Antarctic Affair (16 page)

“Hey George,” he called. She turned around.

“Where were you tonight? We missed you in the bar.”

She looked pale and tired. Perhaps the conversation
with her fiancé hadn’t gone too well. One could only hope. “You okay?”

“Just tired,” she smiled. “I’ve been working on my
story all evening.”

“I heard you did a trial shoot for Max Copeland
today. He was singing your praises in the bar tonight.”

She grimaced. “It really wasn’t that spectacular. In
fact I was so startled when they yelled ‘Action’ that I forgot all my words.”

Don chuckled. “Even the pros get stage fright,” he
said kindly. “You off to bed?”

“I think so. I’m pretty tired. You?”

“Definitely. Taj has been chewing my ear off in the
bar. He seems a little out of sorts.”

“Oh really?” she said, trying to act disinterested.
“How come?”

“I’m not sure. I tried to get it out of him, but he
wouldn’t say.”

She seemed to hesitate for a moment and Don took the
opportunity to push the dagger home. “He’s still there if you want to say
hello.”

Georgina’s eyes narrowed as she tried to work out if
she was being set up or not, but he didn’t give her time to think. “See you in
the morning, George,” he sang merrily and without looking at her again,
sauntered down the hall to his cabin.

Georgina lingered in the passage for a full five
minutes while she tried decide whether to go and talk to Taj or not. She wasn’t
really in the mood, having just had the most dreadful conversation with
Charles. First he’d asked her why she was calling him again so soon, which she
took offence to, seeing as he was her fiancé and it was only normal she should
be missing him. Quite clearly he wasn’t feeling the same emotions. Now that she
thought about it, had Charles ever expressed any kind of emotion other than
mild irritation or annoyance? He never got cross, she’d never even heard him
raise his voice. He didn’t scream or shout or stamp his feet, nor did he give
in to side-splitting laughter. He was so controlled it was frightening. Even
when he’d proposed it had been like he was addressing his board of directors.
What scared her most was how she’d thought that was what she loved about him.
To her it had symbolised a secure, reliable man who would make a stable and
loving husband. Someone she could depend on to always be there for her, unlike
her mother.

What she naively hadn’t realised until now, was that
she wasn’t like that. Since she’d met Taj she’d laughed more than she had in
the last year. She loved their witty repartee, and the way he kept her
constantly on her toes, not helping her too much but always making sure she was
okay. He had a way of making her feel safe. The fleeting passion she’d glimpsed
in his eyes those few times had left her reeling. She remembered wondering how
it would feel to have him focus all his attention on her for a whole night. It
was a heady thought. She’d never felt like that about Charles.

The next nail in the coffin had come when she’d told
Charles about Max and the try-out that afternoon on the cliff tops. He couldn’t
have been less interested. He’d merely asked if she was planning a career
change and when she’d said ‘No, of course not,’ he’d changed the subject.

The final straw had to be when he’d asked what had
bought on this surge of empowerment. He’d said he preferred the old Georgina to
this new one with crazy ideas and an inexplicable desire to put herself into
harms way.

“Well I happen to like the new George,” she’d told
him bravely. “And to be quite honest Charles, I don’t want to be that other
person anymore. I like having fun and meeting new people and going on
adventures. And yes, I’m not even adverse to a little danger.” That wasn’t strictly
true but she’d thrown it in there to make a point. “I’m tired of interviewing
people and admiring their exciting lives, now I want to have one too.”

There had been a long pause after which Charles had
said, “I can’t give you that life, Georgina and nor do I wish to. I like my
life the way it is. I’ve worked hard to get here and I enjoy what I do. If you
don’t want to be a part of that, then I’m afraid you need to rethink the
decision you’ve made to marry me.”

Astounded and profoundly shocked that he would place
the responsibility firmly on her shoulders, like he had no say in the matter,
she’d responded by saying that she would. To her mind, if he loved her at all,
he would fight for her. He would try to understand and reassure her that he
loved her no matter what she wanted to do with her life. Just like she would
have done had the situation been reversed. She was deeply disappointed and
despite what she’d told Charles about rethinking her decision, she knew in her
heart that the relationship was over.

She took a deep breath, she could either go to her
room and sob her heart out, or go to the bar and have a drink. The drink
sounded like the better option, not least because Taj would still be there and
she could use a distraction right now.

“Don said you’d be here,” she said unnecessarily as
she padded across to where he was still lounging at the bar. He looked up and
blinked as if he couldn’t believe she was standing there. “I’m afraid you
haven’t come at a very good time,” he drawled. “I’ve definitely had too much to
drink and should now take myself off to bed.”

“Please stay and have one more with me,” pleaded
Georgina. “Or at least keep me company.”

He gazed at her for a moment, reflecting. “Okay,
you’ve convinced me. What can I get you?”

“Gin and tonic.”

The barman nodded.

“I’m just going to grab a coffee,” said Taj pushing
himself away from the bar. “If I have anything more to drink I can’t be held
responsible for my actions.”

His deep, husky voice was filled with promise. She
sipped her Gin and tonic and watched as he filled a polystyrene cup with
steaming coffee and stalked back to the bar.

“Let’s get a table,” he said, gesturing to one of
the many vacant tables in the lounge. It was nearly midnight, and although the
sun had only just set being this far south, most people preferred turning in at
their normal times.

They sat opposite each other. Georgina sipped her
drink and longed to tell Taj about her conversation with Charles, but didn’t
want to appear self-absorbed.

“Don said you were feeling out of sorts,” she began.
His eyebrows shot up. “Did he really, the cheeky bastard?”

