Illyrian Summer (11 page)

Sarah discussed Edmund
’
s arrangements and Radmilla agreed to all his suggestions.

“
We
’
ll come down later this evening,
”
Sarah suggested,
“
and carry what belongings you have up to the car park. Then tomorrow morning there
’
ll be only the mattresses to collect, and Edmund and Daniel will arrange that for your family and the party of friends.
”

Sarah checked again to make sure that there would be traveling space for all who wanted to go.
“
Is Zoran coming with you?
”
she asked.

Sarah had seen the young man, a handsome, smiling Slav, several times either with Radmilla or talking to her parents.

Radmilla
’
s face clouded momentarily.
“
No,
”
she said at last.
“
He will stay here. He belongs here in Krasnograd.
”

Sarah looked away, unwilling to read too openly in Radmilla
’
s luminous brown eyes the obvious truth. Zoran was the devoted admirer.

“
Tell me Mirjana
’
s surname,
”
Sarah changed the subject adroitly.
“
I
’
d like to say goodbye to her if she is still in the tent hospital.
”

“
Of course. It is Spirova. Mirjana Spirova.
”
Radmilla laughed softly.
“
Mirjana is very much in love with Adam.
”
She held her head high.
“
Perhaps it is because we find the Englishmen so nice. Edmund—and
Adam—they are both charming. How lucky it is that you have Daniel, or you might lose him to one of us!
”

Sarah joined in Radmilla
’
s laughter, although her heart was weighted with coldness. She scarcely needed Radmilla
’
s confirmation of what she had suspected for some time.

In the hospital grounds she had no difficulty in finding the tent where Mirjana reclined on a makeshift camp bed. Her leg was in plaster and her right arm heavily bandaged.

The girl
’
s face was white and drawn with worry, but still beautiful, and she gave Sarah a cordial smile. Mi
r
jana
’
s English was rather less than Sarah
’
s Serbo
-
Croatian, but with a few words accompanied by smiles and gestures they managed to understand each other.

Sarah sympathized over the loss of her aunt and asked how her mother was progressing. Mirjana replied that Adam managed to get messages through to Belgrade by truck drivers or other means and yesterday he had informed her that her mother was improving.

Sarah spoke of the lucky accident over the lost bead necklace and the delays that had saved both Mi
r
jana and Adam from more serious consequences.

“
Our lives were saved,
”
Mi
r
jana murmured.

When Sarah mentioned that Edmund had offered to take Mi
r
jana to some other place of safety, the girl
’
s eyes widened in fright.
“
No, no!
”
she exclaimed.
“
I could not go from here yet. When my leg is better, Adam will take me to Belgrade to my mother. She knows that it is not yet possible for me to be with her.
”

Sarah put out her hand and covered Mi
r
jana
’
s unbandaged wrist.
“
Yes, of course, I understand. Your mother will need you there. While you are here, Adam will save you from feeling lonely.
”
She hoped sincerely that her voice sounded natural and warmhearted and carried no tinge of the consuming ache in her own heart.

Mirjana
’
s eyes shone.
“
Yes,
”
she murmured contentedly.
“
Adam.
”

In those two words Sarah realized the whole world of love that Mi
r
jana was offering to Adam.

The two girls said their goodbyes and Sarah walked toward the exit from the grounds. As she reached the street she came face to face with Adam.

For no reason at all she flushed guiltily and her face went pink as a dog rose.
“
I
’
ve been to see
Mirjana
,
”
she said almost aggressively.
“
I hope you don
’
t disapprove.
”

“
Why should I?
”
he queried. His lean, tanned face caught the slanting rays of the evening sunshine and his blue eyes sparkled icily, not with friendly amusement, she thought.

She shrugged her shoulders and turned her face away.
“
I merely went to say goodbye to
Mirjana
and wish her good luck in the future. Goodbye to you, too, Adam. As you know, we
’
re leaving very early tomorrow morning.
”
After a moment
’
s hesitation she held out her hand. Surely there was no need to part as enemies.

“
Goodbye, Sarah,
”
he answered gravely as he took her hand for a moment.
“
I
’
m sorry you
’
ve had such an uncomfortable time here.
”

“
We didn
’
t expect anything but chaos and we
’
ve had no time for sight-seeing,
”
she retorted with spirit.
“
Edmund had his work to do and the rest of us have tried to help.
”

“
You have helped—very much,
”
he said coolly.
“
But every day some things improve and others become worse, so Edmund is right in deciding to leave as soon, as possible.
”

She gave him the ghost of a smile.
“
Our departure can
’
t be too soon for you? It seems a long time to us since we arrived, but in fact it was only the day before yesterday.
”
As she spoke, Sarah wondered if that was entirely accurate. Incredible that so much could have happened in two days, surely! She glanced away and became aware that the ribbons of the wide-brimmed straw hat were looped around her wrist. When she looked up at Adam, he was half smiling.

