A Girl Called Tegi (8 page)

If every time she had crept into his thoughts during the last few days, and if he faced the question honestly, her penetration of his thoughts had been considerable, he would have only vaguely recalled that she was auburn-haired and pretty.

Looking at her now with her eyes sparkling with anger plus that clear frankness so disconcerting to anyone less honest, he had to agree
that she was really beautiful. Her hair gleamed like dark red silk in the sun and the colour flooding beneath her clear skin deepened the colour in her eyes.

‘You ought to get angry more often,’ he told her
with a maddening calm. ‘It is the only time you really come alive. Some day some man is going to come along and touch the real you. I envy him what he will find underneath that calm exterior.’

Their eyes met and Tegi felt the leap
of her pulse. Angrily she told herself that he need not make it so obvious that he was playing safe by dissociating himself with her.

‘Thanks for the drink,’ she murmured, ‘and for the talk. I found it most interesting.’

He grinned amiably. ‘At least neither of us were bored,’ he said outrageously. ‘I am looking forward to our meal together at the hotel.’

Tegi looked blank. ‘What meal?’ she demanded.

‘You are having lunch with me, surely? I take it you have no other engagement this afternoon?’

She gave a wry smile. ‘I see you have a good memory for faces and for information. Just because I was at a loose end last Saturday it doesn’t mean that I am today.’

He said mockingly, ‘You are not as bright as I thought you were.’

She lifted her chin. ‘Because I’m passing up a good free meal?’

‘And one which will not be boring.’

‘I might consider it.’

‘Then we can take our time strolling back along the promenade. Another cup of coffee?’

Tegi refused politely. During their stroll back again along the sunny promenade she was only conscious of the tall, bronzed figure moving nonchalantly beside her. While her frightened heart was telling her to be calm she was remembering the determined flicker between those thick eyelashes of dark eyes with a meaning behind them. If she was not his kind what did he want with her? Why did he not leave her alone?

CHAPTER FIVE

Tegi
did have lunch with him. Again her weekend was turning out to be far different from what she had expected. Her plan had been to accept the lift into Douglas from Mary Quale, stroll around the shops and have tea at one of the cafes before going back home.

She wondered what Dorothy would say if she knew where she was and what was going on. Strange that Tony had not mentioned going to tea that afternoon.

They lingered over a very enjoyable dinner and were leaving the hotel when Tony said quite casually, ‘Fancy a run in the cat this afternoon? It is a pity to waste such a beautiful day.’

Tegi looked up at him in surprise. ‘But you aren’t free this afternoon, surely?’ she queried.

He looked startled. ‘Of course I’m free. I was going to tag along with the rest of the boys to call to see your father, but I only half promised. I did not commit myself.’

It took Tegi some moments to digest this, thinking that it was tough on Dorothy who was waiting for him to arrive with his friends for tea. Yet it only bore out what she had told her sister about him. His indifference to the invitation put Dorothy among the girls in whom he invariably showed a passing interest and no more.

I’m one of those girls too, she thought bleakly as he led her to his parked car. He seated her and she sat back, wishing she could enjoy it more—this outing which would live in her memory to lighten the darker days.

It might have been the wine she had drunk with her lunch or the nearness of Tony giving the impression of a sensuously somnolent feeling about the air coming in from the sea filling the car, but as the silence between them went on she felt a strange tremor ripplingly along her nerves.

Leisurely, Tony set the car moving and Tegi stole a glance at his clear-cut profile, feeling that tremor increase. He was so very likeable and honest, which in a way was more dangerous than if he had been devious. He had left her in no doubt about what made him behave as he did. Show business, he had called it.

And how well he fitted into the scene—handsome, educated, virile and loaded with charm, he could not miss. She felt a pang of pity for the girls who had succumbed to his charms, for they must have been many.

‘Where shall we go?’ he asked casually. ‘Anywhere in mind?’

‘You mean you aren’t going to see Dad with your friends?’ she asked breathlessly.

