Love In the East Read online

  “We will arrive tomorrow. Is there anything you would like to ask me?”

  “How can you be sure that he is in Athens?” she enquired.

  “Because a friend wrote to inform me. There were few details, just the name of a contact who can tell me more. That is why I need someone who can speak fluent Greek.

  “I want you to act as though you know nothing about my situation. We will all spend the day sightseeing in Athens. In the evening we will have dinner as usual and once the others have retired, you and I will go ashore.”

  “Are we going to arrest him together?”

  “No. We are going to ascertain that he is in Athens as reported and that I have found the right man. But I want your word that you will say nothing about any of this to anyone else, particularly Lionel.”

  “I promise.”

  “Good. I am going to need your skills as never before.”

  “Certainly,” Shona agreed.

  “I want you to dress as you did at first, in dowdy clothes, with your hair scraped back. People should think you are as old-fashioned and fuddy-duddy as possible.”

  “But why?”

  He became suddenly curt.

  “Please do not argue with me,” he snapped. “You are here to work for me and take my orders, whatever they may be.”

  Then, seeing her staring at him, he coloured uncomfortably.

  “Forgive me. I did not mean to speak to you in such a way. The fact is that we are going to the kind of place where I would not normally take a lady. It isn’t dangerous, but neither is it salubrious. It is for the best if you look as unattractive as possible.”

  “I understand,” she said quietly.

  But in truth she understood nothing.

  Why was he suddenly filled with such tension?

  Why had he started behaving as though he was angry with her?

  “Now go and get some rest,” he said, “for tomorrow will be a long day.”

  Next morning they docked in Athens.

  Shona passed the day in a dream, going through the motions of sight-seeing, talking from the most superficial layer of her brain.

  By the time they returned to the ship she could not have said where they had been or what they had seen.

  She did not have to parry any questions from Lionel. But once or twice she caught him looking at her strangely and wondered how much he suspected.

  When everything was quiet and dark, she made herself as drab as possible and joined the Marquis on deck.

  A closed carriage was waiting for them on the quay. They climbed in without a word and he gave an address to the driver, again using his curt tone.

  He did not speak on the journey, and Shona could sense that he was sunk in mysterious gloom.

  Pushing aside the blinds she saw that they were travelling through dingy little streets, full of mean shops and cafés.

  It struck Shona as sinister and she was glad she did not have to come here alone.

  At last the carriage stopped. The Marquis handed her down and kept hold of her arm as they descended a flight of narrow steps and into a poorly lit café.

  A shabby little man looked up sharply, as though he had been expecting them, pointed to a table in the corner and grunted a few words in Greek.

  “He wants to know if you are Mr. Dayton,” Shona said.

  “Tell him that I am.”

  She repeated the message. The Greek nodded and vanished through a curtain covering a narrow door.

  They sat down and Shona looked around her anxiously.

  “It’s all right,” the Marquis reassured her. “We won’t be here long. They have a message for me, which I shall need you to translate. Then we will go.”

  After a moment the curtain was pulled back and a woman came in. She was in her forties with a sharp, knowing face, and glittering eyes that flickered from one to the other.

  At last she barked a question, which Shona answered at once.

  “What did she say?” the Marquis demanded.

  “She says you were supposed to come alone,” Shona replied. “I told her that I am your interpreter.”

  The woman sniggered and Shona repeated what she had said, which made the woman laugh louder.

  “It is true,” Shona flashed.

  “You should make sure that it is,” the woman snapped. “No man can be trusted. I, Helena Farras, tell you so.”

  “Her name is Helena Farras, and she seems to have a grudge against all men,” Shona relayed to the Marquis.

  “I am not concerned with all men, only with one. Tell her so.”

  Shona translated, and Helena nodded.

  From the bar she fetched a bottle and three glasses, which she filled and sat down at the table. Shona shook her head at the liquid, which looked alarmingly strong, but the Marquis drank his in one gulp.

  “Now tell me how to find him,” he demanded.

  “He lives in a house just outside Athens,” Helena said. “He lives a wicked life with many women. When he has finished with them, he throws them out.”

  “I want the exact address,” the Marquis commanded when Shona had finished translating.

  Helena gave it laboriously, and Shona wrote it down.

  “He lives under the name of Sir Reginald Cranton,” Helena added. “He is supposed to be a great English milord. But in truth he is a – ”

  She finished by spitting out a curse in Greek. It was a word that Shona had never heard before, but she had no doubt of its meaning.

  “Ask her what wrong he did her,” the Marquis asked.

  But Helena shook her head.

  “That I will not speak about,” she declared proudly. “But he must get what he deserves. If I can see that, I will be happy.”

  “Tell her that she will not see it,” the Marquis said. “It will happen far away. But she has my solemn word that this man will pay for what he has done.”

  Shona translated, and noticed that Helena seemed satisfied.

  There was something about the Marquis’s manner and his dark bitter eyes that made his vow of retribution believable.

  He rose, as did Shona. At the last minute he tried to press some money into Helena’s hand, but, although obviously very poor, she shook her head.

