The Desert Castle (17 page)

‘
No. I prefer to be challenged myself.
’
He held out her letter to her and she took it from him, meaning to read it later.
‘
I think you may find it more exhilarating too when you get used to it.
’

S
he felt shy under the probing of his navy-blue eyes and turned her letter over in her hands.
‘
Oh, good! It
’
s from Mother. I wonder how she
’
s enjoying Devon.
’

‘
Why don
’
t you open it and find out?
’

H
er fingers shook a little as she pulled the closely written pages out of the envelope. She didn
’
t want his eyes on her when she read it. He would know as if he had read it himself what was in it. He would know that she hadn
’
t wanted her mother to stay in his house in Devon
—and he would know why
!

S
he allowed her eyes to slide over the lines of her mother
’
s writing and stiffened, unable to believe what she was reading.

‘
What is it
?
’
Gregory asked, amused.

‘
My mother likes Devon,
’
she told him in cool, stilted tones.
‘
She
’
s sleeping better than she was in London and she likes having something to do.
’

There were little lights in his eyes reflected from the lamp in front of him. When she looked up at him, she found them quite hypnotic and it took a distinct effort
of will to look away again.

‘
Your mother
likes
a challenge too,
’
he told her.
‘
You
’
re more like her than you allow.
’

She read a little further and her whole world fell in on top of her.
‘
She wants to move to Devon for good!
’
she whispered.
‘
She wants to sell the house
i
n London. But you can
’
t want her in your house for ever
?
’
She looked down at the floor.
‘
And what am I to do
?
’

‘
What do you want to do
?
’
His voice was bracing and she managed a quavery smile because she didn
’
t want
him to think
that she lacked spirit, though she must do because
she
felt quite flattened by the news.

‘
I like the school where I teach. They
’
re expecting me back next term. I have to give them some notice if I
’
m going to lea
ve.
’

She consulted the letter, struggling to move the lump in her throat before it reached astronomical proportions. She swallowed hard as the words blurred before her eyes.

‘
She
thinks
I can get a job in Exeter.
’
She laughed shortly.
‘
It
’
s only
twenty miles
away! It
’
s years since we had a car and we couldn
’
t possibly afford to run one and, even
i
f we could,
I
can
’
t live in your house too
!
’
She looked up at him, an unconscious appeal in her eyes.
‘
She must be mad to think you
’
d want either of us there on a permanent basis
!
’

He was silent for a long moment, then he said,
‘
It
’
s a nice house. I think you
’
d like it
.
’

‘
But—
’

‘
It suits me very well to have your mother living there. I was hoping
she
would want to stay on. I
’
m there very seldom, but the house has been in our family for a good many generations and I like to know it
’
s there to go back to whenever I want to. We had some marvellous holidays there as children.
’

Th
e appeal in her eyes changed to accusation.
‘
You meant her to make her home there
?
’

‘I
did suggest that she might think about it,
’
he
ad
mitted.
‘
Your father
’
s ghost was making the London house unbearable to her.
’
He bent forward until his head was on the same level as hers.
‘
Do you really
mind
so much
?
’

She nodded.
‘
Even if I paid you an economic rent
I
’
d feel
I
’
d lost my independence. I
’
d have nothing to offer in return.
’

‘
Isn
’
t that for me to decide
?
’
He
sat back, his face in shadow, and Marion felt a shiver inside her at his change of mood.
‘
I was going to speak to you about next term in any case. How are the frescoes going
?
’

‘
I
’
ve hardly begun.
’

He glanced at her and
she
couldn
’
t begun to tell what he was thinking.
‘
As a job, how does it compare with teaching
?
’

‘
There is no comparison,
’
she returned.
‘
Teaching is bread and butter and what I do to earn my living; the other is ambrosia. It
’
s the most marvellous opportunity I
’
ve ever had to do the kind of thing I really want to
.
’

‘
Then you
’
d better stay here until you
’
ve finished the job,
’
he said drily.

‘
I can
’
t!
’

H
er passionate refusal hadn
’
t put him out one jot.

‘
Why not?
’
His very calmness made her feel the more distraught.

‘
Why not?
’
she repeated.
‘
It should be obvious to anyone why I can
’
t stay here! When Lucasta goes back to England—
’

‘
Good heavens, aren
’
t there enough other females around to suit the proprieties
?
’
he exploded.

She shivered.
‘
Only Denise,
’
she murmured.
‘
And she
’
s only here at week-ends.
’

The dislike he felt for her was naked in his eyes and the lump came back into her throat, making her feel more miserable than ever. She already knew he thought her prudish and over-concerned about Lucasta, but she couldn
’
t bring herself to say that
she
would stay on in
his castle alone with him. It might not matter to him, but for her it would be total disaster. She couldn
’
t go on pretending for ever, and she was almost sure she wouldn
’
t want to, and she would be the
one
to be hurt —more than
she
was now, if that was possible
!

‘
There
’
s Zein and Umm
Hanhn,
or don
’
t they count in your scheme of things
?
’
he asked her nastily.

But she knew without being told whose side they would be on.
‘
Perhaps Denise wouldn
’
t mind staying for a while—if her father can spare her—
’

‘I
think not,
’
he
s
aid with unexpected firmness.
‘
I
’
ll write to your mother and see what she suggests. She can give in your notice at the same time to that school of yours, which should give them nearly a fortnight to find a replacement
.
’
He moved and the light fell squarely on his face and his eyelashes seemed all of an inch long.
‘
I
thought you got on all right with the Bedouin women? You don
’
t seem to share Denise
’
s dislike for th
em
?
’

‘
I
do! I like them very much
!
’
She wished he wouldn
’
t stare at her like that
.
In fact she wished he wouldn
’
t look at her at all.

‘
Then what
’
s the matter
?
’

The gentleness of the question took her unawares and
she
blurted out the truth before
she
could help herself.

‘
They
’
d think you
’
d kept me here for yourself. They wouldn
’
t understand that there
’
s nothing like that between us. They wouldn
’
t think we could be—friends, or employer and employee, or anything like that
.
’

He raised his eyebrows with a touch of humour and the planes of his face were unbelievably handsome in the lamplight.

‘
Perhaps they
’
re right
.
’

T
he words lay between them for a long moment and then she laughed. It was a reflex action, for
she
could
see
nothing funny in what he had said.

‘
But we
’
re not—
’

‘
We
’
re not friends, either, Marion.
’

H
er eyes fell before his.
‘
You said you
’d
try to be my
friend
,
’
she re
minded him.

‘
I
must have been
mad!
’
He came
round and dr
ew her to her feet
.
‘Should I stay home this weekend?’

S
he took fright
immediately.
‘
No.
Gaston and
Lucasta may take me to Petra.
’

‘
You can go some other time,
’
he tempted.

B
ut she shook her head.
‘
I want to go.
I
’
ve always wanted to go to Petra!
’

T
he
corners of his mouth kicked up into a smile.