A Gift for a Lion (2 page)

On top of that, there had been regular battles with her father, who had condemned all her friends out of hand as 'hippies and long-haired layabouts'. At first Tony had been someone to grumble to occasionally about her father's uncompromising attitude, but soon she began to enjoy his companionship for its own sake, and not merely because he was her cousin and happened to be handy. Probably that was why her father had made so little demur about their relationship. He was undoubtedly relieved that she seemed to have chosen someone who corresponded fairly well to his idea of an eligible young man.

She looked into the saloon, thick with the smoke from Paul's pipe, and grimaced at the charts spread over the folding table.

'Where next, Marco Polo?'

'Corsica, we think, eventually, but we're going to stop here first.' Tony's finger stabbed a point on the chart. 'Saracina. It's only a tiny island, but it sounds quite interesting and it's only a couple of hours from here. Rocky, of course, but with a few nice bathing beaches.'

'Well, that's what we want,' Joanna said lightly. 'Nothing too civilised.'

Paul got up and stretched, knocking his pipe out into a large pottery ashtray. 'I'll go and see what Mary's doing, I think.'

Tony watched him go with a grin, then turned to Joanna, holding out his arms and drawing her down on to his knee. 'That's what is known as a tactical—and tactful —withdrawal,' he mentioned.

'Tact isn't the quality I most associate with Paul,' Joanna muttered.

'I wish you liked each other better. He's a great guy when you get to know him—and we shall all be related in the near future.'

'When he marries Mary.' She took a strand of his fair hair and wound it round her finger.

'I wasn't just thinking of that.' He pulled her head down to him and kissed her on the mouth. It was a long kiss, more intimate than those they usually shared, and Joanna found herself enjoying the pressure of his lips and the movement of his warm hands on her half naked body. Nice Tony, she thought, almost drowsily, realising that she was allowing him more licence with his caresses than she normally permitted. But when his straying fingers penetrated into the bra top of her bikini, she drew away at once.

'Oh, Jo,' Tony groaned. 'What's wrong?'

'Nothing's wrong. You know the rules.'

'By heart. As formulated by Rear-Admiral Sir Bernard Leighton, R.N.—to name only a few.' He sounded sulky and she gazed at him, concerned.

'But I thought you agreed…'

'Of course I did. I would have agreed to anything to get you away with me. Now you're here and—nothing's really different, is it? Big Daddy's influence reaches a long way.'

'That's horrible.' She twisted away from him and stood up.

'I'm sorry,' he sounded tired. 'It's just that I thought once we were out of sight, we would also be out of mind.' He gave a short, bitter laugh. 'I meant to keep my proto your father, but it did cross my mind that there could come a time when we would be so carried away that nothing would matter except each other. I feel like that whenever I'm with you, but I'm beginning to realise I'm on my own.'

'Are you saying I'm frigid?' Joanna questioned him furiously.

'No—far from it. I think there's a vibrant, passionate woman waiting to be awoken in you, Jo. But she'll never come alive while you're so much under your father's thumb. I've wondered a few times if what you need isn't a man who could dominate you even more than he does. Someone your father wouldn't dare to take aside on your wedding day and order to be gentle with you on your first night. Someone who'd tell the old boy to mind his own damned business.'

Joanna looked down unseeingly at the littered charts, her eyes blurred with tears. If you think Daddy interferes too much in my life, it's only because he loves me,' she whispered. 'I thought you loved me, Tony. Don't you want to protect me—or would you prefer it if I'd slept around with every man I'd met since I was sixteen?'

'Of course not.' He got up and came over to her, drawing her against him with gentle hands. 'Love, if I've upset you, I'll cut my throat. It's just so—frustrating sometimes, having you so near. Probably your father was right to say what he did to me. He certainly seemed to know more about what I'd be feeling than I did.'

He kissed her again, but this time the caress was deliberately light. When he let her go, Joanna stood on tiptoe and brushed his mouth with hers.

'You're so wrong, Tony,' she murmured. 'I don't want another dominating man. I want a real partnership.'

'I'll just have to hope that's what you continue to want,' he said, firmly putting her away from him.
'I
could use a drink. I'll go and see what the others want.'

