Free Bella's Vineyard by Sally Quilford Page B

behaviour.
    “Because if you
don’t, I’m going to ignore them and finish what we just started.” He took a
deep breath. “No. Give me my shirt. I’ll go and speak to them, then when we’ve
gone, you make your way home.”
    “Why?” She asked
again.
    “Because if they
find out you’re here, they’re going to start wondering exactly what we’ve been
doing here all night. It’ll ruin your reputation.”
    He put on his
shirt and made to leave the cave. Before he did, he turned back with a
heart-wrenching smile. “Next time you touch a man like that, you’d better be
willing to deal with the consequences, because there might not be a deputy on
hand to save you.”
     
    It was early
evening when Bella woke up in her own bed. She had spent the morning avoiding
May’s searching glances. The explanation she gave did not sound plausible, even
to her. In the end, she feigned tiredness and sought the privacy of her
bedroom. She must have been genuinely tired, because the next thing she knew
dusk was falling and she heard shouting outside.
    She jumped out
of bed and went to the window. Griffiths stood looking down over the vineyard.
Tom and Bill were hammering at the door of the bunkhouse, ordering Shen and the
other Chinese workers to come out. Shen opened the door. The murderous look in
his eyes caused Bill and Tom to step back momentarily, before they regained
equilibrium and ordered him out using the most abusive language Bella had ever
heard.
    Tom wore a
bandage around his arm, which Bella presumed was a result of being shot by
Vance.
    Wearing her
dressing gown, and with her hair tousled around her head, Bella ran downstairs
and out of the front door, closely followed by May coming from the parlour.
    “What on earth
is going on?” asked Bella, standing on the porch. She was surprised by how
imperious her own voice sounded.
    Griffiths turned
and smiled. “Good evening, Miss Tennyson. I’m sorry to have to tell you that
you must leave this vineyard.”
    “Leave?”
    “Yes, you, Miss
Tucker there and the workers. As I’m a gentleman I’ll give you and Miss Tucker
till the morning to pack.” His voice became oily. “Of course, we could come to
an understanding where you remain.”
    “Don’t you
worry, Miss Bella,” said May. “I’ll chase them off. Darn it, I left my gun in
the kitchen. Varmints, catching a lady unawares like this.”
    “I’ve no
intentions of leaving here,” said Bella. She held back May who had decided to
put up her fists instead. “What gives you the right to order us off?”
    Griffiths
paused. “Of course, I’ve been very remiss not to explain my presence here.” He
reached into his pocket. “Last night, your brother and I got into a game of
cards. He ran out of money and no one else would lend him any. So he wrote this
IOU. It gave me permission to take possession of the vineyard, and everything
on it.”
    Bella pulled her
dressing gown tight, not liking the way Griffiths looked her up and down as he
said those last few words. May nudged her slightly and pointed to the approach.
Vance was riding towards them. Just the sight of him gave Bella more courage.
    “I’m afraid that
won’t be possible, Mr Griffiths,” said Bella.
    “It’s more than
possible, Miss Tennyson. I won it fair and square.”
    “I’m afraid
not,” she said. She spoke slowly, to allow Vance more time to reach them. He
appeared to understand and speeded up on seeing Griffiths and his men. Bella
hesitated. Andrew would be furious with her, but he should never have put her
in this position. “You see, Mister Griffiths, the vineyard does not belong to
my brother. Aunt Bella left it to me. The deeds are in my name.”
    Griffiths’ face
turned pale. “What?”
    “The vineyard
belongs to me, not to my brother. He didn’t want people to know …” Bella
stopped. Her brother’s pride seemed irrelevant, and she did not want to enter
into further discussion with Griffiths. “I really am surprised you