The Sapphire Widow

by Jefferies, Dinah

  19.

  Louisa tried to convince herself it had all been lies. She didn’t know what Leo stood to gain by it but she simply could not accept Elliot had been unfaithful all that time. He had loved her as much as she had loved him, so how could this be true? Drenched in sweat, she cycled around the streets of Galle, knowing if she was less than her usually friendly self, people would put it down to delayed grief over Elliot’s death. Everything else was a fabrication she could not allow to destroy her. And yet, while she still refused to completely believe Leo, the doubt growled and clawed at her, especially at night. When it did she slipped out of bed and read a book, or pored over her plans for the emporium, then stared into the loneliness of the night-time silence pressing up against her window. Mainly she ploughed on through by burying herself in examining samples of the kinds of goods the emporium would sell, and pushing everything else to the back of her mind. But how she wished for a return to ordinary normal life!

  One morning, after a slightly better night, she made her way to the Print House with Margo. They were due to meet the locksmith she had finally hired. Margo tried talking to her about the child, but Louisa refused to engage. If she paid no attention to it, the whole business with Leo would go away. That was how she was dealing with it. Margo didn’t press her.

  On their way, they planned to call on a jeweller who might be keen to sell his goods in the emporium. Still too soon for the monsoon, it was another sweltering day, though the sea was looking a bit choppier than usual. Accustomed to the way the weather affected the sea, Louisa gazed out at it in silence. They hailed two wooden rickshaws for the ease of it and when they reached the jeweller’s, Louisa waved at a pedlar she knew who passed them balancing vast bunches of king coconuts on his bicycle. Apart from the bars at the windows and the tall wooden doors painted yellow, the jeweller’s looked like a normal house. Inside it was anything but.

  The women walked through the solidly beamed entrance hall and rang a large rope bell. A young man appeared through an imposing arched doorway and led them through to a second room with a tall, airy ceiling. In there, two old Dutch chests were kept locked, and several glass-fronted antique cabinets housed the other treasures. Louisa nodded at the assistant and asked to see the owner, a man distantly related to the famous Macan Markar family of jewellers. They waited for a few minutes while admiring the embellished mirrors on the wall, and then an elderly man with a slight stoop came down a wide staircase.

  ‘Mrs Reeve,’ he said. ‘This is a pleasure indeed. Will you take mint tea with me in the roof garden?’

  Louisa glanced at Margo who nodded and they followed the man up the stairs to a roof garden shaded by vines growing over a wire pergola.

  ‘How lovely,’ Louisa said as she gazed at the tops of coconut palms in the streets surrounding the garden and, beyond them, to the view of the deep blue sea.

  He indicated chairs where they were to sit and the women made themselves comfortable. The garden was laid to lawn, unusually for a roof terrace, and bright red flowers peppered its borders. Decorated urns held yet more flowers, and the whole effect was astonishingly bright and airy. Below them they saw women hanging out washing on the red-tiled roof tops, and there was a good view of the Dutch Reformed church and the hill of Rumassala.

  After the tea had been served, Louisa explained her idea for the emporium and asked if he’d be interested in being part of it.

  He listened carefully and there was a momentary silence while he was clearly thinking over her proposition. In the end, he sighed deeply before speaking. ‘I do not think I have the means to open a second shop here. Things have been, well, shall we say, a little tricky. But I have a cousin, also a jeweller you understand, who works in Colombo. I know he is looking to expand his sapphire collection. Why not allow me to approach him on your behalf?’

  ‘Thank you,’ she said, rising from her seat. ‘That would be a great help. But now, we’d better get on. I’m meeting a locksmith in ten minutes.’

  He led them downstairs.

  As they reached the bottom, the assistant was in the middle of showing another man through to the back room. Louisa was surprised to see it was Mr De Vos, who was now gazing at her with a broad smile on his face. The owner took a step to the side and while he exchanged a few hurried words with his assistant, De Vos spoke to Louisa.

  ‘Mrs Reeve. How lovely to see you. I was hoping to pay you a call later this morning. Maybe we could have a few words outside.’

