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Page 1: The Whistling Thorn - Isobel Chace ###
Page 2: The Whistling Thorn - Isobel Chace ###

The Whistling Thom by ISOBEL CHACE

When her uncle was reported missing in Kenya, Annot was persuaded by her mother to go there in search of him. Annot wasn't very enthusiastic about the idea. She would have been even less enthusiastic if she had realized that the overbearing James Montgomery was going to take charge of the whole affair!

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PRINTED IN U.S.A.

OTHER Harlequin Romance by ISOBEL CHACE

1152—A GARLAND OF MARIGOLDS 1216—ORANGES AND LEMONS1250—THE SAFFRON SKY

1306—A HANDFUL OF SILVER 1334—THE DAMASK ROSE 1390—SUGAR IN THE MORNING

1436—THE DAY THAT THE RAIN CAME DOWN

1477—THE LAND OF THE LOTUS EATERS

1506—THE FLOWERING CACTUS 1561—HOME IS GOODBYE 1586—TOMARRY A TIGER

1618—THE WEALTH OF THE ISLANDS 1653—THE TARTAN TOUCH

1673—A PRIDE OF LIONS

1698—CADENCE OF PORTUGAL

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1721—THE FLAMBOYANT TREE 1750—THE HOUSE OF THE SCISSORS1773—A MAN OF KENT

1795—THE EDGE OF BEYOND 1829—THE DRAGON'S CAVE 1849—THE HOSPITAL OF FATIMA

1904—THE CORNISH HEARTH 1945—THE DESERT CASTLE 1997—SINGING IN THE WILDERNESS 2023—THE CLOUDED VEIL

2035—A CANOPY OF ROSE LEAVES

Many of these titles are available at your local bookseller or through theHarlequin Reader Service.

For a free catalogue listing all available Harlequin Romances, send yourname and address to:

HARLEQUIN READER SERVICE, M.P.O. Box 707, Niagara Falls, N.Y.14302

Canadian address: Stratford, Ontario, Canada N5A 6W4 or use ordercoupon at back of book.

Original hardcover edition published in 1977

by Mills & Boon Limited

ISBN 0-373-02065-1

Harlequin edition published May 1977

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Copyright ©1977 by Isobel Chace. All rights reserved.

Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of thiswork inwhole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanicalor other means,now known or hereafter invented, Including xero-graphy, photocopying andrecording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbiddenwithout the permission of the publisher.

All the characters in this book have no existence outside the imagina-tionof the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the samename or names. They are not even distantly inspired byany individualknown or unknown to the author, and all the incidents are pure invention.

The Harlequin trademark, consisting of the word HARLEQUIN andtheportrayal of a Harlequin, is registered in the United States Patent Officeand in the Canada Trade Marks Office.

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CHAPTER ONE

The flight seemed endless. Annot Lindsay rearranged herlong legs and longed for a few moment's sleep. Her next-door neighbour, a schoolgirl on her way home to hermother, gave her a sullen look.

'Why don't they turn out the lights?' she demanded crossly.

Annot had been wondering the same thing herself. Shetried to tell herself that it didn't matter if she arrived travel-worn and exhausted—no one was going to be there tomeet her—but she felt no better about the hours she hadstill to endure on the plane before their scheduled arrival athalf-past six in the morning.

Her neighbour seemed inclined to talk. `Do you make-thistrip often?' she asked.

Annot shook her head. 'I haven't been in Africa since I wasa child,' she said slowly. 'I'm a bit nervous of going back—'

'Are you?' the child marvelled. 'You don't look as thoughyou'd be afraid of anything! I fly back and forth all the time,and it never gets any better. Have you family in Kenya?'

'Sort of,' Annot admitted. It was half true even if it wasn't thewhole truth. She didn't know where her uncle was; that waswhy she was going back to Africa after all this time. When

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the rest of the family had sold up and returned to Scotland,her mother's younger brother had stayed on. Her motherhad said there was nothing else he could do, for he madehis living taking photographs of the wild animals of EastAfrica, a profession that he mixed

with sporadic attempts at farming the land his father had lefthim when he died. Another European farmer, who lived nextdoor, had written a couple of months ago saying thatJeremy Lincoln had gone off on a photographic expeditionand had not returned. He had sounded impatient ratherthan concerned and he had not written again, but as theweeks passed Annot's mother had first begun to worryabout her brother and then, when the wildlife magazine whoemployed him began to complain about his unfulfilledcontract with them, she started to talk about visiting Kenyaherself to find out what had happened to him

'Of course if you were to go, Annot,' she had decided, 'youcould finish his present assignment for him and get themagazine off his back. Where can he be?'

