Free The Primrose Bride by Kathryn Blair Page B

there now. ”
    “ Do we stay on this road? We seem to be climbing. ”
    “ It ’ s as well to try a couple of hills, and you can stop where there ’ s room to turn. I’ll tell you a good spot before we reach it. ”
    He spoke without coolness but without warmth, indicated the place where she should brake and turn and commended the way she did so.
    “ Don ’ t go on for a moment, ” he said. “ There ’ s a good view of the house and our lagoon over here to the left. Want to get out and have a look? ”
    She stood with him in front of the car and gazed down over a thickly covered hillside at the very blue sea. The houses lining Government Road looked squat and tropical, the beach seemed to flow from a background of wild flowering climbers, and the ubiquitous and spectacular coconut palm was head and shoulders above its neighbors or leaning straight out from the beach itself. The tide was in, and the reef showed only fitfully in the vivid white line of foam which marked its position.
    He turned his head and gestured at the low mountain behind them. “ The coconut plantations hereabouts produce most of the island ’ s copra. Our next main crop is coffee. Can you see the peak there in the distance? That ’ s our landmark, Oponui. ” He looked at his watch. “ We go back the same way and keep left past the Residency. ”
    Which was her cue to get back into the car and set it moving. A few minutes later the guard outside the Residency repeated his salute, and they passed on, into a road which ran at right angles to Government Road. Here the buildings were not unlike the houses, except that they were bigger and clear of growth. The first was marked ‘ Public R el ations Dept. ’ , the second ‘ Land and Mineral Resources ’ , the third ‘ Co-operative Development Dept. ’ Then came a larger building of two storeys; this had a flagstone path, semi-circular steps and a porticoed entrance with the words ‘ Local Government and Islands Administration ’ . This was it, apparently.
    Andrew said casually, “ This might be a good time for you to meet my secretary and some of the juniors. We always train the most promising of the islanders to do the clerical work and learn all they can about the government, and the bunch we have now are really good and keen to work for their own people. ” Karen didn ’ t move at once, and he said, “ I ’ m not asking you to do this simply because it ’ s expected of you, but even if I were, there ’ d be nothing reprehensible about it. You do have a position to maintain. ”
    “ Do I? ” she said under her breath, and at once got out of the car.
    He had the cool, arrogant sm il e as he led her into the dimness of the building. There was the usual obeisance from a guard, and then Andrew unlocked the first heavy door .
    “ This is the Governor ’ s office—he doesn ’ t use it much.” A turn of the key and on to the next door. “ This is the Council Room—priggish, Victorian and a horror, as you might put it, ” with smiling mockery, “ but every inch a good solid Council Chamber. This next one is Bingham ’ s office—the Governor ’ s secretary you remember? Next to that is where I do my job unless I happen to be chasing up someone or paying an official call. Interested? ”
    A massive desk, two opulent green leather chairs, a vast bookcase packed with government and legal volumes, a table loaded with files that were in daily use.
    “ Most impressive, ” she said.
    “ Is that all? ”
    “ It ’ s ... like you. ”
    “ Most impressive? Thanks, ” with irony. Almost negligently he closed the door, shutting them in. “ I ’ ve thought once or twice that this might be the one place where we could really talk—where you wouldn ’ t be afraid of the consequences of anything you might say. After all, there are twenty clerks in the rooms opposite and my junior is right next door. ” And adding sarcasm to the irony: “ That should be sufficient protection