Show J I W Y L CAR CARIBBEAN IB n EAN I g w I T I hI h r rY r p j fl CONSPIRACY CONSPIRACY COIN r I L I V I b 6 BRENDA CONRAD n f II III THE STORY SO FAR Anne Heywood beautiful daughter of a wealthy NewYork New NewYork NewYork York newspaper publisher goes to Puerto to Rico on an assignment for lor her fathers father's paper Also on the Island are arc Pete Wilcot Wilcox Wilcox Wil Wil- cox cot a reporter on her fathers father's paper now a U. U S. S Army Intelligence officer Miguel Valera a Puerto Rican educated In the United States who is a secret U. U S. S agent agen nd Richard Jg an engineer whose Identity as a German Gennan 1 Anne Anno helps to prove When Mr offers I t ther her the story of his activities In Puerto Rico In exchange for some plans ho thinks she has Anne goes with him to a remote villa She gets her story and Army Intelligence gets Its Us man She has hu vindicated her Judgment CHAPTER He sat at a desk in what seemed to Anne a combination study and office filled with cabinets and dark heavy furniture She waited a little little little lit lit- tle breathlessly for him to speak His eyes were kindly wise and in- in infinitely in infinitely finitely understanding Im going to talk very frankly and perhaps very cruelly to you my child he said slowly Because I think you are very intelligent and clear lear I cannot speak to myson my myson son because he is deeply in love and not clear Women are realists men romanticists I I suppose that's true really Anne saidI saidI saidI said I dont don't want you to marry my myon myson son on Anne Or him to marry you r love him very deeply and I have havea haves a s very warm and genuine feeling for Tor you That's why Im I'm speaking to o you I dont don't want either of you to 0 be unhappy I am saying to you what I believe your father would ay say if he were here She looked at him silently The Idea dea dea that she wasn't acceptable as asa a 1 law in came as a shock in m spite of everything she knew There are many reasons Before t r met you and talked to you if my myon myon myson on son had told me he was going to marry an American girl I would lave e forbidden it with all the authority authority au- au hority I have Knowing you has made it difficult because I have lived Ived a long time and known many women omen and I know I would have fallen alien in love with you had I been Miguel I should even like to have you rou for a daughter if it could alays always always al al- al- al ways ays be as it is this moment I say that hat very sincerely Anne He came over to her and put his lands ands gently on her shoulders 1 Look at me Anne She looked up her eyes wide and sparkling with tears Youre ver very beautiful he said There were tears in his eyes too I I 1 dont don't want to see your wings lipped clipped and your spirit dulled We Ve wouldn't mean to do it You wouldn't mean to hurt us Its It's circumstance Go back to your own people and your own awn life This is not it You could not ot understand our needs and our We Ve could not understand yours None of us would be happy dont don't want you to answer me now want you to think about it If you decide to stay we will love you and be as kind to you as we can God bless you my child I Anne clung to Miguel 1 holding her tightly in his arms kissing her tearstained tearstained tear- tear stained face They were in his car on the beach across the bay at Palo Secco The lights of El EI Morro dipped wavering ribbons on the dark surface of the water You do love me Anne dont don't you vou he whispered Oh terribly Miguel I know it will be hard for you in lots of ways he said gently She looked at him quickly then He must have realized what was going going go go- going ing on in her mind all the time and if he did it meant that it must be going on in his too Miguel You youre you're afraid too loa arent aren't you Her voice was hardly more than a whisper He didn't answer for a moment Then he said I am a little Anne But not because I wouldn't always love you Its It's because youre you're you I r I wouldn't want anything to happen to you Youre You're so lovely I wouldn't want you to be dif dif- dif dif- ferent I wouldn't want you to be docile and and domesticated domesticated- and Im I'm afraid I wouldn't want my my family to absorb you and make you you you- you And they'd try wouldn't they He sat motionless for a while Then he nodded slowly And And Id I'd rebel and wed we'd wed we'd all be unhappy Anne said gently Oh Anne 1 It was a desperate heartbroken groan as he drew herto herto her herto to him She put her hand up and brushed her trembling fingers against his dark hair Oh don't dont please dont please dont don't she whispered Anne sat on the porch of the Gra Gra- nada Her bags had gone to the dock and she was waiting her cheeks checks pale and her eyes dry at last for Miguel to come and take her to the ship It had been harder even than shed she'd thought She could still see him haggard and unhappy and still hear his pleading voice even after they'd both decided his father was right But wed we'd always have each other other other oth oth- er Anne It was the last desperate plea of his heart I love you so Youre You're all I want She shook her