Summer Lightning (3 page)

When he looked puzzled she went on vivaciously, “Surely you remember their grandfather left the place equally to Dominic and Dick, the sons of his two elder daughters, after both of his own sons died in the 1942 siege?”

“Yes, of course—I’d forgotten.”

“I could never get Dick to bring me out here. He doesn’t fancy Malta. Too many pompous naval types lording it around, he says—sorry, Robert, my lamb. He hates the climate, too. Sirocco, sun and sweat, didn’t somebody say? But I pine for sun—and ladies don’t sweat! So I thought I’d see for myself. And here I am.”

For a moment Mark seemed at a loss. “Does Dominic know?” he asked at length.

The sea green eyes glinted wickedly. “Of course. I telephoned him this morning, as soon as I came ashore from my ship. He’ll be here any minute now to collect me.”

Mark stared, but swallowed whatever he had been going to say. Turning to Chloe, he pulled her gently forward.

“Then let me introduce Miss Linden, she’s waiting for Dominic, too. Miss Linden, this is Mrs. Carlyon.”

The sparkling glance changed direction. It raked Chloe swiftly from head to foot. Was it her imagination that it held an instant, veiled hostility?

The deep voice said dismissingly, “Oh—how d’you do?”

Chloe murmured politely.

“And my brother Robert, playing hooky from his aircraft carrier, I don’t mind betting.”

“Then you lose, I have the day off. Welcome to Malta, Miss Linden. We must see you enjoy your stay here.”

Chloe smiled her thanks. It was impossible not to like Robert at sight. She guessed him to be a little older than herself. He was a charmer, the type older women love to spoil. He had startlingly blue eyes, full of laughter and fun, which he used to give point to his tritest remarks.

Before she could say anything Louise broke in. “Simply marvelous to find you two here. I’ve always heard it’s no good expecting a good time in Malta unless you’re well in with the Navy. So you must rally around Robert, my sweet.”

Robert promised to do his best, though his ship, he said with candid regret, would be off on NATO
exercises soon.

“Then we’ll make the most of it while you’re here. And what
are you
doing, Mark?”

“Working for Dominic,” he told her cheerfully. “I took my diploma in archaeology last year, and he kindly invited me to come in on this dig as his assistant.”

“Dominic and his digs,” Louise exclaimed derisively. “Tell me, Mark, is he just as antisocial as ever?”

“Better ask him,’.’ Mark said shortly. “Here he comes.”

Chloe’s heart skipped a beat as Dominic Vining came in, bareheaded, through the revolving doors. His handsome face looked a trifle moody. He stood still for a moment, looking around; then he saw them.

Louise put out both her hands in an enthusiastically loving gesture and glided to meet him as swiftly and smoothly as if she had skates on her feet, or wings.

“Dominic, my
dear
,” she cried thrillingly, and leaned forward for him to kiss her smooth cheek.

Chloe saw Mark’s eyebrows go up in a sardonic quirk. She saw Dominic’s face darken with some emotion that might, she suspected, be annoyance. She heard him say formally, “How are you, Louise?”

“Thrilled, darling, to see you again after all these years.”

Dominic muttered something. Freeing his hands, he turned to Chloe.

“Good morning, Miss Linden. Let me introduce you to my cousin, Mrs. Carlyon.”

Louise spoke impatiently from just behind him. “Darling, we’ve all met already. Could you perhaps finish your business with Miss Linden, whatever it is, while I’m having my hair washed and set? And then may we go out right away to Santa Clara? I’m longing to see it. I tried to make Dick take me out, but he never would and now, poor darling, I don’t suppose he ever will.”

“What news of Dick, Louise? Anything fresh?”

“Not a word, darling. They’re beginning to say on the radio that any hope of the party’s survival must soon be abandoned. That’s one reason why I came out. I felt I
had
to get away, cheer myself up...”

“I’m sorry, Louise,” Dominic said in a low voice.

Chloe thought that the sadness of her answering smile and shrug were more perfunctory than genuine. She was sure of it when Mark caught her eye and gave her a swift, indecorous wink.

“You
are
going to be free to give me lunch, aren’t you, darling?” Louise persisted.

And that,
Chloe thought wryly,
disposes of me.

