Sea Gem, page 9
Mary’s thoughts were mixed. She was conscious again of the heavy diamond on her finger and she had a fleeting vision of Victor, then she firmly pushed him away. She had committed herself, of her own free will. She would not cheat Duret but what did shellshock do to a man? There was a niggle of unease in the pit of her stomach as wild doubt rose again but wilfully she pushed that aside as well. Now she must devote herself to Duret and think only of him.
Slowly Duret looked around. His eyes took in the house, the nearby fields, then he slipped her arm into his and they strolled gently down the lane.
‘I wrote many letters to you,’ Duret confided slowly. ‘I wanted to say so much but when I reread them, my letters did not seem right so I tore them up. I sent my poems instead.’
Mary hesitated at this as they stopped and she leaned forward to retie the sling on one arm. She was nervously glad of something to do with her hands. Acute shyness engulfed her now.
‘Is your arm painful?’ she asked gently.
Duret shook his head while a warm glow filled him. When he finally met war, he had been utterly horrified. The glory image vanished with the first German shelling. Life turned into a nightmare existence. He could remember nothing of the explosion but had regained consciousness to find himself buried, almost smothered. He had panicked, making his position worse and only exhaustion had stayed his savage floundering. When realisation did dawn, the horror had been too much. His weak mind had mercifully blacked out consciousness and it was only the sound of shovelling which had brought him back to wakefulness. He had been pulled into fresh air with soil clogging his eyes and ears and he had cried like a child.
Just before his release the doctor had talked to him gently. It had taken Duret a little while to understand what the simple words meant once the medical terms had been explained to him. There was little wrong with him physically but he could expect nightmares for a long time to come.
It was this that horrified Duret. He was on the verge of matrimony. What if he had an attack in the marriage bed? Would Mary despise him? He felt an internal desperation but knew he could not yet put this fear into speech. He was critically honest with himself. Duret knew perfectly well he was a poor specimen compared to his dead brother Charles. All his grandmother’s powerful ambitions would settle upon his back. It was a horrifying realisation. He loved the old woman dearly and he admired her for the way she had reared him, acting for both long-dead parents but Louise Noyen’s powerful will made her far too strong a character for Duret. There were times when she terrified him.
His escape to the army had been nothing but his personal protest at her domination and the way she appeared to think she could organise his life. He never stopped thanking fate for the way in which he had been able to meet Mary Hinton. He marvelled at his daring in persuading her to come to his island. Even her acceptance of his ring with her proviso meant he was a man in his own right; no longer subject to petticoat domination.
On the battlefield though, he had suffered a hundred agonies in scenes in which Mary met someone else. A more brisk, tougher man like brother Charles. When Sam finally came to collect him, there was a note from grandmother.
‘If you want the girl, don’t delay,’ it had said with cryptic bluntness.
Duret had been horrified and questioned Sam who had, with customary island bluntness, merely grunted and echoed grandmother’s comment without elaboration.
‘Marry me! Marry me now!’ he demanded, halting, kissing her, taking her quite by surprise.
Mary was astonished, unprepared for this display of ardour. She had not thought Duret so capable and her heart lightened, her fears receded. She had one tiny vision of Victor’s face, which then dissolved as Duret claimed her complete attention.
‘Of course, I will,’ she murmured, yielding to his arms, her spirit lifting. It was going to be all right after all. Her heart swelled for Duret. She would make him well again and, she reminded herself, after Tante’s warning, she would be patient when he had nightmares. Quite suddenly, life shone bright and hopeful with not one worry on the horizon.
* * *
Exactly eight days later Mary, now a Noyen, clutched Duret’s arm in happiness as Sark loomed before them sitting high in the sea, bathed in rich, spring sunshine. Their wedding had been wonderfully quiet and secret, managed discreetly by Tante and now, at last, they were alone. Mary thought of the bottle of pills in her handbag, passed over surreptitiously by Tante at the last moment.
‘God bless you my dear,’ Louise had said, resting one hand on Mary’s shoulder as relief filled her eyes. ‘By the time you two return, I’ll have moved down the lane to my little cottage and the big house will be yours.’
