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He looked at her quizzically before putting her down. “Why didn’t you look where you were going instead of racing like a frightened rabbit? You weren’t running away, by any chance?”

It seemed absurd to say that she was scared of Ashley himself, so Lorna said the first thing that came into her head. “I—I saw a snake.”

“Oh, yes?” He raised one eyebrow sceptically. “There are no snakes in the Seychelles, as you should know—or wild animals, if you’re thinking of using them as an excuse—bar myself, of course, if you continue to behave like a stupid little girl.”

“I like that!” Lorna flashed. “How about taking a look at yourself? What man in his right senses would do what you’ve done today?”

“More than you’d think—if they had the courage.”

“Not courage—they’re more civilised in their approach to humanity.”

“Meaning I’m not?”

“At the moment, no!” Lorna began to walk away. This particular conversation was getting her nowhere. “Hey, you’re going the wrong way.”

“No, I’m not.” Lorna paused to look at him. “I’ll find myself somewhere to live—until I’m rescued,” and she couldn’t resist adding, albeit somewhat childishly, “As far away from you as possible!”

To her surprise Ashley smiled, “Please yourself. Maybe I’ll see you around some time,” and strode off up the hill.

Lorna watched, puzzled. Suddenly it was all too easy. The next moment she found out why.

“By the way,” he looked back over his shoulder, “if you’re thinking of making your escape via any of the other beaches—forget it. Paradise is surrounded by a reef. Mine is the only part of the shore where ships can call.” He paused for his words to take effect before extending a hand in her direction. “Coming?” It seemed she had no choice. Cheeks blazing, Lorna followed, sensing his triumph and almost weeping in her despair. Why did he always have to make her feel small? Wasn’t it enough that he’d got her here without pressing home his advantage?

In the cove where the
Poiret
lay moored, Ashley had chosen a spot shaded by casuarina trees and coconut palms to pile an assortment of tins and boxes. On a large, flat stone stood a Primus stove and various cooking utensils. “Welcome to my humble abode,” he said. “It’s the best I could manage in the short time at my disposal.” He pointed to her case. “If madam would like to wash and change, dinner will soon be served. There’s a stream over there,” nodding towards the mountain. “Don’t worry—I won’t peep.”

For once Lorna was at a loss for words. What could she say? He was very much master of the situation; she was at his mercy no matter which way she looked at it. She might as well fall in with his plans, for the time being anyway, until she could discover for herself whether he had been telling her the truth about the reef. She didn’t altogether believe him, yet didn’t fancy waiting in vain on the other side of the island.

The water gushed down the mountainside from high above, then fell in a curtain from a bluff like a ready-made shower. Lorna forgot her fear that Ashley might follow and stripping off her bikini stepped under the scintillating waters. She had not expected it to be quite so cold and gave a little shriek as the icy droplets ran down her warm body. A few seconds was all she could stand, but it was enough to refresh and revitalise her. Rubbing herself dry on a towel she had found in her case, Lorna pondered on the amazing enigma that was Ashley.

He had taken her away from Verva against her will, yet had been considerate enough to pack her several changes of clothing as well as toilet accessories, in fact everything she would need during her enforced stay on Paradise. Although she was grateful, his careful planning dashed any hopes that Margo might guess she had been taken forcibly away. He might have arranged it this way, for all she knew. Everything now pointed to her leaving of her own volition and unless she could escape there would be nothing to do except stick out the days as best she could until Ashley decided to take her back to Verva. But how long would that be? He had said a few days, but if he intended keeping her here long enough to persuade her she loved him, it could be a long, long time. Her lips tightened. He was going to be a very disappointed man. If only she
could
escape! There was, of course, the boat. That was it! She would wait until he was asleep. The rest should be easy. Meantime, she would let him think she had resigned herself to living on the island. In that way he would suspect nothing.

The sound of a spoon being rattled inside a tin told her that dinner was ready. Hastily she slipped into shorts and sun-top and returned to the beach.

“You women certainly take your time,” grumbled Ashley good-naturedly.

“I’m sorry,” said Lorna, sitting by the improvised table of an upturned wooden crate covered with banana leaves. The food smelled good. She hadn’t realised just how hungry she was. “Can I help?”