  ‘Of course.’

  They stepped through the front door and she smiled at him. ‘So?’

  ‘Well, it is a little bit tricky. As you know, your husband and I had joined forces in a business deal.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Well, the awkward thing is, he gave me a post-dated cheque to cover his share of the transaction – but unfortunately, when I presented it at the bank, the cheque bounced.’

  ‘I see.’

  ‘I know your husband was an honourable man so I wondered if, or rather when, you might be able to make good on the debt.’

  She steadied herself before she replied. ‘You have a contract for the transaction?’

  He smiled again. ‘Indeed.’

  ‘And how much did my husband owe you?’

  He scribbled an amount on a piece of paper and handed it to her.

  She tried to conceal her shock when she saw how much it was. ‘Let me see the contract and we’ll take it from there.’

  ‘Thank you,’ he said, and gave her a little bow before twisting round to walk back into the jeweller’s.

  As she turned to leave, she felt her heart beating against her ribs. More debts!

  ‘Well,’ Margo said as they walked away. ‘What was that about?’

  Louisa swallowed hard. ‘Apparently Elliot owed money for some business transaction. I don’t know what to think.’

  ‘Owed it to that man?’

  ‘Honestly, Margo, it’s a small fortune, would certainly buy you a house or two … Oh God, you don’t think he borrowed the money for the down payment on the Print House as well? He told me he’d used profits from his spice business.’

  Margo shook her head. ‘He wouldn’t, would he? Have you spoken to your father?’

  ‘Not yet. I think I can handle it.’

  ‘If I were you I’d tell him. You don’t want to deal with everything alone.’

  As they walked on some low-lying clouds scudded across the horizon and for a moment it looked like rain. When they reached the Print House, Louisa drew out the bunch of keys and unlocked the large front doors. Inside it smelt a little musty and she sniffed the air. ‘I need to get the cupola cleaned so we can allow light to stream in, but let’s open some of these windows for now. At least it will smell fresher.’

  ‘Who’s your builder going to be?’

  ‘Himal maybe, but I need to finish the plans first.’

  After they had opened the plantation shutters and then the windows she showed Margo around the ground floor of the building. Then they climbed a metal stairway that led to the gallery circling the hall, where they noticed a spotted house lizard scamper up the wall and then lie still.

  ‘Now that one has come in, we can’t leave until he has either gone back out, or at least hidden himself from us.’

  ‘You believe the old wives’ tale?’

  Louisa laughed. ‘I just enjoy the idea. Do you like it up here?’

  ‘Very much,’ Margo said.

  Louisa grinned. ‘I thought maybe we’d display paintings here. Once the light comes in, they’ll look gorgeous, and people can walk around viewing them while also gazing down at the stands below.’

  ‘You’ve got it all worked out, haven’t you?’

  ‘I had – until I heard about this new debt Elliot has left me with.’ She shook her head. ‘The unpleasant surprises keep coming, don’t they?’

  ‘It’ll be all right.’

  ‘Will it? I’m not sure how. Whenever I think about Zinnia and the child I just feel sick
.’

  As they were talking someone entered below and glancing over the rail of the gallery, she saw a small wiry man eyeing the place and carrying a satchel.

  ‘Ah, it’s the locksmith.’

  Louisa went down, leaving Margo on the gallery.

  ‘Mr Hassid,’ she said and held out her hand. ‘Thank you so much for coming. The door is just through here.’

  She led him through one of the side rooms to the locked door. ‘Shall I leave you to work on it?’

  He nodded and she went back into the hall. ‘Margo,’ she called. ‘Come down and look at these old printing presses. I was thinking about having one cleaned up and keeping it as a centrepiece.’

  Margo came down the stairs and ran a palm over one of the presses, which was partly attached to the beam above by chains. ‘It will take up a bit of room. Maybe the smaller one?’

  ‘You’re right.’

  At that moment there was a loud thump. ‘I think he may have got in.’

  They both went through to the previously locked room.

