by Ria
those
muscular arms locked about her. And Rudolph knew this
too, for he laughed at her puny attempts to free herself.
'Let me go ... please!' she begged frantically, her breath rasping in her
throat as she threw back her head to glance up at him, but there was no
sign of mercy on that hard face above hers.
'Not this time, Janey,' he said thickly, lifting her effortlessly into his
arms. There was a soaring in his ears as he dropped her unceremoniously
on to the bed and pinned her down with the weight of his body. 'This
time you'll have to suffer the consequences of your foolishness.'
There was nothing gentle about his lips and hands as she fought against
him with tears spilling over on to her pale cheeks. His mouth sought the
hollow against her throat before venturing lower, and she knew the
sinking feeling of defeat, as resistance drained from her to leave only the
pulsating desire to fulfil the demands of her own body.
With a final effort to save herself, she raised her hands to ward off his
lips, but her hand had slipped inside his shirt and she encountered the
smooth warm skin of his shoulder beneath her fingertips. It was her
undoing, for her hand slipped across his back before she could prevent
herself, her fingers lingering for a moment against the nape of his neck
before they threaded their way through his coppery hair.
She could feel him shudder against her, groaning as his lips plundered
hers once more. But, as his hands fumbled with the zip of her dress, the
persistent ringing of the telephone penetrated her numbed brain.
'The telephone!' she gasped, wrenching her mouth from his.
'Let it ring,' he breathed as his hands encountered soft, warm flesh.
Fully aware now of what she was doing, and with the shrill sound of the
telephone forcing her back to reality, ,
she fought against him with renewed strength until he released her with a
look of stunned surprise on his face.
'You'd better answer it. It might be important,' she said unsteadily as she
rolled away from him and swung her feet on to the floor.
She turned her back on him as she restored some of the order to her
clothes, and moments later she heard him leave the room. The telephone
ceased its ringing, and only the murmured sound of his voice could be
heard as she stood trembling beside the bed with her hands pressed against
her flushed cheeks. It was not going to be easy to live this down, she
realised with horror. Rudolph was not a fool and he must have realised
that, despite her protestations, she was more than willing to give him what
he ~ desired.
'Oh, God,' she moaned. 'How am I going to explain away my actions?'
She pulled herself together with an effort as she heard him replace the
receiver, and then he stood framed in her bedroom door.
'There are complications with the installation of one of the machines at
the factory,' he told her abruptly. 'If you'll get yourself ready, I'll drive you
out to your parents' and meet you there later when I've cleared up this
problem.'
'I... won't be a moment.'
'And don't rejoice too soon,' he rapped out harshly, his eyes raking her
from head to foot. 'This is only a temporary reprieve.'
A temporary reprieve. The words enveloped her like a sombre cloak that
refused to be shed as they drove out to Bellville. Not even Andrew's bright
little face could entirely i dispense with the tension that was spiralling
through her. The telephone had saved her from making a complete fool of
herself, but she could not count on it a second time.
She tried not to think about it while she helped her
mother in the kitchen, hoping that Rudolph's anger would have cooled
considerably by-the time he returned. But he looked tired and agitated when
he arrived just before dinner that evening and joined her father in the lounge.
It was not a promising sign, but, some minutes later, she was surprised to
find him relaxing with a glass of her father's best wine, and discussing her
father's retirement at the end of that year.
'Is there no possibility of your staying on another three years until you're
sixty-three?' Rudolph was asking.
'I could have, yes, but the job has become a bit strenuous at my age, and
there are no desk jobs going vacant.'
'Do you know anything about machinery?'
'I've worked with machinery all my life.'
'I wonder ...' Rudolph began, thoughtful for a moment as he drained his
glass. 'I shall need someone at the end of the year to be in charge of the
assembly plant. It will be mainly a desk job with a limited amount of
physical activity.' Janey held her breath as he leaned forward in his chair to
glance persuasively at her father. 'Would you be interested?'
'Well, I..Janey met her father's glance and, noticing the obvious query in
their depths, she shook her head unobtrusively to indicate that she had
played no part in Rudolph's unexpected offer. 'Do you think it would be
worth taking someone like myself who couldn't give you more than five—
seven years at the most?'
'I need someone with experience at the moment, and there'll be plenty of
time to train your assistant.'
Standing slightly behind Rudolph's chair, Janey felt her heart swelling with
gratitude. If only her father would accept Rudolph's offer, she thought
anxiously, as she watched him chewing thoughtfully at the stem of his pipe.
'May I discuss this with my wife before I give you my answer?'
'Certainly,' Rudolph replied swiftly, glancing up at Janey for the first time,
and she trembled at the unexpected warmth in his eyes.
