Pagan Lover (20 page)

‘I know it’s David I love, and I believe we would have been happy all our lives.’

‘Tell me about him?’ A frown now to accompany the words, and a return of that brooding, depressed manner. ‘What is he like in appearance?’

She told him, then explained all the things they had had in common. She talked nostalgically about the furnishing of the smart little house they had taken a mortgage on. She talked of the thrill of waking up on her wedding day and finding it was bright and sunny.

‘My dress was beautiful—’ She stopped and a tear strayed through her long curling lashes to settle on her pale cheek. She noticed the way
Leon swallowed, as if trying to remove something in his throat; and his hands were clenching and unclenching—an unconscious movement, she decided, to release some strong and troublesome inner emotion. What was he thinking about? Always she had found him inscrutable and he was no different at this moment. ‘You didn’t think my dress was beautiful,’ she continued with a catch in her voice, ‘so you threw it in—in the sea.’

She did not mean it as a barb, or anything to hurt at all.., but to her astonishment she saw him wince.

‘I think we shall change the subject,’ he decided shortly, and glanced at his watch. ‘I shall have to work in my study for the next couple of hours, but after that I’ll join you in the garden.’

He stood up;
Tara lifted her head, tilting it right back, and said after a small hesitation,

‘Are you letting the matter drop—about my trying to escape, I mean?’

The eyes, dark and intense, lingered on her face a he replied,

‘One day the truth will out, I suppose, but for the present—’ He flicked his hands, palms upwards. ‘There doesn’t seem anything to be gained by any more investing. I’m puzzled, naturally, because I am sure it wasn’t one of the servants, and I don’t know who you are acquainted with outside this house—’ He stopped abruptly, his mouth going tight. He looked at her, looked directly into her eyes. ‘Have you had a visitor while I’ve been away?’ he demanded raspingly.

‘A visitor?’ she repeated, playing for time. She suspected at once whom he had in mind, because she had chatted with Nico for practically the whole time at the dinner party. ‘Er—did you s-say a v-visitor—?’

‘Nico!’ he blazed. ‘Nico was here, wasn’t he!’

She shook her head, and at that moment she saw Elene sitting on the couch, pulling at a cigarette.

‘Elene was here,’ she told him, still playing for time and hoping this diversion would make him forget Nico.

‘Elene?’ he frowned. ‘It was she who helped— No, she couldn’t have got that ladder up there!’
‘What makes you suppose that Elene would help me to get away?’ asked
Tara with a sort of acid sweetness. ‘Perhaps she would, though,’ musingly and with a sidelong glance at his chiselled face, which at present was like a thunder-cloud. ‘It would serve her purpose to get me out of the way, wouldn’t it,
Leon? What was the quarrel about that made you throw her over and marry me on the rebound?’

He looked at her sharply.

‘Did she tell you we had quarrelled?’

‘Yes, she did.’

‘What else did she tell you?’ He was curious, and suddenly
Tara was reluctant to have a discussion about the girl she had destested on sight.

‘I’d rather not say. We’ll let it drop, if you don’t mind?’

‘What reason did she give for coming?’ he asked interestedly.

‘She wanted to see you about something to do with the coming fashion show in
Athens. She was sorry she missed you. I expect she’ll be getting in touch with you as soon as she knows you’re back. Then you can question her as to what she told me.’

Leon’s brows came together in a dark frown, but although he paused a moment as if he would question her further, he turned away eventually, and after saying it would be lunch time before he was with her, he went out, closing the door quietly behind him.

Another week went by, with life going on in the same dull manner. Tara wished she could see Nico, if only to tell him that,
Leon suspected him of helping her. She did not know that she could not have seen him anyway, because, after almost being caught red-handed placing that ladder, he had decided his presence could do no good now, so he had gone off, taking the boat out as usual, but sailing to the Greek island of Chios, where he had a friend who would not mind if he stayed for a week or two.

Leon had been very different during this time, and life had begun to settle into a rather pleasant routine for
Tara. True, she still craved for escape, but she had to own that the imprisonment was becoming less and less irksome with every day that passed.

‘Have you settled down?’ her husband asked one day when they had—for the very first time—spent a pleasant hour together in the swimming-pool and were on the side, drying themselves. ‘You seem more content.’

She looked at him keenly, responding to his smile and recalling the impression she had had that he might be coming to care for her... or perhaps falling in love with her.

‘I must admit I’m more content,’ she answered, the desire strong within her to say what he wanted to hear, yet at the same time fully aware that if escape were to present itself at this moment she would not hesitate to grasp it.

‘I’m glad,
Tara.’ His eyes were roving; she knew he was admiring her figure, her face and hair, and the lovely honey-peach tan she had acquired. ‘Life could be good for us if you’d become resigned to being my wife—for ever.’

‘And resigned to having you as my master?’ she could not resist shooting at him.
Leon frowned and drew a breath.

‘I don’t want to domineer over you,’ he said unexpectedly. ‘You goad me, Tara, and the worst of me comes out.

She began drying her dainty toes with the towel, her mind confused, her heart throbbing wildly—for no apparent reason.

‘It seems strange to hear that you’ve no wish to domineer over me, Leon.’ Her beautiful blue eyes questioned him from their bewildered depths. ‘Your actions and repeated threats don’t tally at all with the statement you’ve just made.’

He nodded automatically, his forehead creased in a frown of deep concentration.

‘You’ve driven me to those actions,’ he began, but she could not help interrupting him before he went any further.

‘I just resisted, when you were forcing your attentions on me! What else would you expect any woman to do?’