  The man glanced up. ‘I’m afraid I had to remove the entire locking mechanism. I can install a new lock if you like, though I don’t have the right kind with me.’

  ‘No need. I don’t know what I’ll be doing with the room yet. Now, how much do I owe you?’

  After Louisa had paid, and the man had left, the women entered the room. A desk and a swivel chair were the only furniture. ‘This must have been the office. ‘Let’s see what’s in the drawers.’

  She pulled open the top drawer. Empty. Then the second drawer, which contained just a few sheets of yellowing paper. And when she opened the third drawer she found it empty too.

  ‘There’s nothing in here,’ Louisa said.

  ‘I wonder why on earth the room was locked then?’

  20.

  After cleaning up the Print House a little, Louisa settled on having a bath and changing for supper, while Margo went to dive off Flag Rock and go for a swim.

  Louisa’s bathroom was tiled in blue and white with a window overlooking the garden which she now opened. She took out a clean white towel from the airing cupboard, ran a bath, lit a few scented candles and then, as the warm water slid over her, and she rinsed the dust and dirt away, she listened to the chorus of birds in the trees. She craned her neck to look out of the window and saw a burst of parakeets fly from one tree to another, but then she sank back into the bath. Apart from the birds, there was no other sound and the peace soothed Louisa.

  But, after a moment, completely unbidden thoughts of Elliot invaded her mind. That’s how it often happened now. She’d be busily doing some sewing, or some pruning outside, and would suddenly have to fight the rising panic when she heard his voice as clearly as if he had been standing beside her. She had not told her father of Leo’s claims about Zinnia and Conor. Telling him would make it seem too real. But, while she did her best not to dwell on it, how could she avoid considering whether Leo had been telling the truth or not? And, if it was true, how had Elliot managed to keep the child secret for all this time? This thought made it hard to breathe and as she struggled for air, the heat made her eyelids prickle. She stuffed her knuckles into her eyes to stop the tears from surfacing.

  Once she’d climbed out of the bath and had dried herself, she slipped into a dress with a nipped-in waist and a very nearly ankle-length skirt. It had light shoulder pads and a floral pattern, another of her dresses made up by the Colombo tailor. She kept her curls under control, pinning her hair up at the back and keeping the fashionable close-to-the-head look. Despite her tan, she still retained a natural-looking complexion which she highlighted with the use of a rouge in light pink. She usually didn’t bother, but something told her tonight was important, even though it would just be Margo and her father for supper.

  A little later as she went down the stairs, she was surprised by a knock at the front door. It was too late for a casual visitor so she couldn’t imagine who it might be but, opening the door herself, she was taken aback to see Jeremy Pike, the man Elliot used to sail with and whose car he had crashed, standing on the doorstep.

  ‘I thought it was time. I owe you an explanation,’ he said.

  ‘Come in.’

  They stood together in the hall and he gazed about, hands clasped behind his back. ‘Hard to believe Elliot’s gone, isn’t it?’

  ‘Very. But what can I do for you?’

  ‘I wanted to explain what happened the day he died.’

  Louisa took a quick breath. ‘Will you come through?’

  ‘No, this won’t take a moment. You see, we had been planning to sail that day, but when I saw the wind was getting up, I phoned to postpone. To be honest, Elliot seemed relieved, and then asked if he might borrow my car.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘I don’t know. But I agreed, of course – he was a good friend. Though I did ask why he didn’t use his own.’

  ‘He didn’t say anything?’

  ‘He just said he had a private meeting with somebody somewhere on the way to Colombo, some kind of deal he was involved in, I think.’

  ‘And that’s all you know?’

  ‘It is.’

  ‘Well, thank you for telling me.’

  ‘It’s long overdue. I’m terribly sorry I couldn’t make the funeral. I had to go to Bombay at short notice. Only recently returned.’

  ‘But have the police spoken to you?’

  ‘I gave them a statement earlier today. It confirms what my housekeeper told them while I was away.’

  ‘What about the car? I should make up the loss.’