Annot, too, earned her living with her camera, but she

was less than keen to go so far away from home at thatparticular time. She had only just established herself in thestudio where she worked and to leave now, even for a fewweeks, would revive all those old arguments that she oughtto be in front of the camera instead of behind it— an

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argument that had first bored her, and then seriouslyworried her when it meant losing out more often than shecared to remember to her male colleagues.

But her mother had won in the end. 'You've forgotten howmuch you used to love it out there,' she had told her, andhad added more tellingly still, 'It was Jeremy who gave youyour first camera and taught you how to use it! Surely youcan do this little thing for him?'

'What makes you think the magazine will accept my workfor his?' Annot had put in, a touch of desperation in hervoice. She had known from the expression on her mother'sface that she had no choice but to go. Her mother believedin family feeling and all its allied virtues, especially as far asher children were concerned.

'I'll persuade your father to buy your ticket tomorrow,'

her mother had gone on just as if Annot hadn't spoken at all.'You can live in Jeremy's house while you're there. Youwon't feel strange at all once you get there, darling. It'll allcome back to you, you see if it doesn't'

Annot thought it extremely unlikely. She tried to close hereyes against the lights, wishing she were anywhere elseexcept in the confined space of the VC that was flying herto Nairobi. Her cameras stuck into her shins and she didn'tdare kick them out of her way in case she did them some

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damage. With a sigh she pushed the well-stuffed pillow theplane provided from one side to the other, and back againwhen she found the new arrangement was asuncomfortable as the first.

Yet she must have slept, for the next thing she knew thelights in the cabin had all come on and the cabin staff werebeginning to move along the aisle handing out paper cupsof fresh fruit juice to the passengers.

'We're nearly there!' the child beside her sighed.'Sometimes I think the last half-hour is the worst, don't you?'

'Nothing,' said Annot; 'absolutely nothing could be worsethan the last few hours!'

'It could be, you know,' the girl pointed out. 'We could havehad to come down somewhere and been stuck there forages! That's the worst!'

When they did finally land Annot thought the child lookedrather lost, and made a push to keep close to her as theymade their way through the Health Authority and PassportControl.

'Can you see your parents?' she asked, clutching her ownpapers to her and wondering how they seemed to havemultiplied by ten since she had last looked at them.

'No,' the girl said flatly, 'I expect it's too early for my mother.

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She'll be along later.'

'But I can't leave you here by yourself,' Annot objected. 'Whynot? You don't even know my name.'

'Mine is Annot Lindsay—'

'I'm Dorcas Drummond. How d'you do?'

Annot took the outstretched hand in hers. 'Not very well,'she said gravely. 'I feel as though I could sleep for a week!'

I've never known anyone called Annot before,' Dorcas toldher. 'May I call you that?'

'Please do. It's a Scottish name, so my mother tells me, butI don't know anyone else who has it either. If we're going tohave to wait for your mother, do you think we could findsomewhere to have breakfast here?'

Dorcas's eyes lit up. 'Mama never eats breakfast. I hopeshe takes ages in coming! She probably will. She doesn'tlook after herself properly since Daddy died, and I can't doit because I'm always in England at school. In her last letter,though, she said she'd met this man whom she thinks I'll liketoo—he's called James Montgomery. She says he getsawfully cross if she doesn't eat and goes to too manyparties, so I'm hoping for the best.'

Annot hid her amusement at this confidence and did her

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best to entertain her young charge as the child managed toput away the largest breakfast Annot had ever seen.Restricting herself to a large slice of pawpaw, its orangeflesh liberally dowsed in fresh lime-juice, and toast andmarmalade, she was nevertheless momentarily tempted toshare Dorcas's scrambled eggs, sausage and bacon,served with fried bread and tomatoes.

'That looks good!' she smiled.

'It is. Are you going to have coffee or tea?'

When that problem had been satisfactorily decided by themboth, Annot became aware of a tall, gorgeously tannedwoman making her way through the tables towards them.She bore only a faint resemblance to her daughter in herimmaculate,' faintly bored features, but it was enough to tellher that this was certainly Mrs Drummond.

'Hello,' she said as she came up to the table.

'Mama!' Dorcas exclaimed. 'We're having a marvellousbreakfast!' she added unnecessarily.

`So I see. You'll get fat if you eat so much, darling.'

Dorcas scowled. 'I don't care if I do. The food is muchbetter here than it is at school.' She turned away from hermother and bit her lip, recalling herself with difficulty to thetask in hand of introducing her elders to one another. `This

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is Annot Lindsay. She sat next to me on the plane.'

Mrs Drummond raised a pair of beautifully pluckedeyebrows. 'Hello, Annot, my name is Judith. I hope my pestwasn't too much of a nuisance to you?'

