South of Mandraki Page 11

  She stared unbelievingly. She had won! Actually won! Triumph looked out from her eyes and a soft smile hovered on

  her lips. But had she been wise she would have wondered at that expression on his face ... and she would have been acutely conscious of her own disquiet, and the continued thudding of her heartbeats.

  To have won, she thought again, much later, as she came from the bathroom and slipped a film of lace and nylon over her head. At last she felt she was really getting somewhere; at last her plans for revenge were beginning to work. How he must be smarting at the idea of having to give way to her demands. This was only the beginning. The children’s fares home would be the next demand, and of course her own return fare would have to be paid. Perhaps, after all, she would be able to take a trip to the islands, as previously planned.

  She began to brush her hair; it shone, the burnished copper lights standing out among the darker chestnut cloud as it fell enchantingly on to her shoulders. . . . The brush became idle, pressed suddenly against her heart as her eyes met those of Daros through the mirror. With difficulty she turned, swivelling round on her seat, a sensation of impending doom sweeping over her. Her voice was husky as she said,

  ‘What are y-you doing in here?’

  Closing the door behind him, Daros advanced quietly into the room; he stood by her stool, smiling down at her, his glance flickering from her scantily- attired body to the shining glory of her hair.

  ‘Seeing that I’m to pay,’ he murmured, taking a hand from the pocket of his dressing-gown to trace the curve of her neck from her shoulder to the delicate lobe of her ear, ‘then I’ll have something for my money.’ The brush clattered to the floor as with a swift movement he jerked Toni to her feet. In seconds she was in his embrace, struggling vainly against bands of steel. Her mouth was bruised and quivering when at last he held her from him, a look of sardonic amusement in his eyes. ‘You chose to ignore my good advice, Toni,’ he said with a hint of admonition. ‘I did warn you, if you remember, that my patience would not stretch to the lengths you expected.’ He still held her firmly by the arms and as she had no desire for more bruises she refrained from any attempt at escape. ‘And I also warned you that the state of our marriage could easily be rectified. You should have practised caution, my dear, but you insisted on goading me — and now you’re going to pay for your foolishness.’

  ‘The annulment,’ she reminded him urgently, but to her surprise Daros merely shrugged.

  ‘We can forget it.’

  ‘Forget it?’ She stared at him, blank-faced. ‘But we’ll have to stay married!’

  ‘Do you mind? I’ll be rather more generous than I have been. One expects to pay for one’s pleasures.’

  ‘You’re disgusting!’ she flashed at him, and then, more quietly, ‘I don’t want to stay married to you!’

  ‘Too bad. You should have thought of that before persistently goading me.’

  Her brain worked fast, and she decided at length to tell him everything. If he were to learn why she had goaded him then he might find an excuse for her - and leave her alone.

  ‘Daros ... I can explain—’

  ‘What about? Charitos? Did you allow him to make love to you or was I jumping to conclusions? Come to think of it, the cheque was rather large. Perhaps it was merely a loan?’

  Hot colour flooded her cheeks; her eyes blazed. ‘You’ve a wicked, evil mind, and I - I hate you!’ He smiled in some amusement at her vehement declaration. Toni could have struck him.

  ‘Naturally you hate me, because I’ve checked your every attempt to inflict your Englishwoman’s dominance upon me. I still fail to know why you should have tried at all, when there was to be no permanence to our marriage. Had you acted in a more normal way I’m sure we could have lived peaceably together - as we must do from now on,’ he added significantly. Toni stood quiet and still and Daros looked down at her in some amusement as if expecting her to put up a fight. She merely returned him a frigid stare and he added on a note of surprise, ‘Well, aren’t you going to offer any resistance?’ Even as he spoke his grip tightened on her arms; Toni had no illusions about his strength.

  ‘You’d like that, I suppose?’

  ‘Yes,’ he owned with a laugh, ‘I would rather. ’

  ‘So that you could give a display of your manly strength and emerge as the conqueror?’ she sneered. ‘I wouldn’t grant you the satisfaction.’

  ‘I’ve already emerged as the conqueror.’

  Toni laughed in his face.

