“Not certain but, like Miss Hanny, very hopeful. New things are always exciting, and their very novelty makes them enjoyable.” Patricia smiled.
“You live out East?” Maimie questioned the fair stranger.
“Yes, I’ve had business interests in Malaya for a good many years. I don’t stay out long at a time, but spend most of the year travelling backwards and forwards. I rather enjoy it.” He smiled at Maimie. “You’re not far wrong; a long sea journey can be most enthralling, and I really think you’ll love it.”
Claud Burny was an excellent conversationalist, and kept both girls amused and interested with his tales of the East, word pictures of the, people he had met, and good-natured witticisms about notabilities living in the part of the world they were about to visit. The rest of the journey seemed to pass in a flash, and Patricia was amazed when their new-found friend pointed out the distant view of the docks and the tall funnels of anchored ships lying alongside. Excitement gripped her afresh and her nerves tingled expectantly.
“I’ll see about your things; they are all labelled, aren’t they? You take your light stuff and get on board.” Claud Burny smiled at Patricia’s doubtful expression. “Don’t worry; hurry along to your cabin and I’ll see that your bags are delivered to you safely.”
“Will you really? Thanks so much,” she murmured as the train drew to a standstill. “I really don’t know how to thank you.”
“Don’t bother to try.” Claud Burny laughed. “If you really want to show your gratitude, then you and Miss Hanny must join me for a cocktail before dinner tonight. Ask for the cocktail bar—it’s on the upper deck amidships. I’ll be there, seven-thirty sharp.”
“We’d love to.” Maimie picked up her hand case and prepared to alight. “Come on, Patricia. We’ll be able to get on board first while all the other people are looking after their luggage.” She waved her hand negligently to Claud Burny as he stood by the open carriage door beckoning to a porter. “So long, and thanks! See you tonight.”
Patricia murmured a “thank you” and hurried after her friend. Maimie didn’t seem slow in making friends. Claud Burny was certainly charming, and had proved both entertaining and helpful, but somehow she didn’t think, much as she had begun to like Maimie, that she was going to prove an easy person to chaperon.
CHAPTER SEVEN
The S.S. Rajah cleaved her way with a swishing sound through the ocean. Patricia leaned against the deck rail and stared down on the scintillating surface of the water. A limitless expanse stretched away as far as the eye could see, with nothing but tiny “white horses” riding on the tip of each blue-green wave. Her slender hands gripped the broad wooden rail tightly as if by its prosaic feel she could force herself back into reality.
Patricia pulled off her beret and allowed the soft wind to play through the silky strands of her hair. Even the shortness of the time she had so far spent in Maimie’s company had been enough to show Patricia the temperament of the girl she had been entrusted to chaperon. Lively almost to a point of irresponsibility, yet loyal and kind—that was Patricia’s summing up of her new friend. She realized that Maimie’s life under the guardianship of her aunt had been almost as dull and uneventful as her own. The big difference lay in the fact that Patricia had never felt the need of gaiety or the pleasure that money could buy, whereas Maimie had fretted against the monotonous and restricted life she had been forced to live. Despite the understanding and the friendship that was growing up between the two girls, Patricia was not blind to the difference in their characters.
Maimie, following up her acquaintance with Claud Burny, had now become the centre of an admiring group of men, always occupied with appointments for deck games, swimming, and cocktail parties, living in a state of exultation and happiness that made her more attractive than ever. Patricia was never left out of anything—Maimie saw to it that all her pleasures were shared by her friend—and in consequence she too was kept busy with all the diversions which shipboard life had to offer. Yet there lay a subtle difference. It wasn’t due to these unaccustomed pleasures that Patricia’s eyes sparkled, or that her slender body took on a new vitality. The wind playing through her hair as it did at that moment, the vast expanse of sea reaching out to meet the distant horizon, the splendid isolation of the majestic ship cutting her way through the water—those were the things which really mattered, and in comparison with them her new-found gaiety counted as nothing.