He turned, surprised at this sudden change of tactics, but merely shook his head. “It’s ready. All you have to do is enjoy it. Cocktail?”

Lorna looked quizzically at the young coconut he handed to her. Its husk had been removed and a small hole gouged into the shell. “What’s this?”

“Try it,” he grinned. “Hold it firmly in both hands, like this. Then drink it—mmm, delicious!”

She copied his actions and the liquid that trickled down her throat had both sophistication and freshness. “This is good,” she said, taking another drink. “What is it?”

“Gin, mixed with the fluid inside the nut. Two of these and you’ll wonder what’s hit you.”

Already Lorna could feel the effects of the cocktail and did not dispute that he was speaking the truth.

Next he placed before her a dish of meat cut into small pieces which had been cooked in a curry sauce, with a side dish of millionaire’s salad. “I know what this is,” she said, pointing to the white salad. “I think it’s dreadful to sacrifice a whole palm tree just for the sake of the—what do they call it?”

“Terminal shoot.”

“Yes. We had it at The White House once, but I swore I’d never eat it again, even though I did rather enjoy its nutty flavour.”

“But you’ll eat this?” Ashley looked anxious. “I want to impress you by my culinary skills using natural resources—plus a little help from a few things I’ve brought with me.”

Lorna smiled involuntarily. He was trying so hard to please. “I’ll make an exception—just this once.”

“Let’s start, then. I’m starving!”

The salad set off nicely the tang of the curry and as the meal progressed Lorna felt herself relax. Surprisingly enough, despite the antipathy she felt towards Ashley, she was enjoying the meal and it was no great effort to talk to him naturally. Who could have asked for more delightful surroundings? she thought. Breezes whispered through the fronds of palm and casuarina, the limpid blue ocean lapped gently against the soft white sand, an occasional wave beating against the rocks sending up a shimmering, dancing shower of white foam. And the inevitable chorus of birds.

The food itself was superbly cooked and as she set down her knife and fork Lorna said, “I enjoyed that very much. It tasted like rabbit or chicken. I couldn’t make up my mind which.”

“Neither, I’m afraid,” smiled Ashley. “It was bat.”

“Ugh!” Lorna shuddered, horrified. “If I’d known I would never have eaten it.”

He laughed. “That’s what I thought, but you must admit it’s quite tasty.”

“Mmm, I suppose so,” reluctantly. “It’s just the thought.”

“You should have an adventurous palate like me. I’ll try anything once.”

“How do you catch them?” Despite herself Lorna was intrigued.

“It’s simple. You kill them during the day while they’re asleep.”

Lorna wrinkled her nose. “How cruel! I’m glad I didn’t see you. I hope you’re not going to produce any more of your uncivilised concoctions.”

Ashley grinned, his teeth gleaming white against his tan which had deepened noticeably in the week since Lorna had last seen him. “It’s not uncivilised. You can get bat anywhere in the islands. But to finish off we’ll have fresh fruit—a little more to your taste, perhaps? What will it be? Bananas? Pawpaw?” The bananas were tinier than any Lorna had ever seen and one was an inducement to cast the whole bunch. She contented herself with two, however, and her appetite satisfied, lay back on the sand with her hands beneath her head.

Absurdly she began to think what life on this island might be like had she not overheard Ashley’s conversation with Avril. It was rightly called Paradise, she thought. To live here would be virtual isolation from the rest of the world—yet she could be happy, with the right man. At one time she had thought Ashley might. . . Now why dream along these lines? thought Lorna suddenly. It must be the food or the cocktail, she decided, opening her eyes to find Ashley watching her, a tender expression on his face which disappeared the moment she looked at him.

Startled, and not a little afraid that he might take, advantage of her lying there, Lorna sprang up and began to collect together the dirty plates.

Surprisingly, to Lorna at least, he helped her wash them under the mountain stream and when all the crockery was neatly stacked away suggested a walk before settling down for the night. Lorna wondered exactly what plans he had in mind for their sleeping arrangements, but chose to wait and see rather than say anything which might cause embarrassment.