She could hardly hide her astonishment when Dominic said crisply, “Of course. We’ll all have lunch in Valetta. Miss Linden has come out here to do some specialized photographic work for me, Louise, and will be staying at Santa Clara with us. I’m afraid, though, we’re all going to be very busy. The work at the dig has reached the exciting stage, and we shall be spending a lot of time out there.”

Chloe listened in a daze. Between indignation at his high handedness, wry amusement at Louise’s air of chagrin and plain, heartfelt relief, she didn’t know what to say or think. Mark, she could see, was just as taken aback by Dominic’s abrupt change of front as she was herself.

Louise, however disconcerted, was quick to recover herself. “You must take me along with you,” she said sweetly. “After all, it won’t be the first time I’ve joined you on a dig—remember?”

Mark smothered an exclamation. Dominic’s face darkened again—this time certainly with annoyance.

“I’m afraid there won’t be quite so much—scope for you this time,” he said rather grimly.

His cousin by marriage threw him a mocking glance.

“Just try me, darling.”

Mark appeared to be feeling some alarm as to what she might say next. Evidently he knew what all this was about. Robert looked bored and vague, as if
he
at any rate didn’t. When he caught Chloe’s eye he quirked an eyebrow and shook his head despairingly.
I wanted to have a talk with you,
his look said,
but not a hope.

After a moment Dominic took the situation in hand.

“If you’ll excuse us, Louise, I’ll take Miss Linden off—we have things to discuss. Then Mark and I have an appointment in Valetta that may take some time—things often do in Malta. I suggest we meet for lunch at one-fifteen. How about you, Robert? Can you join us?”

Robert brightened.

“Delighted, sir.”

“At the club, then. It’ll be less crowded than here. I’ll call for you and Miss Linden here at about one o’clock, Louise.”

“But I ... Oh, very well,” she agreed sulkily.

“Ready, Miss Linden?”

Docilely Chloe followed him down a corridor lined with showcases full of dolls in Maltese costume, exotic underwear, cosmetics and bottles of scent. He turned into a big lounge—empty at the moment—furnished with comfortable armchairs, settees, tables.

Waving a hand at one of the settees, he said pleasantly, “Please sit down.”

She was glad to do so; her legs felt suddenly weak.

She took a cigarette from his proffered case, and let him light it. Drawing on it, she waited, obstinately silent, for his explanations.

He remained silent, too, studying her, his expression inscrutable. She felt her color begin to rise.

“I suppose you’re very angry with me, Miss Linden,” he said at last.

“Bewildered, rather, Professor Vining.”

He grinned—rather endearingly. “It
was
rather a volte-face, I admit. And it still goes against the grain, I’m afraid.”

Seeing her stiffen, he went on quickly, “This sudden invasion has altered the whole situation, you see.”

“I’m not sure I do see.”

“I gather my cousin proposes—intends to make a long stay at Santa Clara. It was willed jointly to Dick, her husband, and me, though my mother occupies it for her lifetime. So Louise can, in point of fact, stay as long as she chooses.”

“But...”

“It would be doing me a great favor—little as you probably feel I deserve it—if you would stay on to do the work you came out for and—well, help me out by coming to live with us at Santa Clara.”

“I—really, I...” Chloe stammered.

He paid no attention. “My mother, I should explain, is an invalid, and seldom leaves her room. It would be a great help in every way,” he finished with emphasis, “if you could bring yourself to do as I ask.”

Though she considered he deserved a snub, she knew she wasn’t going to administer it. She went so far as to demand with spirit, “You’re prepared to risk my baneful influence on your team at the dig?”

His eyes twinkled. “No option.”

She couldn’t help laughing.

She had meant to carry off this scene with immense dignity. She hadn’t intended to agree till he had properly humbled himself. But it was no use—she simply didn’t want to fight him.

She still wasn’t clear why Mrs. Carlyon’s arrival had caused him to change his mind so promptly, but she didn’t much care. The thing that mattered was that she was to remain in Malta.

“All right, then, I’ll stay,” she said. “I would have been very sorry to go back without having a chance to justify Ronnie Fairfax’s sending me in his place. And besides, I do want time to see Malta, now I’m here.”

“So you shall. Do you drive a car?”

“Yes.”

“Then Mark will fix you up with a local license.”

“I have my International.”

“Have you indeed? That makes it simple. One of the cars at Santa Clara will be for your use when you want it.”

“Thank you. You’re very kind.”

His eyes twinkled again. “Am I? I wonder.”

