James heaved, gave a spluttering cough and his eyes fluttered open.
‘Breathe in, James, there’s a good boy, nice deep breaths. Gonna give you another.’
Max walked in. ‘Should you be doing that?’
Justin whipped round. ‘It’s just to bring him round. We’ve spoken to a doctor and he’s on his way.’
‘Should I fetch his parents?’ asked Max, concerned.
‘No, he’s coming to and I don’t want them to know the state he got himself into. You just piss off back to your room, there’s a good chap. You and your folks are leaving early tomorrow morning.’
Max hesitated. ‘Actually, I’m staying on.’
Justin straightened up. ‘Really? You’re having such a good time, are you?’
‘Yes, I am.’
Suddenly James began to cough, chest heaving. Justin sat him up further, shoving pillows behind him. ‘Good boy, that’s it. Come on. Deep breaths, now.’ Justin turned to Max. ‘Shut the door as you leave.’
Again Max hesitated, then left. Justin split open yet another amyl nitrate capsule and pressed it beneath James’s nose. The boy gasped as his heart-rate soared. His arms flailed and his eyes rolled back. Justin felt his pulse, sat for a while then ran from the room.
James was carried on to the speedboat. Kurt did not say anything as he helped the boys make him comfortable. Justin told Kurt to stay with James while he was in the hospital and to report back.
‘You not coming?’ Kurt asked.
‘No. Tell the boys to return after they’ve dropped you off.’
‘Okay, but don’t you think his parents should be told? Maybe they’ll want to be with him.’
Justin told them to get moving. It was now almost five, and at any moment the house would begin its morning rituals.
Kurt watched Justin as the powerful boat’s engine churned up the water. He’d always known there was some scam going on — that much had been obvious from the amount of money he was being paid and that he’d been hand-picked by Justin. But Kurt was worried that whatever heinous scheme Justin was part of, he was drawing him into it. He decided he’d not risk staying on. Just as soon as he’d sorted James out, he’d go pack his belongings and leave the island. Perhaps Justin intended murdering Sir William.
Her mother had to shake Clarissa awake. She sat bolt upright. ‘What? What is it?’ When she saw her mother, she flopped back. ‘Christ you nearly gave me heart-failure, Mother. What are you doing here?’
‘We’re leaving.’
Clarissa turned to see the time. ‘It’s only five fifteen!’
‘We’re getting the launch to Tortola. There’s a flight out at nine and I want to be on it.’
Clarissa sat up. ‘Well, I don’t, I’m staying.’
‘No, you are not. You are coming with me.’ Daphne started to sob. ‘We’re flat broke. The houses are gone, stables, everything. That bastard spent every cent I had. He’s borrowed from everyone we know and now he’s moved in with that bitch from the stables. I wish to God I’d never set foot in this God-forsaken place. I hate it! It’s like a prison.’ Daphne stood up. ‘Call for someone to help you pack. Don’t forget your passport, and if you have any money we’ll need it, because I’ve only got forty pounds to my name.’
‘I’ve no cash at all.’ Clarissa sat back on the bed. ‘What’s the point of going back?’
‘We have to. To see what we can salvage. Right now we don’t even have a roof over our heads.’
‘I see,’ Clarissa said softly.
‘It would have been nice if you and James had hit it off. The Matlocks have more money than they know what to do with.’
‘I wouldn’t get involved with that poof,’ Clarissa said, searching her make-up bag unsuccessfully for some paracetamol. She had a splitting headache and her body ached all over. She gave her mother a hooded look. Did she really want to go all the way back to London and face her father?
‘I’m not leaving,’ she said firmly.
‘You are,’ her mother said, equally firmly. Then she took a deep breath. ‘If you want your trust fund intact, you’ll not waste a second. I’ve always known your father’s a bastard, but it turns out he’s also an accomplished thief. He took every cent Katherine Benedict possessed, including her kids’ trust funds.’
‘Can he get his hands on my money, Ma?’ asked Clarissa.
Daphne looked hard at her daughter and was shocked at what she saw. It was like looking at a stranger: there was no shy, deferential look in her eyes, no innocence left. Here was not a girl who had blossomed into a woman, but a seedy, slovenly girl, brazenly standing with her dressing-gown undone, unembarrassed by her nakedness.
‘Because if he even tries, I’ll have him fucking arrested,’ Clarissa continued, as she padded into her bathroom and reached for the paracetamol on the shelf above the basin.
‘What has happened to you, Clarissa? I hardly know you any more,’ Daphne said.
‘Well maybe being almost fucked by my own father had some effect.’
Clarissa took two pills and swallowed them in one gulp.
‘You’re lying!’ her mother said. As much as she loathed her husband, she could not believe what she was hearing.
‘I’m not. Ask my father what happened here in the sauna. He groped me. You only want me to go back so you can get your hands on my money. Well, it’s all mine, Ma, and I need it. You won’t get a penny!’
Daphne slapped her daughter’s face so hard that Clarissa fell off the chair with a howl. ‘If you don’t stop acting like some cheap tart and get packed, you might not have any money left.’
Daphne swept out, banging the door behind her. She stopped to catch her breath, and the heady scent of the ubiquitous lilies made her feel sick. How she hated this place!
The Baroness was standing in the hall, her luggage packed and ready to be taken down to the jetty. She looked as immaculate as ever. Her husband, though, seemed nervous and jaded.
Daphne Hangerford was waiting for her cases to be brought down. She didn’t want to return to her suite, or to be alone. ‘Do you mind if I give you some advice?’ she said to the Baroness. ‘Don’t let your son stay on. Make him leave with you. This is a terrible place.’
The Baroness gave her husband a furtive look then turned away. ‘He’s old enough to make his own decisions.’
Daphne shrugged her plump shoulders, and saw Clarissa appear, followed by one of the house-boys with her bags. At this moment, a maid approached the Baron with a fax that had just arrived for him. He opened it and froze. Benedict’s lawyers were taking him to court. His own team had tried to delay the action, but there was now an even more serious charge of insider dealing. It was suggested he return as soon as possible. He was about to lose everything he owned and the news had been leaked to the European press. Any day now it would hit the British papers.
Angela Matlock came down the stairs to say goodbye, puzzled by what appeared to be a mass exodus. She kissed everyone and asked if Max was staying: she wanted company for James.
‘Yes, he is,’ the Baroness said.
‘I was on my way to James’s room,’ Angela went on. ‘His father is just leaving for another fishing trip and wants James to join him.’
Clarissa grinned. ‘I doubt if he’ll make it. It was quite a late night.’
Humphrey Matlock was already aboard the fishing-boat and waved to the departing guests from the deck. He had paid little attention to what his wife had said and thought that they, like him, must be embarking on some day-trip. It was a clear, brilliant day, and although it was only seven in the morning, the sun was already beating down. He had hoped James would join him, but there was no sign of his son.