Then a blinding understanding came to me.

These were the Fillimore diamonds.


* * *

In the early morning we came back to Carrément. I was longing to tell Chantel about my find but I must wait until we were alone. She was in an exalted mood because she believed she had saved that boy’s life, and undoubtedly it was her prompt action which had enabled her to beat out the flames. She talked of him. Everything had happened so quickly; he was not really so badly burned; his legs and arms would carry the scars through his life and he was very shocked, but she was certain that he would recover.

“Chantel,” I said, “you were magnificent.”

“I was ready,” she said. “I knew it was going to happen. No one could perform such a dance without the certainty that he was going to succeed; and that boy was afraid.”

“I sensed that too, but I was not prepared.”

“In fact,” said Chantel, “I was ready with the rug. That was why I reached him so soon, but I think when anything like that happens one acts without thought. What a sight … that poor child a mass of flame!”

“I shall never sleep tonight,” I said, “or what is left of it.”

“Nor I,” she replied.

When we reached the house Madame was waiting for us.

“What of the boy?” she asked.

“We think he’ll recover,” said Chantel.

“He will owe his life to you,” she said. “It is something he will never forget.”

Chantel smiled. “He’s shocked,” she said. “I’ve got him sleeping now. I shall go over and see him in the morning. The doctor will be there then.”

“But it was you …”

“I had drunk no Gali.”

“You must be very tired,” said Madame.

Chantel did not deny it. We said goodnight to her.

“I must speak to you, Chantel,” I said. “Something fantastic has happened.”

I lighted the candles and turned to look at her. I thought she had never looked so beautiful and in spite of my excitement I could not help pausing for a few seconds just to gaze at her.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

I shook my head. “You look … elated.”

“It’s having succeeded against death. I feel I’ve snatched that boy from death tonight.”

“What a night. But something happened to me too, and I must talk of it.”

I told her of my discovery.

She gasped. “Those diamonds? Are you sure?”

“I feel certain. It was the figurehead. I had seen a replica of it. In fact I have one. And the name was on it … And those stones were all round it.”

“They may not have been diamonds.”

“I feel certain they were. You see, Chantel, if they really are the diamonds it means that Redvers will be cleared of this suspicion. So many people thought he had stolen them.”

Her face had hardened a little. I could not imagine why she disliked him so much. Did she know something which she had kept from me? It seemed strange.

“You can’t be sure,” she said. “There are a lot of weird figures around and stones, well … They sound too big to be diamonds. They’d be worth a fortune.”

“The Fillimore diamonds were worth a fortune. Chantel, what can we do?”

“It looks to me as if they treat it as though it were some sort of goddess. That could well be. They have this story about coming from the Fire Country. It may be it has something to do with that. Diamonds flash fire.”

“I am sure they attach some significance to this but the point is what shall I do? Shall I go and tell them? Shall I ask them how the figurehead came into their possession with the stones?”

“They’d probably be furious because you’d seen it. You were after all wandering about their house unknown to them.”

“Yes, and I’d trespassed before.” I told her about the day when I wandered into the grounds. “Perhaps you could do something. They’ll be grateful to you.”

She was silent.

Then I cried suddenly: “We will do nothing until the ship comes. I will tell the Captain then. I will leave it to him.”

She did not speak for a while; her mood of elation seemed to have passed.

I felt it had something to do with her dislike of Redvers.


* * *

The next weeks were the hardest to live through. I was in a fever of impatience, terrified that something would happen to the diamonds — for I was sure they were the diamonds — before the ship came home. I studied the calendar with greater eagerness than Edward did. Even the thought of Redvers’ letter in the hands of Suka or Monique was pushed to the back of my mind.

The whole household knew that we would be returning to Sydney. There was an unpleasant scene with Monique when she demanded to know what I was going to do. Chantel managed to quieten her; since the flame dance incident Chantel had acquired a new authority. I had seen both Suka and Pero look at her with special respect; when we went out I was aware that people watched her in a different way. Some of the European residents congratulated her and wondered why they had not met her before. But the fact was that we were at Carrément where Madame de Laudé lived like a recluse. Chantel was delighted with this attention, I could see. I thought: What a wonderful Chatelaine of the Castle she will make. I told her that when she was as old as Lady Crediton she would be every bit as formidable. This amused her.

I said to her once: “Chantel, it’s a mystery about that letter. Nothing has happened.”

“It’s a good sign. Perhaps it wasn’t stolen after all. What if it fell into your wastepaper basket and was lost that way. It’s probably been destroyed by now.”

“But I was sure that someone had been in my room.”

“Guilty conscience, Anna,” she said.

I protested. “But there is nothing …”

She gave me a quick peck on the nose. “I like to think that you are just a little guilty, Anna. It makes you more human. But stop worrying about the letter. It’s lost.”

I had finished the inventory and had calculated that there were several thousand pounds worth of treasures in the house. I told Madame that I would see that the account of them was sent to dealers, and I was certain that some business would result.

She was delighted; she became quite animated contemplating what a difference it would make.