Duret was quiet but kept squeezing her arm and Mary felt a rare tranquillity. Tante had dragged her around the capital and bought her a simple dove-grey suit with red accessories for her marriage while Duret had worn his uniform.
There had been only two non-family witnesses present in the form of Sam and Emily. There had been a delightful wedding breakfast then it had been time to catch the ferry to Sark for the nine-mile crossing. As their boat tied up at the minute quay, she peeped at Duret who stared, wide eyed, at the steep road leading up to the top of the island. She wondered at what he was thinking.
Unknown to her, Duret had found it a disappointing day. He was proud of his Mary and had wanted nothing more than for the whole island to come to their wedding. He had been put out when his grandmother had stated it must be quiet. To start with, his bottom lip had come out and trembled in the start of a sulk which ominous sign Louise had not missed. She had taken him aside and explained that Mary was shy and that he must help her. This cunning ploy had worked where an argument would have failed. Duret had swelled with pride and been extra solicitous to his bride, accepting her wishes and the ceremony passed off without problems. Now he felt very manly as he helped her disembark from the small, swaying ferry and kept an eye on their baggage as it was loaded into the cart that the horses would pull up the long hill.
They had booked a tiny cottage for a week and Mary had to admit that Duret saw to everything admirably. They transferred to a trap and the driver deposited them at their honeymoon home. Inside food had been left ready and they ate a quiet meal, with Mary feeling the first tremors of apprehension. So far, Victor had been pushed firmly from her mind in the whirlpool of events and arrangements but now, for the first time, his handsome face intruded. She felt a slightly sick feeling at the meeting she must have with him in the future, then stoically banished it from her mind.
Later the gulls wheeled and screeched as she leaned from the bedroom window and looked out. Somewhere near the sea gurgled and hissed then thundered on some nearby rocks. Duret joined her and Mary smiled shyly at him. Immediately he dropped their bags, came over to her and put his arm around her shoulders. He was so proud of his wife that he bubbled to write a verse about their day soon.
‘Alone at last!’ Mary murmured to him, smiling gently.
Duret threw her a gentle grin. ‘Grandmère can be overpowering at times but she can get things done. No one dare argue with her,’ he replied ruefully. Mary turned back to the view, her left hand on the open window sill and she looked down at the thick, gold band which nestled against the magnificent diamond ring.
Duret stroked her hair, suddenly acutely aware of her sensitivity. He was no timid virgin himself. His mates had seen to his initiation in an appropriate brothel but this was his wife. He could not approach her like a whore. His little self-confidence had been badly shaken by his experience but much as he yearned to lean on his strong Mary, his instinct told him now was the time when he must lead.
‘I’ll go and lock up,’ he muttered and clumped down the narrow wooden stairs leaving Mary thankfully alone. For just a few seconds she could not help but make a comparison between Duret and Victor as she undressed but, by the time Duret returned, she was between the sheets, serene and composed.
Mary was pleasantly astonished. What exactly she had expected from her quiet groom she hadn’t known but Duret’s careful foreplay suddenly aroused her to a pitch which made her gasp with excitement. When he moved over her, she was more than ready and his drive, hard and eager, pierced her quickly. He brought her to a fine pitch and they consummated their marriage in mutual agreement and pleasure.
Afterwards they lay on their sides, simply smiling at each other in the moonlight, then they drifted into sleep. Mary awoke with a violent start. The bed writhed with movement and the howl was almost bestial in its anguish. With a lurching heart she sat up abruptly, her bemused wits struggling to understand the crescendo of awful sounds.
She leaped from the bed and stared with horror. The sheets had apexed to a cone and underneath Duret twisted and writhed while maniacal shrieks cut at her nerves. In a flash, Mary understood and her heart went out to him and his anguish. She jumped forward, pulled the sheet away and flung her arms around her husband as he lay in the foetal position, tears streaming down his face, his breath coming in great, gasping howls.