head It wouldn't be enough for either of us Miguel And now she was going home Shed She'd written notes to everybody even Pete because she didn't want any anyone one to see her and see she was unhappy I The Santa Isabella steamed slowly slowly slowly slow slow- ly through the blinding snow The The dumpy green gray-green figure of the Statue Stat Stat- ue of Liberty loomed mistily ahead Anne Heywood pulled her beaver coat closer around her and leaned against the rail the icy flakes of snow sharp against her cheeks She was coming home In a few moments moments moments mo mo- ments shed she'd be in in New York again Her father and mother would be at atthe atthe atthe the dock to meet her She took a deep breath and wiped the snow off her long dark lashes It was wonderful It was wonderful to be cold again and smell the smoke and hear the low bellow of fog horns and the sharp high toot of the tugboats going busily back and forth How shed she'd ever thought for a minute she could leave it she didn't know The first sharp stinging rain chilling her bones had done something something something some some- thing extraordinary to her Everything Everything Every Every- thing had fallen into place with a flash of taking breath-taking clarity She looked back a little pain still moving moving moving ing in her heart her head perfectly clear again Don Alvaro was right Shed She'd have been a mess Shed She'd either have gone militantly feminist like the women of her mothers mother's day who picketed the White House andI and 7 V J 1 5 s J tr y 1 t r 1 t 1 i I I couldn't live without you he whispered chucked her weight about objecting to customs and manners that didn't to her make sense or shed she'd have given in But she wouldn't have done that But it was funny how quickly the cold wintry fog had dissolved it all like an orchid when the frost touches it Though not really Don Alvaro was right about that too It had got mixed into her some way softening and warming something that had been too brittle and cold before Her spirit was richer than it had been she been she knew better now what life was about And there wasn't any pain now She laughed sudden sudden- ly It was marvelous to be alive and to be home again Id better write to Pete I guess she thought irrelevantly The ship nosed into the dock The sailors let down the ropes and slipped the gangplank into place Anne ran across to the long ramp lo looking king for her father and mother in the crowd of people waving and laughing Suddenly she saw them Angels I she cried Oh gosh its it's swell to see you Her mothers mother's mink coat was cool I and sweet against her face and her fathers father's chin was rough and slightly stubbly as it always was by the end of the day Its so wonderful to see you Her father blew his nose violent violent- ly lYe Theres a friend of yours around here somewhere he said There he is For a moment Anne stood there perfectly still Pete l I I 1 Hello HelIo Annie Captain Peter Wilcox Wilcox Wilcox Wil- Wil cox said What on earth are you doing here He grinned Ive been transferred to Wash Wash- ington I wasn't good enough for the line front-line trenches He looked at her intently for a mo mo- mo- mo ment Then he grinned again took her arm and elbowed her through the crowd to the car waiting for them in the wintry street Outside Annes Anne's home the snow swirled through the naked branches of the trees and pelted icily against the window panes Anne stood watching it for a moment Then she drew the heavy damask curtains curtains cur cur- together holding them tightly an instant before she turned and came blindly over to the sofa in front of the blazing log fire Pete stood there watching her the long ash of his cigarette growing unnoticed unnoticed unnoticed un un- noticed between his fingers Her father fa fa- father ther and mother had gone upstairs Anne stood staring down at the leaping leaping leap leap- ing crackling flames Suddenly Pete jerked his cigarette into the fire and took a quick stride toward her He stood for a moment looking down at the bright bent golden head Then he raised his hands and gripped her arms Anne he said Look at me Anne She shook her head Everything inside her had dissolved into a liquid agonizing fire at the strong sure touch of his hands and the new determined determined determined de de- de- de iron in his voice I cant can't Pete Pete Pete-I I cant can't she whis whis- He drew her to him and held her hard and tight against him his lips I hot against her hair Then he raised I her head and kissed her lips She clung to hun him desperately I Oh Pete What a fool I was 1 Dont Don't let me go ever ever The tears sprang clear from her long curling lashes lashes and and poured down her cheeks He held her close in his arms kissing them away Youre mine Anne youve you've always been mine I couldn't live without you he whispered My sweet my sweet She moved away a little still holding holding holding hold hold- ing tightly to his arms and looked around her slowly Then she looked back at him Don Alvaro was right she said softly This is where I belong He took her in his arms again This is where you belong Annie And dont don't ever forget it THE END J i I |