Standing up, he held out his hand to pull her from the low settee.

“Can you amuse yourself till lunchtime?”

“Of course. You forget it’s all new to me.”

“And exciting?”

“Wildly.”

He smiled and left her, and she watched him go, thoughtfully, before stubbing out her cigarette.

Firmly, she cautioned herself against feeling too elated. Still more firmly, against weaving romantic dreams around a man who had shown her plainly enough that she was only to stay on sufferance, because it happened to suit his schedule.

But her heart refused to be cautioned. It sang and wouldn’t be bidden.

She knew perfectly well what had happened to her. She had fallen head over heels in love with Dominic Vining. At first sight, like the heroine of a magazine story. Unasked. And most unreasonably—for what did she really know about him?

Well, she was going to live at Santa Clara, work with him, share his daily life. What more could a girl newly in love ask?

Except, of course, to have her love returned. Unlikely as that seemed at present, she glowed at the possibility. And there was no law against a girl trying to make her employer fall in love with her, was there? But it looked like being as tough an assignment as she had ever handled...

Strolling out in the open, she found a courtyard with flowers in tubs and chairs and tables set under gay umbrellas. People in summery clothes and sunglasses sat under the umbrellas reading, or chatting with Mediterranean zest.

Chloe found a vacant table and sat down. By now the sun had a crystal brilliance, and its heat was that of a real summer day at home.

She sat blissfully absorbing it, and sipping the long, cold lime drink she ordered.

At another table a beautiful Latin young man in pearl gray and sideburns tried persistently, with a wolf’s single-mindedness, to hold her glance. But it passed over him dreamily, unseeingly. Crossly he asked himself how these English women could be at once so maddeningly desirable and so cool...

CHAPTER THREE

The club where they met for lunch was in Valetta. Its cavernous entrance, a long tunnel piercing the tall massive battlements, Chloe had glimpsed last night.

Dominic parked the car down in the square in Kingsway, the strident main street. It teemed with humanity and echoed with voices and raucous radio music.

“On our left the Royal Library, on our right the Grand Palace. That’s where the Grand Masters of the Knight of St. John held court during the two centuries when the Order found sanctuary in Malta,” Dominic told them. “It’s Government House now.”

“But what a lovely city,” Chloe exclaimed as she looked around her. Tall cream houses with ornamental stone balconies, stately palaces—she hadn’t dreamed of such elegance, such architectural splendor.

“ ‘A city built by gentlemen for gentlemen, where every house is a mansion, and every mansion a palace,’ ” Dominic quoted. “Wait till you’ve seen some of the interiors—the Cathedral of St. John, the Palace armory and tapestry chamber and so on. They’re amazing.”

Louise broke in impatiently, “
Must
you be so guidebook, darling? I die for a really cold dry martini.”

“Very well, Louise. I expect the club barman can manage one for you.”

“Then let’s go—if Miss Linden can tear herself away.” There was a distinct edge to her voice. Was Mrs. Carlyon
not
going to be friendly? How awkward that could be, with both of them staying at Santa Clara.

In the club a pleasant-looking, animated group of people were enjoying pre-lunch drinks and the day’s gossip.

The men were mostly in naval uniform. Though there was a sprinkling of soldiers and civilians, the general atmosphere was distinctly nautical. There was even a tubby little rear admiral with a monumental wife and a ravishing young daughter.

Dominic led them to a comfortable corner and ordered martinis for Louise and Mark who, with Robert, had met them in the foyer, a pink gin for Robert and dry sherry for Chloe and himself.

As she watched him lighting a cigarette for Louise, Chloe had a sudden sense of danger—of the runaway possibilities of a situation involving Dominic and his cousin’s wife. She had an intuitive certainty that there had been something between the two of them in the past, and that Mrs. Carlyon was determined to rekindle it.

During lunch, however, Chloe got the impression that Louise wasn’t quite as sure of her welcome as she pretended. She talked and laughed too much, on the extreme edge of gaiety. She drank the wine Dominic offered her too fast, too carelessly.

A good many heads turned, from time to time, to look at her. Some faces—male, mostly—expressed interest, speculation; more had faintly raised eyebrows, a hint of disapproval.

All in all, it wasn’t a very enjoyable meal for Chloe. She sat silent, listening, for Louise monopolized the talk as well as ignoring her as far as possible.