The Island of Love Page 11

  Chapter Six

  Lydia saw there were five men in the boat, one of them a Naval Officer and she said hastily,

  “I cannot let – them see me – like this.”

  “No, of course not,” the Earl agreed. “Go and hide in the bushes and I will see if they have something you can cover yourself with.”

  She ran away from him across the sand and into the thick jungle of flowering shrubs.

  The Earl walked to the edge of the sea and saw coming towards them one of the long thin Hawaiian boats being rowed by four men and with the Naval Officer in the stern directing them.

  As they rowed along the shoreline, he was gazing searchingly among the trees and in the bays and the Earl felt sure that he was looking for him.

  He waved and the boat instantly pulled towards him.

  As soon as it came to rest on the sand, two of the oarsmen jumped out and dragged its bow out of the water.

  The Naval Officer saluted.

  “I am delighted to find you, my Lord,” he said. “We were extremely worried when we realised last night that you were missing.”

  He drew nearer as he spoke and the Earl asked,

  “What has happened?”

  “The Captain and a dozen of the crew stayed aboard the ship to try to put out the fire. They managed it eventually, but one stoker lost his life and three seamen were badly burned.”

  “The fire is out!” the Earl exclaimed. “That is good news!”

  “We are all delighted, my Lord, as you can imagine,” the Naval Officer said. “Your valet and Sir Robert’s have already gone back on board to try to collect your Lordship’s luggage, which we think will be unharmed, as the fire was prevented from reaching that part of the ship.”

  The Earl smiled.

  “I am glad, for at the moment I feel somewhat inadequately clothed!”

  The Officer looked down in the boat.

  “I have brought some blankets and bandages with me in case your Lordship was injured,” he said, “but stupidly I did not think of clothes.”

  He paused before he went on,

  “Your Lordship will not think it impertinent if I offer you my coat? And as the King’s representatives will be waiting for you when we return, perhaps you would also accept my shoes.”

  The Earl laughed.

  “Thank you, I am very grateful.”

  The Officer, who was a young Lieutenant, took off his white coat and helped the Earl into it.

  They were about the same size and it was therefore not a bad fit. As the Officer removed his shoes the Earl said,

  “I think a bandage also is what I need.”

  “You are injured?” the Lieutenant asked quickly.

  The Earl shook his head.

  “No, but I could use it to cover my neck.”

  The Lieutenant handed him a box in which there was a number of bandages of all sizes.

  They were made from strips of white linen and the Earl took the widest of them and wound it round his neck in the same way that he would have worn a stock out hunting.

  “Now,” he said as he tucked the ends into the coat, “I would like a blanket for Miss Westbury.”

  “I thought I saw her here when I first sighted you,” the Lieutenant exclaimed.

  “As she is as inadequately clothed as I was, you will understand that she is somewhat embarrassed.”

  The Lieutenant lifted a white blanket from the boat and the Earl took it from him and started to walk across the sand to where Lydia was hiding.

  While the Earl was talking to their rescuers, Lydia had been looking around her at the beauty of the shrubs and trees, thinking that she must imprint them on her mind as she would never come here again.

  It was agony to think that she would never again see the sunlight percolating through the thick trees overhead or the exquisite blossom of the shrubs.

  Then, while she was looking around her, thinking that if she was an artist she would paint a picture of it so that she could never forget it, she saw what she had longed to see.

  For a moment she thought that it was a blossom, but then she realised that it was the elusive Hawaiian honeycreeper, which she had read about as being the most colourful of all the songbirds on the islands.

  It looked exactly as she had expected it would with its crimson plumage and long curved beak that enabled it to dip deep into the tubular flowers to reach their nectar.

  Lydia stood very still and the honeycreeper looked at her with inquisitive eyes before, so swiftly that she could hardly follow its flight, it vanished upwards among the leaves into the sunshine.

  Because it was so beautiful she felt that perhaps it was an omen of good luck.

  Because she had seen it so unexpectedly, she would go on hoping, as she had told the Earl she would, that one day they would be together.

  The Earl, with the blanket over his arm, pushed his way through the bushes until he found Lydia.

  She was standing very still with her head thrown back, looking up into the tree that the honeycreeper had flown into.

  In her white nightgown, which clung to her slight figure, revealing rather than concealing her beauty, he thought that she looked like the Goddess Aphrodite and he could almost believe that there was a Divine Light exuding from her.

  Then, as if she realised that he was there, she turned round and the radiance in her eyes was so compelling that for a moment the Earl could not move, but could only stare at her.

  He thought then that it was impossible that any woman could be lovelier.

  Then, knowing that they were out of sight of their rescuers, he held out his arms and with a little cry of joy Lydia threw herself against him.

  “I love you!” he smiled. “In fact, I have a very good mind to tell the boat to go away and come back tomorrow!”

  “That is what I would like,” Lydia answered, “but you would miss the Coronation.”

  She gave a little cry.

  “The Coronation! It is today! You must not be late for it!”

  The Earl’s lips twisted wryly.