‘That’s right. I can go with them some other time. What do you say to going to Silverdale Glen? Or we could go to Rushen Abbey Gardens to see the famous Gilbey horses.’

Tegi could not keep the smile from her voice. ‘Silverdale Glen, please,’ she said.

The Glen nestled in a valley surrounded by trees on the Silverbu
rn
river. Tony parked the car and they strolled along from the crowds of people to follow the river meandering past waterfalls to the Monks’ Bridge, pausing on the way at the wishing well where monks once drank from the health-giving waters.

On the way Tony smiled down mockingly at her glowing face. As for Tegi, the whole place was impregnated with magic. They met one couple on their walk and they stood alone on the Monks’ Bridge
,
breathing in the clear air and listening to the song of the birds in the trees around them.

‘Have you ever been kissed on the Monks’ Bridge?’ he asked in a low voice, his face dangerously near to hers.

Her face swivelled up to his. ‘No, I haven’t. Why should a kiss here be any different from one anywhere else?’

Her heart pounded suddenly and deafeningly in her breast, and as Tony bent his head she could feel his breath warm on her cheek. The next moment he had pulled her into his arms, forcing her head back against his shoulder. His mouth was hard and demanding—his kisses were those of a man of experience. Sensing this even in her bemused state, Tegi struggled until gradually ecstasy took over. It was some time before he finally released her.

‘You are very sweet, Tegi. If there are any of the ghosts of monks wandering around they must surely be blessing us,’ he said, his eyes twinkling down audaciously on her flushed face.

Wildly, Tegi wanted to say, who cares about long-dead monks? This is me, Tegi Moore, you’re kissing, and I can’t take it as a game that bygone monks would applaud. Her lips were bruised but not half as bruised as her heart ‘Show business
!’
she managed to scoff. ‘You think the monks were in it too? You could be right. They probably had hundreds of admirers when they roamed the grounds in their robes, basking in the aura of being different. I can imagine girls swooning over the handsome ones.’

He laughed. ‘No doubt they had their moments, but if one of them had found anyone as sweet as you he would not have become a monk in the first place. Shall we walk back?’

Tegi lowered her eyes and walked with him in silence. Not only had she thought him genuine, she had been on the brink of loving him to distraction. Now she hated him and began to wish she had insisted upon going home. In some way she felt not only cheap but angry—but to tell him so would get her nowhere.

Several times she felt his gaze on her as they strolled back along the river path, but she did not turn her head. She stared instead at the sunlight glinting on the water, the wild flowers blooming so colourfully along the river bank. At the waterfall she felt her tears joining in the colourful spray and wept inwardly at her own inadequacy.

‘Are you cross with me because I kissed you?’ he
asked as they left the waterfall behind.

‘Don’t tell me you’re surprised that I should be?’ she answered coldly.

‘But I am. Girls usually expect me to kiss them when I take them out. I have yet to meet one who has ever protested.’

‘Well, you’ve met one now,’ she cried indignantly. ‘Why did you kiss me? Was it because you felt sorry for me? A poor little girl with nowhere to go, no glamour in her life, and no handsome prince to rescue her from a humdrum existence? Is that what you thought? Did it swell that king-sized ego of yours?’

He stopped in his tracks and lifted her chin as she struggled against tears threatening to overwhelm her. His dark eyes raked her flushed face with concern. ‘I am sorry if I have upset you,’ he said gently. ‘But I’m not sorry for having kissed you. I don’t usually force my attentions on someone who doesn’t want them. On the other hand, I think some of the blame is yours for looking so tantalisingly lovely. At the same time, the last thing I want is to hurt you in any way.’

Tegi gave him a wide-eyed glance of surprise at the genuine note of concern in his voice. He had disarmed her by his frankness, but he had apologised and she was not the kind of person to bear a grudge. She would accept his apology in the spirit in which it was given. She smiled.

‘Friends again?’ he asked, lifting a dark brow and holding out his hand.

