, away from the coffee trees, through a native township where green papaws were ripening on the roofs and kaffir com was drying in brown heaps, and over a small stone bridge. They entered mountain country, where tropical fruits grew in orderly rows and tea plantations greened the hillsides.

It was at a tea plantation that Ross slowed and ran along the front of a square thatched house. The Bains appeared, a rather fat jolly man who was balding on top, and his wife, who was black-haired and still pretty at forty.

“
Well, how very pleasant!
”
exclaimed Mrs. Bain.
“
We
’
ve been longing for visitors, especially young ones.
”

“
These are certainly young,
”
said Ross sardonically.

“
Leave the bags for the boys to collect
.
Come in for a drink before you start back, Ross.
”

“
Sorry, but I haven
’
t really the time. Plane leaves at one-thirty, and you know how it is at the airstrip when you have luggage to load. Afraid I
’
ll have to leave at once.
”
He gave Lou a searching glance.
“
You
’
ll have good fun with Mr. and Mrs. Bain. I
’
ll be back as soon as I can get my aunt settled in her flat with a specialist in charge.
”

“
A specialist?
”
echoed Mrs. Bain.
“
Is Mrs. Acland really ill?
”

“
I
’
m not sure, but something happened to her before she came out here—I
’
m certain of it. She
’
s kept quiet about it because she didn
’
t want to worry me, but she
’
s not herself at all. I
’
m hoping I needn
’
t be away more than ten days or a fortnight
.
”

Lou
’
s heart was heavy. The two weeks were an eternity, and somehow she was afraid, terribly afraid. But as she said goodbye to him her smile was studied and unrevealing. His glance raked her features again, then he flung a fabricated smile at Keith and set the engine
running.
Bill Bain said,
“
I
’
ll go with you as far as the end of the road, Ross. I
’
ve traced a bug of some sort among my new plants, and you may know something about it
.”
He got in beside Ross, and with a wave of the hand Ross accelerated and sped out on to the road. Mrs. Bain smiled at the two who stood with her on the steps.

“
Let
’
s go inside. We
’
ll have cool drinks and get to know one another.
”

For about fifteen minutes they talked together, Keith about the crocodiles he had not been allowed to keep and the bulldogs, which, he learned, were shut up in a shed because one of them had a fractured leg and the other had to keep him company. Mrs. Bain revealed something of the leisurely, sociable life she led and Lou smiled and nodded, and grew a little easier around her heart
.
Then Mr. Bain returned, hot with walking, and gave himself a glass half-full of ice chips which had been spattered with whisky.

“
Wish I could get you to travel by air,
”
he said cheerfully to his wife.
“
Imagine it
—
Ross can be there, do his business and get back in a matter of days.
”

“
Sorry, dear, but I just can
’
t screw up my courage. Is Ross going to let us have a wire before he catches the home plane?
”

He nodded.
“
I told him his two young people would be safe and happy with us, so he may stay on a bit
.
”

“
Not he,
”
stated Mrs. Bain.
“
He
’
ll come back as soon as he can—to Paula.
”

Her husband drank, lazily.
“
He doesn
’
t have to rush back to Paula. She
’
s going on the plane with him.
”

Lou
’
s immediate surroundings rocked, and chilly fingers locked about her throat, but somehow she managed to retain the party smile.

Mrs. Bain lifted her head and stared at her husband in delighted surprise.
“
There you are! I told you when they called here for tea last week that it wouldn
’
t be long before they were engaged.
I’ll
lay you a fiver that they
’
re going to make some of the wedding arrangements at Paula
’
s place in Hampshire! What luck for than that the estate exists. I can imagine nothing more heavenly than having one foot in Africa and the other in England!
”

Mr. Bain nodded benignly.
“
Well, it
’
s time Ross hitched up. Don
’
t you agree, Miss Prentice?
”

Lou gave the mechanical smile and murmured an answer. She looked at Keith, but for once drew no comfort from the child
’
s existence. Would she lose him, too? What was she
thinking
! She hadn
’
t lost Ross, because you can
’
t lose what you
’
ve never had. Thank heaven, she thought despairingly, that no one knew her world had finally fallen apart

CHAPTER TEN

F
or
a day or two, in spite of the happy-go-lucky atmosphere at the Bains
’
, Lou felt drained of feeling, and lonely as she had never been in her life before. Then, by degrees, her natural co
ur
age reasserted itself, her
mind
recovered from the final shock and began to work again on normal lines. She saw now that she had been feeble; because she had loved Ross, she had sat back and allowed him to dictate her way of living and even to handle her immediate future. True, she had flared at
him
when he had sent in her resignation to the principal of the kindergarten, and at various times she had stated her case, very frankly. But had allowed her feelings for Ross and his unfailing thoughtfulness to blind her to what he was doing quite openly and methodically—arranging her own and Keith
’
s lives to fit in with his own plans.