  “We are about to leave our dream island,” he said, “and step back into the Social world, which is waiting to gobble us up.”

  “I know,” Lydia murmured unhappily, “but this is why you came to Honolulu and I must not do anything to distract you from your duty.”

  The Earl did not answer.

  He merely kissed her.

  Then he wrapped the white blanket around her shoulders and stood back for a moment to look at her.

  “You look like a Saint!” he exclaimed. “I feel I ought to kneel at your feet and burn a candle to you!”

  “You are not to speak like that,” Lydia cried. “I don’t feel at all good or holy at the moment. I only know that I love you and, however wrong it may be, I shall love you all my life!”

  The Earl kissed her again.

  Then because there was nothing more to say to each other, he took her by the hand and drew her through the scented blossoms out onto the sandy beach.

  She walked carefully with her bare feet and, when she reached the boat, she realised that the sailors and the Officer were looking at her with admiration.

  She had in fact no idea how lovely she looked with her hair waving on each side of her face and falling over her shoulders onto the blanket.

  The sunshine seemed to be reflected in the light of her eyes and, as the Earl had seen, because her love had lifted her spiritually into a Heaven of happiness, she had a radiance that had something holy about it.

  The Lieutenant helped her into the boat while the Earl paused to put on his white shoes, which he had left on the sand.

  Then the Earl joined Lydia and they sat beside each other as the Hawaiian oarsmen carried them to Honolulu at a tremendous speed.

  They seemed literally to shoot like an arrow through the calm water and more rapidly than they had expected the roofs of the town were in sight and they could see a long stretch of golden beach with palm trees growing down to the water’s edge.r />
  Behind were the majestic Koolau mountains.

  Sheer walls of green and brown rock all covered with strange but beautiful vegetation, they were quite different from anything that Lydia had expected.

  In fact the dazzling green of the mountains, the blue of the sea and the gold of the beaches made her know that she had been right when she had thought that Honolulu would be exactly like a fairy story.

  She was so glad that she had seen it for the first time with the Earl.

  Although he did not speak, she knew that he was feeling as she was, that it was still part of their island Paradise and if indeed it was a fairy story it must somehow have a happy ending.

  As the Lieutenant brought the boat into a place where she could see a large number of people waiting for them Lydia suddenly felt shy.

  She was acutely conscious that if the Earl looked more or less like his usual self in his borrowed clothes, she must look very strange in nothing but her nightgown and a blanket.

  As if once again the Earl knew what she was thinking, he said quietly,

  “Don’t worry. Leave everything to me.”

  She gave him a little smile knowing that was all she wanted to do forever and ever.

  As the boat pulled up beside a small wooden jetty, the Earl stepped out first and immediately a pretty girl in Hawaiian dress came forward with a garland of flowers in her hand, which Lydia knew was known as a Lei.

  She placed it round his neck and then kissed his cheek.

  Leis were used originally as offerings to the Gods, but now she was aware that it was a gesture of love and a symbol of welcome.

  Then several Hawaiians in Military uniform bowed to the Earl and presented themselves as representatives of the King.

  Only when he had shaken hands with them did the Earl turn back to hold out his hand to Lydia and draw her beside him.

  “As I expect you know,” he said, “Miss Westbury was with me when our boat was unfortunately swamped by the waves. She has been very brave, but it has been a dramatic experience and I want to take her immediately to wherever she is staying with her father.”

  A Lei was placed round Lydia’s neck and they were then taken to an open carriage, which had the Royal Insignia on it.

  Having thanked the Lieutenant and arranged for the return of his clothes, the Earl helped Lydia into the carriage and sat beside her while two Hawaiian Officers sat opposite them.

  “You were unfortunate, my Lord,” one of them who was a General said in good English, “that your boat was overturned.”

  “Was ours the only one?” the Earl enquired.

  “The others all reached here safely last night,” the General replied, “and no member of the crew was unaccounted for except for those who have been rescued at the same time as yourself.”

  “I am extremely glad about that,” the Earl said, “and also that the fire has been extinguished in HMS Victorious.”

  “His Majesty was pleased to hear the good news,” the General replied, “and he is, my Lord, looking forward to welcoming you to the Palace.”

  He paused and, before the Earl could ask the question, he added,

  “That is where your Lordship will be staying, while Sir Robert Westbury and his two daughters will be at the British Consulate with Mr. Wodehouse.”

  The Earl thought that this was what he might have expected and a few minutes later the horses turned in through two white gates and Lydia saw in front of them an attractive low-storeyed house with a flagpole on which flew the Union Jack.

  As the carriage drew to a standstill, the Earl said to the General,

  “As I know we are pressed for time, General, and the King will be getting ready for the Coronation, which I think I am right in saying is at midday, I will just hand Miss Westbury over to her father and then re-join you.”

  Lydia was aware that he was saying tactfully that it would be best for the Hawaiians to stay in the carriage.

  She gave them a shy smile when they said goodbye to her and the Earl helped her out and up the steps of the British Consulate.

  There was a large cool hall and a servant led them across it and opened the door of what Lydia thought would be the drawing room.

