Dennis Wheatley - The White Witch of the South Seas

`Yes,' she replied. `I dined with him and had the very devil of an evening. I feared every moment that you might turn up and queer my pitch with him by, one way or another, putting your foot in it.'

`I suppose he will be coming along to you later.'

`No. That is, I've stalled him off by telling him I am unwell. but we can't be certain that he won't think up some excuse to come to my room. I'm sure he suspects that I put him off only because I was expecting someone else, so he may try to catch me out.'

`I can't help that. I've got to talk to you.'

`Listen!' Her voice was sharp with anger and apprehension. `If you come to my room I'll scream the place down. Can’t you realise what his turning up again means to me? It's the chance of a lifetime. If you ruin it I'll kill you! I swear I will!

'If you made a scene you'd ruin yourself,' he retorted sullenly, `because I'll spill the beans to him about you.'

`Then I'll spill the beans about what happened on my island,' she snapped back.

`Grace de Dieu!' he gasped. `Keep a guard on your tongue, girl. Now, look. If you won't let me come to you, you must some to me.'

`What, and risk his finding my room empty? That would be as bad as if he found someone with me. He'd be certain to think I was keeping an assignation.'

`There will be no risk if you leave it late enough. Or, better still, make it early tomorrow morning. Ask the office to give you a ring at six o'clock. Then if you meet anyone on your way here they'll think you are going for an early swim. The number of my room is 103.'

For a moment she hesitated, then she said, `All right. I'll do that.'

Soon after six, having given a swift glance to either side up and down the passage, Manon opened the door of Pierre’s room and slipped inside. He was lying on his back, snoring loudly. Putting a hand on his shoulder, she gave him a quick shake. The snoring stopped abruptly. With a grunt he sat up, blinked at her, then rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

Going to the window, she pulled aside the curtain to let in more of the early morning light. Returning to the bed, she perched herself on the end of it and said, `Well, here I am. What do you want to talk to me about?

'Sallust, of course,' he replied, heaving his great bulk higher up against the pillows. `Where has he been all this time, and what are his latest plans?'

`He and the Ratu were imprisoned by the French for two months. Apparently they went to Noumea and had a row with de Carvalho. The Ratu half killed him and they were lucky not to have got a longer sentence.'

`I see. De Carvalho never said anything about that to me, but it explains why he was still pretty groggy when I first met him in Tujoa.'

`When they were freed they flew to Tujoa,' Manon went on, 'and they meant to start work on the wreck. But the witch doctor there made trouble for them. He threatened to put a curse on the local divers, so they came on here to collect Fijians. The idea was that the Ratu should make a round of the Yasawas to get the divers, while. Sallust put in a week or so with me.'

Lacost brushed up his long, yellow moustache and grinned. `He's still got hot pants for you, then?'

`He certainly has, thank God. And I'll hook him yet if you keep your nose out of my affairs and don't mess things up for me.'

`I wouldn't dream of it provided you behave yourself. What then?'

'It was lucky for you they didn't land on my island a day ' two earlier or you might not have got away with… with what you did there. Lucky for me, too, that I had the sense to refuse to play hostess to you and the others. If I had I could never have put over my story that I had no idea you were one of the party to whom I had lent my island. Any how, Sallust got there only a few hours after you had left. Joe Joe told him about de Carvalho's death and instead of going after divers he and the Ratu made straight to Suva.' 'To get hold of the luscious Madame Olinda, I suppose.' `Naturally; knowing that, unless de Carvalho had taken the licence with him, she must have it. Even if he had, unless you had entered into an agreement with him for a half share in as his widow she has inherited it and, by right of the registration in Noumea, can dispose of her title to it as she wishes:

Lacost slapped a hand angrily on his big knee. `What a fool was not to have had a deed of partnership drawn up between myself and de Carvalho. If I'd done that she would be tied to me. But I deliberately refrained, because his heirs could have used the document to claim a half share. And I had counted on being able to twist her round my little finger when I got back here.'

Manon's full lips opened in a malicious grin. `That's what owes of trying to be too clever.'

Ignoring the gibe, he asked, `What do you think the chances are of my persuading her to let me do the job as her nominee?

'None whatever.'

`Why are you so certain? When we were together in Tujoa, and later here in Suva before I took her husband off to your island, she was quite pleasant to me.'

`Maybe. But she was not in love with you, and she is with the handsome young Ratu.'

`Sacre bleu!' Lacost exploded. D'you really mean that 'That is what Sallust told me.'

`Nom dun nom! What cursed luck! And I had it all nicely fixed to do the job legally, pay the French their ten per cent, then bilk her out of her share afterwards. Now she'll go in with the nigger and the English swine. Well, there's only one thing for it.'

`What is that?

'Get the stuff up before they have a chance to. Jules smuggled himself aboard the Boa Viagem one night and sabotaged her engines. That was so that I could get de Carvalho to come along for the trip with us and away from his own crew. Now that will pay me another dividend. It will be days yet, maybe a week, before the Boa Viagem can put to sea. Another thing. I've got my divers. They haven't any yet and, they can't get any in Tujoa because the witch man won't let the divers there play. With luck we'll have the gold and be off before they even get there.'

`What about the French authorities?'

Lacost shrugged his massive shoulders. `To hell with them! The old Resident will kick up a stink, but we have arms and there aren't enough police in Revika to stop us. Afterwards we'll have to disappear. Still, the Pacific is a big place. If there is anything like the amount of treasure in the Maria Amalia that the records in Antigua led me to suppose, it will be well worth lying doggo for a year on one of the islands, to enjoy it afterwards. As for you, mon petit chou, I'll put your share aside for you. Meanwhile, do your utmost to delay Sallust and Co. setting out for Tujoa. And all the luck in getting him to the altar, then giving him half a dozen pairs of cuckold's horns.'

Manon nodded. `I'll do what I can; but once he is set on a thing, it is next to impossible to dissuade him from doing it.'

As she stood up, he lurched forward and grabbed her by the wrist. `Not so fast, little one. We've lost a night together, but there is still time to get up an appetite for our petit dejeuuer.'

`No!' She ? HYPERLINK “file:///C:\\Program%20Files\\Book%20Designer%204.0\\Temp\\tmp1\\2\\which%2039.html0” \l “http://tried.to/#http://tried.to/” ?tried to? pull away. `No, Pierre. I'm not feeling like that sort of thing.'

His good humour restored by his belief that he would be able to get away with the treasure before his enemies reached Tujoa, he gave a great guffaw and cried, `You will, ma belle, in another two minutes, I promise you!'

Still grasping her wrist, he jumped out of bed, swung her round and pushed her backwards on to it. Her struggle was brief and vain. Next moment his heavy body was pinning her down. Relaxing, she closed her eyes and, submitting to the animal ferocity which was his principal attraction for her, gave herself to him willingly.