‘Duret! Duret’ Mary cried and hugged him savagely. He turned and burrowed his wet face between her breasts as great shudders rippled through him. Mary murmured soothing sounds, struggling to hold his paroxysms, cursing herself for forgetting to give him his tablet. She was appalled at his terrible fear.
Her heart swelled. He needed her comfort badly after his shocking experience and great tenderness rose for him. With her natural honesty she knew she could never love him as she did Victor but—Victor le Page was self-sufficient. He needed no one. Duret did.
“I did the right thing, after all,” she told herself gently. “I love you, Victor. I probably always will but you’ll find someone else. My life is worth more to Duret!”
He lay in her arms and looked up with harrowed eyes. ‘It comes on me suddenly,’ he groaned miserably. ‘I get no warning when everything goes black and I feel as if I am suffocating.’
‘Ssh!’ she babied. ‘You are safe with me always. It’s my fault. I forgot to give you your pill.’
‘Fine man I am to you!’ he muttered between clenched teeth as tears soaked his cheeks. He wiped them away with the back of one hand.
‘You’re man enough for me—husband,’ she whispered to him, kissing him firmly, striving to pass on her natural strength. ‘Together we’ll beat it!’ she promised.
‘Oh Mary! I’m a lucky man to get you. The best thing I ever did was to enlist, come to England and meet you,’ he paused then his eyes went a little narrow with apprehension. ‘There’s never been anyone else, has there?’
Mary did not hesitate. ‘How could there be? What a silly question. Of course not, Duret!’ she lied evenly. Then she kissed him again and self-doubt died. ‘Come on! Now let’s get to sleep. We’ve a lot of walking and exploring to do this week!’
FIVE
Mary sat in the cottage’s front room. It was as comfortable as if Tante had always lived here instead of a bare week.
‘Goodness me!’ she exclaimed. ‘You have moved everything quickly!’
Louise glanced around, satisfied and smug. ‘Thanks to Sam and some other helpers. The house is yours now to do exactly as you wish and I have left the Green Bed for you. I’m getting a new one,’ she paused eyeing the young wife. ‘How was Duret’s health?’ she asked quietly.
Mary explained about their first night. ‘Since then I have made sure he takes those pills and there’s not been any repeat but—’ She hesitated. ‘He’s not very confident. I think it is going to take time for him to return to normal.’
Louise said nothing but looked thoughtfully out of the window. Would Duret ever be that, she wondered unhappily? Shell shock was something terrible and, from her investigations, not fully understood by the doctors. Thank God, Mary was strong and unflappable. Now she must take the second planned step.
Standing up, Louise nodded at Mary to come with her. She went down the short corridor leading to the kitchen door. Directly to one side Louise had hung a seascape of waves breaking viciously over a set of craggy rocks. The colours were a combination of blues and greys and it was the one picture Mary had never liked. It was too cold and cruel for her taste. Louise carefully lifted the picture down and turned the back towards Mary. There was a strip of black tape from one side of the picture to the other.
‘Half of the diamonds are hidden here under this tape,’ she explained. ‘Sam is the only other person who knows apart from us two. Duret is not to be told. Remember, these make our nest egg. Now the other diamonds are hidden at the house. You’ll find the rest in that small upstairs room in the sewing machine. They are taped underneath and are hidden except from close examination because the tape is as black as the machine’s underside.’
Mary nodded soberly. She felt proud to share the responsibility of their knowledge and to know Tante trusted her. She certainly agreed with this being kept from her husband. He might have an attack somewhere, and blurt everything out to a stranger.
Louise took her arm and led her back to the lounge. As Mary sat down, she sensed a wariness in Tante and wondered what was coming now.
‘Le Page came back two days ago,’ Louise said bluntly.
‘What!’ Mary gasped. ‘I thought he was going to be away for a few more weeks!’
‘So did I!’ Tante said grimly. ‘But it seems tongues clack on other islands as well as this one. Somehow he had heard about your marriage. He came storming up to the house, demanding to see you.’
‘Oh no!’ Mary groaned. She could see it all so plainly. Victor in a frustrated, embittered rage going bull-headed into battle. ‘Where were you?’ she asked sharply.