  ‘That’s what you think. You’ll find yourself thoroughly disillusioned on discovering you’re making love to a block of ice!’

  It was her husband’s turn to laugh. He released her arms and picked her up.

  ‘A block of ice, eh?’ Another laugh rang out and Toni felt his cool breath on her face. ‘My dear girl, why do you persist in underrating me?’

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  For the next few days Toni fretted and fumed, but Daros’s only reaction was one of rather bored impatience. He seemed wholly resigned to the idea of having her as a wife in every sense. Often Toni would recall that scene in his grandfather’s house, and Daros’s angry frustration at the idea of marriage as the only solution to the problem. Explosively he had said, in final acceptance of his fate, ‘What in heaven’s name am I to do with a woman like that around the house?’

  And now it seemed he was willing to have her around for the rest of his life.

  Desire? An irrepressible urge for possession of her body? Undoubtedly that was his one and only interest in her. Toni glanced at him with a certain pensiveness in her lovely eyes and wondered why her mind was in such chaos. They were dining together; it was a feast day in Kremasti, where Maria had been born, and she had the whole house lighted with candles. That Daros should have allowed this came as a shock to Toni. With a grandfather like his he ought to be a heathen, she emphatically declared, at which Daros surprisingly laughed and said,

  ‘How little we know of each other, Toni. But from now on we’ll be making discoveries. You, for example, I find you extremely puzzling.’ ‘Yet attractive,’ she shot at him tartly.

  Daros inclined his head.

  ‘Attractive, certainly,’ he agreed in affable tones.

  ‘Quite early I decided it would be most pleasurable to make love to you ... hence my warning, which you were unwise enough to ignore.’

  She flushed, leaning to one side as Evangelos, Maria’s husband, served her with soup. The room glowed with a mellow light; silver candelabra and priceless old glass gleamed on the table. It was a romantic setting, and a peaceful one. Toni found herself hoping that her conversation with her husband would not follow its usual course towards the path of conflict.

  ‘You said I puzzle you,’ she murmured, taking up her napkin. ‘In what way do you mean?’

  Daros’s eyes followed the stocky figure of his servant, waiting for the door to close, even though Evangelos did not understand English.

  ‘I owe you an apology about Charitos—’ He broke off, smiling faintly as her flush deepened. ‘Why didn’t you deny my accusation?’

  Something hard stuck in her throat. She surprised herself as much as Daros when she said,

  ‘I was hurt and that made me angry. So I let you go on thinking I was - was no good.’

  ‘Hurt?’ he frowned. ‘You’re not asking me to believe anything I could say would have the effect of hurting you?’

  She blinked, because for some reason her eyes pricked. She wished he wouldn’t adopt this half-mocking, half-sceptical manner towards her.

  ‘You don’t like English women very much, do you?’

  ‘I don’t like them at all.’

  She flinched at that and said,

  ‘Yet you don’t mind staying married to one? We can’t dissolve the marriage now, you know.’

  ‘Of course I know.’ He glanced oddly at her, his lean dark face appearing almost sinister in the candlelight. ‘As I’ve said, I find your physical attributes enticing—
’

  ‘And that,’ she cut in fiercely, ‘is sufficient for a Greek!’

  Her vehemence surprised him, but he merely said,

  ‘I’m not a Greek.’

  Her turn to be surprised.

  ‘You don’t mind being half English?’

  Daros laughed, and raised his brows.

  ‘It’s a bit late now to resent the fact of my mother’s marrying an Englishman.’ She remained silent and after a while Daros murmured to himself, ‘Hurt. . . . How very surprising.’ He looked at her. ‘What was that cheque for, Toni?’

  Her heart missed a beat. The story of the cheque must surely enrage him.

  ‘I s-sold my ring to Charitos.’

  ‘Sold your ring?’ His eyes flickered to her finger. The ring had been worn on her left hand, as an engagement ring. ‘Why should Charitos want to buy your ring ... and why did you wish to sell it?’

  ‘Because I had no money, of course.’

