by Jane Corrie
The Smythes left in the early evening, in an atmosphere of congeniality, with Moira paying particular attention to her rather mystified but very satisfied husband.
To Thea's surprise Marcus took her back to Beach House shortly after they left, saying that he had some paper work to get through that evening, as he had promised to let John have some figures by midday the following day.
Although relieved, Thea wondered if he had another engagement. She had served her purpose, she thought distractedly as she gazed out of the car window as they left Pirates' Cove. It was already beginning, she thought; he couldn't wait to get rid of her. Was he meeting Sapphire? she wondered. She had so wanted to believe what Moira had told her about his relationship with Sapphire, but there was no getting away from the fact that he had called to pick her up from the hotel that evening, and Sapphire had expected him to do so the following evening. Giving her a helping hand with her career was one thing, but he hadn't had to dance attendance on her afterwards, not unless
Thea swallowed hard. This kind of thinking was getting her nowhere, and to take her mind off this dangerous line of reasoning she asked, 'What did
John decide to do about Beach House?' She ought to have asked before, she thought, but she had been so immersed in her own complicated world.
Marcus had been noticeably quiet during the drive, but he now shot her a quick look before he answered almost absentmindedly, 'What he said he would do about it,' in the tone of voice that showed that he wasn't interested in such a mundane subject.
Thea gave an abrupt nod at this. It was clear that he was not going to discuss the matter further, and she felt he had shut her out of his thoughts, even though he must have known that she was interested. So that was that, she told herself stoutly. He would probably say something on the lines of 'be seeing you,' after he dropped her of at Beach House. That was what they all said, she thought dully, and could almost hear him saying it.
When the car drew up in front of the house, Thea felt she could hardly look at Marcus, but managed to say brightly as she got out of the car, not waiting. for him to alight, 'Well, thanks for the day out,' and started to walk quickly towards the door, and her step faltered slightly as he called out, 'Be seeing you.'
Thea did not turn round but kept on walking, and waved what she hoped was an airy answer. By the time she had opened the door the car had gone.
It was no use hoping that Mrs Welling had gone to bed, it was much too early, and Thea braved herself for an evening's gossip with the old lady, although she would much rather have gone straight to her room and allowed herself the luxury of a few tears.
To Mrs Welling's kind enquiry of would she like
anything to eat, Thea replied that she had had what might be called a high tea and wouldn't require anything else. She could tell by the old ,lady's manner that she was pleased to see her, for she had got used to Thea's company each evening, and Thea wondered how she would manage when she moved out to the flat, as her nephew would be on the sea cruises most of the time. As yet Thea did not know what part of Charlotte Amalie the flat was in, but she hoped it was within striking distance of the hotel that her brother managed, so she would have some company either from her brother or from Pauline.
When they had settled down in the lounge, Thea broached the subject of John Smythe's proposals for that section of the island. 'He's got his eye on Beach House,' she said, closely watching Mrs Welling's reaction to the news.
`No harm in that,' Mrs Welling replied comfortably. `That's as far as he'll get. I'm not selling up,' she added firmly.
`That's what I told him,' said Thea.
`Good for you, then,' replied Mrs Welling in a satisfied voice. 'What did he say to that?' she asked curiously.
Thea shrugged. 'Seemed to think that if the offer was high enough you'd have second thoughts,' she said dryly.
Her companion smiled and shook her head. `There's things money can't buy,' she commented quietly, 'and this is one of them. What would I do with a lot of money at my age? It's an interest I need, and it's what I'll have. I can't see myself sitting in that flat of Andy's all day with practically
nothing to do. That's not for me. I'm not an idler.'
`Where is the flat?' Thea asked quickly, having a nasty feeling that her news might well have made her change her mind about leaving Beach House, and neither Andy nor Pauline would thank her for that; they had the old lady's welfare at heart, as had Thea.
`It's very near Joseph's hotel. Andy didn't want me stranded on my own. I don't intend to make a nuisance of myself to either him or Pauline, but it will be nice to have them near,' Mrs Welling answered, adding hastily, 'I hope you will keep in touch too, dear, after you get settled.'
As Thea gave her word on this she wondered when that would be. There was the question of finding herself another job to start with, and that only to save up for her return fare back to the U.K., but she said nothing of this to Mrs Welling, who now began to ply her with questions about the new venture.
`Did he actually say it was this part of the beach he was interested in?' she queried. 'Only there's a much better spot further up, with a little cove. It's used by a few locals who want to avoid the crowds, but there's no amenities there,' she went on thoughtfully. 'I would have thought that would have been a better proposition for him.'
Thea was now very tired and wanted to make her escape, but her voice showed none of this. 'I think it's early days yet,' she answered carefully. 'I've a feeling he's just casting around for ideas. You'll have to mention this place to him when he waves his wallet at you,' she commented smilingly. 'Now, would you mind if I went to bed?' she asked.
When Thea got to her room she did not im-
mediately prepare herself for bed but sat on the window ledge gazing out across the bay.