They climbed over boulders which tumbled haphazardly along parts of the shoreline, headed inland and explored the dense undergrowth, Lorna exclaiming delightedly when she found a plant with delicate lilac flowers such as she had never seen before. Ashley collected birds’ eggs for their breakfast and altogether Lorna found the evening passing far more enjoyably than she had imagined.

Despite the strong arm tactics he had used to get her here he now excelled himself. He was the perfect gentleman, helping her over precarious boulders and giving her a hand up the sometimes precipitous sides of the ridge. He talked about all kinds of things connected with the islands and Lorna was particularly interested in his version of how the Seychellois washerwoman does her laundry.

“She hasn’t got a washing machine,” he said, “she does it all in the river.”

Lorna pulled a face. “I don’t fancy that.”

“I didn’t think you would,” he said, “especially as it takes three or four days to do it—sometimes as long as a week if the weather’s bad.”

“Heavens!” exclaimed Lorna. “What does she do?”

“Well, first of all she dips each article in the river and spreads them on to a granite stone on top of each other. This stone has been used for years and years by many other washerwomen and is polished smooth. Then she puts soap on them, rinses them, puts more soap and then spreads them on the grass. The sun’s supposed to help to whiten them.”

Lorna wrinkled her nose. “Wouldn’t they dry all hard and horrid?”

“She doesn’t let them dry out,” said Ashley. “She keeps sprinkling them with soapy water until she’s decided they’ve had enough sun. And then she starts all over again.” He laughed at Lorna’s expression. “It’s true. Three or four times she does this, beating them as well if they’re very soiled. And then after all that she dissolves some indigo powder in a basin of water and dips all her whites in to give them a pale blue hue.”

“I’ll never complain again,” said Lorna, recalling how she loathed even washing a few woollens out by hand. “How does she iron them? Don’t say they’ve got some weird way of doing that as well?”

He grinned. “Not now. Most of them have electric irons. But at one time they used heavy flat-irons which they heated over a charcoal stove and cleaned with banana leaves.”

“Like the type my grandmother used,” declared Lorna. “I remember Mother having one as a doorstop and I wondered what on earth it was. I nearly dropped it on my foot one day—I never saw it again. I suppose she threw it away as a potentially dangerous object.”

“I expect so,” he agreed. “I think we’d better head back now. It will be dark soon.”

Eagerly Lorna agreed. The sooner he was asleep the sooner she could put her plan into action. She had to admit that the last few hours had been very pleasant, but her determination to leave was in no way lessened by Ashley’s endeavours to win her over.

He now gathered armfuls of banana leaves which he spread on the ground to form two beds a few yards apart. “It’s so warm,” he said, “we shan’t need any covering. The stars shall be our roof tonight.”

Lorna smiled agreeably, wondering what he would think if he could see into her mind right now. In a few hours she would be free, away from this isle called Paradise, away from the disturbing element that was Ashley Ward. For disturbing he was, even though she was still sure she hated him. Out there in the forest tonight she had felt a magnetism that would be hard to resist; especially in a place such as this where the whole atmosphere was conducive to love and romance. He must have realised this and hoped that the magic of the island would convert her to his way of thinking. He was mistaken; sadly mistaken. Never, she vowed in silence, never would she allow herself to succumb to his charm or the allure of this entrancing place.

She curled up on her “bed”, very aware of Ashley lying straight and relaxed a few feet away. A brilliant silver moon cast shadows through the trees; their outline clearly illuminated against the sky. There was a faint rustling in the undergrowth, a whispering in the palm fronds, and the murmur of the ocean. But that was all. No other sound broke their silence. All was still and serene. Even the birds were asleep. A perfect night for lovers, she thought, and then went hot at the idea. She hated Ashley Ward—of that she was
very
sure. So why think like this? It must be something to do with the full moon, she decided, and turned restlessly.

“What’s the matter?” called Ashley, his voice already gruff with drowsiness. “Can’t you sleep?”

If she answered, thought Lorna, he might continue the conversation and it could be hours before he slept. So she kept quiet, hoping he would think she had merely moved in her sleep. Evidently he was satisfied, for he did not speak again. She heard the leaves rustle as he settled himself more comfortably and a few minutes later his breathing changed, deep and steady.