`She was the only good thing about the flight,' Annotanswered, aware of the sudden tension the question hadproduced in Dorcas.

Mrs Drummond frowned. 'School holidays come round sooften, don't they? I hope James finds her even halfwaylikeable too. He isn't the sort of man who goes much forchildren.'

Annot, already at odds with Dorcas's mother, began tothink she was not going to like the unknown James either.'Oh well,' she said, rising to her feet, 'now that you've foundeach other I must be going. Goodbye, Dorcas.'

The girl's eyes opened wide. 'But where will you be? Youhaven't told me where you live!'

'I shall be at Jeremy Lincoln's place mostly. He's my uncle.

'Oh, that's all right, then!' the child sighed in relief. `I'll seelots and lots of you if you're going to be there!'

`Good,' said Annot. Mrs Drummond said nothing at all.

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As the taxi whirled her through Nairobi, Annot wasovercome by the sheer be'auty of a city she could onlyremember vaguely from her childhood. It wasn't only theflowers which lined the main streets in glorious profusionand lit the trees at all the roundabouts with purple, mauveand pink blossoms, but the buildings were some of the bestmodern architecture she had ever seen and quite unlike the

government buildings she had grown accustomed to asthey had proliferated across England with the growth oflocal government there.

'I hope you know where to go,' she said to the taxi-driver.'I'm afraid I only have a Post Office box number, which isn'tvery helpful when you want to find an address.'

'I know,' the driver answered. 'I know Mr Lincoln well. I seehim often when he goes to the shop where my brotherworks to buy film. He is a famous man!'

`Yes, well, he happens to be my uncle,' Annot saiduncomfortably. 'My mother is worried about him.'

The driver was too tactful to show that he didn't believe her.Instead, he turned his head and looked her up and downslowly. `Mr Lincoln is a young man,' he told her.

`A lot younger than my mother,' Annot conceded, 'but myuncle nevertheless.'

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The driver turned his attention back to the road. 'Okay, he'syour uncle.'

Nettled at being so blatantly disbelieved, Annot began toelaborate on her mother's family history. 'My mother is theeldest of eight children. Uncle Jeremy is the youngest andmy mother practically brought him up. We used to playtogether as children.'

'You were here as a child?' the driver asked her. Heseemed to be as pleased for her good fortune in havingknown Kenya before as he would have been if he had wonthe local sweepstake.

`Yes,' she agreed.

They moved out into the suburbs of Nairobi now, and Annotamused herself by looking at the multiplicity of designs ofthe many splendid houses, all of them set in equally finegardens. Life hadn't changed so very much, she reflected.Some of those same gardens she could remember frombeing taken to visit their owners when the children

of the house had been giving a birthday party, or on someother occasion.

They drove on for about an hour. Kabete had grown into afair-sized town, she noticed; Mgugu she didn't remember atall. Then, suddenly, the Rift Valley was before them, thegreat divide in the land that stretched from Palestine in the

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north right down to Malawi in the south. Here it was a flat-bottomed .valley with towering cliffs on either side, brokenonly by the soda lakes that were the homes of the greatflocks of flamingos which drew the tourists to East Africa assurely as the great cats that still roamed the golden plains.

At the foot of the cliff they turned off the made-up road andstarted off along what appeared to be a dry river-bed. Ashower of rain in the night had made the surface slipperyand Annot held on tight to the handle provided for thatpurpose on the side of the roof. The driver was amused byher fright.

'This is a good road,' he reminded her.

'Fantastic!' she retorted.

He laughed. 'Don't worry, I'll deliver you to your uncle aliveand well. I have my reputation as a safe driver to think of.'

Annot managed a wry laugh. 'I'd forgotten how slippery themurram surface can get when it rains. I'm beginning to thinkI'd forgotten quite a lot about Kenya.' She sounded as sorryas she felt. Her childhood had been an extremely happyone and she knew that living in such a beautiful, wild landhad had a lot to do with it. The freedom she had knownwould be difficult to find almost anywhere now.

A large round disc on a tree bore the legend Montgomery.Below it, almost rusted into oblivion, she read Lincoln, and

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sighed with relief. The thought of a bath and bed was anattractive one. She stretched her still-cramped limbs andgave a little gasp of pleasure as she caught sight of the

garden that surrounded the house in front of which thedriver had drawn up.

'Is this it?' she inquired.

'This is where Jeremy Lincoln lives,' he confirmed.

She paid him the fare and added a handsome tip becauseshe felt like it, and got out of the car with something likerelief.

