Lord of the Far Island, Victoria Holt [world of reading TXT] 📗

to overcome my resistance so that he could do with me what he wanted. Why Rollo? For what possible reason could he want to kill me? He did want to. That conviction was with me strongly. Rollo had come through the door of doom and Slack . . . Slack had gone.

Even at such a time I was able to feel relief because I had been wrong about Jago. Oh, Jago, why did I run away from you? What is the answer to all this?

Rollo was dragging me away from the bush and I could retain my hold no longer. I was powerless against him and I could only delay him.

He had lifted me. "Don't struggle," he said. "It won't help you at all. It will only make me angry. Go to sleep. That's the best thing you can do."

It was rough going for him carrying me. I heard him cursing me under his breath. I could distinctly hear the waves breaking on the shore and I knew what he was going to do. For some reason it was important for him to have me out of the way and he was going to kill me. He was going to row out a little way and throw me into the sea and I should be unable to struggle because the drowsiness was increasing with every minute and I should soon be oblivious of everything.

I heard the boat scraping on the sand. He lifted me up.

A sudden flash of inspiration came to me. "It was you who tampered with the rail at Dead Man's Leap," I said.

"You've had a charmed life, Ellen . . . until now."

"Rollo, tell me why. . . why . . . what have I done to you?"

"You're in the way. That's all."

"But how. . . how. . . ? What can I mean to you?"

"Don't ask questions. Say your prayers."

"You came down here to kill me. Why?"

"I said don't ask questions."

He had put me roughly into the boat. I tried to scramble out but he was ready for me.

"Don't be a fool. I don't like violence."

"You don't mind murder," I said. "It was you . . . you who murdered Philip."

"If Philip had lived there wouldn't have been any need for this."

"Rollo, I know you are going to kill me. You owe me a little time. . . ."

"There's no time to lose. There never is," he retorted tersely.

This was the end then. I knew exactly what was going to happen. My sleepy body would receive the embrace of the sea and my heavy clothes would drag me down . . . down to oblivion.

But I was wrong. Indeed I had a charmed life—or was it that there were people to care so much for me?

There was a shout and I heard Rollo's furious exclamation. And there was Jago himself. He was on the shore, then wading out to sea. He had knocked Rollo aside and snatched me out of the boat.

"Ellen," I heard his voice through the waves of sleepiness which swept over me and I was filled with exultation. "My Ellen."

I awoke in my bedroom in the castle. It was daylight and Jago was sitting by my bed. He bent over me and kissed me.

"All's well, Ellen," he said.

"It was a dream. It was the dream. . . ."

"No, it wasn't a dream. It was very real. He went off in the boat after I'd carried you back to the house. It was a rough sea and the chances are he didn't reach the mainland."

"Jago, I'm so bewildered."

"Important things first. I love you; you love me; although I must say you didn't show it last night. I was waiting for you to come to me as you'd promised. I waited and waited. Then I searched everywhere for you. By that time Slack came back in a state of alarm. He said you were on Blue Rock and that there was a man there who intended to harm you."

"How did he know?"

"He'd seen him before."

"He came to the Island."

"Yes, he did. He had the house on Blue Rock for a week or more . . . ever since Manton went to London. The artist had let the place to him during his absence."

"So he could have tampered with the Ellen. Why . . . why did he want to kill me?"

"It's a simple reason. With you out of the way his wife would have come into a great deal of money."

"His wife."

"Silva."

"But. . .she's dead."

Jago shook his head. "It may be that she is not. In fact it's certain she isn't, otherwise his actions would be pointless. That boy Slack ... sly creature . . . pretending to be half baked all the time and knowing so much more than the rest of us!"

"Rollo wanted money. I can't believe it."

"I told you, didn't I, that their financial empire is tottering. They've seen it coming for some time. That was presumably why he married Silva. Then he discovered the contents of your father's will and that you came first. They were very ready for you to marry Philip which would have made them sure of the Kellaway fortune."

"Philip ... oh Philip! What happened to Philip? I heard. . . ."

"Yes, I know what you heard. You were in the dungeons because you'd discovered I was meeting Hawley there and you knew Hawley. You hid yourself that you might eavesdrop. Then the necklace betrayed you. Ellen, how could you doubt me?"

"I had to know. I was afraid you might have done something. . . ."

"Which would have stopped your loving me?"

"The one discovery I made was that nothing can do that."

"Then it was all worthwhile. . . . But it was a near thing. If that devil had been five minutes earlier he would have had you at sea and then God knows what would have happened."

"Tell me everything that took place."

"I've had to piece a lot of it together myself. I haven't confirmed it. But this