Survivor by Lesley Pearse Read Free Book Online Page B

near their house, but it had never occurred to her that he might be
     after Mari because he was far too old for her. There had been a lot of talk about
     him too – tales of drunkenness, fighting, playing around with a couple of Maori
     girls – and as he slept in a tent when he was in town, and not in the hotel,
     goodness knows what else he got up to.
    What if Mari was pregnant by him, and
     that was why she looked so troubled?
    Tears ran down Mog’s cheeks at
     that possibility.
    ‘What is it, Mog?’ Belle
     asked during the afternoon. She had been busy upstairs all morning. Once she’d
     finished up there,she’d joined Mog
     in the workroom to finish trimming a hat. Mog had a length of gingham spread out on
     the cutting table in front of her, but so far she hadn’t even touched it.
     ‘You’ve been staring into space for ages.’
    Mog started. ‘What did you
     say?’
    Belle repeated herself. ‘If
     you’ve got a problem, tell me,’ she added.
    Mog looked up at Belle’s concerned
     face. Not for the first time, she wondered how it was that, at forty-three, she had
     managed to remain so youthful looking and had kept her figure intact. There were
     some grey hairs amongst the dark, and a few lines around her eyes, but Belle was
     still a head turner.
    ‘I was thinking about Noah’s
     last letter, when he suggested it might be good for Mari to visit
     England.’
    ‘And? When you read it, you said
     that he must be nuts suggesting such a thing when war is threatened.’
    ‘I know, but everyone – and Noah
     too, for that matter – is saying that it will be averted, and I got to thinking it
     wasn’t such a bad idea. He is Mari’s godfather, after all, and
     he’s got a beautiful home, with so many useful connections. His influence
     could only be for the good. Mari needs work, and there’s none here. And you
     know what they say about Satan finding work for idle hands.’
    Belle looked at Mog with narrowed eyes.
     ‘What brought this on? Do you know something?’
    ‘No, I just think that she’s
     got a very aimless life. She told me she wanted to go to Auckland, but not into
     nursing. We don’t know anyone in Auckland to keep an eye on her. I just
     thought maybe London and Noah would be good for her.’
    ‘I agree that she needs something
     more than just a bit of sewing and helping with the boys,’ Belle said, sitting
     down across the cutting table from Mog. ‘But to send her to the other side of
     the world!’
    ‘Yes, I
     know, it’s a bit extreme. But we can count on Noah and Lisette to take good
     care of her, and their daughter will be company for her. Think of the opportunities
     there would be there for her.’
    ‘And all the opportunities to get
     into trouble,’ Belle pointed out. ‘Now, tell me what brought this on. I
     know that you would never suggest sending Mari away unless you thought something bad
     was going to happen to her here. So what is it?’
    Mog pursed her lips. She always forgot
     that Belle was as good at reading people as she herself was. Now she was stuck;
     having started this, she’d have to continue, even if that meant telling tales
     on Mari.
    ‘Tell me!’ Belle ordered
     her. ‘If Mari is in some kind of trouble, I have a right to know.’
    ‘Oh, Belle,’ Mog implored
     her. ‘It’s one of those situations where I’ll be damned if I tell
     you my fears, and damned if I don’t. You and Etienne will fly off the handle
     if I’m right, and possibly make things worse. If I’m wrong, Mari will
     never talk to me again. Anyway, I’m not even sure there is a real
     situation.’
    Belle said nothing for a few moments.
     She picked up a pincushion and began arranging the pins in neat rows.
    ‘Right!’ Belle said
     eventually. ‘We both know you are very intuitive, so the chances are that
     you’re right about whatever you fear. So why don’t you tell me? We can
     mull it over together calmly, and then decide how we deal with it. Mari