Where Seagulls Cry

by Yvonne Whittal

Adam, too, seemed to be unusually restless until he eventually pushed himself up on his elbow and leaned closer to her. 'Are you awake, Kim?'

  'Yes, Adam.'

  'I must talk to you,' he said, pulling her into his arms, and his nearness at that moment was balm to her disturbing thoughts. 'How good are you at keeping things to yourself?'

  'That depends on what it is that has to be kept secret,' she replied in a subdued voice and with a certain amount of amusement.

  'It involves state security.'

  Kim's heart leapt beneath his hand. 'Then, of course, nothing would induce me to speak of it.'

  There was a moment of tense silence before he continued, almost as if he were weighing the justification of his desire to confide in her. 'Before the accident, Kim, I was working tentatively on plans for a new military weapon,' he confessed in a hushed voice. 'It appears now that the government is very interested in the completion of such a weapon, and it's somewhat urgent.'

  'If you're aware of the urgency, why are you so hesitant about returning?' she wanted to know.

  'It's going to mean hours of work, Kim—all day at the Institute and quite possibly the evenings at home.' His fingers worked their way through her hair, tugging gently at the silken strands. 'It means that we shall have very little time together.'

  'It's something I shall have to learn to accept,' she whispered into his neck. Then a new thought arose in her mind. 'Will the evenings you have to work at home involve Ursula Bennett?'

  'I have no doubt that it will involve her,' he replied cautiously. 'Why?'

  'Just curious.'

  'No, my Kim, there's more than curiosity there. I think Bill has told you a little something about Ursula.' His arms tightened about her slender figure and quite suddenly he was bending over her, his face inches from hers in the moonlit darkness. 'Am I right?'

  'Yes,' she admitted truthfully, ashamed at the spark of jealousy which had been aroused within her.

  'You have nothing to fear, you know.'

  'I wonder,' Kim thought anxiously as his lips found hers. Would he still feel the same once he was in daily contact with this woman whom she knew only by name? Adam's lips finally came to rest on the tempting hollow in her throat, and she trembled against him.

  'So you're going back after all, despite your initial stubbornness,' she remarked, trying to ignore the sensations caused by the exploratory touch of his lips.

  Adam released her unexpectedly and fell back against his pillows. 'I haven't decided yet.'

  'Oh, yes, you have, Adam Granger,' she accused lightly. 'Why don't you admit that you're longing to get back to work? That you're thrilled to bits at the thought?'

  'All right, I am,' he acknowledged abruptly, 'but it doesn't erase all those other factors I mentioned. I don't want anyone's pity.'

  Kim sat up in bed. 'Have you ever thought of the possibility that your colleagues might be well aware of this fact?'

  'Kim, stop it!' He pulled her down against him with a fierceness that made her breasts hurt against the hardness of his chest. 'Between Bill and yourself I'm becoming convinced that I've behaved like a touchy fool.'

  'You have every right to be touchy, Adam, but you're not a fool,' she managed, warding off his lips.

  'Thank you, my dear, you've always done a good job of boosting my morale,' he sighed, and this time she gave him her lips and welcomed the touch of his warm hands against her skin.

  'You are going back, aren't you?' she demanded before his kisses became too urgent. 'Adam, are you?'

  'You're like a dog that won't let go of a bone,' he muttered in exasperation. 'Stop nagging, Kim!'

  'But you are, aren't you?' she persisted, determined to know his decision before she could settle down to sleep.

  'Yes, I think so.'

  Kim felt curiously triumphant, but her thoughts were instantly practical. 'Where shall we stay?'

  'Didn't I tell you that I have a flat in Cape Town?' he asked with some amazement.

  'No, you didn't.'

  'It's a penthouse, actually, but you'll like it.'

  For some time they lay in silence listening to the sound of the sea and the crickets chirping in the undergrowth, until another sound made them listen more intently. It was the definite sound of someone's footsteps pacing softly back and forth.

  'Why don't you go and put poor Bill out of his misery?' she suggested at last, extricating herself from Adam's arms. 'Tell him that you've decided to accept what they have to offer you so that the poor man can get some sleep instead of spending the night pacing the floor.'

