The Desert Castle (27 page)

‘
But it was the British who broke the virgin land to their hand,
’
he retorted,
‘
and made it their own.
’

M
arion missed her footing, recovered herself, and felt obliged to protest at the pace he was setting.
‘
I can
’
t keep up with you
!
’
she complained.

H
e hardly slowed at all.
‘
Are you trying to
?
’
he asked her.

‘
Of course,
’
she said,
‘
but my legs aren
’
t as long as yours and you don
’
t make allowances—
’

H
e did slow down then.
‘
I
’
ll always wait for you, Marion,
’
he said.
‘
You know that, don
’
t you? Take your own time and set your own pace, I
’
ll be waiting for you.
’

‘
I don
’
t mind running—a little,
’
she stammered.

‘
I wasn
’
t only talking about the difference in our strides,
’
he remarked.

‘
W
eren
’
t you
?
’

H
e shook his head very slowly from side to side.

‘
Will you trust me
?
’

‘
I do
!
’
she exclaimed. She remembered Lucasta and died a little inside.
‘
Only, when I tell you, you
’
ll never trust me again. You must listen to me, Gregory! Lucasta
’
s gone
!’

‘
Gone where
?
’

S
he hunched her shoulders, looking down at her feet.
‘
She
’
s gone with Gaston. I
’
m most awfully sorry
!
I only came here today because I thought they might have come on ahead, and now we can
’
t even get back to look for them. Gregory, what are we going to do
?
’

H
is grasp on her wrist tightened, drawing her closer to him.
‘
What do you want to do
?
’

‘
If anything
’
s happened to Lucasta, you
’
ll hate me
!
’

‘
Would that be so bad
?
’

There was no answer to that. His dislike had scorched her to the bone, his hatred would be more than she could bear.

‘
She could have been gone all night,
’
she said, trying to bring home to him the enormity of what had happened.

‘
My dear, there
’
s no need to be so tragic about it. If you hadn
’
t lost your head and gone rushing out into the tempest to look for them, the chamber boy would have given you the note they left for you. They didn
’
t think Petra would be much fun in the rain, so they went off to Kerak to have a look at the Crusader castle there.
’
His face tightened into sternness.
‘
I
’
ll have something to say to them for leaving you behind on your own, but I don
’
t suppose they were thinking very straight if they
’
d quarrelled as you say. Still, it won
’
t hurt Lucasta to learn that other people deserve some consideration from the Hartley clan. She can
’
t learn the lesson any younger.
’

Marion ignored most of what he had been saying.
‘
They left a note?
’
she breathed.

He pulled her closer still, smiling down at her.
‘
I
’
m very grateful to them as a matter of fact, because they also left you to me
!
’
The
corner
s of his mouth kicked up into a distinctly mocking line.
‘
And I mean to make the most of it!
’
he added, and kissed her hard on the mouth.

CHAPTER X

His lips were cold and wet against hers. For that first kiss they were no more than tentative, exploring the sweetness of hers with a restraint that confused her. But when she uttered no complaint, the tempo changed and his kisses grew more demanding, leaving her in no doubt as to which of them was in command, and in her heart she was glad that it should be so and she willingly surrendered herself into his arms, straining closer still to the warmth that surrounded her.

‘
Please, Gregory, don
’
t!
’
She didn
’
t expect him to pay any attention, but he raised his head and smoothed her dripping hair away from her face with a loving hand.

‘
Did I pounce again?
’

She could feel his laughter rather than hear it, he was holding her so tightly against his ribs.
‘
No,
’
she said.

‘
Well then, why shouldn
’
t I kiss you?
’

S
he had no reason to offer. All she knew was that it was
s
heer bliss to be in his arms, but that she suspected that it wouldn
’
t last and that away from him the world was going to be a very cold place indeed.
‘
I
’
m sorry,
’
she said.

He tipped up her face to his and kissed her again, very gently and with such tenderness that she ached with her own need for him.
‘
I
’
d forgotten that timidity of yours, my little
houri
,’
he whispered in her ear.
‘
But, between the two of us, I don
’
t despair of overcoming your shyness, do you? If I kiss you a little more each day, will you try to get used to my holding you tight and do your best to come to like it?
’

Her eyes opened wide.
‘
It isn
’
t funny, Gregory,
’
she reproved
him.
‘
You shouldn
’
t have come away from your party
!
’

He silenced her with his forefinger across her mouth.

