The Man at Mulera (19 page)

“
Not by chance—by arrangement. We watched the sunrise. You told me weeks ago that it
’
s worth seeing, and you were right. For half an hour I quite forgot my problems.
”

“
Did you ask him to take you?
”

“
No.
”
She smoothed a damp eyebrow, said quietly,
“
You don
’
t begrudge me a spot of wholesome pleasure now and then, do you?
”

He answered abruptly.
“
Of course not. If I
’
d known you were keen on it I
’
d have taken you myself.
”

The sun was well up now, burning the moisture from the leaves and seeping into the shadows. But a breeze was rising too, and it brought faint sweet scents from the orchard.

“
Care to take a walk?
”

This, like his last remark, was both unexpected and
unsettling.
Lou hesitated, pulled the bandanna from her hair and swung it as she moved at his side. There was a subtle
change
in him; in any other man it might have indicated a softening, but in Ross it was something to evoke caution. Characteristically, he put his hands in his pockets and looked ahead as they walked.

“
I
’
ve been thinking about that request of yours yesterday,
”
he said.
“
It wasn
’
t at all a good idea—your goin
g
with Elinor Weston and Keith
to Zomba.
”

“
I guessed you
’
d turn it down.
”

“
A break in Zomba or Blantyre would be all right— might
do you good. But I don
’
t quite trust that woman. She
’
s got the deuce of a grouch against everyone. I hear she even went for the D.C.
”

“
She needs kindness and consideration more than most of us. I don
’
t believe she
’
s ever known a sense of peace
in her life.
”

“
What about you?
”
he asked disconcertingly.
“
That wasn
’
t peace you knew in England; it was torpor.
”

She flashed him a vexed smile.
“
You may be right, but it seemed like peace. I
’
ve even known it once or twice since coming to Nyasaland.
”

“
Really?
”
with a hint of sarcasm.
“
With Martin and
Greg?
”

“
Yes—and when I
’
m alone sometimes.

“
But never with me?
”

“
No, never with you.
”

“
Good,
”
he said crisply.
“
I don
’
t want you comatose while I
’
m around. I like women to be aware of themselves—and of me.
”
A pause, then coolly,
“
What do you
talk
about with Greg?
”

She pulled a golden orange from a tree and tossed it as they strolled along the lane through the orchard.
“
He tells me about himself.
”

“
And you reciprocate?
”

“
Occasionally, but I
’
m not very interesting.
”

“
You interest me. Does that surprise you?
”

She flickered a clear grey glance
at him. “
Yes, it does. I
’
ve always felt that you were interested only in your possessions, and that you now regard Keith as one of them.
”

“
You
’
re wrong,
”
he said.
“
For one so young and inexperienced you pack quite a punch sometimes. Tell me about that chap in England—Arnold Whatsisname.
”

She looked down and dug a fingernail into the orange, smelled the bitter moistness of the incision and reflected, inconsequentially, that her fingers would retain the aroma.

Casually, she replied,
“
It
’
s finished. I shall probably never see him again.
”

He looked no different but he sounded odd as he asked,
“F
ed up about it?
”

“
Not terribly. He was always very sweet to me but he
’
s stuffy and he hasn
’
t a scrap of understanding. He expected sacrifices of me but was unwilling to make any himself.
”

“
You
’
re well rid of him,
”
Ross stated callously.
“
In any case, you can
’
t conduct a love affair at a distance of five or six thousand miles. Did he ever propose?
”

“
Not till he wrote to me here.
”

“
Give you lots of nice things?
”

“
Flowers and chocolates mostly; he
’
s very correct.
”
She lifted the scarf she had tied about her head and said in astonished tones,
“
Arnold gave me this! I
’
d forgotten.
”

Ross took it from her, shook it out and said derisively,
“
Poppies and cornflowers, ears of wheat
.
Without meeting the chap, I know him.
”
He stopped and looked into the branches of a late peach tree.
“
A few peaches left
.
Would you like one?
”

Lou did not have to answer. With vexed laughter in her throat she watched him flick out the scarf and lasso a branch, drag it near so that he could pick the outsize peaches. He let the branch go and it sprang away, ripping the silk.