'Don't bother to carry the cases in,' she murmured, 'I'll findsomeone to do it in a moment.' She felt much, much betternow that she had arrived. 'Thank you very much,' she wenton, and added in Swahili, 'Asante sans,' to show that sheremembered something of her childhood.

'Kariba,' he responded immediately. 'You're welcome.'

Annot watched him drive away with a sense of loss.Perhaps she should have asked him to wait until she hadmade sure of her welcome? But that was ridiculous. Heruncle had always been extremely fond of her, and he wasunlikely to have changed just because he hadn't seen herfor a few years. If he was there—? But if he wasn't therewhere was he?

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She approached the open front door and called out 'Hodi?'There was complete silence inside the house. 'Hodi?' shecalled again.

A small, extremely fat smooth-haired fox-terrier camepanting down the stairs towards her. After she had tickledhis ears, he decided to emit a number of gruff barks, asound which brought an African running into the hall. Helooked as startled at seeing Annot as if she had been avisitor from outer space.

'Memsahib?'

'Is Mr Lincoln in?' she asked him

His eyes grew rounder and he shook his head. 'Mr Lincolnnot here. Not here for a long time.' He pointed vaguely intospace. 'His house over there, but Mr Lincoln not thereeither.'

'I thought Mr Lincoln lived here?'

The African scuffed his feet. 'Sometimes,' he said vaguely.

Annot felt completely defeated. She had been so sure thatall she had to do was to arrive and that she wouldimmediately be shown to a bath and bed, but it wasn'tturning out like that.

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'I've just come from England,' she said aloud. `I'm extremelytired and, if my uncle lives here even sometimes, do youthink I could use his bed until someone comes?'

The African who, like all his kind, hated to be thoughtinhospitable, became much more cheerful at the prospectof being able to oblige her. In a matter of moments he hadcollected her luggage from the drive, rebuked the dog, whowas now barking his head off, and had ushered herupstairs into a cool bedroom which had an adjoiningbathroom all to itself.

`Shall I bring tea?' he offered.

Annot thanked him warmly. She crossed the room andlooked out of the window, hushing the dog in her turn'. Hesat at her feet, begging for attention, and she bent down totickle his chest, a gesture he accepted as his just due.

But I want to look at the garden,' she told him.

The dog opened his mouth and panted with the exertion 'ofgetting his own way. He knew a sucker when he saw oneand he saw no reason why she shouldn't indulge him for aslong as he thought fit.

`You are a big bully!' Annot said in his ear. 'And, whateveryou think, I'm going to look at the garden, so there!'

He put his head on one side and stared at her as she

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carried out her threat. Annot did her best to ignore him,encouraged by the view of the garden that met her eyes.She had never seen a lovelier oasis of colour anywhere,with jacaranda trees, hibiscus, plumbago, frangipani,poinsettias, and, far away in the distance, the deep scarletof some Nandi flame-trees. True, the jacaranda waspatchy, the

mauve blossom appearing only here and there on thebranches, but it was enough to remind her what it could belike when it covered the whole tree and fell in a circlearound the trunk in gorgeous profusion.

She could not remember that her uncle had ever beenmuch interested in gardens, but perhaps he had reformedsince those early days when he had just come down fromuniversity and when his only interest in the world around himhad been in looking at it through the lens of his camera.

The dog whined at her feet, signalling the return of theAfrican servant, who bore a silver tray on which were notonly the tea-pot and a cup and saucer but some minute,beautifully-cut cucumber and tomato sandwiches.

'I hope you sleep well,' he said, putting the tray down besidethe bed. 'Shall I take the dog away?'

Annot glanced at the fat little terrier and lost the battle ofwills between them. `I think he'd prefer to stay,' she said

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weakly.

The African grinned. 'He is not allowed on the bed,' hewarned her.

'Of course not,' she agreed virtuously.

The dog waited for the servant to leave the room and thenjumped straight up on to the bed, settling himself with asingle-minded determination. Annot suspected that thatwas where he had been when she had first arrived. Shegave him a little pat, undoing the buttons of her blouse withher other hand.

'Well,' she compromised, 'just while I have my bath, then.After that you'll have to get down.'

It was sheer bliss to lie in the bath and allow the scentedwater to wash away the stresses and strains of her night inthe plane. To lie down on the cool, clean sheets of the bedwas even better. Annot uttered a brief complaint to the dog,who insisted on licking her toes, closed her eyes and

turned over on to her side, fast asleep in a matter ofseconds.

She thought it was the noise of snoring that awoke her, butwhen she looked down at her feet the dog had gone. Shewondered what the time was; her watch had stopped, andshe thought with some annoyance that she must have

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forgotten to wind it on the plane.

'Blast!' she said out loud.

