The Bedroom Barter (17 page)

At the time it had seemed like a good idea to go for a stroll. To explore Arcadie beyond the immediate confines of the garden.

Now, with the sun baking on her back, an escort of persistent insects, and an apparently impenetrable wall of greenery in front of her, Chellie was having second thoughts.

But she'd needed to do something, she argued as she pushed forward, parting the thick, fleshy leaves that impeded her, looking for the track which she'd been following but seemed to have temporarily mislaid.

Oh, come on, she told herself impatiently. It's here somewhere. It has to be.

It would have been much easier to stay on the verandah, drinking more tea and finishing the plate of tiny cinammon biscuits that Rosalie had supplied along with it.

But she would only have started to brood—to let her thoughts take her down paths even more hazardous than the one she was now embarked on, which seemed to have led her into the middle of a rainforest.

And over it all hung the mountain. Not the Needle itself, but one of the smaller Pins, yet composed of grey volcanic rock just the same.

It took guts to make a home in such a place, she thought. It was so beautiful, but so savage and unpredictable at the same time.

Someone had once said that volcanoes never really died, but merely slept, and she could only hope that they were wrong.

She found herself almost regretting that she would never meet Mr Howard, the intrepid man who'd built his house here, daring the dark gods of hurricanes and seismic upheavals to do their worst.

Beyond the tailored lawns round the house the wilderness waited, primitive and still untamed. And she should not be taking any more risks here. She'd undergone enough ordeals lately to last her a lifetime. Now she really needed to step back into civilisation and stay there.

I should turn back, she thought. So why don't I?

Well, for one thing, the walk might do her good. It might even encourage her appetite too. Rosalie had told her when she came for the tray that dinner would be at eight-thirty, and she looked like a woman who took her cooking seriously, and would insist on it being shown due respect.

But at the moment Chellie felt too edgy for hunger. Because Rosalie had also brought the unwelcome news that neither she nor Cornelius had a number where Ash could be reached.
Impasse
.

Arcadie was a beautiful house, and its valley setting was spectacular, but it was in the middle of nowhere.

No one asked me, she thought restively, if I wished to be cut off from the known world. At the moment, my only way out of here is to walk. There are no locks or bolts, but I feel like a prisoner just the same.

But now, like a ray of hope, here was the track again, and somewhere ahead of her, she thought, frowning, was the unmistakable splash of water.

She walked carefully, trying not to twist her ankle on the thick roots which made every step a hazard. She ducked under an overhanging branch, straightened, then stood open-mouthed, staring in delight at the scene in front of her.

Her ears had not deceived her. The little waterfall she'd heard sprang straight from the grey rock, spilling some ten feet into a deep natural basin, yet barely ruffling its surface.

Here at last was the swimming pool she'd longed for. And it must be safe, because someone had constructed a small diving board, which waited invitingly. Almost beckoning to her.

One of the accompanying insects grazed her skin, and she brushed it aside impatiently, her eyes fixed on the sky and the light puffs of cloud reflected back by the clear water. Already imagining its caress.

She could, of course, go back to the house and fetch the solitary swimsuit she'd brought with her.

On the other hand…

Impulsively, she kicked off her shoes, then stripped off the vest top, dropping it on to the slab of flat rock beside the diving board. She peeled down the cotton pants, and the lacy briefs she wore beneath them, then walked to the end of the board, positioned herself, and dived in.

The water felt tinglingly fresh and cold against her overheated skin. She let herself go down into the seemingly endless depths, then kicked for the surface, coming up, gasping and laughing, into the sunlight.

She'd never swum naked before, and found herself almost guiltily relishing the intensity of the sensation.

She plunged briefly again, then began to swim in earnest, her body instinctively finding its own smooth rhythm, her muscles working in co-ordination against the strong pull of the water.

Oh, but she'd missed this, she thought, as eventually she twisted sinuously on to her back and floated, staring up at the blue arc of the sky. For the first time in many weeks she felt almost at peace with herself.

If ever I have a boat of my own, she thought, I'll call it
Naiad
in memory of this afternoon.

