Passionate Choice

Chapter 5.5

    "Well, hardly treasure," he said. "Only what you or I would call treasure, historical artefacts from which we might be able to piece together a description of the way of life on a Spanish colonial ship, what sort of people travelled on such ships, what luggage they carried with them and so on."

   "You're not expecting to find much in the way of silver or gold or jewelry then?"

   "How could we find any more that had already been found? Have you forgotten it's a ship that had been looted we're looking for?" He remarked rather sharply.

   "Well, I hope you'll agree to me diving again tomorrow morning with Gary as a companion. I'd like to go round to the other side of the reef and explore there."

   "Why?" The question seemed to explode from him. He had raised his head from the cushion against which he had been resting and was staring at her, eyes wide and watchful. "Why do you want to explore there?"

   "Just to see if there are any remains of a wreck there." She had decided that in view of what he had said about Keith, it would be wiser not to mention that Keith had been exploring on his own and had found a wooden ship wedged under the coral on the other side of the reef from the crevasse.

   "You won't find anything there. Louis and I searched that side thoroughly when we dived at the reef a couple of years ago," he said. "Don't waste your time, Selena, looking around there. I'd rather you didn't go diving without me. I'd much prefer you to wait until John Claes is here. Besides, I'd like your company while I have to loaf about resting this ankle."

   "Would you really?" she asked, giving him a penetrating glance.

   "Of course I would. Why, do you doubt it?" Much to her surprise, he reached out and took hold of one of her hands, an unusual demonstration of affection on his part.

   "Yes, I do sometimes. You didn't seem over-eager to be alone with me when I asked if we might talk together privately," she murmured.

   "I'm sorry if I gave you that impression," he said. "I didn't intend to. What was it you wanted to talk about? Something to do with the wreck site, I think you said."

   She had said that to him thinking it would tempt him to go with her at the time, but she had really intended to tell him about having met and known Keith before this visit to Sanada. Now she hesitated about telling him in a room where there were other people. It would have to wit again for a more suitable occasion, perhaps the next day when she was keeping him company while he was 'loafing about'.

   "I was only going to ask you if Professor Langdon had mentioned finding any other artefacts, perhaps on the other side of the reef," she murmured. "But you answered that already..." Her words trailed off into silence because he had obviously lost interest and was looking past her at someone coming towards them. Heather of course.

   "I hope you two have had that little talk you wanted to have," Heather said, "shared all your secrets with each other." She smiled sweetly, looking from Selena to Ben and then back to Selena again. "Dinner is ready now. Can we help you into the dining-room, Ben?"

   "I think I can hop over there," he said, swinging his legs off the sofa and standing up on one foot while his other was held a few inches off the floor.

   "I'm just going to wash my hands and tidy up a little, first," said Selena. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

   Ben nodded and she turned away almost colliding with the dark woman with the whining voice who had returned from the charter yacht. The woman was alone. Bill Davis hadn't come with her.

   "Oh, Heather," Selena beard the woman say. "Captain Bill says please will you excuse him. He won't be having dinner with us. He's met an old friend of his, the skipper of the dive-ship and he'll be having dinner with him on the ship."

   So Bill had met Keith again, thought Selena as she stepped out on to the terrace again and made for the steps. By now, it must have dawned on Bill who she was, and where and with whom she had been when he had met her. Would he come back later to the resort and confront her, announce for everyone to hear that she had been living with Keith Walker on his yacht? In that case, she had better tell Ben about Keith and herself before Bill reappeared.