While he was gone, Joanna tidied away the charts and collected some cans of iced lager from the refrigerator unit in the galley. She wanted a few moments to allow her emotions to calm down before she presented herself on deck.

She was startled and a little worried by Tony's outburst. Startled, because of the sudden depth of feeling he had displayed and worried by the possibility of future friction between her father and himself.

She sighed. Maybe the close proximity they had been forced into since the cruise began had something to do with it. It was a strain with the four of them living so close together. They had all become edgy, and an evening ashore even with Calista's limited night life might be good for them all, she thought optimistically.

Hours later she was convinced of it. Surrounded by a shouting, laughing crowd, bumped and pushed but loving every minute of it, she danced to every beat record that the
trattoria's
ancient jukebox could provide. She had dressed with daring simplicity in a pair of stark white trousers, fitting closely over her hips and flaring towards the ankles, and a brief halter-necked black top which made the most of her tan. She had caught her slightly waving mass of coppery hair up off her neck, securing it with a black velvet ribbon. Her wide hazel eyes sparkled, partly through excitement and partly because of the rough red wine which was Calista's most acceptable drink.

She knew she was the cynosure of every male eye, and the knowledge delighted her. She was delighted too at the way Tony stuck determinedly to her side, making sure that no one got an opportunity to pester her. There was an expression in his eyes when he looked at her that made the back of her neck tingle pleasurably. She even found herself wondering whether it would be possible for them to return to the boat on their own for a time. She knew what she was inviting, and the thought made her pulses throb uncertainly. Was that what she wanted, or was she merely letting the wine and the music take over? Suddenly she didn't know any more, and when Tony reached out and took her into his arms on the crowded space between the tables that served as a dance floor, her hands came up at once to push him away.

'Darling, don't be silly. It's the wrong sort of music for that.'

'Oh, Jo, I want you,' he said huskily.

'What we both want is more wine,' she spoke lightly, trying to dispel the awkward moment, caught suddenly in two minds and uncertain which one to choose. 'Come on, I'm parched. We'll go back to the table.' She edged her way, laughing and acknowledging greetings and frankly appreciative comments as she went.

Tony followed, his good-looking face mutinous. 'I don't like hearing you spoken to like that.'

'Like what?' She looked at him over her shoulder. 'Don't tell me you could understand what they were saying.'

'I don't have to be a language expert to read their minds,' he retorted sullenly.

'Well, what people are thinking is a matter of supreme indifference to me,' she flung at him as they joined Paul and Mary, who were sitting at a candlelit table in the corner making rather laborious conversation interspersed with many gestures with two local fishermen.

They rose and bowed admiringly as Joanna dropped into her chair. Then the conversation began again. How long were they staying in Calista? Only until tomorrow? But that was a tragedy, to think that the
signorina
would never dance in the
trattoria
again. Where were they going next?

'Oh, that's easy,' Paul said. 'We decided that this afternoon, didn't we, Tony? We're going further down the coast to a little island called Saracina, and we'll tie up there for a night or two… What's wrong?'

The taller of the two fishermen had seized his arm with an alarmed expression.

'Not Saracina,' he said, shaking his head for greater emphasis. 'Not Saracina. Not good.'

'What's wrong with the place?' Tony leaned forward. 'Surely it's inhabited.' He enunciated slowly and carefully, 'People—live—there.'

Both men nodded vigorously. 'You keep away. Not good. Not want—visitors.'

Joanna spoke coolly and incisively, her words aimed at Tony and Paul, who were exchanging concerned glances. 'Well, I'm afraid visitors are what they're going to get. It all sounds most intriguing, and I wouldn't dream of keeping away simply because the islanders want to remain exclusive.'

The shorter fisherman, who had a moustache, broke in excitedly. 'We go there—fish—since two days. Men come in boats—with guns. You stay here. Not go to Saracina.'

'Gunboats?' Tony muttered. 'Hell's teeth! Perhaps we should keep away at that.'

'Oh, I don't want to go anywhere where there might be guns,' Mary said with a shudder.