She became aware then that someone was looking at her.He was seated back to front on a rather spindly chair, hiselbows resting on its back and supporting his chin. She hadnever seen him in her life before.

She lay back, shutting her eyes again, and wondered if hecouldn't possibly be the figment of her imagination, butwhen she opened her eyes again he was still there, his hairdark and curling down over his neck and his eyes as vividas green glass.

'Who are you?' she demanded.

'More to the point,' he answered, 'who are you?'

She blinked. 'Me?' She would have sat up, but at that samemoment she remembered that she hadn't bothered to find anightdress before throwing herself into the cool luxury of thebed. It was an unnerving Moment.

'If you'd go downstairs,' she began, 'I could get dressed and—'

The mockery in his eyes brought her to a full stop. 'And?' heprompted her.

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`Mr Lincoln is away,' she brought out with creditableaplomb. 'I don't know why you should have come upstairswithout a by-your-leave, but I'm quite willing to discuss itdownstairs when I'm dressed and in my right mind.'

His eyes narrowed. 'You're a friend of Jeremy Lincoln's?'

His disapproval was the last straw. 'What if I am?' she

demanded. 'Jeremy's entitled to have some friends, isn'the?'

'The man stood up, his expression one of contempt. 'Ishouldn't have thought you'd be one of their number,' heshot at her. 'The sooner you get up the better. If you have itin mind to be entertained by Jeremy, I'm sure you'd findyourself more comfortable in his house rather than in mine.'

'This is his house.' Even to her own ears she soundedpainfully uncertain.

'If you think that it's clear you don't know Jeremy very ell.This is my house, and my farm—and my bed, come to that!'

'Then where is Jeremy?'

The man shrugged. 'If he invited you here to stay with him,presumably he'll be back in time—'

Annot gave him an aggrieved look. 'You don't care if he

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isn't, do you?'

'Not a lot,' he agreed. 'I don't imagine it's the end of yourworld either, not to find him ready and waiting for you. Youlook more foolish than sinful.'

'Sinful? What are you talking about?'

'What you suppose! Your proposal to keep Jeremycompany for a while to show the world how independentand liberated you are. Well, let me tell you, what you need isa good smacking and to be sent back where you camefrom' He glared down at her and she was more than halfconvinced that he was about to suit his actions to hiswords. 'Where do you come from?' he added on a differentnote.

'England,' she said.

He looked grimmer than ever. 'So that's where he's been!He hasn't been here for weeks. It looks, young lady, asthough you've had your journey for nothing! Unless youconsider jumping us of Jeremy's frying-pan into my fire asufficiently exciting adventure for one of your dubious senseof propriety?'

Annot nearly laughed. 'Are you always so rude?' she askedhim.

`To your sort—always! I've had a great deal of experience

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of the kind of traps that can be laid for someone in myposition! '

Annot opened her eyes wide. 'Bit it was Jeremy I came tosee,' she assured him breathlessly. 'I know my limitations,Mr—Mr—?'

'James Montgomery,' he supplied reluctantly.

Annot remembered the name on the disc on the tree andgroaned. 'And this is your house?'

'I built it!'

'And is that fat little dog yours too?'

'No. He belongs to Jeremy—when he's here. He doesn'tseem to know it, though, and when Jeremy is away he'salways over here, trying to move in. Most of Jeremy'sencumbrances seem to find this a better setting forthemselves than his place.'

Annot felt obliged to defend the clog. 'He thinks he'sbeautiful and unique! Nobody ever told him he's too fat andrather plain!'

'I have, frequently,' was the unsympathetic answer.

'You couldn't have said it with much conviction,' sheretorted. 'And this encumbrance of Jeremy's is only too

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willing to leave your roof as soon as you point me out theway to Jeremy's house!'

'I have a feeling that, like the dog, you'll be back!' 'Never!'

He slanted his head, eyeing every inch of her that wasvisible with a thoughtful air. 'If I were you,' he advised withcalm insolence, 'I'd change my allegiance as quickly as Icould from Jeremy Lincoln. You'd have a much better time ifyou stayed on here.'

'I doubt if your fiancée would agree with you!' Annotsnapped, suddenly scared because she couldn't help being

aware of the man's animal attractions, and she didn't wantanything to interfere with the cool head she knew she wouldneed to deal with him satisfactorily.

'Is that a shot in the dark?' he demanded.

She shook her head. 'I travelled out with her daughter, anice child called Dorcas. I don't think you've met her yet?'

'But you have met Judith Drummond?'

She nodded, wondering at his amusement. 'When's thewedding?' she countered nastily.