She slipped her hand into his and he bent his head to kiss it, murmuring, ‘This is what the monks would have done.’

‘Before they sent me on my way as you intend to do?’

‘Of course. With pleasant memories.’

Tegi withdrew her hand, having nothing to say, and they lingered by the lake watching the children in paddle boats. The afternoon was filled with the joy of insignificant little things like going into the Creg Mill with its Little Folk Museum that displayed models of little folk performing the various tasks needed in the operation of the mill. They had tea at the cafe where old millstones were used for tables.

In the souvenir shop Tony bought her a Manx doll and one for his mother. The change of air made Tegi drowsy. It was wonderful to be outdoors with the sun on her face, the breeze on her hair. The small
corner
of the island had its own world.

They laughed a lot and it was with great reluctance that Tegi followed him at last to his car. Her chin rose a little higher as she slid into her seat in the car. Now she had to concentrate on what was coming after. She had not expected to see Tony again so soon, but she had enjoyed herself enormously.

Now there was Dorothy to be considered. She would be furious if she knew what had happened. Tegi did not want any bother at home, and a shiver of apprehension ran through her. She was being ridiculous, of course. Why should Dorothy know at all? It was possible that she would not find out, Tegi thought resignedly.

On the way back to her home Tony chatted easily to her, giving her the impression that he, too, had enjoyed the day with her. The souvenir he had bought her was in the bag on her lap containing several little
things for Gary. He was at an age when he found magic in the smallest of toys and her lips curved tenderly as she thought about
him
.

He would be home now and...

‘What are you smiling about?’

Tony’s voice broke in on her thoughts and she gave a start.

‘I was thinking about my brother Gary,’ she replied.

He threw her a quick glance. ‘You are fond of children?’ he asked.

‘Yes, I am. Are you?’

He laughed, and said evasively, ‘How is Sam?’

‘That mouse? Oh, he’s fine. I hope he’s not the forerunner of other four-legged species my brother is planning on keeping. At the moment he’s talking about a mate for Sam. I shudder to think about it.’

He swerved around one of the many bends on approaching Ramsey on a gradual decline, and Tegi’s heart seemed to drop too.

‘What about tonight?’ he said. ‘We could go somewhere to a disco or something after a meal.’

She thought dryly, he’s taking it for granted I’ll see him again. She quivered at the thought and while her heart urged her to go with him common sense said no. No use forging bonds which she would find very hard to sever when the time came.

‘I’m sorry—I can’t,’
she said.

‘You mean you have another date?’

‘No, but I’ve been out all day and I have to show some consideration to my family.’

He said quickly, ‘I understand that, but I can wait
while you make arrangements to go out this even
ing.
’

Tegi was weakening. She liked him so much. Was it possible that he felt the same magnetic power concerning herself? But no, she did not think it could be that. Tony was stubborn and refused to believe that she was not going to fall right into his arms as others had done.

He had built up this image of himself and was eventually inclined to believe it himself. When he had gone she was going to find Colin very dull in comparison, but there it was. Tony had awakened a flood of feeling she would never be able to quench and he disturbed her far more than she cared to admit. But it was only show business on his part; he had admitted as much.

Again he shot her a quick glance before turning off on to a side road at the picturesque entrance to the village. There in the quiet leafy lane where only birds looked on he turned to face her.

For several silent moments neither of them spoke as Tegi tried unsuccessfully to evade Tony’s dark eyes.

At last he said, ‘Why did you come out with me if you dislike my company so much?’

Her breath caught in her throat at his nearness. Words clamoured in her head; words she would have to say as lightheartedly as possible.

‘I don’t dislike your company,’ she said with difficulty. ‘It’s just that I’m not free to go out tonight.’

He said, ‘I have a good memory, and if I remember correctly you bemoaned the fact of having nothing to d
o
at weekends. Now I offer you an outing
which I know you will enjoy and I have the right to know why. There must be a reason why you refused.’

It was the hardest question she had ever had to answer. So long as he did not touch her she could manage it, but already he was reaching out to draw her into his arms. There would be no putting him off what he obviously was determined to do. He would have his own way.