Marcus's airy 'Be seeing you,' mocked her in her silent reverie. What a strange, unpredictable man he was! Bullying her and demanding her company, regardless of her wishes in the matter, and then depositing her at the front door early in the evening, but too late for her to make alternative arrangements for an evening out—not that she had anywhere else to go, but she might have had, she thought sadly.
Now that he had admitted that she had hurt his pride, Thea was able to understand his reasoning, but could gain little consolation from this. If only she could be certain that he had decided that she wasn't worth bothering about and would leave her in peace from now on, but she could be sure of nothing where he was concerned. Her hands clenched in her lap. She had to go. The island was too small. Her original idea of keeping out of his way was just not going to work; he would see to that. Her smooth brow creased in thought. Was that what he wanted? she wondered. He hadn't liked her taking the kiosk job, and that was pride, too. No matter where she went on the island, her former connection with Marcus was bound to come out sooner or later, and it wouldn't have been long before Timothy found out about it either.
She gave a deep sigh. If it had been anyone else but 'Mr Big', as Timothy had called him, it wouldn't have mattered one little bit. Lots of people got engaged and broke it off later—not perhaps the very next day, she thought sadly, as she recalled Marcus's bitter comment on this earlier, but it did
happen and was not unheard of. Marcus had not seen it that way, though, and had accused her of playing with him. No wonder he had been so savage with her when she had attempted to join Timothy! She put a tentative hand up to her lips and gave a slight sigh. The misty look in her eyes was not at all due to Timothy, but had a much deeper cause. It was bad enough knowing that the man you loved did not return that love, but it was worse still when you knew that his only motivation was a kind of revenge that would eventually turn to hate, and it was just possible that that process had already begun, she thought, as she recalled that he had barely spoken to her on the journey back from Pirates' Cove. She might have been a waxed effigy for all the notice he had taken of her.
Thea got up wearily from the window sill. There was only one way out, and
that was right out. This was no time for half measures, or for hoping things would alter. She had to get a better paid job, and save like mad, she told herself as she undressed. First thing in the morning she would collect all the papers and find out if there was an employment agency in the town. Mrs Welling would help her there, she told herself stoutly, and if the worst came to the worst, then she would ask for her old job back at the hotel. Marcus had said it was still vacant, and Sapphire or no Sapphire, Thea would swallow her pride and go back. Pride was something she couldn't afford now, and the job was a well paid one.
By the time she had had her shower and got into bed, she had made her mind up. It was the thought of Pauline that had decided her. She had sorely missed her gay chatter and her company during her
off-duty periods. Sapphire would be half-way through her three-month stint at the hotel, and as Pauline had said, she was only there for two nights of the week.
Thea put out her bedside light and laid her head down on the pillows. In a strange way she felt relieved, as if it was all over, and all she had to worry about now was getting enough money together for her fare back home to England. Pauline would understand her reasoning, and although she might try and talk her out of leaving the island, she was sensible enough to see things from her point of view, she thought drowsily as she drifted off to sleep.
The following morning, however, things did not seem quite so cut and dried. It was all very well taking Marcus at his word and assuming that she could just walk into the hotel and claim her job back. Someone must have done her work during the few weeks that she had been away, and whoever it was, they would not relish being moved on, but that was precisely what would happen, Thea was certain. Pauline's Uncle Joseph was not likely to risk getting at loggerheads with one of the hotel directors, particularly if it was Marcus Conan.
Thea was in very low spirits later that morning as she went down to open the kiosk. She didn't want to move on, and she dreaded the inevitable drudge round the town looking for work, and the ensuing explanation as to why she was in St Thomas and so far from her homeland, and worse still, that she only wanted temporary work at the highest possible pay to enable her to get back home. She swallowed. They would class her as a drifter, and she couldn't blame them. Very probably they would show her
the door before she had finished talking at the interview.
`Morning, missy, lovely day!' called a cheerful voice as Thea inserted the key into the door of the kiosk, and a pair of large black hands relieved her of her tray of rolls that she had been balancing under one arm as she opened the door.
She had been so preoccupied with her miserable musings that she had not seen Sam rise from his usual position at the side of the kiosk at her approach. Her startled stare met the merry brown eyes of Sam. 'Hello,' she said, sounding as surprised as she felt at his appearance, then her soft lips firmed. `You're still on guard duty, then?' she queried with a hint of sarcasm in her voice, and then felt instantly contrite, and added hastily, 'I missed you on Saturday.'
For this little act of friendship on her part she was rewarded by a huge grin from Sam as he placed the tray on the counter. 'Boss said, okay, he take over,' he replied in his soft island accent.
Boss took over right enough, Thea thought sourly as she started to arrange the rolls ready for sale, for she could see her first customers already approaching.
Sam's continued presence at the kiosk puzzled her until she realised that Marcus would hardly have had time to call him off the job. So convinced was she that he had lost interest in her, and that she could now take a job as a stevedore without him batting an eyelid.
When the first rush of customers had passed, Thea leant on the counter with her face cupped in her hands and gazed out over the brilliant blue bay,
watching the sailing boats drifting up and down the bay, their different coloured sails adding to the panorama of colour around her. She would remember all this, she, thought, when she got back to England, and then had to blink quickly to remove the wetness gathering in her eyes.