'Never, if I have anything to do with it. Don't misunderstandme, I'm fond of Judith, but no woman is going to tie me up

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until I'm good and ready to give up my present way of life.Women need other things besides scenery, hard work, andthe occasional tribal ceremony, and I'm not yet ready togive it all up and go and live in a city.'

Annot stared at him in total disbelief. 'You can't be serious!'she said at last.

'In what way?' he asked.

'What woman wouldn't be happy living here?'

'None that I know. On a short-term basis perhaps, but notfor the rest of their lives.'

'But you only live just over the hour outside Nairobi!' 'It's farenough. Far enough to be left alone by all but the mostpersistent!'

'I suppose you mean me? Well, let me tell you, nothingwould have induced me to come here if I'd known it wasyour house. In fact, I wouldn't have come to Kenya at all ifmy moth—' She broke off.

His interest was caught. 'Your mother? I don't think you'vetold me your name?'

'It's Annot Lindsay,' she muttered.

'And Jeremy persuaded you to come?'

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It was hard to tell a deliberate lie to him when he looked

at her in just that way. Annot crossed her fingers under thebedclothes. 'Yes,' she said.

'I'll bet he did! And what did your mother have to do with it?'

'That's scarcely any business of yours Annot said withdetermination.

'I'm making it my business, Miss Annot Lindsay. I'm curiousabout you—not only because I've found you sleeping in mybed like Goldilocks, but because I wouldn't like to see a girllike you fall into Jeremy's ungentle hands unless you havemore native cunning and hardness that can cope with hismore outrageous suggestions. Unless I'm much mistaken,you have neither.'

'Indeed?' she flashed. 'Well, I'd rather fall into Jeremy'shands than yours any day!'

He bent over the bed, his eyes holding hers with an easethat put her into a fret of fear as to what he might intend byher.

'But you have fallen into my hands, Annot Lindsay, whetheryou like the fact or not. You come to my house and slept inmy bed, and now you'll answer my questions and I'll decidewhat's best to be done with you. Is that clear?'

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She nodded, her frightened gaze misting with tears. 'Butonly when I'm dressed. I wish you'd go away!'

'I'll give you ten minutes, Miss Lindsay,' he said. 'If you're notdown by then, I'll send the dog up after you!'

CHAPTER TWO

ANNOT supposed that that was a joke, but she wasn'tlaughing. Now that he had left the room she had time torealise how deeply he had got under her skin. He hadcaught her off guard and she was ashamed that she hadn'tdealt with the whole situation better. What had been thepoint of trying to antagonise him? Had it been only becauseshe had disliked the sound of James Montgomery from thefirst instant that Mrs Drummond had referred to him? Butshe hadn't known who he was when she had first awakenedand had found him sitting there watching her. No, it hadbeen that that she had found so disturbing. She had nomeans of knowing how long he had been there and, worsestill, she hadn't so much resented his presence, it had beenthe extraordinary effect on her she had disliked. She hadbeen more conscious of him, of the sheer physicalattraction of the man, than she had ever been of anyoneelse in her life before. He had spelt danger, and the smell ofit was still in her nostrils, warning her of something shecouldn't put into words. She only knew that where he wasconcerned she would have to tread very carefully indeed.

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Annot rejected the cotton pants and shirt she had beenwearing earlier in favour of a green hand-embroideredcheesecloth dress she had made herself. It was cool andvery feminine, showing off her long legs and hinting that ifshe chose to reveal more of herself, it would only be ofbenefit to those who had to look at her.

Sitting in front of the dressing-table, she made herself upwith inordinate care, brushing on only the lightest of eye-shadows, and left her face to look as natural as possible.

She was fortunate in having a lovely complexion, as fair asher eyes were dark. She wore her hair in what wasbasically a pony-tail knotted at the top of her head, a crownof gold that contrasted oddly with her nearly black eyes.

Satisfied at last, she made a face at herself in the glassand, picking up the bag that doubled as a handbag andsomething in which she could carry her favourite camerasin order to have them always by her, she went slowlydownstairs, determined that this time she would deal withher reluctant host on a more equal basis.

'Dash it all, he can't eat me! ' she confided to the dog, whohad deigned to come to the foot of the stairs to greet her.

'I wouldn't be too sure of that!' a masculine voice said fromthe shadows of the hall. 'You look like a crisp English applein that dress, Miss Lindsay. Far too good for Jeremy,' he

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went on.

'He doesn't have to appreciate me!' she answered crossly.'No?'

He led the way into a spacious, elegant sitting-room. TheWilliam Morris covers gave it a very English air that wasaccentuated by the fireplace that was of baronialproportions, and which had a very handsome fireback thatcould have been of Tudor design and workmanship.

'Won't you sit down?' he suggested as she hesitated,enjoying the almost Edwardian luxury of the room.

