The Devil at Archangel by Sara Craven Read Free Book Online

Brandon.
    She was surprised and somewhat gratified to receive the beginnings
    of a wintry smile and even the command to see that all the luggage
    was collected and taken up on deck was delivered in reasonably
    amiable tones. Perhaps Mrs Brandon was pleased to be home and
    would mellow accordingly, she thought optimistically as she
    supervised the transfer of their cases.
    She accompanied the older woman down the gangplank, carefully
    avoiding any appearance of concern or the offer of help. When they
    reached the quay, Mrs Brandon stood for a moment, white-lipped and
    an expression of strain tautening her clear-cut features, then she had
    herself under control again and was leading the way towards the car.

    The chauffeur snatched off his cap and came to meet them, grinning
    broadly. 'Welcome home, m'dame —missy.'
    'It's good to be back, Louis.' Mxs Brandon relinquished her cane to
    him and climbed into the back of the car. Christina watched as the
    chauffeur, in spite of the sticky warmth of the day, wrapped a silken
    rug arqund her feet and legs.
    'You may travel in the front, mon enfant ,' Airs Brandon decreed
    autocratically, and Christina climbed obediently into the passenger
    seat. It was very hot in the car and she would have liked to have
    wound down the window, but something warned her that Mrs
    Brandon liked to travel in the equivalent of a Turkish bath and that
    she would do well to accept the situation. Anyway, she thought,
    surreptitiously pushing her hair off the nape of her neck, Ste Victoire
    wasn't a very large island and they would soon be arriving at
    Archangel. She began to think longingly in terms of a shower and a
    cool drink.
    The harbour area of the island did not strike her as being particularly
    attractive—a cluster of whitewashed buildings with corrugated iron
    roofs, many of which seemed to be in an advanced state of rust. The
    streets leading away from the harbour were narrow and crowded with
    every type of traffic. A lot of people, Christina noticed, were riding
    bicycles, many of them wobbling along precariously with large
    bundles on their heads or on the handlebars in front of them.
    Pavement stalls heaped high with exotically coloured fruit and
    vegetables threatened to spill into the road, and there seemed to be
    children and animals everywhere. She had to admire the
    imperturbable skill With which Louis negotiated his route, but she
    had to breathe a silent sigh of relief when the township was left
    behind, and they emerged on to a wider, straighter road which they
    seemed to have all to themselves.

    But after they had been travelling a few minutes, Christina realised
    ruefully that width and straightness were its only attributes. In other
    ways, it was little better than a dirt track with gaping potholes every
    few yards, and although Louis restricted the speed at which they were
    travelling to allow for this, not even the car's luxurious springing
    could save them from being jolted.
    The road began to climb quite steeply after a few miles, and Christina
    could see the sea again in the distance, a deep fantastic blue merging
    unnoticeably with the sky. Shecaught her breath at its beauty, and
    Louis grinned broadly as he caught a glimpse of her rapt face.
    'You wait, missy.'
    They were passing through cultivated fields, where people were
    working. Many of them straightened and waved as the car sped by,
    and Christina had a vision of Mrs Brandon sitting alone in the back,
    acknowledging the salutations with a regal movement of her hand,
    but she did not dare to turn round to see if she was right. She guessed,
    however, that this was the edge of the plantation that Mrs Brandon
    had mentioned. The size of it frankly amazed her, Stretching away as
    far as the eye could see, and interspersed with clusters of dwellings,
    belonging, she surmised, to the plantation workers. It was like a little
    world within a world and Christina found herself wondering whether
    she would ever be familiar with