Page 21 of Paradise Wild

  "Why did you marry Jared?"

  Corinne caught her breath at the sudden intrusion into her thoughts. She looked up to see Malia standing across the table from her. It was the first time the girl had spoken to her in three weeks, in fact, the first time she had'even come near her. She had always left a room whenever Corinne entered, and she took all her meals in her own room, avoiding Corinne.

  "Well?"

  Corinne couldn't blame the girl for her hatred. "There were several reasons why Jared and I married," she an­swered, hoping the girl wouldn't press her.

  "Did you love him?"

  "No."

  "Did he love you?"

  "No, he certainly didn't." Corinne heard the bitterness creeping into her own voice.

  "Then why?"

  . Corinne felt as if she were being backed into a corner. "It really... isn't any of your business."

  Malia rested her hands on the back of a chair and leaned forward. "He is my brother," she said, nearly pleading. "I asked him why he married you, but he said the same thing you just did. I am asking you now to help me under­stand."

  Corinne lowered her eyes from the beseeching look on Malia's face. She tried to put herself in this young girl's place and realized how terribly bewildered she must be.

  "Your brother promised to give me what I wanted out of a marriage—no husband."

  "What do you mean?"

  "He was not to interfere in anything I did. We were to lead separate lives."

  "If you didn't want to live with him, then why did you come here?"

  "I don't think you would really care to know the answer to that," Corinne said in a hard tone. "It does not say much for your brother."

  "My brother has done nothing wrong, except to choose you for his wife!" Malia came to Jared's defense, quickly hostile again.

  Corinne matched Malia's anger with her own. "Jared is not the paragon of virtue you think he is, my dear. He lied about his reason for marrying me. He claimed it was a matter of honor. You see, your dear brother had raped me. He offered to save my reputation through marriage."

  "You lie!"

  "Ask him and see if he can deny it. That was his excuse for marrying me, Malia. But it was only an excuse, for your brother has no conscience. The real reason he mar­ried me was this; he thought that as my husband, he could control the stock I owned in my father's shipyard. He wanted to ruin my father. He found out too late that he couldn't control my stock at all. It must have been a terrible blow."

  "Your father is ..." Malia couldn't finish.

  "Did Jared explain to you about my father? Or did he only tell you his side of the story?"

  "He—he said my mother died—that my mother killed herself because she couldn't live without Samuel Barrows," Malia said brokenly.

  "Yes, she loved my father and he loved her. She wasn't strong enough to go on without him. But my father never knew how badly their separation affected her. All these years, he had thought she was alive and happy with her life. He was crushed when Jared told him what had happened, for he still loved her. Remember, she originally sent my father away from here."

  "But Jared said he was to blame!"

  "No one can be held responsible for the weakness of another." Corinne replied. "Jared never saw it that way, though. That's why he went to the mainland, and that's why he married me, all for revenge. He used me, Malia, when I had never done anything to him to cause such treatment."

  "Is this why you came here then?" Malia asked. "You wanted revenge too?"

  "You sound as though you don't think I was justified, Malia," Corinne said quietly.

  "You were not! You got what you wanted. Jared came home—be left you to lead the separate life you wanted."

  "Yes, he left me, but there's more to it than that. You see, he deserted me publicly, Malia, the very day after we were married and he learned that he couldn't use me to ruin my father. He ruined me instead, with a formal an­nouncement in all the newspapers that his wife had proved unsatisfactory and he was deserting her. It was not true. Your brother found no fault with me. He meant only to hurt me. And if you think you have been humiliated by what I did, think about how I felt after the public an­nouncement."

  "I don't believe you! You say all this only because Jared is not here to deny it! And nothing could excuse what you did—nothing!"

  Corinne lost all patience with the girl. "I haven't done anything to be ashamed of. I created a scandal, but it was all an act."

  "What are you saying?" Malia demanded. "Everyone knows you've slept with a great many men!"

