Вайолет Уинспир: Dragon Bay

‘You challenged Lucan to that climb up the cliffside,’ she said. ‘Did you hope that he would fall?’

‘My dear, the Savidge dragon guards his own, don’t you know that?’ A gleam of admiration came into Pryde’s eyes as he studied her. ‘You are terribly afraid of me, yet you won’t scream or attempt to run. You stand there defying me as the Sabine women must have defied their invaders.’

She looked at him, at the high nose and the cruel grey eyes, and she knew that at all costs she must not get anywhere near his arms.

‘Da told your mother that Lucan was to blame for your fall — does she know that you can walk again?’

‘Of course.’ A smile flickered on his lips. ‘Da has always been devoted to me. She does whatever I tell her, and when I knew I could ride again, her son bought me another Satan. The original Satan was sold off the island for stud purposes — and because everyone thought I would never ride again. Or love a woman again.’

Again he took a step nearer to Kara, and she almost screamed aloud as beyond the windows something growled — thunder in the oppressive air — a flicker of lightning.

‘I have seen more beautiful women than you, Kara, but none that had your strange, dark-eyed attraction. Your eyes are Byzantine — like that priceless vase over there.’

Kara followed the direction of his gesture to the Persian blue vase, glowing and lovely and irreplaceable. It stood on a stand to the left of Kara, and quick as lightning she darted to it, seized hold of the vase and dashed it to pieces in the fireplace. Pryde stared unbelievingly, then with an enraged cry he lumbered to the fireplace where the pieces of precious china were scattered. Kara then took her chance and fled past him, out of the door, into the hall, fear lending wings to her heels as she raced across to the front door.

‘Da,’ he bellowed behind her. ‘Where are you you old witch? Don’t let her get away!’

Kara fumbled with the front door and dragged it open, half aware that a dark figure was hastening down the great staircase. But Da was elderly, Kara was young and desperate. She ran down the wide steps of the veranda and across to the gateway that led into the cane fields. Lucan would come this way. Lucan. Lucan. Her heart pounded his name, and her lips made a silent prayer of it.

‘Lucan!’ She cried out his name and ran through the cane to the horseman who was galloping towards her. The cane stood tall, petrified by the heat. The cicadas shrilled, and then as if in a dream Kara was being lifted bodily on to the horse and strong arms were holding her shaking body close to a hard, warm chest.

Her hands clenched his shoulders, her whole being trembled with reaction, and the sudden overwhelming joy of being close to him, safe with him. And then she heard him say: ‘My God, that’s Pryde by the gateway!’

She turned her face from his shoulder to look, and then as Lucan cantered his horse towards the gateway, Pryde started back towards the house. There was a flicker of lightning and Lucan’s horse gave an uneasy nicker and stood his ground just inside the gateway. The thunder growled, and they saw a tall figure outlined clearly against the veranda pillars, silent and unmoving, looking over towards them.

‘Pryde!’ Lucan cried, and the rest was drowned as the house trembled — like a reflection in a pool shattered by a stone — and the walls caved in, the tall chimneys fell, and the entire cliffside gave way and carried the Great House with it.

With a roar like a great wounded beast the house was gone — the sea had taken it — nothing was left but a gaping maw into which the rain suddenly pelted.

‘Dragon that loved this world and held us to it,

‘You are broken, you are broken.’

Lucan turned his horse from the sight and they galloped until they came in sight of the overseer’s house. Lucan dismounted and then reached for Kara and carried her in his arms into the porch. They stood there, arms tight around each other, clinging like shocked children to the warmth and aliveness of each other.

‘I have to go back there,’ Lucan said at last. ‘Stay here, Kara — you’ll be safe here.’

‘Lucan—’ She wanted to hold him, but knew she had to let him go and do what had to be done. He rode away again, to muster help and to search the wreckage on the beach for signs of life.

Hours later Lucan returned to her, tired, soaking wet, with that in his eyes that told her Pryde was gone, out of their lives for ever. Pryde had called her compassionate, and that was what she felt as she sat watching Lucan at the overseer’s table, showered and wearing some of Josh’s clothes, making an effort to eat the meal Josh had prepared for him.

Over the years the unrelenting bitterness in Pryde had turned to hatred for Lucan, and in the end to madness.

She lowered her gaze from Lucan’s tired face as tears swam in her eyes. The strength of her doubt of him had been as strong as her love for him — she had stayed in the house that afternoon believing it was Lucan who sought to hurt her, and she would have died at his hands rather than live without him. She had known for days that she could not live without him. Separation, wide seas, days and nights without him would not have killed the love she felt for him.

Later they sat out on the porch in the starlit stillness. The rain had ceased, the sky had cleared, and somewhere among the trees a bird dropped its notes like pieces of silver.

Clare and the child, along with Nils, were staying at Lila’s house. ‘The sea took most of the Great House,’ Lucan added. ‘I hope Pryde didn’t suffer.’

Kara sought her husband’s hand and held it tightly, and after a while he asked her to tell him about that nightmare hour in Pryde’s study. She hesitated, and he said that he had to know everything. She told him everything, and ended with her face buried deep against his chest.

‘Did you really doubt my love, Kara?’ His hand stroked her hair and there was a note of sadness in his voice.

‘How could I know you loved me,’ she whispered, ‘when everything you said, everything you did seemed to be for Pryde’s sake?’

‘Could you not tell that I loved you that night at the beach house?’ His lips were hard and warm against her temple. ‘It was too deep for words what I felt. You were always so elusive, and I had waited too long to make you mine.’

‘I thought even that was for Pryde’s sake.’ A tremor shook her voice. ‘He was so unrelenting, Lucan, all those years. And he plotted to make me hate you—’

‘I couldn’t bear you to do that, Kara.’

‘Lucan,’ her fingers traced the strong bones of his face, felt the lines of secret pain beside his lips, ‘why did you never say that you loved me?’

You don’t speak out loud about love at Dragon Bay,’ he said.

You can now, Lucan.’ She pressed her lips very gently against the whip scar on his cheek. ‘Try it, my dearest. Tell me that you care.’

‘I’ll do better than that.’ There was a note of tender ferocity in his voice. He swept her close to his heart and the pain they had shared was eased by his kiss, and by the promise of happiness that could come now to Dragon Bay.

She clung to him, her lips warm with love. ‘We will stay here and build again, Lucan,’ she said in answer to his unspoken question. ‘Too many people need you — and I need you most of all.’