  ‘No need to worry. The insurance will cover everything.’ He paused. ‘But now I must be off. Please accept my deepest condolences.’

  After he’d gone she went across to the sitting room and saw her father was already there, listening to Margo playing some Liszt on the piano. She sat and leant back in her chair to listen and think about Jeremy Pike.

  Though Margo played moderately well and it was a pleasant way to spend the early part of the evening, Louisa’s mind was on Elliot’s accident and the reason behind his drive that day. Her father sipped his drink and closed his eyes, and Ashan came and stood quietly while Margo finished the piece. When she had he asked both women what they’d like to drink and then, as he went to mix their cocktails, Jonathan spoke. ‘So,’ he said. ‘What are your plans, Margo?’

  Margo sighed. ‘I haven’t really decided. I suppose I’ll eventually return to England, try to get my old job back.’

  ‘You wouldn’t consider nursing over here? The country is crying out for well-trained medical staff.’

  ‘I’d consider it, of course, and I do love it here, but I’ve made a lot of good friends in England.’

  ‘You could make new ones here and see more of your old friends too. Think about it.’

  ‘Maybe.’

  A smiling Ashan handed both women their Gin Rickeys: a fizzing mix of gin, lime and soda. ‘I hope they give satisfaction,’ he said. ‘I mixed them myself.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Louisa said.

  Jonathan came up to Louisa and squeezed her hand affectionately. ‘I haven’t told you how well you are looking this evening, Louisa. It’s a pleasure to see.’

  ‘I know you’ve been worried about me, but I am coping. And Margo being here has helped so much.’

  Margo left the piano. ‘I’m glad to be here, though I’m sure Mother will be itching to have me back with her before long.’

  ‘In the meantime, if you can prevent my daughter from giving in to despair we shall go on enjoying your company, won’t we, Louisa?’

  ‘Actually Dad, I wanted to talk to you,’ Louisa said, once Ashan had gone. She leant towards him, but then Camille came in to say dinner was served and they all got to their feet.

  Throughout dinner Margo talked a lot about Irene and Harold and how they were struggling in the aftermath of their son’s death, and the moment for telling Jonathan about Elliot seemed to have passed. I’ll tell hi
m tomorrow, Louisa thought, though she didn’t relish the task. Her father hadn’t trusted Elliot at the start of their marriage and it had been she who had persuaded him. Now it seemed he had been right all along.

  21.

  ‘So, before we go to the cutting and polishing house have you any questions?’ her father said as he pulled on his boots. ‘It would be good if you understood a little bit more about the business. I know it’s never been of great interest to you, but now … well, now Elliot’s gone, it might be time to learn.’

  ‘I do already know a bit.’

  He raised his brows. ‘Well, you say you do.’

  ‘I do! I know gemstone mining here is mostly from secondary deposits.’

  ‘Which yield sapphire, ruby, cat’s-eye, garnet.’

  ‘Tourmaline, topaz, quartz,’ she added.

  ‘So, you have been listening. I always thought the talk of gems bored you.’

  She laughed. ‘I do love a pretty sapphire ring, but you know I’ve always preferred buildings.’

  ‘We have the perfect geological conditions –’

  ‘I know,’ she said, interrupting him. ‘Enough. Ready, Pa?’

  They left the house and meandered along the lanes, passing the shops laden with fruit and vegetables and the fishmonger too. At the corner of a narrow passage a toothless elderly lady was sweeping her doorway with a stick broom while a little boy watered a large pot of red canna lilies. Jonathan nodded at the woman and they turned into the alley and veered towards the cutting house. As they walked, Louisa thought about their entire gem business. Once gems had been mined they had to be traded and only then were they cut and polished. That was the point at which Hardcastle Gems sold them on. Elliot had been proud of his work at the cutting house but, so far, they hadn’t been involved in the actual design and manufacture of jewellery.

  Once they entered the gloomy hallway of the building, Ravinath, the supervisor, came out to greet them. He was a wiry-looking middle-aged Sinhalese man with a slightly bent back from years sitting over a cutting bench.