Passionate Choice

Chapter 8.1

   As she had promised, Heather drove Selena in the truck to the village of Portland the next day to catch the ferry-cum-mail-boat that visited Sanada twice a week. The weather was as usual sunny and warm and windless. In the wide bay, the water glowed with its usual emerald and turquoise colours and above, the sky was a bright sunny blue and, as yet, cloudless.

   "I guess you're hoping to catch up with him," Heather said, unable to stay silent for long, wanting to know what was going on.

   "With whom?" asked Selena coolly.

   "Oh, you know whom I mean," snorted Heather. "You and Ben, you're so damned particular about the way you speak. Makes us ordinary folk feel out down. Keith Walker, I mean. He's in St. Thomas. Lest his yacht there. I suppose you're going to join him on it?"

   "I don't know. I haven't made any plans," replied Selena. "I have to go to St. Thomas, as you know, to get to anywhere else."

   "I still can't get over you breaking off with Ben," Heather burbled on. "Of course, I think you did the right thing. And you needn't worry about him. I'll look after him. Why, I should think by the end of the month, he'll have got over it, and be thanking his lucky stars you did break it off."

   Heather changed gear noisily and swung the truck away from the bay, past the small group of native houses, where the usual gardeners waved a greeting and she and Selena was waved back.

   "I was asking John about Keith last night," Heather went on. "He was a mine of information. Seems Keith is really well heeled since his father died. Neither he nor his brother have to work, although they both put in an appearance now and again at the shipping company's offices. That's why Keith is able to sail about the islands and offer his assistance as a diver on a voluntary basis, helping at various wreck sites or ocean research underwater labs. He was over in England not so long ago, diving at a wreck site there. Guess he didn't look you up, then?"

   "No, he didn't look me up," murmured Selena, suppressing a pang of pain because he hadn't even tried to find her.

   "There's a lot of women after him—you know the sort, looking for a rich guy to marry and then divorce him for a huge settlement. You'll have a hard time catching him."

   "I'm not expecting to catch him," said Selena wearily. "Oh, I wish you'd stop going on about him. I know he shy interested in marriage. Neither am I at the moment."

   "He was going to marry, though, one of the women off the charter boat told me. She thought the woman was Sora Tanner, the Tanner Mines heiress. I wonder what happened? I guess it fell through. Either she changed her mind or he changed his. John didn't know. Keith's never said anything to you about it, I guess?"

   "No, he's never said anything to me about it," said Selena thinking of Sora, blonde and leggy with a clear, carrying voice. "Heather, about the treasure," she went on, determined to change the course of conversation, "it might be a good idea to inform the superintendent of this island that something has been found as soon as you can."

   "Oh, I am. As soon as I've dropped you off, I'm going to visit Carlos Thompson," replied Heather. "It's a pity you can't stay to meet him and his wife, Amber. She's the most gorgeous woman. Has that coffee-coloured skin, you know? And her figure, wow!"

   Heather went in to gossip blithely about the local government representative and to answer Selena's questions about how the islands were ruled and the rest of the drive to the village passed by without any further reference to Keith Walker.

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