  "Everyone thinks I have!" Corinne replied furiously, not caring anymore what she revealed. "I entertained men in my hotel suite, but not in my bedroom. It wasn't necessary to go that far to humiliate Jared, not when people jump so easily to the worst conclusion. It was all a farce, Malia. The only man who has ever touched me is your brother!"

  Malia drew herself up. "I should never have come to you for the truth."

  Corinne stood up, her eyes reflecting exasperation. "And I should have known better than to tell you the truth. It's easier to think I'm a whore, isn't it? You can go on think­ing that, because I don't give a damn what you believe."

  "You—you're horrible!" Malia cried. She ran from the room in tears.

  Corinne slumped back in her chair. She had hurt the girl again. Why the devil couldn't she keep her temper? She had told Malia that her brother was a cad, and had tried to make herself appear blameless, when she knew she wasn't.

  Corinne glanced out the windows at the storm clouds gathering. The sky was as dark as her mood.

  Chapter 30

  JARED stood at the window in his uncle's office, look­ing down at the busy street below but not really seeing it. He was listening with embarrassment while Edmond rep­rimanded his young assistant Marvin Colby for some real or imagined mistake. Edmond Burkett was forever finding fault. It was a wonder anyone worked for him. The young Miss Dealing had quit long ago, a prim Mrs. Long taking her place.

  "I won't tolerate your ineptitude any longer, Colby," Ed­mond was saying. "You know that the final approval of all loans is made by me!"

  "But you weren't here, sir, and the man desperately needed the money yesterday. It was a small loan, and he had ample collateral."

  "That is no excuse for ignoring the policy of this com­pany, my policy! And this is the last blunder you will make here, Colby. You're fired."

  "You're being unreasonable, Mr. Burkett." Marvin Colby dared to let his temper show.

  "Get out!"

  After the door had closed, Jared turned to face his uncle. "Don't you think you were a bit hard on him?"

  "You don't know the facts, Jared, so don't presume to interfere."

  Jared sighed. He had enough problems of his own. And he had learned long ago that it was pointless to argue with his uncle over anything concerning the Savings and Loan.

  "Just why did you send for me, Uncle?" Jared asked impatiently.

  "Don't be so defensive, my boy," Edmond smiled, con­genial now. "I thought we might have lunch together.

  There's a new restaurant on King Street that serves excel­lent shrimp Canton."

  "You called me here to invite me to have lunch with you?' Jared asked incredulously. "I don't have time for leisurely lunches, Uncle."

  "Nonsense," Edmond scoffed. "I happen to know that your hotel job is running smoothly. And you've told me enough times that you couldn't find a better luna than your friend Leonaka Naihe. Let him do the job you pay him for. He must get better results from your local laborers than you do since he's a local boy himself."

  "I happen to like the work," Jared said stiffly. "I thrive on work."

  "You mean you lose yourself in it," Edmond replied knowingly. "That won't make your problems go away. In fact, you shouldn't have any problems left to deal with. You handled the situation with your wife admirably. I told you the talk would die down if you just put a stop to her outlandish affairs. She has been forgotten because of the coming r
evolution."

  "Uncle!"

  "The fact won't go away by ignoring it, Jared. There will be another revolution, and soon. Only this one will have more results than the revolution of 1887, which won our constitution. This time, the queen will be overthrown. No one is pleased with Liliuokalani's reign. She's too hot­headed and wants too much power."

  "She is the queen," Jared reminded him. "The old mon-archs had absolute power. Queen Liliuokalani just wants a return to the old ways."

  "It's too late for that Too many foreign interests are involved here in Hawaii."

  'Too many greedy interests, you mean."

  "Can you deny that annexation to the United States would benefit these islands? And better America than some other foreign power like China or Great Britain."

  "The Hawaiians should rule their own islands, Uncle," Jared said in exasperation. "I've always felt that way, and nothing has made me change my mind. These islands be­longed to the Hawaiians, but bit by bit huoles have taken them away."

  "The fact that you have a touch of Hawaiian in you in­fluences you, Jared," Edmond said harshly.