The sound of the dinner gong aroused her from her reverie. Suddenly she was conscious of the fast falling twilight and the glowing ball of the sun sinking almost visibly toward the horizon, while small fleecy clouds, apparently from nowhere, gathered around the circle of light, their edges colored pink with the reflected glory of the sun.
Reluctantly she dragged herself away and walked slowly down the now deserted decks toward the entrance of the lounge and the broad stairway leading to the cabins. White-coated stewards were busy in the narrow corridors outside the cabins, collecting shoes to be cleaned, answering bells, and preparing baths. Patricia edged her way past dozens of identical doors, distinguishable only by the number painted upon them. Reaching the cabin she shared with Maimie, she opened the door and was hailed gaily by her friend.
“There you are at last! I wondered if you’d fallen overboard! The first gong has already gone. I forgot to tell you that we’ve got a date for cocktails tonight,” Maimie announced while she struggled with the side fastening of a pink chiffon evening frock.
Patricia removed her linen frock and hung it in the narrow wardrobe at the foot of her bunk. The small floorspace was still littered with Maimie’s discarded day clothes, and there was scarcely room to move. Patricia picked up a pair of shorts and belt from her bunk and threw them laughingly at her friend. “If you don’t put away some of these things I’ll never get dressed in time. I haven’t an inch to put anything!”
“My things are untidy,” Maimie sighed. “I can’t think how you manage to keep everything straight in these entirely impossible drawers and ridiculous wardrobe.”
“All right, it doesn’t matter as long as I’ve a clear bunk to sit on and standing room to wash.” Patricia began to pull on a wispy nylon over her bared leg. “Tomorrow I’ll tidy things for you.” As Maimie began to express her gratitude, Patricia continued speaking. “No, don’t thank me.” She laughed. “It’s not because I’m feeling particularly kind or generous, but entirely in self defence. If I don’t get some of your things put away properly, soon we won’t be able to get into the cabin at all!”
“I know, it’s awful of me.” Maimie looked contrite. “I’ll really try to keep them in order once you’ve put me right again.” She seated herself on her own bunk opposite her friend. “You haven’t told me yet where you’ve been since I left you. Come on, confess, have you been walking the decks with that doctor man who has entirely fallen for you?” she inquired laughingly.
“Don’t be silly! Patricia rose and crossed to the washstand. “I haven’t seen him since we played that foursome at deck tennis before tea.” She ran cold water into the basin and buried her face in its refreshing depths. It was not until she was drying her face that she continued speaking. “He hasn’t fallen for me either, as you call it; just likes a little serious conversation sometimes, and as he can’t get it in the crowd we seem to have collected, he attaches himself to me.”
“He is rather serious,” Maimie admitted. “Not terribly young either, but very nice. Do you like him?”
Patricia paused. “Of course, but most men don’t appeal to me much. I’m afraid I could never get as enthusiastic as you do about their charms.”
Maimie’s lips quivered into a smile. “That’s silly, and I don’t believe you! You don’t put yourself out one bit to attract men, do you?” She wrinkled her brows with perplexity. “I can’t help it; somehow I feel sort of good inside if I can make a really nice male fall for me.”
Patricia laughed at her friend’s outspoken confession. “What a shameless admission!�
� She picked up a brush and began to brush her hair with vigorous strokes. “I really do mean it. I’ve never felt the least bit interested in any man yet.”
“I’ve been interested in dozens. Of course, Seymour is the only one that has left any real impression.”
“You’ve never told me anything about your fiancé. What is he like?”
“Seymour? Oh, he’s very good-looking, you know; the tall, dark and handsome type,” Maimie ended flippantly.
“I don’t mean his looks; what’s he really like?” Patricia reached out her arm to open her wardrobe door. There wasn’t much choice, she reflected, as she scanned her meagre selection, and then decided on a black taffeta.
“I think Seymour is really rather the serious type, on the whole,” Maimie answered meditatively, then added, “But very attractive, and he has a lovely profile.”
“You’re hopeless!” Patricia laughed as she drew her frock over her head and wriggled her shoulders until it slipped over her slim body. “You ought to know a little more than that about the man you are going to marry,” she remonstrated.