  Adam muttered something about getting no peace, but he nevertheless put on his dressing gown and went to the door. 'Bill!' he called loudly across the landing, and the door opposite opened almost instantly.

  'Yes?'

  'Kim said I should tell you to stop worrying,' Adam told their surprised guest. 'I'll go back to work.'

  Delighted, Bill slapped his hand against his thigh. 'Hell, I think I need a drink.'

  'What about a strong cup of coffee for all of us?' Kim suggested, tightening the belt of her dressing gown as she came up behind Adam.

  'Splendid idea,' both men agreed almost simultaneously.

  'I'll go and put the kettle on,' Kim murmured, unable to hide her smile of amusement as she brushed past Adam.

  Once again the cottage was ablaze with lights as they trooped down to the kitchen. This was quite probably the most enjoyable part of the whole day as they sat round the kitchen table sipping strong coffee and conversing without the tension which had been so evident earlier in the evening.

  'How soon do you think you could be in Cape Town?' Bill asked eventually, his hazel eyes dancing with merriment at having succeeded in his mission.

  Adam frowned slightly. 'Well, today is Thursday.'

  Kim's glance went swiftly to the clock on the wall. 'Correction, today is Friday.'

  Bill slapped his forehead. 'Good heavens, is it that late?'

  'It was after eleven when we came down to the kitchen,' Kim reminded him with a grin.

  'What if Kim and I drive up on Saturday morning?' Adam intervened, the frown reappearing on his forehead. 'That will give us the week-end to settle in, and I could start work on Monday.'

  'That sounds fine to me,' Bill agreed readily. 'I'll drop in on you on Sunday afternoon to make sure you've settled in comfortably, and to find out if there's anything you may need. We could also make the final arrangements.'

  'Well, that's settled, then,' Kim sighed, placing the cups in the basin and rinsing them quickly. 'I don't know what the two of you are going to do, but I'm going to bed.'

  She went up ahead of them, pausing for a moment on the landing to watch their steady progress up the stairs. To see Adam like this made it difficult to believe that he was blind, she could not help marvelling once more. He took the steps accurately even while in conversation with Bill, his hand sliding along the balustrade without gripping. Soon, she thought, soon he would be entirely independent, and when this was so, would there be a place for her in his life after all? Would the time they spent together here at Heron's Bay have meant as much to him as it did to her?

  CHAPTER SIX

  Kim went down to the village, soon after Bill Stewart left the following morning, to make arrangements for Adam's motorboat to be taken care of, and also to pay a brief visit to the manse. Mr Wilson and his wife would never have forgiven her if they had left without saying goodbye.

  'So Adam has finally been persuaded to return to the Institute,' Mr Wilson remarked as he joined his wife and Kim for tea in the living-room. 'I didn't think he would be able to remain idle for very long.'

  'I'm very happy for Adam's sake that he has decided to pick up the threads of his life,' Kim told her friends, careful not to mention her own doubts and fears for the future.

  'I hope you won't be selling the cottage?' Mrs Wilson said with swift concern. 'You've been so happy there.'

  'Oh, no, we shan't be selling, at least…' Kim bit her lip. '
Adam hasn't said anything about selling.'

  She felt quite disturbed about this, but she was determined that, if it were at all possible, she would not allow Adam to sell the cottage.

  Adam waited rather impatiently for Kim's return. Now that he had decided to return to the city, he was anxious to get it over with, he told her as she helped him pack a few of the books he wanted to take with him.

  Their last night at Heron's Bay was filled with nostalgia for Kim, and she wondered sadly whether they would ever be able to recapture the times they had spent there together. Life in the city was going to be vastly different from what she had become accustomed to, and Adam, she knew, would somehow change as well. It was something she would have to expect and accept, no matter how difficult.