It was ludicrous in her situation to make any kind of plan, but she had to be optimistic, imagine a future where she was in control and prospering. And owning a boat…

Everyone needs something to aim for, she told herself.

She swam slowly over to the waterfall and pulled herself up on to the slippery rock at its base. She stood upright under the cascade and lifted her face to the pouring water, revelling at the sting of it against her skin, the cold lash of the torrent driving at her stomach and thighs, urgent against her breasts. Chellie, gripping the wet rock to steady herself, was aware that her nipples were hardening in involuntary response.

She was completely, almost voluptuously engrossed in the sheer physicality of the moment, yet some strange, almost animal instinct made her turn her head and glance over her shoulder.

Ash was standing on the other side of the pool, hands on hips and head slightly thrown back as he watched her. He looked casual, but the utter stillness of his stance betrayed him.

And she too was betrayed, her clothes lying in a pile at his feet. Unreachable.

For a few seconds she was frozen, her mind working feverishly. The temptation, of course, was to try to cover herself with her hands. But that was too much of a cliche, and besides, it sent out the signal that she wanted him to go on looking…

And I do, she thought God help me, but I do.

There was only one other solution, and she took it swiftly and fiercely, jumping back into the pool, then treading water so that only her head and shoulders were visible.

'What the hell are you doing here?' She made her tone challenging.

'I invited myself to dinner,' he said. 'Rosalie's fish stew is renowned throughout the islands, and quite irresistible.' He paused. 'like so much else at Arcadie.'

Chellie's mouth tightened. 'I mean why are you
here
! Now, and at this particular spot?'

He shrugged. 'Because this is my favourite place on the estate, and somehow I guessed you would find your way here too.' He smiled at her. 'It's a good place to be—isn't it?'

'Wonderful,' Chellie said crisply. 'But getting chilly now. So, I'd like to get out and get dressed. If you don't mind.'

'That's fine with me.' His voice was equable. 'But it can be a scramble when you're not used to it. You'd better take my hand.'

Chellie gasped. 'Like hell I will.'

'Do you have a choice?'

'Yes,' she said, trying to stop her teeth from chattering. 'I can stay here until you have the decency to go.'

'It's a little late to be prim, don't you think?' There was a ghost of laughter in his voice. 'Especially when the image of you standing under the cascade is now irrevocably etched into my brain.'

He paused for a moment, then began slowly to unbutton the white shirt he was wearing with immaculately pressed dark pants. 'Of course,' he said, 'I could always come in and join you. It's very hot today, and a little—stimulation might be pleasant'

The breath caught in her throat. 'Don't you dare,' she said grittily. 'Don't you
bloody
dare.'

He laughed. 'You mean this pool isn't big enough for both of us? Well, you could be right But you've also been in there quite long enough.'

He squatted down and held out his hand to her. 'Come on, take it before you get hypothermia,' he commanded. 'I'll even close my eyes if it will make you feel better,' he added caustically.

She swam a little closer. Warily. 'Then will you go— please?'

'No,' he said. 'But I will promise to turn my back.'

Which was like shutting the stable door when the horse was long gone, Chellie realised, fulminating. She supposed that she could always stay where she was and brazen it out Call his bluff. Except that she didn't feel very brazen. She felt cold, and shy, and hideously embarrassed. And not too far from tears either. Besides, Ash might not be bluffing.

Biting her lip hard, she swam to where he was waiting, eyes obediently closed. His fingers were warm and strong as they gripped hers, and she felt an unwelcome shock of pleasure at his touch.

She found a toehold under the water, and used it to push herself upwards, landing breathless and flurried on the rock beside him.

She said tautly, 'Thank you. Now turn your back, please.'

'As you wish.' He sounded as if he was grinning. 'May I say you looked much lovelier when you weren't blue with cold,' he added softly.

'Is that a fact?' Chellie said between her teeth, snatching up her clothes and holding them protectively against her. 'Well, you'll still be a bastard, no matter what colour you turn.'

'Tut, tut, Miss Greer,' Ash mocked. 'How very uptight you are. Anyone would think you'd never been skinny-dipping before.'