  “Just bring him to justice,” she snarled and vanished through the curtain without saying goodbye.

  Outside in the street Shona gave the address to the driver.

  She did not speak until they were moving. Then, in the semi-darkness, without looking at the Marquis, she asked,

  “What will you do when we get there?”

  “I can make no plans until I am sure that Sir Reginald Cranton is the man I seek.”

  To Shona’s relief they were leaving behind the down-at-heel part of the city. The houses were now looking smarter, wealthier, until they reached a part of town that she recognised.

  “I came here four years ago, with Mama and Papa,” she said. “I thought the address looked familiar. If he can afford to live here he must have a great fortune.”

  “He had plenty of money in those days,” he said bitterly. “I dare say he has increased it since by nefarious means. But staying one step ahead of the law must be costly in bribes.”

  “But would he have known that you were pursuing him?” Shona enquired.

  In the near darkness she could just make out his smile. It was unlike any smile she had seen – cold, cruel, almost wolfish.

  “Oh yes,” he said softly. “He knows that. He has known it for twelve years.”

  She did not ask any more questions.

  At last they reached a wide, tree-lined street and soon they were outside the correct address.

  But it was immediately clear that something was wrong. The house was in almost total darkness.

  One light burned downstairs, and through the window they could see an elderly man and woman, moving slowly about.

  “The bird has flown,” the Marquis muttered grimly. “Someone has warned him.”

  He was forced to knock m
any times at the door before there was any sign of a reply. But at last they heard a slow shuffle, as if an elderly person was coming.

  The door opened a crack and they could see one eye.

  “Who is it?” the woman cried in a shrill voice. “What do you want?”

  “We seek Sir Reginald Cranton,” Shona called.

  “He’s not here,” the woman snapped, trying to close the door.

  But the Marquis managed to slide his hand through the crack and hold it there, no matter how hard she tried to slam the door shut.

  He must have been fearfully bruised, Shona thought, but he would not yield.

  The woman shouted at him to go. He demanded that she talk to him and a violent argument ensued, with Shona caught in the middle.

  Now she knew how desperately he had needed to bring her on this journey. He could never have managed alone.

  Back and forth the argument raged with Shona doing her best to understand and translate a rough accent.

  “Where has he gone,” the Marquis insisted. “I must know.”

  “She swore not to tell,” Shona said when the woman had gabbled something. “She is afraid of him.”

  “Then she had better get away from him as fast as she can. This will help her.”

  Some gold coins flashed. The woman’s eyes gleamed as she reached for the money.

  “First she tells me everything,” the Marquis said firmly, tightening his grip on the money.

  Bit by bit, the story came out.

  Sir Reginald had been here until three days ago. Then a man had appeared in a very agitated state. He and Sir Reginald had talked together for a long time, with lots of shouting.

  Then Sir Reginald had ordered his belongings to be packed and loaded onto a carriage. The coachman had driven down to the port and put him and his servants onto the next boat.

  “To where?” the Marquis asked in agony.

  “Cyprus,” Shona translated. “It seems that he is known to the Sultan and has taken refuge with him in Limassol.”

  “Does she know why?”

  Shona asked and received a stream of almost incoherent words.

  “A man is pursuing him. He is very much afraid of this man and must escape him at all costs,” she relayed.

  “He is right to be afraid,” the Marquis murmured.

  He handed over the gold which the woman snatched eagerly.

  “Tell her to leave here,” he said. “Tell her that her master will never return.”

  He drew Shona away and they returned to the carriage.

  Throughout the journey he sat with his arms wrapped around his body, sunk in a gloomy dream. As soon as they reached the ship, he strode straight off to see the Captain.

  A figure appeared on deck beside Shona. It was Lionel in his dressing gown, looking as though he had just woken up.

  “Did he find him?”

  “Find who?” Shona parried, mindful of her promise to the Marquis.

  “Oh, Shona, don’t treat me like a fool. I know why he came all this way. Why do you think I insisted on being with him one way or another? I would have come with you tonight, but he fooled me into thinking it was all set for tomorrow.”

  She stared at Lionel, wondering what to say.

  “Shona, did he find this man?”

  “No, he has escaped to Cyprus,” she said distractedly.

  “Then I suppose that is where we are now going. And then perhaps on to somewhere else, and then on again, until he tracks him down. Because he will track him down, if it takes until the end of his days. You must try to stop him.”

  “How can I stop him?”

  “You are the one person who can, because you hold out for him the hope of a better life. With you he can live in the future instead of always in the past.

  “If you don’t turn him aside from his obsession, he will still be on this quest in twenty or thirty years time, consumed and tormented by Angela’s ghost, growing old and gaunt and increasingly mad. Can’t you see that?”

  Shona could see it. The picture he had conjured up was horrible, but she knew that the Marquis was already set on that path. If he could not be saved now, the passing of the years would make it a hundred times worse.

  She covered her face, trying to blot out the dreadful picture. If she, who loved him, could not save him, then nobody could.

