Tears of the Moon - Di Morrissey [67]
Conrad was amazed at how lacklustre pearls became shining iridescent gems, sometimes in only minutes. Misshapen pearls sometimes yielded valuable gems, but just as often turned out to be worthless.
‘How exciting! I would love to watch him at work,’ exclaimed Olivia. ‘Would he mind? I absolutely must go with you when we collect our pearls and tackle the buyer.’
‘Toby is quite unperturbed about visitors being around as he works. He’s amazingly deft, and very fast. It’s hard to believe he is working with something valuable and that one slip could destroy it,’ marvelled Conrad. ‘I’ll introduce you tomorrow, my dear.’
Tyndall put his glass down and thanked them both for the sundowner. ‘By the way, before I go, I’ll speak to Niah. I’ll attempt to settle her down and explain what the situation is. May I see her now?’
‘I only wish I could communicate with her, help her. She doesn’t seem to be adjusting to our household at all well,’ sighed Olivia.
As the two men walked to the rear of the house, Conrad asked, ‘How wild is she, John?’
‘All women can be wild at times,’ said Tyndall lightly, but then continued more earnestly, ‘She’s from the Indies, Conrad. Quite a different culture from the blacks.’
Niah was sitting cross-legged in the centre of the camp stretcher in the simple whitewashed room. She glared at Tyndall when she saw him, then let forth a stream of urgent questions.
‘Lambat. Slowly,’ said Tyndall, speaking softly and choosing his words carefully. The girl listened and then Tyndall called for Yusef, the houseboy, who was sitting at the servants’ communal eating table outside the laundry and cookhouse.
‘Yusef, you must watch her, and be her friend. Mem Hennessy will have clothes made for her because it might take a while before we can send her back home.’
Niah jumped up and clutched at Tyndall, crying and talking in a jumble of her native language which he had trouble following. He calmed Niah and turned to Yusef. ‘She doesn’t want to go back home? What was all that about a bad man?’
Yusef translated. ‘Tuan, she say she is given to old man, a bad man, for husband. She no want to go to him.’
‘What about her family? Will they take her back, is there anywhere else she can go?’
Niah shook her head vehemently in response to this and nervously clutched at the shell pendant around her neck.
‘She stolen by bad white man and put on boat with others. No can go back, tuan,’ said the boy, giving Niah a sympathetic look.
‘Hmm,’ muttered Tyndall. ‘It seems we can’t send her back.’
At this Conrad looked shocked and shook his head. ‘Well, we can’t just keep her or indeed, let her loose in the streets.’
Niah reached out and clutched Tyndall’s shirt, talking urgently.
He unhooked Niah’s hands. ‘She says she belongs to me now because I saved her.’
‘Oh,’ said Conrad, now quite confused by the fast-changing situation.
Olivia overheard this last exchange as she approached, wondering what all the noise was about. ‘Well, you certainly can’t keep her, Captain Tyndall. We’ll have to talk to the church people. Maybe she should go to a convent. I’m sure there must be a mission that will take her.’
Tyndall bit his Up and didn’t answer. Turning to the girl, he spoke soothingly, before asking Olivia to get the cook to make her some food. ‘I think she feels a bit better now she’s sounded off at all of us.’
Olivia glanced back at the girl who still looked haunted, but there was a small gleam in her big brown eyes. She recognised the glint of victory when she saw it.
The next day a very hungover Tyndall announced he had found a diver for the next season. ‘A Jap. Good record with the fleet. But my God he can drink whisky!’
Olivia raised an eyebrow. ‘Will you be coming with us to the pearl cleaner?’
Tyndall screwed up his face and slumped low in his office chair, lifting his feet up on the desk. ‘I couldn’t handle Toby Metta this morning. Never stops talking. All too much. As for the pearl buyer, well my advice is, be tough.’
‘Don’t worry about