Maimie rose and slipped her arm affectionately round the other’s waist. “I’ll try and remember some more about Seymour and I’ll tell you later.” She laughed. “He’s very nice, and I believe that you will approve of my choice!” she teased.
Patricia took out her beaded evening bag. “I’m sure I shall. Come along then; I’m ready now.”
Together the two girls mounted to the upper deck and made their way to the already crowded cocktail bar. At a corner table, they espied Claud Burny and another man awaiting them. Claud rose as the two girls approached.
“We thought you were never coming. We are dying for a drink, but were much too polite to start without our honored guests.” He laughed as he drew up two wicker chairs to the table. “Sit down, girls, and I’ll do some ordering. I’ve asked two or three others to join us, but I don’t think we need wait for them. Dr. Alastar is longing for a drink, I know. We played a hectic game of deck tennis before changing; he’s about the best player on board; anyway, he beat me in three consecutive sets!”
Dr. Ian Alastar bowed with exaggerated politeness. “Thanks for the compliment.” His rather plain features lighted as he smiled. Somewhat older than Claud Burny, he seemed almost out of place, more serious, altogether restrained. Following a divorce, he had found it impossible to continue practising medicine in the small northern England town in which he had always lived. By a lucky chance a friend of early hospital days had begged him to go out to Singapore, and hoping to start again and bury all that had happened, he decided to accept the offer to join his former colleague. Patricia found Ian Alastar, once he had unburdened himself, a charming companion. Like herself, he appreciated beauty, and was never tired of discussing music, art, and literature, and all those things she herself loved. She found his conversation not only interesting but instructive, and thought how surprised Maimie would be if she knew the true basis of their companionship.
Presently a small group of their fellow passengers joined them, and the party became noisy and hilarious.
“Do you realize that early tomorrow we shall be at Port Said? I suppose everyone will be going ashore?” Claud asked.
“Oh, I’d adore to!” Maimie exclaimed, turning to Patricia. “You would too, wouldn’t you?”
“Of course I should love it,” Patricia answered with alacrity. She turned to Claud. “Is it as thrilling as it sounds in travel books?”
“I believe it is, the first time.” He pulled a face. “I must say it’s lost its appeal as far as I am concerned.” He paused, and although his invitation included both girls, his eyes were on Maimie. “I’d love to show you both the town, if you’ll come with me.”
“That would be splendid, wouldn’t it, Pat? And loads nicer than venturing alone.”
“Would I be de trop if I suggested making a fourth?” Ian Alastar ventured. “I should certainly like to have a glimpse of Port Said.”
“Rather not. The more the merrier!” Claud responded. “It’s not much of a place, but well worth seeing if you haven’t been this way before.”
“I couldn’t bear to miss anything,” Patricia admitted. “I’d love to go ashore.”
“I believe it’s better to drive round, isn’t it?” Dr. Ian Alastar inquired of Claud Burny. “They tell me you can pick up carriages quite easily.”
“Yes, a carriage is better than a car in Port Said. It’s a small place; you don’t want to go round too quickly; the pace of a gharry is just about right,” Claud explained. “The gharrys, as they are called, are for two,” he added. It really might be better, as we are a foursome, if we divide up and go in pairs.” Claud turned an inquiring glance in Maimie s direction. “That is, if you two girls don’t mind separating.”
“Why should we mind?” Maimie broke in before Patricia had time to speak. “If it’s better to go in pairs, then I vote we do. You and Dr. Alastar won’t mind, will you?” she inquired, turning in the direction of the other two.
Patricia fell in with the idea as graciously as she felt able. After all, there wasn’t any harm in Maimie going ashore without her, particularly with such an able escort as Claud Burny. She herself didn’t mind going with the doctor; in fact, she felt sure he would prove a pleasing companion. No, neither of those things was worrying her, but it was no use denying the fact that Claud had deliberately engineered an excuse to separate, and that Maimie, as an engaged girl, had been far too anxious to fall in with his suggestion. Not only that; with a fresh sense of disaster Patricia suddenly recalled that, as far as she knew, Maimie had never troubled to enlighten Claud as to the true purpose of her journey to the East.