“
Bad luck,
”
Ross said.
“
I
’
ll get you another.
”

“
You did that purposely!
”

He tut-tutted.
“
I never destroy anything but pests. I
’
ll tie the remains of the scarf on a branch to scare the vultures.
”
He gave her the peaches and tied the knot, shoved his hands back into his pockets and bent upon h
er
the sort of look she loathed; it was hard and devilish.
“
That
’
s the best way to handle mementoes of a dead love.
”

“
I don
’
t suppose you ever collected any!
”

“
What does that mean—that you don
’
t believe I
’
ve ever loved?
”

Lou
’
s incalcu
l
able heart performed a tricky feat; it slipped and seemed to stop with a thud. She looked at the arrogant green eyes, at the well-cut mouth. In that moment she forgot eve
r
ything but the positive yearning to understand the man and measure up to him.

But in that moment also there came a crashing movement ahead among the trees, and before Lou knew what was happening she was pinned tightly against Ross and being thrust against a trunk. She caught a glimpse of a yellow feline body, arched for the chase, of a grey baboon screaming as it tore away towards the tho
rn
berry hedge. Then Ross
’
hand pressed swiftly over her eyes, and she was conscious only of his strength and nearness and of the twig which dug excruciatingly into her shoulder.

Then it was over.
“
I
’
m afraid that was the end of the baboon,
”
Ross commented, matter-of-factly.
“
Come on, we
’
ll go back the way we came.
”

“
Was the other a ... a leopard?
”

“
A young lioness, and pretty hungry by the look of her. Well,
”
with a grin,
“
that
’
s about the nearest you
’
re ever likely to come to a lion. We don
’
t get them on the plantation unless they follow a buck or baboon. By the law of averages we shouldn
’
t see another on Mulera for about eighteen months.
”
He slipped a hand in the crook of her arm and said gently, musingly,
“
I wonder where you
’
ll be in eighteen months
’
time?
”

But contact with the savage element of Africa had left Lou a little shaken. In any case, eighteen months was too far ahead for conjecture. She walked blindly till they reached the garden, then straightened in case they were seen from the windows. At the steps she went slightly in front, but they were in the porch when Ross let out a sharp and furious breath.

“
You
’
re back is bleeding! Why the deuce didn
’
t you tell me I was shoving you too hard against the tree?
”

She said deprecatingly,
“
I hardly felt it—too frightened, I suppose. It
’
s nothing.
”

“
You idiot!
”
He pushed her through the living-room.
“
I
’
ll have a look at it in the bathroom.
”

“
Ross, please
...”

But he had grasped her again, this time above the elbow and at the waist, as he thrust her in front of him. She had no choice but to enter the steamy bathroom and stand near the wash-basin. He was in a mood to hack a patch from the blouse if she didn
’
t remove it, but she had the presence of mind to compromise. She undid a couple of buttons and shook down the collar so that he could reach her shoulder. He said something unprintable and turned on the tap, swabbed with cotton wool, used antiseptic and pressed an adhesive plaster over the small jagged wound. Lou readjusted the blouse and thanked him politely.

“
Don
’
t suffer in silence,
”
he said roughly,
“
ever
.”

“
A scratch of that kind didn
’
t seem important down there among the wild animals,
”
she observed a little dazedly.
“
Thanks for attending to it.
”

Whatever of softness had been in him was dissipated now. He pegged the window wide, sniffed at the perfumed steam and looked with distaste at a beribboned jar of bath oil.

“
You don
’
t keep your fripperies in the bathroom. Why does she have to?
”

“
It
’
s the normal place, really, but you
’
re not accustomed to having women about so I
’
ve done my best to keep the place monastic.
”

“
Monastic?
”
he considered the word, and let it pass.
“
Well, I daresay I can stand it, temporarily. If this goes on I shall build another wing.
”

Lou nodded.
“
It must be awfully irritating to a man like you to have three women and a child on the premises. It would be a considerable improvement if Greg came here and I took Keith and Miss Weston down to the manager
’
s house.
”

“
No.
”
He didn
’
t qualify the negative in any way but it was decisive.
“
This won
’
t last long. I
’
ll see to that.
”

“
You won
’
t be horrid to her, will you?
”

“
To Elinor? Of course not
.
Cynicism in a woman gets my goat but I feel sorry for her.
”