‘You were my wife,’ he reminded her with a hint of the imperiousness she knew so well. ‘I had certain rights!’

Somehow, his words deflated her spirits and she felt a sense of loss which she could never have explained.

‘I’m your wife by coercion,’ she returned seriously. ‘I don’t know how you can say you have rights over
me.
’

‘All men have rights over their wives,’

‘Not all—no——’ She shook her head vigorously. .‘Only men who haven’t advanced believe that.’

The dark pitchblende eyes smouldered, but only for a second.

‘You’re saying that I haven’t advanced?’ He seemed to give a sigh, she thought, and knew that it was his original intention to say something far stronger than that. She looked at him, seeing the brooding expression in his gaze, and feeling that he was by no means his usual assertive self. In fact, she had the firm impression that he was actually afraid of offending her.

‘In many ways you’re very Westernised,’ she answered at length, ‘but your attitude towards women and marriage is so outdated that the only chance of happiness for you is marriage to a Greek girl from one of the backward villages where the old customs and beliefs are still strong.’ Her voice was low and serious, her eyes dark and faintly sad. She knew as she stared into his harsh pagan face that she loved him, that life with him could have been sheer bliss if only he knew what she desired, and gave it to her. Like many men he had separated love from sex, and like most men he could not understand why women could not do the same. Here was one of the greatest mysteries of nature—that men and women could think and feel so differently about something so vitally important to their happiness. A woman needed love to be the spur which sent her eagerly into a man’s arms, and she wanted to know for sure that her love was returned.

Leon was speaking into her thoughts and this time there was a very noticeable harsh edge to his voice.

‘As I’m already married there is no possibility of my marrying any Greek girl from one of these backward villages you mention.’

‘You and I will never end our days together,
Leon,’ she told him sadly. A pause, but he did not speak. She said after a moment of considering, ‘In ancient Japan it was recognised that a woman needed reassurance of love when she gave herself to a man, so it became the rule that the man would send the girl a token of love which she received the next morning, when she woke. If she did not receive this token, then there would never be a next time.’

Leon’s eyes widened to their greatest extent.

‘I don’t believe it,’ he declared.

Tara shrugged.

‘I didn’t think you would,’ she returned, and there was such bitterness in her voice that it could not possibly escape him. He looked frowningly at her, appearing to be irritated by what she had said, and after a moment he got up, taking his towel, and walked away from her without uttering another word.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

TWO days later
Leon went down to the village to get his hair cut and to collect some clothes from Margarita. As she watched him go
Tara recalled the story he had told to his servants as to why she must be watched all the time, and she concluded that he had given the same explanation to Margarita. Weeks were, going by and very few people had seen
Leon’s new wife. Of course, it was not unusual for a Greek wife to stay at home the whole time, but for all that there must be a good deal of curiosity in the village. Leon’ had of course fully expected his wife to give him the promise, and the fact that she had not done so must by now be as embarrassing to him here, on the island, as it was in the capital, where his friends and business associates must be very puzzled indeed.
Leon had obviously thought of something to put them off, but the present situation could hardly continue for ever. He was banking on her having a baby, and then she would be bound to him for a long, long while.

She wondered what his reaction would be when he learned that his hopes were to be dashed.

He had been gone less than half an hour when to her surprise she saw three men on donkeys coming up the path that led to the house. So few people came— Her eyes suddenly dilated and she stood rooted to the spot, unable to believe what she saw; and she still could not believe it even when the name fell from her lips.

‘David ...!’ No, it could not be! She was dreaming—seeing things.

She managed to move, every nerve in her body quivering.

David here, and with two other men! Yes, they were real enough, and in other circumstances she could have laughed heartily at the way they were sitting astride the donkeys, looking as if they expected to fall off any second now. A long way behind them trailed the owner of the donkeys, the old man who made a living by hiring them out to tourists from the cruise ships. He had just tottered into view, a stick in his hand, his
vraga
dusty, and faded from black to a dull, patchy green.

‘David,’ ‘she whispered again, the awareness that here was freedom scarcely registering in her bemused mind.

‘
Tara!’ He had seen her and lifted a hand, then put it back on the donkey’s neck with some considerable haste. She walked a few faltering steps, her legs like jelly, her mind chaotic.
Leon would not return yet. . . or would he? Obviously he had not see the men, down there on the harbour. He must have gone into the barber’s shop only minutes before the men got off the ferry.

‘David!’ She found she could walk faster now, and then actually run. Davos was hurrying to the gate, but she was before him, opening it as the men dismounted. Within seconds David had her in his arms and she was crying against his chest. ‘David,’ she sobbed, ‘oh, how did you know—? I mean, how can you be here!’ Near hysteria spread over her, causing her body to shake. Freedom! Here without any doubts at all was, freedom. ‘Nothing could prevent her escape now, nothing or no one…

One of the men was a Greek, a plain-clothes policemen, the other was a plain-clothes English policeman who managed to convey this to her while she clung to David, his soothing words mingling with the businesslike ones of the policemen.

Davos was standing by looking exceedingly troubled.
Tara asked the English policemen to make him go away. However, Davos merely moved some small distance, then stopped, lingering a small branch of a hibiscus bush as if he were considering doing something to it, but all the while his dark Greek eyes were shifting back and forth and it was plain that he was anxious for
Leon to come back.

‘Can we go inside?’ suggested the English policemen. ‘Then we can begin to talk, and to sort this whole thing out.’

The Greek moved over to speak to Davos in his own language and
Tara said again, looking up into David’s face,