It was all so unfair. Losing Michael had been bad enough without losing her heart to a man like Marcus Conan. Whatever happened in the future, she would never be whole again. Part of her would always be here, and the other part yearning to join it. In the years to come she would ask herself why she hadn't married Marcus. Why she hadn't snatched at happiness while she had the chance. The old saying of 'better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all' came to mind, and she swallowed hard. She just couldn't take the 'lost' bit of that old saying. One might just as well say, let's live for today and forget tomorrow, but tomorrow would loom forever on her horizon like a threatening cloud that heralds a storm, and the thought of the bleak future ahead of her would eclipse any chance of happiness.
It was a pity that she couldn't go back to Bay View, she thought sadly, for she was certain that Marcus was still seeing Sapphire, and it would have done her good to actually witness him collecting her from the hotel again. As Pauline had said, old habits die hard, and Thea suspected that Moira's interpretation of his relationship with Sapphire was the result of sheer pique on her part, unable to accept that someone else had succeeded where she had failed. She didn't know how long Moira had been married to John, but one thing was certain, and that
was that she had hung out the welcome sign in Marcus's direction on more than one occasion, hence his unwillingness to entertain them on his own.
It was getting near to closing time when Timothy suddenly appeared at the kiosk, and Thea, who was busy clearing up and getting ready to cash up the day's takings, drew in a swift inward breath of dismay as she wondered how she was going to explain her earlier duplicity. She owed him an apology, and somehow she had to try and convince him that she hadn't meant to deceive him and it was going to be so difficult, she thought miserably.
`Hi, there!' said Timothy, before Thea could begin her explanation. 'I couldn't move on without saying a big thank-you to my fairy godmother, could I?' he grinned. 'Although I'll see you around some time, I guess,' he added, with a wink at the astounded Thea, and then looked over to his boat lying on its side on the beach. 'I've had some good times in her,' he said, 'but no doubt she'll give pleasure to her next owner.'
Thea drew in a deep breath. She was almost afraid to ask.
`Moving on?' she queried hesitantly.
`On and upwards,' he replied on an exhilarated note. 'Thanks to you I've been offered a post in Mr Conan's team. It sure was a lucky day for me when I met you,' he went on earnestly, and then held his hand out for the bemused Thea to shake. 'Well, I'd better get back to the job, I guess. You won't be around here for much longer either, from what I hear,' he added, giving Thea a very knowing look. The next moment he had gone on his way, stopping
to give her one last wave as he left the beach.
When he was out of sight, Thea turned back to her work and started to clear the till, her fingers automatically counted the notes, but her thoughts were far from her task.
If Marcus had not had time to pull Sam off his watchdog duty, then surely he had not had the time to contact Timothy? She shook her head bewilderedly. Nothing was making sense, and why should he bother about Timothy now? And just what had Timothy heard—and from whom? Marcus? Her lips folded. It must have been Marcus, no one else would have that kind of information.
Placing the cash and the notes in the canvas bag ready to take back to Mrs Welling, she gave a deep sigh. She felt like a bird who had just tasted freedom, only to find itself trapped in another net, and too tired this time to look for a way out.
She picked up the takings and the empty tray, then left the kiosk, locking the door behind her. Sam took the tray from her as he had done each day since his appearance and accompanied her back to Beach House, where he gave his usual soft, 'Night, missy,' and handed the tray back to her to take into the house.
The cool shower she took directly she reached the house helped to soothe her ruffled feelings, but did little to ease the
ache in her heart. Why not marry the wretched man and be done with it? she asked herself wearily. He wasn't going to accept defeat, his pride wouldn't let him let her go. He had said as much in front of John Smythe yesterday, she thought, as she recalled his words when John had asked him if she was a philanthropist. 'Whatever she
IS, I'm hanging on to her,' he had said, and once again Thea felt that strong hand of his lightly caressing her bare waist as he held her close to him, and gave a light shudder at the recollection. He would show her no mercy once they were married, of that she was certain. He meant to make her pay for her audacity in jilting him.
Her hand stilled on the towel as she dried herself. Seven years had been his latest forecast before the rot set in their marriage, and considering his soured outlook on matrimony, it was quite a concession, she thought ironically. She remembered that she had said something that had amused him, and it was that that had brought the upgrading of his earlier forecast.
Seven years, she thought dreamily. She ought to get that down in writing before the marriage. There were many things she did not know about Marcus, but one thing she was certain of, he would not break his word.
The shrill ringing of the telephone in the hall brought her out of her dreamy musings, and she blinked in amazement. What was she doing even considering marrying Marcus? She must be off her head! Seven years indeed—more likely seven weeks before he told her to get out, if that long!
`Telephone, Thea. It's Pauline,' Mrs Welling called up the stairs to her.
`I won't be a minute,' she called back as she went into her bedroom and hastily dressed herself. It was odd that Pauline should call her at this time, just when she needed her, for Pauline might be able to help her find another job, but she hadn't expected to hear from her this week, since she knew John was
on leave. Perhaps it was a good omen, she thought hopefully as she dashed down to answer the call.