'Thank you,' she said demurely.

The chairs were every bit as comfortable as they looked,and Annot placed her cameras at her feet and sat well backin the chair of her choice. 'You have a lovely home,' shesmiled up at Mr Montgomery. She would keep the interviewas pleasant as she could, she decided inwardly. It wasridiculous to allow her initial dislike of him to undermine herusual good manners.

'You think so?' It seemed he intended being as polite

as she. 'You'd find it lonely if you were to spend any timehere.'

'Do you find it so?'

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'A man can put up better with the loss of the small changeof life—'

'Rubbish!' Her good intentions forgotten, Annot flared uplike a match. 'I've never heard such nonsense! Women aremuch better built for discomfort, for a start. Secondly, whois better at doing the tedious jobs that one has to do foroneself if one lives a long way from a town? Women, everytime!'

`Women get bored—'

'I've never been bored in my life!'

James Montgomery sat down in the chair opposite her,looking her up and down with a masculine superiority thatmaddened her.

'Much too good for Jeremy!' he gave it as his opinion atlast. Calmly he watched her temper rise. 'You'd do far betterto settle for me, my dear.'

'Would I?' A tight feeling in the pit of her stomach warnedher yet again that this man was dangerous. `I don't think so.It seems to me you already have your hands pretty full.' Asshe spoke, the memory of Judith Drummond came into hermind, confident, tanned, and not particularly likeable. Annotsmiled brilliantly across at James. 'Aren't two womenenough for you?'

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`Two?'

It was Annot's turn to look smug. 'You haven't met Dorcasyet,' she said.

If she had hoped to discomfit him, she was forced to admitshe had failed. His eyes lit with immediate amusement.'No, I haven't met Dorcas,' he agreed, 'but I expect her to beconsiderably less trouble than her mother. She sounds asensible little thing.'

'She is.' Annot frowned. 'She has a lot of faith in you,'

she added, 'she thinks you're the answer to all her mother'sproblems.'

James Montgomery's expression didn't change a whit.'What did I tell you?' he taunted her. 'Women and gossip gotogether like peaches and cream! They're never too young—and they're never too old—to bare their souls to oneanother. What else did this pint-sized chatterbox have tosay?'

'Very little,' said Annot, disliking him. 'We spent most of theflight trying to catch a little sleep, if you must know!'

'Poor Miss Lindsay,' he taunted her. 'You must have beendisappointed not to hear all the details of every word Judithand I have exchanged with one another.'

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'It holds no interest for me ! ' she denied.

'No?'

It shouldn't have done, but the truth was that the thought ofthis man in the company of Mrs Drummond did niggle her.That didn't mean she was interested, precisely—only inDorcas! She had liked Dorcas from the first moment shehad set eyes on her!

`Mr Montgomery, I don't think this is getting us very far,' shebegan warily. 'I'm sorry if I gate crashed your house—'

`And bed!' he insisted.

'Very well, and bed! But it was an honest mistake. If MrLincoln doesn't live here, perhaps you'd be kind enough toshow me where he does live?'

`Not yet, Miss Lindsay.' He stood up and walked over to theFrench windows that led out into the garden. 'I want to knowwhat you expect from Jeremy Lincoln first. Others have triedto reform him before now, but none have succeeded. It hasalways meant disaster for the woman concerned.'

`Indeed?' Annot cast a cold look at his back. 'Well, pleasantas it is to gossip with you, Mr Montgomery, I have

better things to do with my time, even if you haven't!'

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He had the audacity to laugh at her. 'A good try, Annot,' hesaid dryly, 'but you're not leaving here until I've got to thebottom of this business, so you might as well start at thebeginning and tell me the whole story. Where does yourmother come into it, for instance?'

'I don't think that's any business of yours!'

He turned his head and looked at her, and it blighted anythought she might have had to take him further to task. Shefelt very small and unaccountably guilty, yet he had no rightto question her as if she were a naughty child. He had norights over her at all!

'When did you last see Jeremy?' he asked in the same drytones.

She would have loved to refuse to answer, but she hadn'tthe courage to antagonise him further. 'Years ago,' she saidas airily as she could.

He looked startled at that. 'Years ago? You must have beena child?'

'I was.' She fingered the embroidery on the front of herdress. 'He's my uncle.'

She was aware that that was the last thing he had expectedher to say. He came back from the window and stood overher, glaring down at her.

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'He's your uncle? Why on earth didn't you say so sooner?'She shrugged. 'I didn't see why I should tell you anything!'she said indignantly. 'I still don't!'

'But you're going to, Miss Lindsay, just the same! Goodheavens, girl, didn't your family get my letter about Jeremy?'