‘Down here, fortunately. Sam dealt with him. I don’t know exactly what was said. Sam wouldn’t tell me. The long and short of it is that le Page was in a very savage, totally unreasonable mood. He left uttering dire threats against Duret.’
Mary closed her eyes, able to picture it all. Her heart started a wild beat and her lips compressed.
‘I’ll have to see him,’ she said flatly.
Louise eyed her. ‘I’m thinking of having a word with the Parish Constable.’
‘No!’ Mary said quickly, shaking her head. ‘That would be the worst thing you could do. You would only make him worse. Much better for me to see him personally.’
Louise was not keen on this idea. ‘He might be violent,’ she began.
‘Not with me,’ Mary replied confidently.
‘And if Duret found out—?’
‘Well, I’ll have to make sure he doesn’t!’
Louise’s lips went tight. She regretted she had sent that note to Duret with Sam. That had been a mistake but she had thought it was for the best at the time. Knowing how slow Duret was, Louise had imagined him dithering and hesitating over a proposal. Duret must never know about le Page.
‘Where and when?’ Louise asked anxiously.
Mary considered. ‘Somewhere a bit distant where Duret cannot come upon me accidentally.’
Louise nodded thoughtfully, that certainly made sense and, on the day of the meeting, she would keep Duret well and truly occupied.
‘Jerbourg Point!’ she snapped suddenly. ‘I’ll explain how to get there on your cycle and we’ll tell Duret you have an appointment with a dressmaker in St Peter Port. Also I’ll have him up here moving the furniture around. I’ll say I want to try other positions as the rooms are that much smaller than up at the house.’
Mary nodded slowly. ‘How do we let Victor know?’
‘Leave that part to me. I’ll make an appointment for you in about three days’ time for the afternoon.’ She looked at Mary, deep unease touching her heart. What if the old magic between these two was still present? Louise eyed the young wife who was lost in thought, contemplating the empty fire grate. Mary had made her vows. She was honest and straight, surely she would not cheat Duret at this late stage of the game? She was well aware that Duret must cut a poor figure against le Page but she knew this proposed meeting was unavoidable. Without it, le Page would only keep coming to Cobo looking for Mary and would, one day, meet Duret. Louise’s expression became grim. She knew only too well who would be the loser.
Mary looked at her suddenly. Her blue eyes were wide but her stare almost cold and calculating.
‘I am no cheat,’ she said slowly, ‘so stop thinking what is in you mind, Tante. Credit me with a little decent honesty!’
Louise flinched. She had never been so addressed. Her cheeks pinked with a red spot in their centre and her nostrils flared but Mary held eye contact, cool and unblinking.
‘It’s quite possible when I see Victor the old magic will still be between us but—’ She indicated her left hand. ‘I’m another man’s wife now. He will be made to understand that. He will not be allowed to hector me. Neither, I might add, will anyone else!’ she said firmly.
Louise bristled. ‘Meaning me?’
‘Yes!’
‘Well!’ Louise snorted, almost disbelieving her ears. ‘I’m not used to being spoken to in such a manner!’
Mary did not blink but held the older woman’s eyes in a steady stare. ‘I’m a wife now with status and responsibility. No one will dictate to me.’
‘Mary!’ Louise protested, for the first time feeling deflated and hurt.
‘I am not joking, Tante!’ Mary emphasised. She stood up slowly, still holding Louise in an unblinking stare. ‘I’ll have no interference in my marriage from anyone. I’ll make my own mistakes and learn from them alone. I’m the mistress up at the house now,’ she said firmly. ‘I’ll handle Victor in my own way!’
As she saw genuine hurt appear in Louise’s eyes, Mary let herself soften a bit. She had made her point, now she could afford to be charitable.
‘However, there will come days when I will wish to discuss problems and I hope I’ll always be able to come here to you,’ she said gently.
Louise’s face was cold and frigid but gradually her lips twitched, her eyebrows lifted and a gleam of admiration came into her eyes.