  But there was only one way for her to save him and that was to help him find justice for his Angela. She could never urge him to abandon his unavenged love.

  “I cannot turn him back,” she said. “I can only go along with him, and help him.”

  “Then you must make sure that I come too, because if you don’t – hush, he is coming.”

  The Marquis was nearing them along the deck. He nodded briefly at Lionel.

  “Is Effie aboard?”

  “Yes, she has gone to bed,” Lionel said.

  “Good, then we set sail in an hour.”

  “You should not have gone without me,” Lionel burst out. “Don’t blame Shona. I guessed.”

  “You make a great deal of fuss about a small matter,” the Marquis told him coolly. “Go to bed now. I have told the Captain to set sail for Limassol.”

  “And then what?” Lionel questioned.

  “Then I shall find him and bring him to justice.”

  His glance flickered towards Shona. It was cool and distant, as though they were strangers.

  “I suggest you get some sleep,” he said. “We have much work ahead of us.”

  He gave her a small nod and walked away, without looking back.

  CHAPTER TEN

  As long as she could remember Shona had dreamed of visiting the magical East. And to her, the gateway to the East was Cyprus.

  As a child she had been enchanted by the story of how Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love had first appeared among humans, by rising from the waves of the Mediterranean sea.

  Cleopatra, the legendary Queen of Egypt, who enslaved men’s hearts, had enjoyed lingering on Cyprus. Perhaps she had visited some of the many temples to Aphrodite that had sprung up all over the island.

  Best of all, Shona had loved the wonderful story of how King Richard the Lionheart had besieged the island to rescue his bride, the Princess Berengaria of Navarre.

  Having rescued her, he married her there and then and crowned her Queen of England.

  Truly, Cyprus had earned its name, The Island of Love.

  But would it be an Island of Love for her, or the place where her dreams died? She had longed to visit Cyprus some day, but not like this.

  They reached Limassol at dawn. Even at that hour the port was alive. Standing on the deck, Shona watched as the gangway was lowered and the Captain went ashore, heading for the Harbour Master’s Office.

  She came to a sudden decision. It was no longer enough for her to trail in the wake of the Marquis meekly doing as he bid. She was not just his employee. She was the woman who loved him and she would do everything in her power to bring him safely through the dangers ahead.

  So she slipped back down to her cabin and hurriedly selected her plainest clothes. Luckily Effie was a heavy sleeper so she managed to change without being discovered.

  When she was finished, she took a dark shawl and wrapped it around her head so that her hair was covered and as much of her face as possible was concealed.

  Finally she scribbled a note to Effie.

  “I have gone ashore for a while. Please tell Lord Chilworth not to worry. ”

  Then she scurried out, up to the deck and down the gangway. In another minute she was lost in the crowds that were already growing.

  For a while she kept to herself, listening to the Greek being spoken around her, accustoming herself to the local accent.

  Soon the Sultan’s castle came into view. The gates were open, allowing carts piled with supplies, to pass through.

  In their wake came women, laden with heavy baskets. One of them, a big brawny creature with a harsh, tanned face, collided with Shona, knocking her back again
st the wall and spilling her fruit onto the cobbles.

  “Look where you’re going,” she snapped. “Now see what you’ve done!”

  Shona apologised profusely and began gathering up the fruit.

  “Let me help you,” she said. “I can carry one of the bags for you.”

  Mollified by this courtesy, the woman agreed. In a few moments they were friends and when she made her way through the castle gates, Shona was beside her.

  *

  She returned to the ship three hours later, glowing with triumph.

  As she had expected, her three companions were leaning over the rail. The Marquis’s face was dark with fear and anger.

  “What the devil do you mean by going off alone like that?” he raged as soon as she was aboard. “Have you any idea what could have happened to you?”

  “On the contrary, I was a great deal safer than you would have been,” Shona replied, facing him defiantly. “I speak their language and can fade into the crowd. You would have stood out.”

  “You should have informed me first,” he growled through gritted teeth. “Then you would have tried to stop me or come with me.”

  “I would have insisted on coming with you.”

  “There, you see? You prove my point. You would have greatly impeded me. I managed much better without you.”

  Seeing that she had left him speechless, Shona turned to Effie.

  “Effie dear, do forgive me for doing this to you. I had an idea and needed to act on it quickly.” She turned back to the Marquis.

  “I hope you did not make yourself unpleasant to Effie. She knew nothing about my absence until she woke up.”

  “Let me assure you, madam, that I am enough of a gentleman not to blame others for the actions of an idiotic woman, who appears to have abandoned the wits God gave her – ” He checked himself with a sound that was almost a snarl. “Never mind that. Where have you been?”

  “I have been about your business and I have made discoveries that you need to know about. Am I too late for breakfast?”

  “I believe some may still be available,” he responded, speaking with difficulty.

  “Then let us go below.”

  Effie and Lionel vanished discreetly.

  As soon as they were in the dining room the Marquis’s control broke and he seized Shona by the shoulders.