It must have been convenient for
him
to have someone with whom he could leave Keith while he went off and made his wedding arrangements. Because, of course, he had not gone to England for his aunt
’
s sake; she could have travelled with Paula and saved Ross the trip!

Lou steadied her thoughts and made a resolution. From now on, she would consider only her own viewpoint and desires. She had made no promises to Ross and was free, wi
thin
certain limits, to do as she pleased. For the present, she must stay here with the Bains, but by the time Ross returned she would have a plan of her own.

Upon which decision, Lou felt calmer, if no happier. But she tried to be happy, and succeeded in convincing the Bains that she was having a grand time. It was not much effort to enjoy the mountains and the tea estate, the silver ribbon of the river and its black pools where an occasional group of hippo lazed and had fun. But the social evenings were more of a strain, till Lou perfected a bright cool smile and tones to match, to carry her through.

There were parties down by the Lake, car-drives through the valleys and over the hills, evenings at the Bains
’
s house or in someone else
’
s, when dancing followed eating and drinking, and
midnight
singing echoed down the garden.
And one day Mrs. Bain drove Lou and Keith down to the Vima Hotel.

It was one of those dull oppressive afternoons. The sky hung close like an old grey blanket, and the fronds of the palms were dark and static against the gunmetal ripples of the Lake. The hotel was half-empty, and as on Lou
’
s previous visit, it looked as if the few residents must be sleeping. There was no sign of life, except a tall Nyasa waiter in white cotton, who lounged across the shaded garden to serve tea under an old fig tree.

“
Everything
’
s lively here at the weekend,
”
Mrs. Bain said, as she poured,
“
but I enjoy it when it
’
s like this. I believe the hotel residents sleep solidly from Monday to Thursday.
”

Lou smiled.
“
What sort of people come here?
”

“
Men on leave from Central Africa, a few hardy fishing types from the south. In the rains the hotel is empty, and they open only at weekends, for people like us to meet and have a gay time. Last year a family was marooned here for three weeks; the road was under water.
”

Lou looked down over the Lake.
“
It
’
s such a tranquil spot,
”
she commented.
“
I never see the deserted beaches round the Lake without thinking of the crowded coast of England.
”

They had finished tea and were smoking a cigarette while Keith explored the footpaths down to the Lake, when a car pulled up on the gravel front of the hotel. Lou stared. It couldn
’
t be. But it was!

“
It
’
s Elinor and her husband!
”
she exclaimed.
“
Excuse me a moment, Mrs. Bain, and I
’
ll bring them over.
”

She ran across to the hired car, reached it just as Elinor and George Randall straightened on the gravel. Elinor was brown and smiling, and she held both Lou
’
s hands tightly, as if it were months since they
’
d last seen each other.

“
How lovely,
”
she said.
“
I told George you were somewhere in this district and that we might see you, but I didn
’
t expect it to happen on the day we arrived. We got here at about ten this morning.
”

Lou greeted George, and turned back to Elinor.
“
Are you staying in the hotel?
”

She nodded.
“
It
’
s higher than the Lakeside and the views are better. We drove over yesterday and booked in, arrived this morning and we
’
ve just been exploring the other bays to the north. Is Keith with you?
”

“
Yes. Come over and meet Mrs. Bain.
”

They all sat together and ordered more tea. Keith strolled up holding a mountain tortoise that was no bigger than a large coat button, and he smiled chummily at Elinor and actually gave the tortoise into George
’
s keeping.

“
I may find another,
”
he told them gravely as he moved away.
“
I have to have two to raise a family.
”

George lifted an eyebrow and made no comment. He looked healthy and serene, and his glances at Elinor were those of a man who has never looked at another woman and never wanted to.

“
How long do you expect to stay here?
”
Lou asked.

Elinor smiled.
“
Till we
’
re tired of it, but I don
’
t think we shall tire quickly. This is the first thoroughly lazy time either of us ever had, and laziness grows on one. Our two months may stretch into three.
”
She leaned forward, one forearm on the table.
“
We
’
ll have Keith as soon as you like, Lou. There
’
s plenty of room in the hotel, so you can come as well.
”

“
Oh, no. You
’
re very kind, but I wouldn
’
t do that
.
”

“
Then may we have Keith?
”

Unexpectedly, George Randall added his persuasion.
“
We
’
d like to have him just as soon as you
’
re ready to let him go for a few weeks. Why not leave
him
with us now? I
’
ll come along for his clothes and things myself.
”

Lou was startled.
“
It
’
s awfully sudden. I know he
’
s supposed to be coming to you soon, but wouldn
’
t you rather be free for, say, another week?
”

“
The sooner we have him the better,
”
said Elinor.
“
It
’
s rather a good idea for us to take him while you
’
re staying with Mrs. Bain. If you won
’
t come and live here with us, you
’
ll be able to come down and see
him
anyway, so that the break won
’
t be too abrupt
.
”

George said practically,
“
Let
’
s ask Keith himself.
”
He stood up and called, and Keith trudged up, shaking his head
.