“
Put the hat on, Sarah, even if the heat of the day has gone.
”

But she would not obey. She pushed her fair hair away from her forehead, aware of her untidiness and that probably her face needed a wash and fresh makeup.

“
Give Edmund my good wishes,
”
Adam said,
“
and good luck for a safe journey back to Dubrovnik. I
’
d like to come up to the car park and see him tonight, but I
’
m afraid I shan
’
t have time.
”

She nodded.
“
I understand.
”
After a pause she added,
“
I mustn
’
t keep you now. Mirjana will be expecting you.
”

He gave her a queer glance that made her heart leap with momentary joyousness. Then his eyes were veiled and he turned away with the most casual of goodbyes.
“
Bye, Sarah.
”

She hurried out of the hospital grounds and down the road toward the river. She knew the layout of the town now and this was a shortcut to the car park. As she walked she swung the hat in her hand, and a little smile played around her lips. Oh, she knew perfectly well what Adam meant with his
“
Put the hat on, Sarah...
”
That she was just as ill-tempered whether she wore the hat or dangled it from her arm!

Well, perhaps it was better to say a cool goodbye to a man whom she must now forget. Unconsciously she stamped her foot down more firmly on the hard, dusty road; she set her teeth until her rounded jaw became a hard, determined curve. Surely it was not impossible to root out this terrible longing for Adam
’
s presence, the sight of his face, the sound of his voice? Other girls had succeeded, overcome the stupid infatuations they had mistaken for real, enduring love. Sarah would do the same. Even Adam himself had quite obviously succeeded in forgetting Melanie Roche and found Mirjana instead.

Yet Sarah soon found that her resolution was tested. After supper in the car park Edmund suggested that she might type out all the tape-recorded interviews.

“
I
’
m nervous that some accident might happen to the recordings,
”
he explained.
“
With a typescript at least we
’
ll know what everyone said.
”

Sarah agreed. She worked for some time inside the minibus; it was hot and stuffy after the sun had beat down on it all day, but outside was too noisy with Edmund and the other men arranging space in the truck for the next day
’
s journey, and everywhere else men banging and clattering as they attended to their vehicles.

As it happened, she was glad of the privacy, in spite of the sultry heat, for when she came to transcribe the tape on which Adam had been recorded, her eyes suddenly filled with tears. She dashed them away angrily
furious because the sound of his voice could so affect her, but remembering that this was probably the last time she would hear it. She steeled herself to proceed with the typing, although everything in front of her was blurred.

Two hands rested lightly on her shoulders and she turned sharply to face Daniel. She had not heard him come into the bus.

“
Why, darling Sarah, you
’
re crying! What
’
s the matter?
”

She realized, too late, that the roof lights in the bus had shone full on her face when she turned toward Daniel.

“
Nothing. I have a cold. It
’
s—it
’
s all the dust!
”
she answered, switching on the recording again.

Daniel switched off.
“
A cold! That could be quite serious.
”

“
Oh, please, Daniel, do let me get o
n
with the work,
”
she said irritably.

“
What
’
s the matter with Edmund that he keeps you cooped up like this banging away at your typewriter?
”
Daniel burst out.
“
Anyway, he ought to know better than to let you use up his batteries like that.
”

“
No, he
’
s, getting the spare ones recharged, he said.
”
Sarah was glad to talk of impersonal matters.
“
Anyway, he wants these typescripts of the recordings, just in case anything happens.
”

Daniel snorted.
“
That man
’
s a slave driven Come out now for a breath of air and let
’
s walk around a bit.
”

“
I
’
d rather finish first,
”
she objected.
“
Daniel, you
’
re only delaying me.
”

“
How long will it take you to finish?
”
he asked, planting a light kiss on the back of her neck.

She smiled weakly.
“
About twenty minutes—if I
’
m not disturbed.
”

“
All right. I
’
ll sit quietly here and wait for you.
”

She drew in a long breath. Perhaps it was better that Daniel should enforce a discipline on her emotions so that she could not wallow in floods of self-pity.