CHAPTER EIGHT
The sun beat down on Maimie’s scantily clothed body as she lay outstretched, by Claud’s side, on a brightly colored mattress on the sundeck. Before them the swimming pool sparkled in the brilliant sunlight, but the other chintz-covered mattresses set round the pool in attractive array were unoccupied. The anchored ship lay quietly on the breast of the still water, and they could clearly hear the soft lapping of the sea against the ship’s sides and the mewing of seagulls as they swooped and dived around the ship in search of food. Most of their fellow passengers, including Patricia and Ian, were still ashore, unwilling to return to their floating home until the last possible moment, unwilling to waste a moment of the time allowed them on land, for they would be nine days at sea before reaching Colombo, their next port of call. To Claud, Port Said had, with familiarity, lost its original attraction. After a hurried drive around, he had found no difficulty in persuading his companion that there was nothing more to see.
He rolled over on his side and appraised his companion through half-closed eyes. “You’re very quiet. Falling asleep?”
“I’m just gloriously lazy. She stifled a yawn with the back of her hand. “It’s heavenly here. I do hope the others don’t get back too soon and spoil this peace.”
“The launches are beginning to return with ominous rapidity. I heard one a moment ago.” Claud reached out for his beach jacket and, fumbling in the pocket, produced his cigarette case. “Have a smoke?” As Maimie nodded her acceptance, he lighted a cigarette for her and one for himself before continuing to speak. “Directly the passengers get back from shore they’ll make for the pool, you see if they don’t,” he said dejectedly. “Then it’ll be goodbye to this splendid isolation.”
“Well, let’s hope they find Port Said too attractive to be able to tear themselves away until the very last launch; in fact, it might be just as well if a few missed even that.” Maimie’s cheeks dimpled mischievously. “I know some that I wouldn’t mind leaving behind for good!”
“So do I!” Claud laughed. “That bewhiskered old fellow at our table for one! Can’t think what he hopes to do out East. He told me he was sick of England and wanted to make a fresh start. Bit late in life, I should think,” Claud jeered, then added more seriously, “I say, Maimie, is it true that you are going out t
o get married?”
“Yes, quite true.” Maimie raised her eyebrows quizzically. “Does it seem so strange?”
“No. Terribly natural.” Claud lowered his eyes to hide his expression. “Most attractive girls are engaged—or married; at least, that’s how it’s always appeared to me.” He paused for a moment before adding, “I seem to be unlucky.”
“I really don’t know what you mean by that. I expect you’ve had plenty of attractive girlfriends in your time.” Maimie’s eyes glanced up provocatively. “Haven’t you?”
Claud laughed a trifle shamefacedly. “Of course I’ve had girlfriends in plenty, but who has been telling you I’m a flirt?”
“I didn’t even suggest you were. You must have a guilty conscience to have jumped to that conclusion.” Maimie laughed teasingly. “Are you?” Her question was a direct challenge.
“I really don’t know. I haven’t thought about it.” Claud moved closer, to his companion and curled his arm beneath hers. “Why waste time talking about me? Don’t let’s spoil these delicious moments of solitude; we’ll have the whole crowd dropping down on us soon.” As Maimie remained silent, he continued. “Things of the future seem so far away. It’s always like that on a ship—as if one were living a separate existence, just for the length of the voyage; a life right outside one’s ordinary sphere in a world entirely isolated.” He drew her closer, leaning above her until his lips brushed the fair halo of her hair. “You feel like that too, don’t you?” He whispered the question with a quiet passion.
“Yes, I suppose so.” Maimie lay passively in his embrace. “This all seems rather like a fairy tale.”
“It is. That’s the beauty of it. You mustn’t let any of it be real, and then it can’t hurt you.” He stooped lower until his cheek rested against hers. “Maimie, you’re lovely. I expect you’re tired of being told that, but I mean it. You’re—you’re exquisite! Any man would lose his head about you.” He paused, and when he spoke again his words were almost a caress. “Tell me you care a wee bit about me too.”
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