Виктория Холт - Lord of the Far Island

"They had so much money it was not important."

"I'll tell you this, Ellen. Money is about the most important thing in the Carrington manage. I believe they knew of your inheritance and that was why they were so eager for the marriage. They wanted that money. The Island would have been sold and the proceeds would have very comfortably and conveniently backed up the Carrington Empire."

"This is wild speculation."

"No. I leave that to the financiers of this world. Things are not always what they seem, my darling. I'll admit I love this Island. It's true I did not want to see it pass out of my hands. It was the greatest joy I had ever known when I met you and loved you on the spot."

"Your joy would have been slightly less intense if I had not been the heiress to the Island."

"Of course. But it would have made no difference. I was determined to have you for my own and I would have found some means of saving the Island too."

My common sense was telling me not to accept what he was saying, but common sense had no chance against that magnetism which was no less potent than it had ever been.

He went on: "Now, my dearest Ellen, you will look at the Island through different eyes. I will initiate you into the bookkeeping. The archives go back over a hundred years. You'll be fascinated. We'll work together. We'll have children, and we'll bring them up to love the Island as we do."

"You go too fast. I have not yet said I will marry you."

"This is perverse of you because you know as well as I do that you are going to."

"I think at times you believe you are not a man but a god."

"It's not a bad idea to have a high opinion of yourself. If you don't no one else will. Where is the Kellaway necklace?"

"It's in my room."

"Why don't you wear it?"

"The clasp is weak. I shall have to get it repaired."

"I like to see you wear it, Ellen."

"I will," I said, and thought how weak I was with him, I who had always felt myself to be strong and self-reliant! I had come demanding an explanation and because he had given me one, which I knew when I considered it alone I should find far from plausible, he had somehow talked himself out of a difficult situation.

What had happened to me? I wanted to accept what he said. I wanted to be with him.

It would be different when I was alone.

I said I was very tired. I had had a long day and would say good night. He held me against him and would not let me go for a time.

Then he said: "Good night, sweet Ellen. Don't be afraid of your emotions. I never thought you would be. Don't be afraid to love. It will be a wonderful experience, I promise you."

I said very firmly: "Good night, Jago." And I went up to my room. Immediately the uneasy thoughts were with me. I could hear the wind rising and I went to the window and looked out on a sea just visible in starlight. The waves were beginning to have that white-crested ruffled look.

Could I believe him? I asked myself. Could it possibly be true that the Carringtons had known I was heiress to a large fortune? Not Philip. I would not believe that of Philip. They had accepted me almost eagerly, it was true. I was sure Philip was without guile, but would his clever family use him?

It was inevitable that night that I should dream the dream. There was the room again—more familiar than ever now that I had seen it so often in my mother's sketchbook. I could hear the whispering voices and my eyes were fixed on the door. It was slowly opening and there came to me the terrible realization that doom was just on the other side of the door.

The next day I avoided Jago. I told myself I must be alone to sort out my thoughts. The cool practical side of my nature must take command and assess the situation as an outsider would, unaffected by emotion.

That side of me summed up the situation. He came to London without saying who he was; he came to the house in Finlay Square; when Philip died he asked you here. That was reasonable enough, but why did he not say I was heiress to the Island? Perhaps he feared I would sell it. He wanted me to love the Island. And he had not said who he was because he did not want the Carringtons to know. It seemed wildly implausible when he was not there to look at me so earnestly with such love in his eyes. He had asked me to marry him, implying that it was purely out of love for me, but how much was love for the Island?

Then Ellen in love—for I had come to the conclusion that that was what I must be—took over: He likes to do strange things. He can't bear to act as ordinary people do. He wanted to see me and came to Finlay Square because he was curious about the sort of house we were getting perhaps, and most of all to talk to me alone. Rollo came and interrupted us then and cut short that interview. When Philip was killed he asked me here, which was natural enough, and it was possible that a girl who had lived mainly in London would very probably consider selling a remote island which she had inherited. It was true that the place grew on one; it had grown on me.

Yes, yes, said Ellen in love. I can understand it in a way.

I came out of the castle and climbed to the top of one of the hills from where I could look down and see most of the Island. How beautiful it was—very green touched with the gold of the gorse bushes; the houses with their orange roofs were enchanting and brooding over it all were the stone walls of the medieval edifice which had housed Kellaways for hundreds of years.

And this would soon be mine.

A man was slowly climbing the hill. There was something familiar about him. It couldn't be. I must be dreaming. But how like ...

"Rollo!" I cried.

"Yes," he said, "you're surprised. I thought I'd find you somewhere."

"How did you get here?"

"By boat from the mainland. I'm staying at the local inn on the Island for a night or two. I have business in Truro and I thought I'd look you up on the way down. Esmeralda gave me the details."

"I see."

"I've come to ask you to forgive me," he said. "I'm afraid I was quite obnoxious the last time we met."

"I think we were all distraught."

"It was so sudden ... so unexpected. I've suffered many a qualm of conscience. After all, it was worse for you than for any of us."

"There was never any light on the matter?"

"Nothing. Now I look at it more calmly. I just can't believe he killed himself."

"I could never believe it. I think the gun must have gone off accidentally when Philip was cleaning it."

"There was no evidence that he was cleaning it."

"There must be a mistake, but I don't suppose we shall ever know."

"I had to come and see you, Ellen, because I wanted to ask you to forgive me."

"I do understand. I know what a great shock it must have been to you. Please don't worry about what you said to me. It was absolutely untrue. There were no quarrels between us."

"I was more and more sure of this as time passed."

"So do forget what you said. I am so glad that you no longer believe that I am responsible. How is Lady Emily?"

"Just the same as ever. She often speaks of you. We don't see a great deal of your cousin's family now. Esmeralda is on the point of becoming engaged to Frederick Bellings. She seemed very happy and contented when I last saw her. I understand you had an accident not long ago. I was talking to the landlady of the inn and she told me."

"Oh, how these things go round. I suppose the servants talked. Yes, my boat overturned."

"How did that happen?"

"How do these things happen? I suddenly noticed the boat was leaking. A boy from the castle fortunately saw me and came to the rescue and then Jago Kellaway came out and completed it."

"Did you discover what was wrong with the boat?"

"There was obviously a hole in it."