'Dinner is ready,' she announced softly, loath to interrupt the relaxed
atmosphere, but the two men rose instantly and followed her through to the
dining-room.
Throughout the rest of the evening, she found herself subjected to
Rudolph's penetrating glances that brought a flush to her cheeks and
increased her pulse rate rapidly. When he spoke to her, his voice was low
and pleasant, and she found herself responding deliriously to the warmth and
affection he displayed. This was all for the benefit of her parents, she told
herself in an effort to discourage her emotions, yet she could not remain
entirely unaffected by his attentions.
. After arranging to collect Andrew at a certain time the following morning,
they drove back to the hotel in silence. Several times she tried to speak to
Rudolph, but each time the words died on her lips before they were uttered.
How could she thank him for the wonderful offer he had made her father,
when his threat hung so heavily between them? What could she say to ward
off the inevitable?
The war of nerves had resumed and continued as they each went to their
respective bedrooms. Bathed and ready for bed, Janey sat brushing her hair,
her nerves jumping at each little sound in the room alongside hers. Would he
carry out his threat, or would he relent now that his anger had subsided?
This was ridiculous, she thought, flinging the brush aside with a gesture of
irritation. She was dreading, yet hoping he would come, and
these two
emotions were fighting their own private battle within her until she felt as
though she could scream. To the devil with Rudolph, she decided finally,
pulling back the covers and slipping into
bed. She was going to sleep, and he could jolly well choke in his own
threats!
The door opened suddenly and her heart shot into her mouth. Smelling
of aftershave lotion, and with his hair still slightly damp from his shower,
he came towards her with slow, purposeful treads. Her hand fell away
from the light switch as her eyes fastened on to his tanned chest, which
was generously displayed above the belt of his silk dressing- gown.
'Rudolph I—I'd like, to explain about—about this morning,' she began
nervously as the bed sagged beneath his weight. He made no effort to
stop her as she stumbled into her explanation, but her voice sounded
strangely unconvincing to her own ears as she ended with, 'You have my
word that nothing else happened.'
The silence that followed was almost deafening as she lay among the
pillows praying for a final reprieve, but Rudolph merely nodded with
inscrutable calmness, and said: 'I'll accept that, but it doesn't alter the
situation.'
He leaned towards her then, taking her face between his warm hands to
prevent her from turning her head away. For seemingly endless seconds
she felt herself being devoured by his fiery glance while emotions began
to stir within her, quickening her pulse and making her totally receptive
to his touch. She closed her eyes as he lowered * his head, every nerve in
her body aware of his dominant masculinity. His mouth moved over hers,
parting her lips and drawing a response from her that left her trembling
with the enormity of it. His fingers caressed her throat before they
brushed aside die flimsy straps of her neglige.
'Rudolph,' she sighed protestingly against his lips, 'you . can't build a
marriage on desire alone.'
'Perhaps not, but this is not the time for an analysis,' he argued hoarsely,
his lips exploring the enchanting cleft between her breasts until flames of
desire swept along her veins.
'No ... no, don't,' she moaned, in a final attempt to ward off his
conquering lips while she was being immersed in sensations she had
thought never to experience again.
'Do you deny that you want me as much as I want you?' he demanded
without raising his head.
'Yes,' she gasped defiantly, but her fast, shallow breathing denied this
statement.
'Liar,' he laughed softly, shrugging himself out of his dressing-gown and
flinging out an arm to switch off the light.
Bitterness and self-condemnation would result from her actions as surely
as the sun would rise on a new day. This Janey knew with a certainty that
could not be denied, but, for this one night of ecstasy, she was prepared to
forget his deceit, and the existence of Sybil Rampling.
Janey was not surprised when, instead of lessening, the tension grew
between Rudolph and herself. After their return to Johannesburg, she saw
very little of him, but she was agonisingly aware of the possibility that Sybil
featured prominently in his life once more. Nothing had changed, she
realised, except for the painful thoughts of how easily she had surrendered
herself, but she preferred not to dwell on it.
At the first available opportunity to speak to Mrs Brink alone, Janey
broached the subject which had been troubling her for so long.
'Mother, that portrait in the attic room—the portrait of Portia de Waal.' The
older woman seemed to want to shy away from the subject, but Janey joined
her on the sofa in the living-room and touched her arm with a measure of
urgency. 'I must know, Mother.'
'It troubles you, doesn't it?'
'Yes, it does,' Janey admitted, removing the faded photograph from the
pocket of her skirt and holding it out towards Mrs Brink. 'Take a look at
this.'
Mrs Brink appeared stunned as she studied the photograph carefully.
'Where did you find it?'
'In a box containing dusty old photographs of my family.'