When at last he let her go, Tegi was scarlet of face and gasping for breath.

‘Of course you had to have payment for giving me a good time,’ she gasped on breath regained. ‘Only don’t confuse me with the rest of the girls you go around with. I might find myself at a loose end at weekends, but up to now I’ve managed by not making myself cheap, which I could easily have done. The men with one-track minds don’t all come on motorbikes
!’

Tony was more than angry. Pale beneath the tan with his lips set grimly in a tight line, he started the car engine.

‘You have made yourself perfectly clear. You could apply that one-track mind to yourself. I do not go around seducing girls. What is there in a kiss except the happy symbol of an enjoyable day? I will take you home with the deepest regret of having taken you for what you definitely are not. How an angelic-looking girl like you can behave as you do beats me. It will give me the greatest pleasure to deliver you back to your door, leaving me free to return to normal people who accept me for what I am
!’

Silence reigned for the rest of the journey to her home. Tegi stumbled from the car without a backward glance. Her only solace lay in the fact that, while her victory had a backlash of bitterness, she knew that Tony would find it hard to forget her.

She had recognised the car parked outside the house as belonging to Tony’s friends who had come to see her father, and it seemed that they were about to leave as she entered and made a dive for the kitchen to avoid them.

Gary was sitting at the kitchen table munching a sandwich with a cup of cocoa beside him.

‘Hi,’ he said. ‘Dotty’s mad. Her date didn’t turn up. I’d keep away from her if I were you.’

‘Where is she?’ Tegi asked.

‘Gone upstairs to doll herself up for a lift into Douglas.’

He looked thoughtfully at the paper bag containing the souvenirs which Tegi placed along with her bag on the table.

‘Anything in there for me?’ he asked hopefully.

‘You know there is, you little beast,’ Tegi replied lightheartedly as she moved to the sink overflowing with dirty dishes.

She reached for an apron, tied it around her and turned on hot water over the dishes. Gary had already taken a miniature car from the souvenir bag and was drooling over it.

He said, ‘I think you ought to know that Colin has been trying to get you all day. I bet he’s mad as well. Why didn’t you wait for me to come out of the cinema and take me with you? You know I would have come.’

‘Because I wanted the day to myself doing my own
thing,’ she replied, adding washing up liquid to the water in the sink.

‘What was that?’ asked the irrepressible Gary. ‘I bet
you were with some man.’

‘Don’t be cheeky,’ she said sternly.

‘You weren’t with Colin because he was here. I bet it was Tony. Dotty will murder you if she finds out. I’d hate to be in his shoes when she meets up with him again.’ He gave her a tender smile. ‘Don’t worry, Tegi, I won’t tell her.’

She laughed. ‘You don’t know anything about it. There’s some chocolate in the bag for you, and some fudge. The doll is mine.’

Gary’s eyes were round as he peeped into the paper bag and he gave her a suspicious glance.

‘I bet Tony bought these,’ he said with satisfaction.

‘You talk too much. While you’re going to your room you might take the doll to mine,’ said Tegi.

There were voices in the hall as goodbyes were said to the visitors with Dorothy’s voice among them. Gary had gone upstairs when her mother came into the kitchen to sit down wearily on the nearest chair.

She said, ‘Dorothy has gone to Douglas. She was disappointed because Tony Mastroni didn’t come after telling her he would.’

Tegi went on with her task of stacking up the dishes to dry on the draining board.

She said, ‘I don’t think he actually promised to come. I believe the boys asked him to go with them, but he gave no direct answer.’

‘How do you know?’

Tegi turned to look directly at her mother. ‘Because he told me,’ she said.

‘You’ve seen him
?’

‘Yes. I met him unexpectedly in Douglas. He told me he’d been asked to come with the boys, but he’d made no actual promise.’

Her mother sighed. ‘What with Dorothy and you and Colin! You do know he’s been telephoning you
?’