“I hope you’re feeling better now,” she said.

He looked into her eyes, “I’m getting there.” She
felt butterflies flickering in her stomach.

“So what brings you to the bar at this hour?” he
asked.

“I’m keyed up from working,” she lied, “I thought a
drink would help me sleep.”

He gazed at her speculatively. “How is the article
coming on?”

“You’re a very hard person to write about,” she
admitted.

“And why is that?” he asked softly, his eyes
gleaming like a tidal pool lit from below.

“I suppose it’s because you’re so different from how
you appear to the rest of the world,” said Georgina honestly.

“You know I don’t care what the rest of the world
thinks.”

Georgina nodded, “I know, but you have an image
regardless of whether you care or not.”

“So why am I so different?”

He hadn’t touched his coffee, Georgina noted. He merely
gazed at her intently, making her nervous.

“You just are,” she mumbled vaguely, taking a huge
gulp of her gin and tonic. There was that damn anti-concentration serum again.

“Slow down,” chided Taj, then as she glanced at him
defiantly, “We have all night, tomorrow is a rest day. I’ve got nothing better
to do than to look at photographs on my laptop and maybe shoot some pics from
the bow.”

His lazy tone was disarmingly seductive.

“Now, you were saying?”

Georgina took a shaky breath. “When I met you on the
plane I thought you were arrogant and selfish,” she began. “But I was wrong.
You’re not like that at all.”

“Thank God for that,” he mocked.

“I’m serious,” she admonished. “You gave me such a
hard time.”

“You deserved it,” he said gently.

Georgina felt herself heating up, “That’s not the
point. Any gentleman would have…”

“I’ve never professed to be a gentleman,” he
interrupted steadily. “The word is outdated.”

“Charles says…”

“I have zero interest in what your beloved Charles
thinks,” he said harshly, cutting her off again.

“Will you stop doing that,” demanded Georgina. “What
I was trying to say, was that you’re actually a great guy and as far as I can
tell, you’re not a womaniser either.”

“How do you know I’m not?” He looked into her eyes
and then at her mouth. She felt her heart drop to her stomach like a lead ball.

“Are you?” she whispered.

“I could be where you’re concerned,” replied Taj
huskily.

The alcohol on an empty stomach made her bold and
she asked, “Are you dating that girl I saw you with at the airport?”

He gazed at her meditatively, “I was. I called it
off before this trip. She was too demanding. She wanted what I wasn’t prepared
to give.”

“I see. It must be hard on relationships, all the
travelling…” her voice trailed off.

Taj looked at her steadily. “Hard for them, not for
me.”

Georgina cocked her head to one side. “Perhaps you
just haven’t met anyone worth changing your life for.”

His expression hardened. “I’ll never change my life.
If I did that I’d be miserable, and then it wouldn’t work out anyway.”

“Do you talk from experience?” she asked, intrigued
and worried that she cared so much about the answer.

“I do,” was all he said.

“Sounds like my parents,” she said mildly. “Can I
have another drink?”

The barman nodded and poured her another.

“See, a perfect case in point. It can never work.
Look how you’ve suffered. It’s not fair on any family.”

She swallowed, “I get your point.”

“When I left boarding school at seventeen, I vowed I
would never again be confined to one place. To me the ability to explore
distant places and to observe nature in all her naked splendour is a freedom I
will never sacrifice. I had to live without it for too long.” He stopped
suddenly, aware that he’d said more than he meant to.

Georgina was staring at him. “It’s okay,” she said
longing to take his hand. “You don’t ever have to give that up. Maybe one day
you’ll find a partner who you can take with you on your travels.” She was
shocked at how wistful she sounded.

“I doubt it,” he said flatly. “Would you give up
your job to follow your husband around the world?”

Georgina hesitated for a split second, “I might. If
I loved him enough I suppose I would.”

“And you would travel around with your kids in tow,
just like your parents did? How long do you think that would last?” His gaze
was unrepentant.

Georgina was shocked into silence. He was right. It
would never last just like it hadn’t lasted with her parents. He finally did
pick up his coffee and drained it in a few large gulps. “Let’s at least be
honest,” he said.

Georgina thought for a second and then said, “Okay,
since we’re being so honest, the reason why I’m here at the bar tonight is
because I had a fight with Charles. Actually, let me rephrase that, Charles
doesn’t fight. I had a disagreement with Charles.”

“Really?” He was looking at her with interest. “What
did you disagree over? The date of the wedding?”

She rolled her eyes, “Very funny. No actually, just
the wedding.”

“I’m not following.”

He suddenly went very still, the only thing moving was
his luminous gaze as he searched her face.

“He seemed to like the old Georgina better than the
new one. She fit better into his boring, orderly life.” She couldn’t help the
trace of bitterness that crept into her voice.

“And what do you think?” he asked softly.

“I disagreed,” she whispered.

He raised his cup, “Here’s to the first sensible
thing you’ve said all night.”

She smiled, “Your vote of confidence is
overwhelming.”

“So where does that leave you and Charles,” Taj
asked, not quite making eye contact.

She sighed, “At loggerheads, I guess. He told me I
ought to rethink my decision to marry him. Can you believe that?”

“He’s right,” agreed Taj.

Georgina looked affronted. “What? He does have a say
in the matter too, you know. It’s not the kind of decision only one side should
make.”

“Everyone has the right to decide for themselves,”
he insisted. “If Charles isn’t right for you, you should say so.”

“I didn’t say he wasn’t right for me,” she bit out
defensively. “I am just disappointed that he wasn’t more…understanding.”