‘
No, it isn
’
t funny,
’
he agreed.
‘
You must study your part better than you have done, Marion Shirley.
Houris
are not known for arguing the toss every inch of the way. Their whole existence is to give pleasure and to welcome the attentions of the man who chooses them. Even the most timid ones are not exempt from that!
’

‘
But I
’
m not a
houri
,’
she protested weakly. The whole argument was getting out of hand and she blamed him for it. Why couldn
’
t he accept that she was already aware that the girls he knew would all compete for his favours, and that she would too if she had not known right from the very beginning that she would be badly hurt if she did?

‘
The picture on your wall gives you the lie,
’
he mocked her.
‘
Even Zein could see the likeness between you!
’

Yes, and
s
he had not forgotten what he had told Zein when she had remarked on the fact.

‘
I
’
m not waiting for you!
’
she denied.

‘
No?
’
Hi
s
eyes danced with laughter.
‘
We
’
ve already established that I am having to wait for you, and that you don
’
t
mind
running—a little—to catch up!
’

‘
Gregory, please don
’
t tease me. I know it
’
s only a game to you, but I don
’
t want to play.
’

‘
Why not?
’

She wondered what he would say if she told him the stakes were too high for her. But then it was foolish to ask herself that. She knew with a sickening, cold certainty in the pit of her stomach that he would scorn her as a coward.

‘I
don
’
t gamble,
’
she said primly.

‘
I hope you don
’
t!
’
he replied promptly. He looked down at her for a long moment m silence.
‘
If this is a game, Marion, I mean to win it. You can dodge the whole celestial army as it marches into Paradise, but you won
’
t escape me, and I think in your heart of hearts you know it
.
’
He smiled suddenly, tapping her
cheek to lend force to what he was saying.
‘
If you
’
re going to bet on anyone, you
’
d best put your all on me and then you won
’
t lose too much, my love.
’

‘
I
’
m not betting on anyone
!
’
she declared in a panic.
‘
I
’
m not playing!
’

‘
Because you don
’
t want to lose to me?
’

She shrugged her shoulders. To lose to him would be a miracle of joy, it was the certainty of losing to Denise that held her back.
‘
It isn
’
t that,
’
she said.

She saw the naked triumph in his eyes and gave him a confused look, wondering that it should mean so much to him.

‘
Then what is it?
’
he insisted.
‘
Is it only because you
’
re shy?
’

‘
It
’
s because it wouldn
’
t last,
’
she tried to explain.
‘
It wouldn
’
t, would it?
’

‘
That
’
s something you must make up your own mind about.
’
His voice was very dry, almost as if he didn
’
t care at all.
‘
But I think I should warn you,
’
he added,
‘
that what is mine, I keep, no matter who wants to take it from me.
’

His arrogance amused her and her eyes sparkled with sudden laughter.
‘
Would anyone dare?
’
she wondered.

His own smile was rather bitter.
‘
I have never doubted your courage,
’
he answered.

‘
Then you should,
’
she confessed.
‘
I am often afraid.
I’
d have been afraid to have been cut off here by myself.
’
She put her hand back in his with an unselfconsciousness that was very appealing.
‘
I
’
m glad you came.
’

He threaded his fingers through hers.
‘
That
’
s reassuring. It
’
s nice to know that you trust me to look after you in such a desperate situation. Thus far and no further, because you still think I may hurt you, don
’
t you?
’

She was appalled that he should
think
her so ungrateful.
‘
I
’
d trust you with my life any time,
’
she assured him lightly.

He gave her a quick hug.
‘
Not yet you don
’
t, my love, but I hope you will one day. You have plenty of time to get to know me better.
’

‘
But I haven
’
t! Whatever you say, I shall have to go back to England with Lucasta. I can
’
t stay with you all by myself!
’

But nothing could damp her spirits at that moment. He had left Denise and had come to her and, for the moment, that was enough for her. She intended to enjoy every minute of these unexpected riches and to make it fun for him too. If she possibly could she would make it up to him that he had spent a sleepless night and was now almost as wet as she was.

‘
So you said,
’
he remembered. He paused, watching the clouds, heavy with rain, as they drifted through the valley.
‘
I thought your mother might like to come on a visit and keep you company.
’

She was startled put of her moment of contentment.
‘
My mother? But will she want to leave Devon? I don
’
t think she
’
ll come!
’