There was a big scene with Monique one evening and I wondered then whether she had the letter and was holding it for some purpose.

She was going back on Serene Lady, she said. She was not going to stay when we left. And Edward was coming too.

It was necessary to call in the doctor and he and Chantel between them managed to calm her.

Edward believed that he was going with us. I said to Chantel: “But what of Madame Laudé. She will not want Monique to go surely?”

“Madame is thinking chiefly of the fortune you promised her. Edward is delighted at the prospect of going back. He would have been heartbroken to stay on here. What is there for him but his hysterical Mamma, his parsimonious Grandmamma and mad old Suka.”

“Can these matters be so quickly decided? I thought that Monique had come out here to be with her family and because the climate was more suited to her than ours is.”

“No climate would suit her. She would never be happy. That’s part of her trouble. There are too many tensions in her life. Now she is buoyed up by the Captain’s return. She wouldn’t let him calmly sail away with you, Anna, she’s working up for something. I haven’t told you before because I didn’t want to upset you. She talked of little but you and the Captain.”

“Then she has the letter.”

“I’m sure she would have said. And I’ve looked everywhere. She’s even a little quieter than usual, as though she is planning, plotting.”

“Oh Chantel … it’s rather terrifying.”

“She is sure you and the Captain are lovers. She said that you were planning to murder her to get her out of the way.”

“I don’t know what to do, Chantel. There’s Suka watching me as though she suspects I’m going to do Monique an injury. Pero too. Something is building up against me. I believe that is what Monique intends should happen.”

“She loves drama and of course wants to be in the center of it, but there’s a lot of play-acting in it.”

“What if she were to carry this play-acting too far?”

“How?”

“Suppose she killed herself and made it seem that I … or the Captain …”

“No! How could she enjoy the drama if she were dead?”

“If there were a ship that called here before Serene Lady, Chantel, I think we should be wise to get on it. To go to Sydney, to try to find some post there …”

“But you can’t just take a berth on a ship like that. And no ship will be calling in any case. You’re here, Anna.”

“Yes and I feel … trapped.”

“I thought you wanted to stay to tell your Captain you think you have cleared his name?”

“I do but I’m afraid, Chantel. There is something menacing hanging over us.”

“A wild hysterical and passionate woman, a straying husband, and the woman he loves. What a situation and who would have believed it of you, my dear calm practical Anna!”

“Please don’t joke about this, Chantel. It’s a very serious matter.”

“A very serious matter,” agreed Chantel. “But don’t worry. I’m here, Anna, now as I was before. Is that a comfort?”

“It’s a great comfort,” I assured her fervently.


* * *

As the days passed Monique’s condition worsened. The attacks were more frequent and one followed another. They were not severe attacks, Chantel told me; but she was alarmed for her patient’s health. She never left her and when she was bad I know she often sat up during the night. She was a wonderful nurse.

She told me that Suka sat in the room watching her with great mournful eyes. “I’d like to get rid of her but it upsets Monique when I suggest she go and I mustn’t upset her when she’s in that state. The old lady’s furious at the prospect of losing her Missy. I believe she blames you. I heard her mutter something. She thinks that if you didn’t exist Monique wouldn’t be jealous and would be content to let her husband go without her. Be careful she doesn’t slip something into your mint tea. I’m sure the old witch has a store of poisons, tasteless in Gali, coffee and the aforementioned mint tea. Tasteless and deadly. The two necessary attributes.”

I shivered and she said: “It was a joke, Anna. What’s come over you? You take life too seriously.”

“It seems to have become serious,” I said.

“Life is real, life is earnest,” quoted Chantel.

“‘And the grave is not its goal’,” I finished, and wished I hadn’t spoken. I hated even to mention death.

“Don’t worry,” said Chantel, “we’ll soon be in Sydney.”


* * *

Edward was frankly excited. When Serene Lady came we were going to sail away on her.

How many more days to the red letter day? We counted them, Fourteen, thirteen … and then ten.

Each morning I awoke wondering what the day would bring. I used to open my door and look out into the corridor. Sometimes I heard her shouting and my name would be mentioned. At others there was silence.

And in my thoughts too was the precious letter I had lost and the memory of that room in which was the figurehead of The Secret Woman and what I believed to be the Fillimore diamonds.

Why were the days so long? I was living for the time when I should see Serene Lady in the bay. I would not think beyond that. I just wanted to sail away from the Island and when I reached Sydney I would find some post and reshape my life.

Tension was mounting. I longed to tell the Captain of my discovery. I should be so proud and overjoyed if I had been the one to find the diamonds. I longed for his return and yet at the same time I feared it.

Monique grew quieter. A sly calculation had taken the place of unreasoning wildness which was even more alarming and I could not get out of my mind that we were moving toward some tremendous climax. This Island had been but lightly touched by our Western ways. Beneath the veneer there was something deeply savage. These people believed in strange gods; a stone rock to them was a living thing. Curses and spells were commonplace. And I believed that Suka had marked me down as her enemy because she believed that I had come between Monique and the man she loved.