Part 9 (2/2)

'Yes... yes,' the Master agreed, rubbing his hand wearily over his brow. The crew exchanged appalled looks over this latest blow.

When the Master finally spoke, his voice was very quiet. 'This is a bad business, men. If that cover goes and the valve is exposed to these waves, I don't have to tell you what it could mean. And in our present circ.u.mstances, I don't see how we can effect repairs.'

'But those covers shouldn't go!' Guy said firmly; his fist slamming down on the rail. 'I designed them to withstand anything so that the valves would never go unprotected!'

Sarah watched, eyes wide, as he detached himself abruptly from the huddle of officers and strode over to the chart table. Was he responsible for this latest calamity? 'If you need me,' he said grimly to Patrick, 'I'll be in Tony's suite.'

Sarah leaned across the table and placed a hand urgently on Patrick's arm. 'What's all this about?' she demanded.

Patrick hesitated, as if a.s.sessing her. Then, 'On L.N.G. tankers, there's an awful lot of piping exposed on the deck. Crucial things, like the tank valves, are under protective s.h.i.+elds. Apparently one of them is giving way under all the water that's cras.h.i.+ng down on the decks. If it goes before the storm lets up, then it's conceivable that some of the L.N.G. might escape.' He broke off and his eyes were suddenly far away, as if imagining the unthinkable.

'We could break up, then,' said Sarah simply.

Patrick started, and brought his attention back to her. 'Oh, look, Sarah-that's the worst that could happen. It's a one-in-a-million possibility! The gale is peaking right now, and in an hour or so it'll be like a millpond out there.' He winked playfully at her as he stood to join the other men, but Sarah was not deceived. He was worried.

She slipped down off the stool and went to the sideboard, where she poured herself some coffee. She had missed two meals, and decided she should at least make a stab at keeping up her strength. She selected a warm biscuit from the fare the steward had provided and wandered to the windows.

Far ahead, the bows were now visible in the cold grey light. She could understand why there was no hope of a repair crew venturing out there. As the Enterprise punched through the swells, unable to ride on top of them the way a smaller s.h.i.+p would, walls of water were being driven relentlessly down the length of the deck. The tons of water that could buckle steel and wrench open welds would surely crush bones and flesh.

It was a chastening sight, and Sarah turned her back on it. Cupping her mug under her chin and inhaling the rea.s.suring aroma, she leaned back against the rail and listened to the officers.

'We have to try,' one of them said. 'I just don't see that we have any choice.'

The Captain turned his eyes questioningly to his First Engineer. 'He has a point,' agreed Angus reluctantly, 'but I still say you'd be throwing lives away for nothing. None of my men could sort through that maze fast enough in that whirlwind. I say we gamble that it holds!'

'Who have you got who really knows that equipment?'

The men looked at each other. 'Guy,' said Angus. 'No question about it.'

'Where is he?' the Captain demanded, his keen dark eyes raking the room.

'With Mr Freeland, sir,' answered Patrick.

'What's he doing there-get him up here, man!' he snapped, for the first time displaying the effects of unrelenting pressure and hours without sleep.

Patrick went to the phone and dialled the stateroom, drumming his fingers impatiently. 'Come on... come on...' he muttered under his breath. 'Why don't they answer!' he snapped at last, slamming down the receiver.

Sarah spoke up without hesitation. 'Let me go and get him. Then you won't have to take anyone away from his duty... please, Patrick, I feel so useless!'

'All right, Sarah-and tell him to hurry!'

A knock on the broad double door brought no reply. She pressed her ear to it, positive she had heard m.u.f.fled voices. When a second, louder knock still brought no one, she opened the door and stuck her head in. The sitting room was empty, but beyond it, the door to Tony's bedroom stood open and the sound of raised, angry voices was clear.

Alarmed, Sarah let herself in, her footsteps silent on the thick broadloom.

'This is no coincidence-if you know something, Tony, you must tell me!' Guy's voice was tight with barely controlled anger.

'You're out of your mind,' Tony scoffed. 'I haven't the slightest idea what you're ranting about.'

'Those bolts that sheared off the steering mechanism, and now the valve cover: I'd stake my life that the steel in them is less than the tensile strength my design specs called for!'

'Nothing on this s.h.i.+p is substandard. Every single piece of equipment on it meets the minimum legal requirements!' Tony shot back. .