'I've never heard such nonsense,' Joanna exclaimed impatiently. 'Maybe the fishing's private or something, and they want to keep the boats away, but we don't want to fish. We just want to tie up in one of the bays and spend the night. There's no harm in that.'

'Well, I think we should give it a miss,' Paul said, his voice stubborn.

'Oh, for heaven's sake!' Joanna threw herself angrily back in her chair. 'We've made our plans. Are you going to change them just because of a little scaremongering by a couple of fishermen? They probably got chased for— poaching or something, and are just making this story up to cover themselves for running away. There's nothing on the charts about Saracina being prohibited to shipping. I insist that at least we go and see for ourselves.'

Looking at Tony, she could see he was weakening, but Paul was made of sterner stuff.

'Well, I came on this cruise for some sunshine and a few laughs and to help Tony sail the boat,' he said. 'We've had plenty of sun, I'll admit, but the laughs are getting thinner on the ground all the time. One thing I'm not prepared to do is take my future wife anywhere where there could be danger of any sort. That's final, and if Joanna still insists on going, Mary and I will find a boat to take us to the nearest large port and go home.'

Biting her lip with vexation, Joanna saw that Tony and Mary were both staring at him in open admiration. The two fishermen sat uneasily silent, obviously aware that the previously relaxed group were now in conflict over what they had said.

Joanna forced herself to smile. 'There's no need to go to those lengths,' she said. 'If you feel so strongly about it…'

'I do,' Paul interrupted.

'If you really do feel so strongly,' she repeated, raising her voice a fraction, 'then why not spend another day and night here? I'm sure while we're anchored in their harbour and coming ashore spending money, the locals will be only too delighted to invent further fairy tales to prevent us from moving on.'

'Jo,' Tony murmured uncomfortably, 'keep your voice down, love. I'm sure some of these people can understand what we're saying. We've had a couple of very funny looks.' '

Paul got up, scraping his chair. 'Come on, darling,' he said to Mary. 'Otherwise I might say something to Her Majesty that we might all regret.'

Joanna had already realised she had gone too far, and had been all set to apologise. But Paul's words halted the apology on her lips. After all, she thought, seething, it was Paul and Tony who had found Saracina on the chart and decided to make it the next port of call. All she had wanted was to stick to the arrangements that had been decided on. She disliked last-minute changes of plan, because in her experience they were invariably for tie worse.

The thought of spending a further day in Calista, suffering the resentment of Paul and Mary, appalled her. Besides, she had really wanted to go to Saracina. Still wanted to, in fact, in spite of everything that had been said.

She drank some more wine, while the first germs of a plan began to ferment in her brain. So the others wanted to spend a day ashore here. Well, they were welcome to do so. She would take her bikini and a towel and some food and find a friendly boatman who would take her to Saracina. But she wouldn't tell the others what she intended to do. She would make the excuse she wanted to stay behind for another sunbathing session on
Luana
,

Her spirits rose. There must be someone on Calista who would be willing, for, a price, to take her to Saracina and leave her there for a few hours. She would have a whole day in blissful solitude, while the other three wandered round the same streets, avoiding the same donkey droppings and being taken for a ride by the same street vendors. And it would just serve them right for being so stupid. She came back with a start to the present to find that the two fishermen were apparently taking their leave, leaning over Tony and talking rapidly in their own language.

'What were they saying?' she asked idly as they moved away across the smoky room.

'I don't know. Paul's the language expert, not me. I could only pick up about one word in twenty,' Tony frowned perplexedly. 'But they were still talking about Saracina, and I could have sworn that the short one said something about a lion.'

'First guns, now wild animals.' Joanna's smile was satirical. 'They must have a good reason for wanting us to keep away from there. Smuggling, I daresay.'

'Well, it doesn't matter. We're going to steer well clear of the place. I don't like the sound of any of it,' Tony said a little impatiently. 'And there's Corsica to look forward to. Don't forget that.'

Joanna looked at him sideways under her long lashes. 'Oh, I won't,' she agreed sweetly.

They were interrupted at that moment by one of the local young men who had summoned up the courage to ask Joanna to dance with him. In spite of Tony's evident disapproval, she agreed charmingly, telling herself he needed to be taught a lesson and did not deserve any particular consideration.