  Sitting in front of an open window was her father and two other people who she realised must be the British Consul and his wife.

  Good-looking with a large moustache, the British Consul sprang to his feet at their entrance exclaiming,

  “They have found you, my Lord! Thank God for that!”

  He hurried forward, his hand outstretched and the Earl replied,

  “We are safe, Mr. Wodehouse, but, of course, a little shaken by our unfortunate experience, as you can understand.”

  “We were deeply perturbed when you did not arrive last night and naturally what made it worse, Miss Westbury was also missing.”

  Lydia smiled and moved towards her father.

  “I am back safely, Papa,” she said, “and I am sorry if you have been worried.”

  “Very worried!” Sir Robert answered.

  As he spoke, the door burst open and Heloise came into the room.

  Surprisingly she was not fully dressed, but was wearing a light muslin wrap ruched and trimmed with lace over her petticoats, her hair hung down her back and was tied with a bow of blue satin ribbon.

  She swept towards them exclaiming in a loud voice as she did so,

  “I heard you were back! I am surprised that it should have taken so long to find you!”

  She passed the Earl to confront Lydia where she stood beside her father and went on,

  “Where have you been and what have you been doing? You had no right to hang back deliberately instead of getting into the boat with me and Papa!”

  “I did – not,” Lydia stammered in a low voice.

  She felt embarrassed that Heloise should be shouting at her in front of the Earl in the hard voice she used when they were alone.

  “Don’t lie!” Heloise stormed. “You lingered behind so that you should not accompany me as you ought to have done, but travel in another boat with Hunter!”

  “That – is not – true!”

  “You lie! You lie!” Heloise shouted. “And what have you been doing all night instead of getting here as everybody else managed to do?”

  She was working herself up into one of her passions and now, as if she acted impulsively and without thinking, she raised her hand intending to slap Lydia across the face.

  It was something she often did at home, but, as Lydia instinctively moved her head to avoid the blow, Heloise hit her instead on the forehead where she had been bruised the night before.

  It was so painful and because she was taken by surprise and encumbered by the blanket, Lydia fell back onto the sofa that was just behind her.

  For a moment there was only darkness and she did not hear what was happening.

  “Heloise – !” Sir Robert exclaimed sharply.

  Before he could say any more the Earl was beside her.

  “Stop!” he commanded. “Stop that immediately!”

  At the stern interruption Heloise turned her attention from her sister to him.

  “Don’t give me orders!” she raged. “You have behaved abominably and you should be ashamed of yourself! Instead of looking after me and protecting me, you stayed behind with my sister and spent the night with her!”

  Her voice rose to a shrill shriek as she added,

  “I know all about your reputation, Hunter, and the way you behave with other women, but I thought you would cease your philandering tricks at least until we were married!”

  The Earl stood very still, his eyes on Heloise.

  He was thinking that when she was in a rage and her face was contorted with anger she lost all her beauty and became positively ugly.

  “I am disgusted by you, do you hear?” Heloise went on as he did not speak.

  “Really, Heloise,” Sir Robert intervened, “you cannot talk in that way to the man you are going to marry!”

  �
�Marry?”

  Heloise made the word vibrate around the room as she repeated it shrilly.

  “Marry! I would not marry such a rake and lecher if he was the last man in the world!”

  There was only a second’s silence before the Earl said quietly but clearly,

  “In which case I can only accept that you have terminated our engagement and our marriage will not now take place!”

  He looked towards Mrs. Wodehouse, the Consul’s wife, who was sitting as if turned to stone by the scene taking place in front of her.

  He bowed to her politely and said,

  “I hope you will excuse me, but I understand that His Majesty is waiting impatiently for my arrival at the Palace.”

  He then walked from the room with great dignity, and only as the door closed quietly behind him did Sir Robert and the Consul find their breath.

  Then Mr. Wodehouse picked Lydia up from the sofa and carried her across the room while his wife opened the door for him to take her slowly up the stairs.

  As he did so, Lydia opened her eyes and had a glimpse through the open door of the Earl driving away in the Royal carriage.

  The pain of the blow on her head had made her faint and, although she had heard as if from a distance her sister’s voice shrieking hysterically, she had not understood what she was saying.

  Now she told herself that the Earl was driving out of her life. The thought that she was losing him forever was more agonising than anything she could suffer physically and she closed her eyes again.

  Mr. Wodehouse took her into a bedroom where there were two Hawaiian maidservants waiting for her arrival.

  He put her gently down on the bed and said to the elder of the two,

  “Look after Miss Westbury. Don’t leave her alone, and don’t let anybody disturb her.”

  “Yes, that is right,” Mrs. Wodehouse said, who had followed her husband. “Nobody is to disturb her until she has slept. She is very tired. But bring her something to eat and drink, as I am sure she must be hungry.”

  She then went from the room with her husband following her and outside she said to the maid, who had opened the door,

  “Make quite certain that no one goes near Miss Westbury until she wakes.”

  “I keep watch, mistress,” the girl replied.

  As husband and wife walked down the stairs, Mr. Wodehouse said,