Chellie, desperately trying to force on her clothes over uncomfortably damp skin, didn't answer.

'That's it, isn't it?' he said slowly, after a pause. 'You never
have
done it—have you, Michelle? Another addition to the long list of experiences I suspect you've missed out on.'

'Then kindly keep your speculation to yourself,' Chellie flashed, dragging on her vest top and noting with alarm how revealingly it clung now, outlining her taut nipples in exquisite detail. 'My life is my own business.'

'You forget,' he said. 'As I told you before, I saved your life, which makes it mine now.'

Well, I don't believe in ridiculous superstitions, and I belong to myself alone.'

'Alone?' Ash mused. 'Now, there's a chilly word.'

'How odd you should think so,' Chellie said coolly. 'Now, to me all it says is—independence.' She paused. 'And I'm dressed now.'

He turned back, scanning her, his eyes lingering unashamedly on the thrust of her breasts. 'So you are,' he said softly, his mouth twisting. 'But memory is a wonderful thing.'

'My vote goes to total amnesia,' she threw back at him. 'I'd give a lot to wipe out the events of the past few weeks—and especially the last forty-eight hours.'

His voice hardened. 'But unfortunately we're both stuck with them, Michelle, and there's no way out So why don't we agree to make the best of things in the time we have left?' He paused. 'Rosalie and Cornelius believe we're friends, so I'd prefer to preserve the illusion.'

He held back the leaves of a tall shrub to enable her to pass.

'So, what do you think of Arcadie?' he added in a tone of polite enquiry.

'It's—amazing.' Chellie hesitated. 'This Mr Howard seems to have given you the total run of his house as well as his boat. You must be—lose.'

Ash shrugged. 'We've known each other a long time.'

And Julie
? She thought the question, but did not dare ask it. Besides, didn't she already know the answer?

Hurriedly, she changed the subject. 'My passport,' she said. 'You forget to give it to me when we landed. Have you brought it with you?'

'Actually, no. It must still be on the boat.' His sideways glance was faintly mocking. 'But don't worry. It's in a very safe place.'

'Yes,' Chellie said icily. 'I'm well aware of that'

'I thought you would be,' he murmured. 'But full marks for trying.'

Chellie, trying in spite of everything to stalk ahead of him with dignity, nearly removed an eye on an intrusive branch.

When they finally reached the lawns, within sight of the house, she wheeled and faced him. 'Tell me something. We've established what you're doing here—you've come for Rosalie's fish stew. But what I don't understand is why I should be stranded out in the wilds instead of staying in St Hilaire.'

'I'm sorry you feel stranded,' Ash said, after a pause. 'I arranged for you to be brought here because it's quiet and beautiful.'

'Yes, it is,' Chellie agreed. 'But it's also very isolated.'

'Surely that's part of its charm,' he returned. 'It's where I come when I need to chill out—do some thinking—get myself together for some reason. I hoped that was how it would appeal to you too.'

His voice dropped. 'And when I realised you'd found the pool I was convinced of it. Because for me that's the most magical place on the island.' His smile was wry. 'And from now on its enchantment will be doubled.'

Chellie bent her head, avoiding the intensity of his gaze, aware that her heart was fluttering like the wings of a trapped bird. She said, 'Don't—please…'

'Why not?' he asked quietly. 'Because at last I got to fulfil my fantasy? Because you were so lovely—and so vulnerable—that I would have walked across that water to reach you if you'd given me one sign? And because the image of every exquisite inch of you will haunt me for ever? Is that why you want me to keep silent?'

Colour stormed her face. She said in a stifled voice, 'You—must not say these things to me. You have no right…'

'No,' he said, and there was an odd note in his voice that sounded almost violent 'You're quite correct, I don't. No right at all. But no amount of moral rectitude can stop me wishing. Just remember that'

Chellie watched him stride away.

One sign
, he'd said.
If you'd given me one sign
.

And only she would ever know how fatally close she'd come to doing exactly that. That she'd felt the force of his desire shiver like a warm, sweet wind over her naked body, and that for one brief, treacherous moment she'd gloried in it.