  "I just can't condone a race being destroyed for the greed and benefit of another."

  "Good heavens, man. I'm not talking about war! It cer­tainly won't come to that. It will be a quick revolution."

  'Tin talking about a culture dying. More than half of the Hawaiian peoples have lost their lives to foreign dis­ease, the rest are intermarrying and forgetting the old ways. The number of pure Hawaiians left is few. Their beliefs have been stripped from them, and their land, and now you would take away their last bit of pride."

  "Can you approve what the queen is doing? Nothing gets accomplished anymore at the palace. She does nothing but fight with her ministerial advisers. The legislature is com­pletely blocked because of opposing parties. Resignations have been forced. The queen no longer hides the fact that she wants to do away with the present constitution we all fought so hard for. She wants to proclaim a new one that would give her unlimited power and give only Hawaiians and foreigners married to Hawaiians the right to vote. Can you really condone such tyrannical behavior?"

  "Perhaps she is overdoing it a bit, but I certainly can't blame her for trying. Her reign has been a mockery. She bears the title of queen, but she has been robbed of her power by the foreign interests you side with. They have made the decisions for years. Can you blame her for want­ing her people to rule their own islands?"

  "The islands have prospered because of foreigners!" Ed­mond said defensively.

  "At the expense of the Hawaiians, who have nothing left!" Jared replied furiously. "Now pau! I don't want to hear anymore talk of revolution."

  "Jared, wait!"

  But Jared was already halfway through the outer office. If Edmond wanted to talk politics, he would have to find someone else to do it with.

  On the ride back to his own office on Merchant Street, Jared finally took notice of the storm that was brewing overhead. He grew uneasy. Judging by the strong winds, he knew that this would be one of the destructive storms. And the windward side of the island always suffered worst. On the north shore, devastating waves would wash right through houses and flood roads. Trees toppling and roofs blowing away were common occurrences during this kind of storm.

  Malia had always feared such storms. And Corinne? She wouldn't know that she was safe where she was. The waves might reach the yard, even flood the patio, as had hap­pened many times, but she would be safe. Only she wouldn't know that. Akela would reassure her, but would Corinne believe that the winter storm wouldn't last long and the sun would shine again tomorrow? Or would she be frightened by a natural occurrence that came often in the winter rainy season?

  Jared turned his carriage toward Beretania and whipped the horses on. He suddenly felt an irrational desire to pro­tect and comfort his wife. He knew it was absurd, but nevertheless he rode home recklessly. He quickly saddled a horse and then set out again with a growing urgency that bordered on panic.

  Jared made excellent time until he reached Wahiawa. He changed horses there, but before he set out again he could see the rain approaching in solid sheets. It swept over him in a matter of seconds. The rest of the ride went much slower, for many parts of the road were washed out, leaving gaping holes that could easily cause his horse to stumble.

  He rode down to the sea, but the view of the ocean was lost in the blinding storm. Once he passed Haleiwa he saw evidence that this storm had been building for days, with frequent showers. Fields and roads were already flooded. Wagons and carriages were abandoned. Twenty-foot waves came up to meet the road in many places, slowing his progress even more.

  It was night when Jared finally reached the beach house. He had made no better time on horseback than he would have with a carriage on a clear day. He was drenched to the bone, and it was still pouring steadily. The front yard was swamped and Jared knew that if the ocean waves rose another five feet the yard would be drenched with more than just rain water.

  The front of the house was dark, but there was a light in the kitchen. Jared could see that the patio had been closed off with heavy shutters to keep the wind out. All of the patio furniture had been moved into the living room. Akela had everything in hand, as usual, but Jared was still anxious about Corinne.

  He went directly to his bedroom, but found it dark and empty. He stopped only long enough to grab a couple of towels from the bathroom before he went to the kitchen. But Corinne wasn't there either. Akela and his sister sat at the table sipping hot chocolate.

  Malia saw him first and jumped up to run into his arms. She began crying immediately, moaning his name over and over as she had done as a child.

