"I have promised to stay with Felicity for a while."
He nodded. "You won't want to stay long. I imagine. Do you know, you haven't told me very much about yourself... about your family. All I know is that you are travelling out with Miss Felicity to keep her company on the voyage."
"Nor have you told me of yourself."
"I will tell you when you come to Cariba. I do know that you live with your grandmother and I presume your parents are dead."
"My mother is. My father married again and settled in Holland."
"I want to know all about you. I always think of you as Annalice. My .Annalice ... the unusual girl with the unusual name. Annalice
Mallory. There is a well-known firm of map makers with the name of Mallory."
"That is my family:'
"Well then, you must be..."
"Yes?"
"A young man from that family came out to Cariba... I've just remembered... It must have been about two years ago. Now what was his name... ? I am almost sure it was Mallory and he was connected with maps."
My heart was beating very fast. I could scarcely speak. "Philip... Was it Philip?"
"Philip Mallory... Yes, I believe it was."
"And he went to Cariba?"
"Yes... he was there some time, I think."
My throat was dry. I was at a loss for words. To think that he had seen Philip more recently than I had; and all this time when we had been indulging in frivolous conversation he might have given me this vital information.
"What happened to him?" I asked.
"I don't know. He was just there ... and then he must have gone."
"He was my brother," I said.
"Your brother. Of course. Mallory ... I had forgotten all about him until this moment."
"Please tell me all you know about him."
"You surely know more than I do."
"What happened to him? He never came home. What did he do? What was he doing on the island?"
"Wait a minute. It's coming back ... I believe he had a map and was trying to find a certain place which no one seemed to know anything about. I only remember vaguely. I was not much interested in him. We get so many people on the island with plans for this and that."
"Please try to remember everything you can about him. It's very important to me."
"I only met him on one occasion. It was in the hotel. He was staying there, I suppose. I didn't see him again. That's all I know."
"So he was at Cariba!"
"Yes, he was definitely there."
I was stunned. Here was a clue, though a flimsy one. And to think that Milton Harrington, with whom I had been in close contact over the last weeks, should have been able to tell me this and I had not discovered it until now, was astounding.
So Philip had stayed in the hotel on Cariba. There might be hotel staff who remembered him, who could perhaps tell me something.
I felt a great excitement. I had not yet arrived at Sydney and already I had made this discovery.
"You will come to Cariba," said Milton Harrington. "Yes." I said firmly, "I shall come to Cariba."
I was leaning over the rail with many others as we came into the harbour. What a magnificent sight it was! I could well believe it was what its first governor had declared it to be: "the finest harbour in the world." On one side of me was Felicity, on the other Milton Harrington. He had taken my arm and held it against his side. I wanted to protest but I felt I could not call attention to ourselves with so many people looking on. I was sure he was aware of this and that it amused him.
Felicity was looking nervous, and I myself was not thinking so much of the coves and beaches and the luxuriant foliage as of Philip's arrival here with the botanical party; and I was wondering what the next weeks were going to reveal to me.
I had already decided that there must be people in the Cariba hotel who would remember him. I must meet them and talk to them. As soon as Felicity was married and I had honoured my promise to stay with her for a week or so, I would go to Cariba.
I understood that a ship left for the island every Wednesday and when I arrived I could be sure of being welcomed by Milton Harrington. Certainly I should not accept the offer to stay in his house, but there was the hotel; and it was the hotel in which I was interested because Philip had stayed there.
We were coming into dock now. Very soon we should land.
"What a sight!" whispered Milton. "Are you impressed?"
"Who could fail to be?"
"Wait until you see Cariba. I shall be looking out for you."
"There is a hotel, you tell me."
"You will be more comfortable in Harrington Hall. Do you like the sound of that?"
" Apt alliteration's artful aid,'" I quoted.
"Indeed yes. And does it not sound like an old English country mansion? When we finally go home and choose our estate, let's name it that."
A group of people had gathered on the dockside. They were clearly waiting for arrivals.
I looked at Felicity. "Is your William there?"
Anxiously she was peering at the crowd.
She said: "It's too far away yet. I can't see."
"He'll be there I expect."
She shivered.
People were now returning to their cabins, ready to collect their hand luggage and leave.
"We had better go," I said.
Milton Harrington released my arm and we all left the deck.
A man was coming towards us, his hat in his hand, a smile on his face.
Felicity said in a small voice: "It's William."
"Felicity at last!" He embraced her. "I thought you'd never get here."
Felicity said: "William, this is Miss Annalice Mallory."
He gripped my hand so hard that it hurt. "I've heard all about you. Welcome to Sydney."
There were pouches under his faintly bloodshot eyes. He looked at me as though he were assessing me for a purpose which made me feel slightly uncomfortable. He was rather fleshy but of a fair height; he looked to me like a man who might be given to self-indulgence.
Felicity explained: "Aunt Emily left at Cape Town. She became so ill, she had to go home."
"Poor old lady!"
"And this is Mr. Milton Harrington who has been so kind and helpful to us."
"We've met before," said Milton.
"Of course. In the hotel... among the graziers. From the islands, aren't you? Sugar?"
"That's right. I've been to England on business and had the pleasure of meeting the ladies on board ship. I suppose you'll be leaving Sydney soon for the property?"
"We shall be here for a short time. We'll get married here. It's simpler. I've booked us into the Crown. I thought that was most suitable."
"Yes, indeed."
"What about our baggage?" asked Felicity.
"I expect you have trunks?"
"Naturally there was a great deal to bring with me."
"Naturally. Don't worry. I'll arrange for it to be sent direct to the property when it is unloaded. You'll manage with what you have with you while we're in Sydney, and when you get to your new home you'll find it all waiting for you." He turned to Milton. "I suppose you will have to wait until Wednesday. It is Wednesday, isn't it, for the Cariba boat?"
"That's so. But I might stay a little longer in Sydney." He smiled at me. "I have things to do."
"We'll take a buggy to the hotel," said William Granville. "It's not very far."
I was too excited to take much notice of the city then. I felt very unsettled. I could not imagine what could have possessed Felicity to accept this gross man. It was clear to me that she was not in love with him—far from it. But it was her decision and no concern of mine. She had agreed to it so presumably it was what she wanted. I was thinking that I should soon have to say goodbye to Milton Harrington and I was not quite sure how I should feel about that. I should miss not having to avoid him, not indulging in those verbal battles—which I believe were quite a pleasure to us both. It was all going to be rather strange.