The Isle of Song

by Hilary Wilde

  `So I've won the wager after all,' he smiled.

  `Yes ...' Kate began, and stopped abruptly. Her mind was becoming more clear each moment. 'I have to pay a forfeit,' she said, her voice flat.

  `Yes.' There was amusement in Simon's voice. And I'm going to collect it now. A kiss.'

  Before Kate could speak, Simon had swung her round so that she lay across him and then he bent, mouth closing over hers. For a second her mouth responded, and then she knew that she mustn't let Simon know the truth. She forced her mouth to lie still and unresponsive, made her body stiff and unrelaxed.

  In a moment he released her and helped her sit up. His voice was formal and unfriendly as he spoke. `We'd better make our way back before it gets too dark,' he said stiffly.

  Kate drew a deep breath. She felt chilly and forlorn without the protection of his arms.

  `I hope you and Caterina will be very happy,' she said with equal stiffness, determined that he should never guess the truth and know that she loved him so much.

  Simon swung round to look at her. 'We're always happy. We get on very well except when we're fighting.'

  Caterina told me that ... and that she had just won,' said Kate, not sure why she was saying it, yet feeling she must make Simon think she was completely indifferent to him.

  `Sure she won — and a long hard fight it was,' Simon said with a short laugh. 'I still wonder if I did right to give way. The new hospital will cost the earth.'

  `New hospital ?' Kate repeated, startled.

  `Yes, that's what we're talking about, isn't it ?' Simon asked. 'Both Caterina and Jerome want the hospital built before the hotels are finished. They say the accident percentage goes up each day — no matter what precautions we take, some happen. They want the hospital ready before the first guest arrives. I wanted to wait.' He gave a little laugh. 'They won!'

  `But I thought ...' Kate began, trying to realize what it all meant. The words came in a little rush. 'I thought you and Caterina were in love and ...'

  She was startled by Simon's reply. 'Oh, no, Kate. I admire and like Caterina, but she nags me too much. Besides,' he went on, 'didn't you know — surely you must be blind if you couldn't see that she's in love with Jerome.'

  `Jerome ?' Kate echoed. She turned eagerly. 'But that's wonderful, Simon, for he adores her. He thought, like I did, that you and she would ..

  Simon shook his head. 'What a muddle! One thing, Adam and ...' he began, his voice stiff and formal.

  `Nancy ?' Kate said quickly. 'He's already proposed to her.'

  `Nancy ?' Simon sounded surprised. 'I always thought . ? He paused.

  `So that just leaves us, doesn't it ?' said Simon, his voice dry.

  There was a sudden stillness. Not a bird sang, not an animal rustled a leaf. Kate felt as if she and Simon were alone in the world — a tropical world with the sky growing darker every second and the sweet scent of the flowers filling the air.

  `You were hurt badly once, weren't you ?' she asked, the twilight perhaps giving her courage.

  `Most people are,' Simon shrugged, his voice indifferent. 'Aren't they? I was very young, so it hurt. I thought the girl loved me and then I found it was my family's wealth she was interested in.'

  `Simon, if you and Caterina aren't in love, why did she make me wear the lime-green lily ?' Kate asked suddenly. 'She always wore it, didn't she, so that you could choose her? Then when you found it was me and that she had done it to hurt you, you took your revenge by kissing me.'

  `Is that what you thought ?' Simon asked, his voice strange.

  `Yes.' So he wasn't denying it, Kate thought quickly. `And if you're not in love with Caterina, why did you kiss her today.'

  `You saw that ?' he asked. 'We hoped you would.'

  `You hoped . . .?' Kate began, and stopped. Suddenly she felt unsure, afraid of saying the wrong thing.

  `You won't believe this,' Simon went on, his voice oddly strained. For you've made up your mind that I'm a hard, ruthless, sarcastic brute, but Caterina arranged the lily change-over in the hope of waking you up to the truth.'

  The truth ?' Kate queried softly.

  `Yes. You see, she knew how I hated the barrier you'd built up between us and she thought that when I kissed you, maybe you'd understand.'

  Kate shivered. 'Understand ?' she echoed.

  `Yes.' He sounded impatient for a moment. 'Understand how much I loved you. Today Caterina saw you coming and suggested we kissed to try to make you jealous. It didn't work, though,' he added dully. 'Just now when I kissed you, I realized that I hadn't a hope – I knew that you could never love me.'

  It couldn't be true, Kate was telling herself wildly. It couldn't possibly be true. Such wonderful things didn't happen in reality.

  But, Simon—' she began, 'that's why I went stiff. I thought you loved Caterina and I was afraid you'd find out that I loved you.'

  In the stillness she heard him catch his breath and then, suddenly, she was in his arms. He was kissing her – her mouth, her cheek, her chin – and he was saying the most wonderful, most romantic, most sentimental, most lovely things to her. Words she would never have believed Simon capable of saying ...

  Suddenly he stood up, lifting her and holding her close. She slid her arms round his neck and gave him her mouth, lovingly, warmly, happily. He began to walk along the trodden path, pausing every now and then to kiss her again, as she lay in his arms and he carried her.

  Once when he paused, he said softly: 'I have an idea that Great-Aunt Adele would be pleased about this.'

  Kate kissed him gently. 'I think so, too, Simon.' Suddenly she remembered something. 'How did you know where to find me ?'

  `When you didn't come back, we thought you might be resting, but Caterina went up to make sure, and you weren't there and your drawer was upside down on the bed, so she knew then that you hadn't heard about the key — when she shouted to you, I mean. Then Tehutu said she saw you coming this way, so I guessed you thought you'd dropped it and I came right away.'

  Kate shivered. 'I'm so glad you came. I was scared !'

  His arms tightened. 'You were brave. Very brave. Kate — when did you first know you loved me ?'

  Her cheek against his, she told him. 'When you chose the lime-green lily and kissed me. When did you first know ?'

  Simon chuckled softly. 'When I accused you of telling Georgia I had only given Jerome the job because I liked you. You were like a ball of fire, so angry with me. And you were right, too. I probably did create all the gossip by carrying you down the pier. Know something, Kate ? I fell in love with you because you had the courage to defy me. I think I needed it.'

  `If you knew how scared I was,' Kate confessed. `Oh, we're home.'

  The bright lights of the big house were in view. Her home, Kate thought happily, and then she glanced at Simon's face and she knew something.

  `Wherever I am, when I'm with you, Simon,' she said softly, 'it'll be home.'

  Somewhere in the distance, a girl was singing. A little sad but a romantic sound, a fitting background to a lover's kiss as Simon bent his head and Kate's arms tightened round his neck.

  `Have I told you,' he said, 'that I love you ?'