  Jared tried to hold her back from him. "You're getting soaked, Malia." But she clung to him that much harder and he quickly relented and held her soothingly. "It's only a storm, dearest. You've been through enough of them to know that we are safe here. It has never gotten so bad that we had to desert the house."

  "It's not the storm, Jaredl" Malia sobbed. "It's your wife!"

  Malia only called him Jared when she was angry or upset with him, so he knew that she and Corinne had fought.

  "What about her?"

  "That—that woman is horrible! She told me terrible things about you. But she lied! I know she lied about every­thing. And she tried to tell me she wasn't a whore!"

  Jared grabbed his sister's shoulders and held her away from him. His whole body had grown rigid.

  "What did she tell you?"

  Malia repeated the story she had sobbed to Akela earlier, but in greater detail. A murderous gleam grew in Jared's eyes. Akela saw it, but Malia went on, unaware.

  "She was so spiteful," Malia finished. "And she shouted at me, when I did nothing to cause her anger. I hate her!"

  "Where is she?" Jared asked in a deadly whisper.

  Akela stood up apprehensively. "Ialeka, no. No see her now."

  But Malia answered, "She is with her maid and that brat who keeps me awake at night with his squalling."

  Jared left the room. Akela felt like boxing Malia's ears. "You lolo!" she said angrily. "Why you make so much out of nothing, Malia?"

  "It wasn't nothing!" Malia cried.

  "Kolina no hurt you, girl. But because of what you tell your brother, he hurt her. And you to blame!"

  "I am not! She is—for all the mean things she said to me!"

  "PwS no ka uahi, he ahi ko Idol" Akela spat, and turned away in disgust.

  Malia grimaced and said no more. Akela was right. "When smoke rises, there is fire below," she had said. When angry words are used, there is a cause. Yes, she had instigated the whole scene with Jared's wife. She had sought Corinne out and said spiteful things herself. But that didn't change anything. Corinne was still a horrible woman, and if Jared beat her, it would only be what she deserved.

  Even with the rain pounding on the roof, they still heard a door crashing in against a wall, and Malia said quickly, "I think I will have some more hot chocol
ate. I never sleep when it storms, anyway."

  Akela grunted. "What wrong, Malia? You no like go your room where you can hear the trouble you cause?"

  "Quiet. I only told the truth. Can I help it if Jared got so angry?"

  "You as quick with your tongue as Kolina. You should both learn when to keep silent."

  Corinne stared incredulously at Jared when he barged into Florence's room without knocking, startling all of them. She had been holding Michael, walking him about the room because the storm and the thundering roar of the ocean frightened him. But as Jared came at her with pur­poseful strides, she quickly handed Michael to Florence.

  "What is the matter with you, Jared?" Corinne asked fearfully, backing away from him.

  He didn't answer her, but grabbed her wrist and started to pull her from the room. Corinne held back, terror grip­ping her now, but Jared gave her a yank that almost sent her crashing into him.

  "See here—" Florence started to protest.

  Jared glared at her and the words that had sprung to her lips died there. "Don't interfere," he warned her harshly. "She's my wife. Remember that."

  "Interfere with what?" Florence questioned, but Jared was already out of the door.

  Florence held her breath. But there was really nothing she could do. Cori was his wife and furthermore, he wouldn't hurt her. No, he wouldn't, she told herself.

  When she heard their bedroom door slam shut, she quickly left her room with Michael and went to the kitch­en on the other side of the house. She couldn't stay where she might overhear what was going to happen.

  As soon as Jared shoved Corinne into the room and re­leased her long enough to close the door, she raced across to the bathroom and locked herself in. Her heart beat fran­tically as she pressed her ear to the door. She had never seen Jared like that before, not even on the night he had raped her. He had been determined then, but not violent.

  She could see a light from beneath the door and held her breath. What was he doing? Why had he come back here in the middle of a storm and in such a rage?

  Corinne could hear Jared just outside the bathroom door now. He turned the handle, but found it locked. And then he slammed a fist against the hard wood, making her jump with the explosive sound.