* * *
—
Vanessa came and sat next to Stone, snuggling up. “I think you’re not very happy with me,” she said.
“Au contraire,” Stone replied, searching for a place to rest his hand and finding an attractive thigh. “Just being with you makes me happy. You are, however, withholding something from me that, if I knew what it was, might make it easier to protect you from whatever you’re frightened of.”
“I understand,” she replied, squeezing his hand and moving it farther up her thigh. “Let me explain as well as I can, while still keeping a promise.”
“Please do.”
“Not long after I was moved home from the hospital, before I could speak, I found I could listen and understand what others were saying, even though I appeared unconscious to them. During that time, Mother had a visitor, Yevgeny Chekhov. He came into my room, looked at me, and pinched me—hard. I did not respond, because I couldn’t even wince. I then heard Mother come in and Chekhov said, ‘Perhaps I should send someone around to complete this task.’
“Mother said, ‘Not necessary. Her doctors have told me she can neither hear nor see, nor understand anything said to her.’ There was a little tremor in her voice that he didn’t catch, but I know well. It is always there when she is lying.
“There was a very long silence, then he said, ‘As you wish, but if that turns out not to be the case, you will have to personally deal with the consequences.’”
“Do you think, then, that Betty is somehow in cahoots with Chekhov?” Stone asked.
“I’m sorry,” Vanessa said. “Did I not mention that this conversation was conducted in Russian?”
“Betty speaks Russian?”
“Fluently. She studied the language and literature at Harvard, and she encouraged Mac McIntosh to study there, too.”
“And you speak Russian?”
“Schoolgirl Russian. But I understand it quite well.”
“Does Chekhov know that?”
“No. They often spoke Russian when together, and he took no notice of me when they did.”
“Could you hear what they said to each other on that visit?”
“I could and did.”
“Can you tell me the contents of that conversation?”
“No, I can’t. It must have occurred to Mother that I heard them, because the next day, when I was beginning to speak a little, she extracted a promise from me not to tell anyone what she and Chekhov said to each other—on pain of death, hers and mine.”
“Did what they said to each other constitute a threat to this country?”
“That’s a sneaky question,” she said.
“I’m a sneaky guy,” he replied.
“No, not really.”
“Not a good answer.”
“Then no, they did not threaten the country. It was more benign than that.”
“I should tell you that your government is treating their presence on this island as a very serious threat.”
“I have no knowledge that it is their intention to threaten my country.”
“And yet . . .”
“I’m afraid we’ll have to leave it at that,” she said.
57
As they began to move toward their cabins at bedtime, Stone stood to say good night to Dino and Viv. Viv took him aside and whispered, “I haven’t had a chance to tell you, but when we were ashore shopping, I saw Betty Baker through a side window, and she and Vanessa saw each other.”
“How do you know they did?”
“Because Betty winked at her, and Vanessa winked back. Good night, Stone.”
Vanessa walked across the room from her chair. “I’m going to turn in,” she said to Stone. “Don’t be long.”
Perce and Christina were still there, and Perce asked for the head. Stone directed him, then sat on the sofa, a cushion away from Christina.
“Would you like another cognac?” he asked.
“I think I’d better not,” she replied. “I might become too bold.”
“You may be as bold as you like,” Stone said, pouring her another.
“I find you attractive,” she said, placing a hand on his.
“What a nice coincidence,” he said. “I find you attractive, too. Do you ever come to New York?”
“I live in New York,” she said, “on Park Avenue, in the sixties.”
“How convenient. I’m in Turtle Bay.” He gave her his card. “Will you let me know when you’re back?”
“Of course,” she said, tucking the card into her bra, and offering her own card from the other side of the bra.
There was the distant noise of a vacuum toilet flushing; she withdrew her hand, and Stone put her card into his jacket’s ticket pocket.
Perce came out and walked over. “Shall we?” he asked, extending his hand to help her from the sofa.
Stone stood up with her. “Good night, Perce. Good night, Christina,” he said.
She rewarded him with a little smile. “Good night, Stone,” she said, then followed Perce to the boarding stairs.
Stone stood at the top, watching them descend to the dock and, in so doing, caught an inviting glimpse of breasts, causing a stir in his loins.
He went below and found Vanessa naked in bed. He undressed and joined her.
She took him in her hand. “My, you’ve anticipated me,” she said.
“You could say that,” he replied, then moved into her.
* * *
—
The following morning they joined the Bacchettis at breakfast. They served themselves from the buffet, then sat down.
“What does the day hold?” Viv asked.
“What would you like to do? More shopping?”
“We’d like to take a closer look at that giant yacht outside the harbor,” Dino said, clearly trying to deflect her interest.
“Why not?” Viv asked.
“Vanessa, would you like to see the giant yacht?”
“I’m a little tired this morning,” she replied. “I think I’ll have a nap after breakfast, then join you for lunch.”
* * *
—