'Janey, I...' Her voice trailed off into silence and Janey had to rescue the
photograph as it fell from her lifeless fingers.
'Tell me about her, Mother,' Janey persisted quietly.
'Rudolph's great-grandfather, Louis Brink, had this house built for Portia,'
Mrs Brink stated, leaning back against the sofa and closing her eyes for a
moment. 'It was completed a few weeks before their marriage and they
moved in, with Portia's mother as chaperone. Portia was apparently
fascinated by the room in the attic because of the view. You must remember,
Janey, that Houghton didn't exist in those days, and this was one of the few
houses erected in this area, and there was nothing but uncultivated yield
surrounding it. However,' she continued, her voice gathering strength,
'Portia begged Louis to allow her to use the attic as her bedroom, and he
relented. He loved her desperately, I believe, but she became ill, and died on
the day they were to have been married.' There was a film of tears in her
eyes. 'Louis was beside himself with grief and kept her room just as it was,
cleaned and tidied regularly as if she were still living in it. The only addition
to the room was the portrait, and Louis spent many hours there, just staring
at it, and with his memories for comfort. He was tremendously sentimental
and, after his death, his will stated that the room be kept as it was for as long
as his descendants remained in this house.'
'Who did he marry eventually?' Janey asked, finding it difficult to force the
words past the lump in her throat.
'He married a childhood friend, Sarah van Huysteen,' Mrs Brink sighed,
dabbing her eyes with the lace handkerchief she always carried. 'Sarah, I
was told, always loved Louis, but when he met Portia, she knew that she had
lost. She remained a good friend to them both and, when Portia died so
suddenly, it was to Sarah that Louis turned for comfort. She was a quiet,
undemanding person, respecting his wish to keep Portia's room as it was,
and understanding his desire to spend time there.' There was a faint smile
about her lips as she met Janey's glance. 'I must admit that her understanding
was phenomenal, for I couldn't have lived with the shadow of another
woman hovering over me.'
The shadow of another woman—a woman like Sybil, Janey thought
bitterly. Was that not exactly what she was doing? Married to Rudolph, but
living beneath Sybil's shadow—a Sybil who was very much alive?
'What happened to Portia's mother?' she asked, shaking off her personal
problems.
'Louis wanted her to remain in this house, but she declined his offer and
returned to her family in the Cape,' Mrs Brink told her, a deep frown
between her brows. Tm not too sure, but I think she had a son living there.
Why?'
The last piece of the puzzle had fallen into place, and Janey felt a stirring
of excitement. It was unbelievable, but it was true, she told herself as she
explained the reason for her queries to Mrs Brink. 'That son—P
ortia's
brother— was my great-grandfather!'
'But that's impossible,' the older woman exclaimed, a nerve twitching at
the side of her mouth. 'Do you mean to tell me that, after all these years, you
and Rudolph succeeded where Louis and Portia had failed?'
'It appears so.'
'How strange,' Mrs Brink murmured with a sigh.
It would have seemed stranger still, if Janey had told her of the instant
recognition between Rudolph and herself at their first meeting. But that was
all so long ago, and the link might still be broken when Rudolph finally
decided that he wanted to marry Sybil.
Esme hinted, later that day, that Sybil was contemplating a short holiday in
Durban, and Sybil confirmed this when she came to dinner ±e following
evening and found Janey alone on the patio. She approached with a flutter of
decorative lace, and the aura of perfume which always surrounded her.
'I need a change, I think,' she began with aplomb, her sudden amicability
placing Janey instantly on her guard. 'I thought a few days in Durban might
do me the world of good. The climate there is always exceptional this time
of the year when the Transvaal is in the first throes of autumn.'
'When do you plan to take this holiday?' Janey asked cautiously.
'Oh, I haven't decided yet,' she said evasively, a secretive smile hovering
about her scarlet lips. 'Perhaps next week, or the week after that. I'm not
sure.'
Janey experienced the stirring of uneasiness within her. She ought to
rejoice at the prospect of Sybil being away for a few days, but something
warned her that there was far more behind this intended holiday than the
ordinary desire to enjoy herself at the coast.
An unexpected letter from Alison drove these disturbing thoughts
temporarily from her mind. She wrote to inform Janey that the date for her
wedding had been brought forward to the twenty-eighth of April, as her
future husband, Derek, was going to America on a scholarship and she
would be accompanying him. He had no immediate family, therefore they
planned a quiet wedding in Cape Town, and she hoped that Janey and
Rudolph would attend.
It was not until the following week that Janey had the opportunity to speak
to Rudolph about it, and it was then that her uneasiness began to take
definite shape. He called her into his study the Thursday evening after