She half imagined when she switched on the recorder again that Daniel would suspect Adam
’
s voice was the cause of her tears, but he said nothing at all. Or perhaps he did not recognize Adam
’
s voice.

When she had finished, Sarah clipped the sheets of typescript together, put away her typewriter and said.
“
I
’
d better tell Edmund I
’
ve finished the job.
”

“
Don
’
t do that,
”
advised Daniel,
“
or he
’
ll find you something else to occupy you until the dawn.
”

She laughed, but reported to Edmund all the same.
“
Thanks, Sarah. You
’
re a treasure. Have you seen Daniel anywhere?
”

“
Yes. He
’
s in the mini.
”

Edmund gave her an oblique glance.
“
You look tired, Sarah. Don
’
t let Daniel keep you up half the night. You need all the sleep you can get. We
’
ve a rough day in front of us tomorrow.
”

Daniel was outside the minibus when she rejoined him. He linked his arm in hers and led her across the car park toward the river. He was unusually silent, but Sarah was busy with her own thoughts. Then suddenly he said,
“
Sarah, if I were away somewhere, would you cry when you heard the sound of my voice?
”

“I ...
I don
’
t know,
”
she murmured, thankful that in
the darkness he could not see her face.
“
It might depend on what you were saying.
”

“
Then what was so heartrending about what Adam was saying?
”
Daniel demanded.

“
Nothing.
”
She realized that Daniel had far more perception than she had imagined, but the surprise of his attack put her at a disadvantage.
“
I was typing out the interviews.
”

“
And crying over Adam,
”
Daniel said harshly.
“
Because you think you won
’
t meet him again. Personally, I
’
m only too pleased
about that. He
’
s a bad influence on you, Sarah.
”
Daniel had grasped both her arms and was holding her close to him.
“
He
’
s the kind of man who
’
s so damned aloof that he has all the girls buzzing around him. Leave him to his steelworks and his charming Slav girl friend.
”

“
What makes you think I
’
m so interested in him?
”
she asked, knowing that it was a weak question, but she felt the need to make some reply to Daniel
’
s reproof.

“
Interested? You
’
re downright infatuated with the man!
”
Daniel
’
s stormy words hit her like a blow.

“
Oh, no, Daniel! That
’
s not—
”

“
Not true? You couldn
’
t deny it to me if you tried. Ever since he appeared on the scene you
’
ve been different. You
’
ve held me off at arm
’
s length and told me a dozen times that what I feel for you is only infatuation. Let me tell you it isn
’
t. I love you, Sarah, I love you!
”

Sarah was tempted to reply that since both of them were infatuated with the wrong person, Daniel must admit how hopeless the position was, but she remained silent.

“
Look at me, Sarah!
”
he commanded.
“
Why won
’
t you believe that I love you? What must I do to prove it?
”

“I’m
sorry, Daniel. Perhaps I do believe.
”
She sighed.
“
But couldn
’
t you wait until—until we
’
re back in more normal circumstances? Here in Krasnograd everything is unreal. Many people feel that it
’
s only a miracle that they
’
re still alive.
”

“
But I
’
ve been telling you for weeks and weeks past how I feel about you, that I want to marry you,
”
he persisted.

“
It
’
s still unreal for me,
”
Sarah answered doggedly.
“
These weeks or months on film location are part of your life. It
’
s all quite new to me. Apart from this terrible earthquake, it
’
s been a long holiday, a dream summer, an enchantment on the coast of Illyria. I want to be sure, Daniel, that anything I promise now is going to last through cold, rainy days or London fogs.
”

He put a finger under her chin and tilted her face. In the darkness she could see the faint outline of his head and notice the smile that he gave her.
“
My sweet, practical Sarah!
”
he said softly.
“
Together we could have a life full of enjoyment and pleasant surroundings, without too much London fog. If this present film is a success, I shall get a much better contract, better terms next time. I
’
ll make you quite proud and happy to be Mrs. Daniel Clent.
”

Gently she released herself from Daniel
’
s embrace.
“
Let
’
s go back now,
”
she said quietly.
“
It
’
s late and we have to be up early in the morning.
”
She passed a hand across her damp forehead.
“
It seems hotter now than it did earlier this evening. Sultry and heavy.
”

Daniel glanced toward the dark sky.
“
It
’
s just cloudy. They never have storms here until the end of August.
”
At the door of the minibus he kissed her very gently on the lips, and again Sarah experienced that quick uprush of gratitude because Daniel had become considerate and undemanding. Why must she be so stubborn and obstinate in rejecting him?