  An awful little silence ensued before Daros exclaimed harshly, ‘You let Charitos believe I kept you short of money! ’

  ‘I—’ Where was the angry retort she should be hurling at him? Why this seeking for an explanation that would not fan his already rising temper? ‘It wasn’t intentional. You see, I was thinking of selling it to a jeweller in Rhodes, but Charitos wouldn’t let me—’

  ‘Charitos wouldn’t let you?’ Daros stared unbelievingly at her. ‘How long has he had authority over your actions!’ he demanded explosively.

  ‘Don’t misunderstand me, Daros - please. I don’t want us to quarrel.’

  ‘You’re heading for a quarrel you’ll never forget! What do you

  mean by allowing a neighbour of mine to believe I keep you without money?’

  ‘I’ve said - it was accidental. The jeweller saw my ring and wanted to buy it. His offer was so good that I was tempted.’ She stopped, sensing his puzzlement that she could sell her ring, and yet ‘hoard’ the five thousand. ‘That’s how Charitos guessed I had no money.’

  ‘Go on,’ prompted Daros with dangerous quiet.

  Toni spread her hands.

  “That’s all. Charitos offered to buy it. I hope to buy it back in time.’

  White drifts of rage appeared round Daros’s mouth.

  ‘You damned wretch! I could strangle you with my bare hands

  - and enjoy it! To put me in this light, to spread it all over the island that I keep you short of money!’ Humiliation added fuel to his wrath and Toni found herself trembling. Recollections of the brave stand she had made with his villainous grandfather mingled in confusion with the acceptance of her inability to make a stand with Daros. Why could she not fight him? A thin smile touched her lips. She had fought him, on numerous occasions, only to be forced into capitulation. Yet, strangely, it was not the conviction of ultimate defeat which produced this disinclination to retaliate. No, it was some profound emotion within her, an emotion she had known on previous occasions and which she had vainly tried to understand.

  ‘Charitos won’t say a word to anyone,’ she faltered at last. ‘Why should he?”

  ‘His mother,’ declared Daros savagely, ‘is the island’s most notorious gossip!’

  ‘He won’t tell his mother—’

  ‘How do you know?’ Daros glowered at her as he cut her short, and went on to say that by this time Mrs. Leonti would know, and have spread the tale - with exaggerations.

  ‘I don’t believe Mrs. Leonti would exaggerate. You’re just saying that because you’re angry.’ Toni was reaching the limit of her patience. Contention she wished to avoid, but Daros would not allow the question of the cheque to drop. ‘I’m quite sure Charitos hasn’t even mentioned it to his mother. And if he has,’ she added inconsistently, ‘Mrs. Leonti would never dream of

  repeating it.’

  Daros sat there, eating in silence for some time, his glance now and then flicking Toni in a way that presently brought a dangerous sparkle to her own eyes.

  ‘You’ll get that ring back first thing in the morning,’ he rasped as they left the table and entered the drawing-room where their coffee was served. ‘And if ever you do a thing like that again I’ll wring your neck,’ he ended darkly.

  That was too much. Her temper began to strain at the bonds.

  ‘All these threats of violence! I fought your grandfather, remember!’ Impulsive words, reflecting her thoughts - but her husband’s interest was aroused.

  ‘What do you mean, you fought him? My mother and I arrived before he had time to make an attack on you. I myself took the dagger from him—’

  ‘You arrived!’ Toni almost exploded. ‘Little you know! I’d been fighting that maniac off for fully ten minutes before you arrived!’

  The news appeared to stagger him; he forgot his former anger and humiliation as he asked her for a fuller explanation. Toni proceeded to oblige and to her surprise she saw an almost contrite expression come over his face.

  ‘Is this true? But why didn’t you say? Why didn’t you ask for a drink or something?’

  ‘Ask? You should have offered me one! All you two cared about was your rascally old grandfather and keeping him out of prison. I struggled and struggled to defend myself and if I hadn’t been strong I’d have been dead. Dead within seconds of his attacking me,’ she ended on a final dramatic note.

  She thought to find amusement on his face at the way she described the scene, but he was frowning, and shaking his head as if his anger was now turned in upon himself.