'For ordinary s.h.i.+ps, maybe. But the Enterprise's not an ordinary tanker, and she doesn't sail through ordinary waters. There was a reason for every safety standard I set for her. Look out of the window, for G.o.d's sake! Can't you see with your own eyes why I didn't want her compromised in any way?'

Sarah stood rooted to her spot, unable to move forward and make her presence known, and equally unable to retreat. I can't be hearing this! she thought, her heart thudding painfully. Did Guy realise what he was accusing his cousin of?

'No one could fathom how we were able to get this contract. How we were able to bid so low for such high quality. What else did you have the builder cut costs on, Tony?' Guy's voice cut across the air like a whip.

For the first time, Tony icy control showed signs of slipping. 'I'm only going to say this once more, Guy. I ordered everything exactly as you engineers specified. I have no knowledge of any discrepancies!' His voice had risen and a thin note of desperation had crept into it. But at the same time there was something flatly honest about it.

'No...' said Guy slowly, 'you probably don't. You didn't want to dirty your hands, did you? There's nothing on paper, nothing that I'll be able to trace back to you and your b.l.o.o.d.y greed and ego. How did you do it, Tony? A glance... a sentence left unfinished... a ”gentlemen's agreement” over brandy in your town house?'

'You'll never prove a thing,' Tony spat out. 'Everything I've done is perfectly legal. You've lost, Guy. Face it! When we get back to London, when the Enterprise is acclaimed the success it's going to be, you'll no longer be Uncle Julian's fair-haired boy! The company will be in the hands of one strong leader, the way it was years ago and ought to be now. I'm going to see to it that you won't even get a job on a tramp steamer after this!'

There was a crash and Sarah was galvanised into action. She lunged for the bedroom door and found them sprawled across the bed, Guy's hands gripping Tony's collar, Tony's knee knifed into the other's groin.

'Stop it-for heaven's sake, stop it!' she shrieked, pulling futilely at Guy's sweater. 'Do you want me to get the stewards?'

The two men stared at her, stunned by her sudden appearance. She seized advantage of their momentary distraction. 'Captain Price wants you on the bridge immediately, Guy. It's an emergency-hurry!'

He took a last, contempt-filled look at Tony, then shook him off like something foul. Raking his hair back off his brow, he strode from the room.

Tony watched him disappear, his eyes narrow with loathing, and dabbed at the blood oozing from the corner of his mouth. 'How long have you been standing there?' he demanded, his chest rising and falling from exertion.

'Long enough to hear some very ugly charges,' Sarah retorted, her jaw tight.

He tossed his stained handkerchief on the bed and took her slender shoulders in his hands. 'My poor Sarah,' he said. 'I'm so sorry you had to see that. Guy's become completely unhinged, making those wild accusations. His own design errors have put us into this mess, and the man's casting about for someone else to blame.'

'Really?' said Sarah coldly. 'It didn't sound that way to me.'

'Don't you see, darling? He was in way over his head when he designed the Enterprise. Now he can't bear to face up to his own incompetence.'

Sarah stood very still, staring at the man whom she had so recently defended. 'I'll make it all up to you, I promise,' said Tony, fawning over her. 'As soon as we're together in England, we'll put all this behind us and things will be perfect again.'

'I was part of it, wasn't I?' she said in wonder. 'Sympathetic press coverage was something you needed badly if your scheme was going to work. I was the mindless little twit who would be so overwhelmed by all this wealth and dazzle that I'd write the most glowing story... why, it would be positively wors.h.i.+pful! And just to make sure I'd help set you up as some kind of hero, you decided to dangle all sorts of rewards in front of me. The poor, provincial girl who would be beside herself with joy at being noticed by the glamorous Anthony Freeland!'

She saw the s.h.i.+ft in his eyes and knew she had hit the mark. 'Sarah, that's absurd. You're becoming hysterical!' He reached out to touch her cheek, but she slapped his hand away.

'Oh, no, Tony... quite the opposite. For the first time in days I'm seeing our situation very clearly. But the thing is, Tony, that it wouldn't have worked. Even if I had fallen in love with you-which I didn't, by the way-I would never have written the story you wanted me to. Because whatever else I may be, I'm honest. Your mistake was in thinking I was more woman than journalist. Unfortunately for you, the two aren't mutually exclusive.'

A sullen anger began to play about his mouth. 'Guy's got to you, I see,' he said stiffly.

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