Storm over the Caribbean

09. Free Vacation at a Private Holiday Resort

Through the veil of sleep, I felt my husband prod my shoulder.

"Hm...just five more minutes," I muttered, unwilling to open my eyes. For some reason, I felt rather tired.

He prodded me again. Impatient son of a bachelor! Didn't he know that pregnant women needed their beauty sleep in the morning?

Grumbling, I rolled away from him, snuggling into the soft sand. I would just stay a few more minutes, and then—

Wait a minute.

Sand?

Soft sand?

I bolted upright. For a moment, my head whirled, and I felt as if I were on a swaying ship that—

Ship!

We were on the ship, and then...oh God! What happened?

"Ah," a cool, blissfully familiar voice reached my ears. "You're finally awake."

Another bout of dizziness came over me and, bracing myself against the ground with both arms, I just managed to prevent myself from toppling over. Dragging in a deep breath, I looked around. It didn't take long for me to spot the tall figure striding along the shore towards me.

"God...!" I grabbed my swirling head. "What happened? We..." Cautiously, I glanced around the beach. A completely empty beach, with not a soul on it, except for us. "We were shipwrecked?"

"Astounding observational skills, Mrs Ambrose."

"Did...did anyone else...?"

Silence.

An icy claw dug into my chest.

"Tell me you found Karim!"

Grimly, he shook his head. "I found nobody else."

"Bloody hell!" With a growl, I staggered to my feet. You bloody beard on legs! You'd better be all right, do you hear me? If not, I'll come after you with a razor! I won't leave a single hair alive! "We've got to go! We've got to find them and—"

"That, I fear, would be rather difficult."

"Huh?"

"Look around."

I did as he said. Sand. Sea. An annoyingly bright and cheerful blue sky above. Palms swaying in a light breeze. It was like a scene straight from a darn postcard, as if we were at some holiday resort on a Caribbean isla—

I stiffened.

My eyes flicked over the curving coastline. I listened intently for any sounds of civilization—yet there was nothing but the murmur of the waves and the mewing of gulls.

"We're on an island?"

"Very likely." Turning from right to left, Mr Ambrose inspected the land and sky, as if surveying his new domain. "And by the looks of it, not an inhabited one. We weren't anywhere near any significant landmass when the storm hit. Not near any of the larger islands either. Whatever this place is, we can't be certain it is even on a map. We're going to be here for a good, long while."

"I...see." Groaning, I stretched and started dusting off the sand that covered most of my dress. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted something—and froze.

Right there, leading up from the water to the beach, was a set of footsteps. And, beside the footsteps, there were drag marks in the sand that suddenly cut off, as if...as if someone had dragged something out of the water, then picked it up to carry it in his arms the rest of the way.

I swallowed. I had expected I'd just been washed ashore. Apparently not.

"You...you carried me ashore."