  ‘This comes as a complete surprise to me, Toni. I took it for granted that we’d arrived just as he was about to attack you. You were not anywhere near him when I broke that door down,’ he added, watching her carefully.

  ‘I heard you, and although I felt I must give in I managed to throw him right back against the couch, hoping you’d be in before he could come at me again - and you were in.’

  ‘But you didn’t appear to be in any distress,’ he began.

  ‘You never even looked at me,’ interrupted Toni with heat. ‘As I’ve said, all your concern was for that rogue! “We won’t allow you to get yourself into trouble,” your mother said! But she didn’t care about me!’ Toni stopped, but of course it was too late. Daros was regarding her intently through narrowed eyes.

  ‘My mother said that, did she?’

  ‘I might have it wrong,’ Toni blustered. ‘She said something of the kind.’

  ‘In English ...?’

  ‘Of course.’ Toni lowered her eyes and reached for her coffee. ‘It must have been in English, mustn’t it?’

  Daros took possession of a chair on the opposite side of the low table.

  ‘I suppose it must,’ he returned slowly, ‘seeing that you don’t understand Greek.’

  A week before the children were due to go home Toni received a letter from her mother. It contained serious news and once again Toni found herself in a situation where she wished it were possible to transfer some of her husband’s money to Pam.

  ‘My sister has to go into hospital for an operation,’ she told Daros, speaking on impulse as they sat together at breakfast. The children had all finished and asked to go out, leaving Daros and Toni to drink their second cup of coffee in peace.

  ‘Is it serious?’ Daros showed interest, much to Toni’s surprise.

  ‘Mother doesn’t say - but then she wouldn’t want to worry me. What will Pam do? The children are going home next week.’ She hesitated, reluctant to voice her idea after all the trouble she had been in lately. Daros had insisted on her getting back the ring; and he gave her some money, but Toni received a lecture as well, and a threat. And she had been very quiet and subdued ever since. ‘I think,’ she ventured at last, ‘that I’d better stay in England for a while, to look after the children. Don’t you agree?’

  ‘Stay?’ he said sharply. ‘You’re not staying in England.’

  It was on the tip of her tongue to say he couldn’t stop her, but she held her retort in check, for two reasons. She was wholly dependent
on Daros for money — and she was also deeply indebted to him for what he had done for the children. They’d had a wonderful holiday, with nothing spared. Daros had taken them sailing on numerous occasions; he had taken them out in his car and all three now had clothes to last them for months. Daros had even bought them sweaters and other winter clothes; it was as if he were going out of his way to make things easier for the sister-in-law whom he had never even met.

  ‘Pam needs help, Daros.’

  ‘Can’t your mother have the children?’ He had been reading a letter, but he laid it aside and gave Toni his full attention.

  ‘I expect she could. In fact, in her letter she says she must. But my parents have been having a rather thin time lately.’ She went on to explain briefly about the opposition of the big store, saying that her mother now was forced to be in the shop in order to save the wages of an assistant. ‘But she’ll have to take the children to her home, because Pam lives a long way off. This is going to cause an upheaval all round. The children will have to change schools and Mother will be put to a lot of inconvenience because the house she and my father are in now has only two bedrooms. They sold their large one when Hugh left home a year ago.’

  ‘Two bedrooms won’t do,’ frowned Daros. ‘Not with a mixed family.’

  ‘Louise might have to sleep downstairs.’

  Her husband’s frown deepened.

  ‘Is there no one else who can have the children?’ Toni shook her head.

  ‘I’ve no other sisters - and Hugh’s not married.’ Toni looked a little pleadingly at Daros before adding, ‘I think I’d better stay on, when I go back with the children.’

  But he was firmly shaking his head. Her anger rose in spite of her good resolutions. There could be only one reason for this inflexible stand; he was used to her now ... used to having a woman conveniently close.

  ‘It’s my duty to help my sister.’

  ‘Most certainly it’s your duty.’ He paused a moment, thoughtfully. ‘The best way out, as far as I can see, is for the children to remain here until Pam is fit and well enough to have them. No, Toni, don’t interrupt,’ he said as she opened her mouth. ‘They were pretty well unmanageable when they came here, and they could soon become out of control again.’