  Ursula Bennett! What was she like? Kim wondered curiously as she lay listening to Adam's regular breathing beside her. She had been tempted to question him more closely, but felt somehow that he would not appreciate being questioned about the woman who had meant so much to him in the past. Would Ursula resent the fact that someone else had taken her place in Adam's life? Kim considered this question for some time, but it was difficult to decide when she had no idea what Ursula was actually like. She would just have to wait and see, she decided eventually as she fell asleep.

  'Can you drive?' Adam asked dubiously the following morning as they were about to leave for the city.

  Kim glanced at him with some amusement. 'Of course.'

  'Don't tell me,' he mocked, putting on his dark, glasses. 'You had a boy-friend with a car.'

  'No,' she denied laughingly. 'My aunt taught me to drive in her old car, but I sold it soon after her death. It had become a rattling death-trap anyway.'

  The Peugeot stood packed and ready, but still Adam hesitated. 'Have you a driver's licence?'

  'Yes,' she said abruptly, with a touch of sarcasm. 'Would you like to see it?'

  The silence hung heavily between them and Kim felt slightly sick. It was the first time she had passed such a thoughtless remark, and it stung her more deeply than she would have him guess.

  Except for the barely perceptible tightening of his lips, Adam gave no indication that her foolish remark had upset him. She could almost believe that he had not heard… but there was no doubt that he had.

  'As with everything else, I'll have to take your word for it,' he said finally, and Kim thought it best not to offer her apologies at that moment.

  She locked the front door behind them and at the gate she turned for the last time to gaze at the cottage with a rising lump in her throat. Her happiness here had been brief, but wonderful. Something she would remember.

  'If you don't come now, we'll never get away,' Adam remarked irritably from the car.

  'Just coming,' she sighed, throwing her hair back over her shoulder as she caught sight of a seagull swooping low over the cottage, dipping its wings as if in salute.

  If Adam had suffered any nervousness at the onset of their journey, it soon evaporated as the kilometres sped by. He lowered his seat, relaxed, and finally slept. It was a lonely journey for Kim, but she preferred having Adam's sleeping form beside her than to have him nervous and jumpy at every movement she made.

  While her aunt was still alive and well enough to travel, they had often travelled from Heron's Bay to Cape Town and usually remained in the city a day or two. But on those occasions the journey had never been pleasant, for there was always the nagging fear that Aunt Freda's car might leave them in the lurch on a lonely stretch of road. On this occasion, however, it was quite the reverse, for Adam's car was in perfect order, and Kim could allow herself the pleasure of enjoying the lush scenery as it floated past.

  When Table Mountain came into view, she reduced speed to admire its majestic beauty for a moment as it towered above the city. It was a pleasing sight that never failed to thrill her each time she saw it, and she felt strangely excited at the prospect of living virtually in its shadows.

  As she approached the outskirts of the city, she turned off the road and shook Adam lightly. 'We're almost there, and you'll have to direct me.'

  'Tell me when you've reached the Heerengracht,' he replied, instantly awake as he sat up and readjusted his seat. 'I'll direct you from there.'

  This was the most nerve-racking part of the journey, having Adam direct her through part of the city towards Sea Point on a Saturday morning when the traffic was at its peak. Fortunately for her, she made no errors, and they reached the building which housed Adam's penthouse without any mishap. She parked the car in the garage he had indicated and started offloading. It took only one trip up in the lift, but when they reached the door to Adam's penthouse, she experienced a nervous quivering at the pit of her stomach. It was done. It was over. The move had been made, and there was no turning back. What the future held for her was uncertain, but for Adam it was yet another beginning in the life he had chosen.

  Adam produced a bunch of keys from his pocket and, after running his fingers over them, he selected one. He had come to rely vastly on his sense of touch since she had met him, and it was something she was proud to have been able to teach him. Kim watched in silence as he ran his hand over the door to find the keyhole before inserting the key in the lock. It was something he had not tried before, and there was an unmistakable look of triumph on his face when the door swung open.

  Kim was not sure what she had expected as she hesitantly followed Adam inside, but she had been unprepared for the stylishly furnished interior of the penthouse. Despite the total disorder and layers of dust, the living-room was tastefully furnished, the colour scheme ranging from cream to various shades of blue, with carpets wall to wall. Built-in shelves, stretching from ceiling to floor, displayed an odd assortment of delicate china, and acted as a room divider. Beyond this was the dining-room, Kim noticed as her keen glance swept over everything.