“
I haven
’
t found the other one yet. It may take hours,
”
he told them.

George smiled at him.
“
Could take days. How would you like to stay with your auntie and me, right here at Vima? Then you could look for tortoises and other crawlies every day.
”

Keith considered the offer.
“
Is Lou staying?
”

Lou answered.
“
No, darling, but I
’
ll be with Mrs. Bain for a few more days. It
’
s not far away. You knew you were going to live with your auntie and uncle for a while, didn
’
t
you?
”

Keith nodded, charmingly.
“
Auntie Elinor won
’
t make me have lessons. I
’
ll stay
.
”

But Elinor put in smoothly,
“
There
’
ll be lessons of some sort, Keith, wherever you
li
ve.
”

He sighed resignedly.
“
I
’
ll be able to swim, anyway. And Lou must come every day.
”

George clinched the deal by going off to arrange for the child
’
s room, and Lou fought down the lost feeling and told herself that it would be good for Keith to be with a couple who were not only closely related to him, but who would be bound to agree upon matters concerning himself. In any case, it was only for perhaps a little over two months.

But it was distinctly odd to travel back alone with Mrs. Bain to the plantation, and later in her room, as she packed Keith
’
s clothes, Lou faced the stark fact that she was no longer needed here in Nyasaland, or anywhere else.

She saw Keith next day, and the day after, and then she missed a day. The next time she went down to the Vima Hotel she was alone, driving herself in Mrs. Bain
’
s ancient coup
e
. She found that the Randalls had taken Keith up the mountains and would be back at six. A message had been left that if she called she was to wait and have dinner with th
em
. But Lou was reluctant to keep Mrs. Bain
’
s car for so long Because the air was hot and sticky, she ordered an iced drink and sat under the fig tree to write a note for Elinor. After it was finished she sat on for a few minutes, savoring the warm breeze and the scents of the rock plants which grew in profusion on the slope down to the Lake.

Then she saw someone climbing the slope, a thin, sandy
-
haired man in shorts, white shirt and coolie sandals. Greg Allwyn! Lou leaned forward and called softly. He looked up, smiled delightedly and took the rest of the slope swiftly, so that when he arrived at the iron table he was too breathless to speak at once. He sank on to a garden chair, seemed to drink in her small tanned face and the s
t
reaky brown-gold hair.

“
I wondered if you might come here,
”
he said. Then he took a breath and said apologetically,
“
Out of condition, I guess. Sorry.
”

“
Yes, you are,
”
she said seriously.
“
Doing anything about it?
”

“
Maybe I will, some day. Are you here alone?
”

Lou explained, and as she talked she noticed sweat glistening on his upper lip, and a darkness round his eyes. Something about him reminded her of that night when she had first seen him. But he wasn
’
t ill and discouraged now. Or was he?
”

“
Are you taking a break from the plantation this afternoon?
”

He gazed at her for a few seconds and then looked away.
“
You didn
’
t know that I
’
d finished at the plantation, did you? I
’
m one of those low types who like their revenge. When Ross told me he had to take his aunt to England I told him I wouldn
’
t be there to look after Mulera. I hoped he
’
d get mad, but he didn
’
t. He turned the tables, neatly—told me that he hadn
’
t been going to rely on me, anyway, that he
’
d arranged for a friend of his to look over the place every day. He also said he
’
d pay for the full three months on condition that I left Mulera
within a
few hours. So I did.
”

“
Oh, dear,
”
she said, distressed.
‘
You do make things di
ffi
cult for yourself, Greg. What have you been doing since then?
”

“
Loafing. Comparatively, I
’
m in the money. Don
’
t look like that
.
There
’
s nothing to be miserable about
.
In a week or two I may apply for my old forestry job.
”

“
But it
’
s such a pity, Greg. You could have made such a good thing of Mulera if you hadn
’
t
...
”

“
Touched Ross where it hurt
”
he ended quietly.
“
I fell for someone whom he considered his responsibility. I
wasn
’
t good enough—it was fatal.
”
He shrugged, then smiled with his old nonchalance.
“
If you
’
ve lost the kid for a while you
’
re at a loose end. How would you like to join up with me till the cash runs out? No strings, no recriminations—just good clean fun?
”

“
Afraid it wouldn
’
t work. Besides, you need that money. I wish you
’
d have a thorough check-up, Greg. You don
’
t look really well.
”