  'I must apologise, Kim,' Adam muttered, slightly embarrassed. 'The place most probably looks a mess. I was wallowing in self-pity before I left here.'

  She could no longer ignore the empty beer cans and empty whisky bottles lying about, and she raised straight dark eyebrows above humorous green eyes. 'To be quite honest, it looks as though you were wallowing in booze,' she laughed briefly. 'You must have had a roaring time!'

  'Yes, well… we'll clean it up later,' he grinned at her unashamedly. 'Let me show you the rest of the place.'

  It was the first time Kim had ever been in a penthouse and it was larger than she had imagined. The kitchen was comfortably spacious, with all the modern appliances a woman could want, with a serving hatch through to the dining-room. The study, with its walls lined with bookshelves, an enormous desk and comfortable leather chairs, led directly off the living-room, and the rest of the penthouse consisted of a spare bedroom and bathroom for his guests, as well as the main bedroom with an adjoining bathroom.

  'This will be our room,' he said as they entered, 'and… wait a minute!' He caught at her arm and drew her to his side. 'There are two single beds in here.'

  'So there are,' Kim acknowledged demurely, her amused glance directed at the twin beds with their serviceable bedspreads in disarray, as if Adam had slept on them alternately without bothering to get beneath the blankets. 'And very comfortable they look too,' she added mischievously.

  'I've got a job for you to do first thing Monday morning, and no later than that, my girl,' he said decisively, his hand moving to her shoulder and turning her to face him. 'You're to go into town to buy a double bed, is that clear?'

  'But what are we to do with these lovely beds?' she asked protestingly and with mock innocence.

  'Trade them in. Sell them. Throw them out the window.'

  'But, Adam—'

  'Kim, I think I must be old-fashioned,' he remarked sternly as he pulled her into his arms. 'I want to go to sleep each night with my wife in my arms. Am I being unreasonable?'

  Kim blushed becomingly. 'No.'

  'You're lovely, Kim,' he said at length, burying his lips agains
t the silky warmth of her neck. 'So soft and warm, and you fit so perfectly into my arms.'

  Her senses swam as his hard mouth found hers and his hands were deliciously warm and exciting against her skin beneath her sweater. She loved him desperately, with a hungry yearning for his admission of love, but despite his muttered endearments, love was never mentioned.

  'Adam,' she gasped against his lips, trying to ward off his advances. 'I should be making lunch and getting the place cleaned up.'

  'It can wait, can't it?' he whispered urgently, moulding her body to his in a way that sent intoxicating flames of desire leaping through her veins. 'Can't it?' he repeated the question demandingly.

  'Yes. Oh, yes,' she agreed bemusedly, unable to fight against the emotions he had aroused within her. What did it matter that lunch had to be prepared, that the penthouse had to be tidied and that layers of dust had to be dispensed with? It could wait, as Adam had suggested.

  Adam's penthouse was in a building overlooking the beach-front, and from the rooftop Earn had a breathtaking view of the sea and the picturesque coastline. Behind her the mountain towered out above the tall buildings as if to prove its superiority. Adam came and stood beside her, lifting his face towards the sun and sniffing the air.

  'I always thought the smell of the sea air was so wonderful from here, but it's become rather insipid after living at Heron's Bay for so long,' he remarked disappointedly.

  'One can't always have everything the way one wants it,' she pointed out gently.

  'Wise little Kim,' he mocked, tugging at her hair. 'What is it that's keeping you out here so long?'

  'I was thinking—' she began, glancing about her speculatively. 'With a few flower boxes and several comfortable deck chairs, this could become a splendid retreat when the weather is as perfect as it is today.'

  'Perhaps it would be a good idea to exploit these plans of yours while I'm at work,' he agreed with a measure of seriousness. 'It will give you something to do.'

  'I might just do that, Adam,' she threatened as they entered the living-room through the sliding doors.