Annot nodded sullenly. 'That began it all,' she couldn't resistputting in. 'My mother was already worried because shehadn't heard from him for so long, and then your letterclinched it—especially when we heard nothing more fromyou! Didn't you care about the upset you'd caused?'

'That I'd caused?' His indignation made him seem morehuman and very much more likeable.

'My mother has always fussed over Jeremy,' Annot added.'She's much older than he is and she practically broughthim up. He's my uncle in fact, but he's much more like anolder brother to me in many ways. We practically grew uptogether, until my part of the family went back to England.'

'Even if he were your brother, I can't see what good youthought you could do by coming out to Kenya on your own,'James Montgomery pointed out.

Annot sighed. 'My mother has more faith in my capabilitiesthan you have,' she said.

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`Ridiculous! What were you supposed to do?'

Annot studied his well-defined features with ill-concealedanxiety. 'Find him, I suppose.' She continued, 'I don't knowhow much you know about Jeremy—'

'More than you do, I daresay!'

The interruption added a note of steel to her voice. 'Youdon't seem to know very much about him,' she said. 'Youdon't even know where he is!'

'Nor do you!' he pointed out.

'No,' she admitted, 'but I do know what he's doing. And, untilhe comes back, I'm going to stay in his house and see whatsort of a farmer he's turned out to be.'

'You're going to do what?'

The nervous quiver in her stomach spread upwards andshe shivered. 'You can't stop me!' she dared him.

'I don't have to!' he retorted sharply. 'Great Scott, girl, don'tyou know anything about Jeremy at all? He hasn't got afarm! He's barely got a house. If he wants a bath, he comesover here to have one and for most of his meals

too, when he's here, which isn't often! '

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Annot blenched. 'What happened to his farm?'

'He sold out.'

`To you?'

James Montgomery shook his head. 'I wouldn't have himwithin shouting distance of any farm of 'mine! No, he soldout to an African co-operative under the Africanisation offarmland scheme. He got a much better price than hedeserved, too, considering the state of the land.' Hiscontempt reached out across the room and chilled her.

'Jeremy didn't pretend to be a great farmer,' she defendedher uncle.

'It would have been hard to be a worse one. It used to makemy blood boil to see him lounging about while the placewent td pieces all round him. People like him ought to havebeen cleared off the land long ago. Since he sold out therate of production has gone up several hundred per cent.'

Annot countered, 'Perhaps he wasn't much interested infarming. He's always been a photographer first and afarmer second.'

Mr Montgomery made an impatient noise that demoralisedher still further. 'He's bone idle! He spent every penny hegot for the farm on a Range Rover and a new camera, andoff he went into the blue. That was the last any of us saw of

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him!'

'Did you look for him?'

James Montgomery stared at her in silence for a longmoment. 'Where do you suggest I should have begun thesearch?'

'I don't know.' She pulled herself together with difficulty. 'Ishall have to start somewhere!'

He towered over her and she was very conscious of thesheer male strength of his physique. It did nothing for herimmediate comfort.

'Don't be silly!' he said. 'You'd do better to go straight backto England. He'll turn up when he's good and ready.'

'He may do,' she conceded, 'but when? The magazine he'sworking for won't wait forever. That's the other reason

I'm here. Mother suggested I should finish his assignmentfor him if he didn't get back in time. The magazine wasagreeable—just, and so here I am!

'Just like that?'

She nodded briefly. 'I can cope. I'm not asking for anythingfrom anyone else! If you'll show me the way to Jeremy'shouse—'

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'When I'm good and ready!' He was blazingly angry, but notit seemed any longer with her. 'You won't be able to staythere, but you may as well see it. I'll phone a hotel in Nairobiand drive you in before it gets dark—meanwhile I'll tell thecook you're staying on for a meal. Would you care to seethe garden?'

Her heart knocked painfully against her ribs; it took morecourage than she could easily summon up to defy him. 'Idon't care what the house is like, Mr Montgomery, that'swhere I'm staying!'

His fingers closed round her arm. 'You'll do as you're told ! '

Forced to her feet, she stood stock still until he releasedher with a murmured apology. 'I'm sure Mrs Drummondlikes the masterful touch,' she put in sourly.

'Annot, shut up!'

'I haven't said you could call me Annot!' she snapped,rubbing her arm.

`It's Scottish, isn't it?'

She gaped at him. No one had ever known the origin of hername before; she had thought of it as being all her own, thatit had a rarity value that somehow brushed off on her. 'Yes,it is,' she said reluctantly.

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`Are you Scottish, Miss Lindsay?'

'My mother is. Her name is Annis. Annot is a variation ofthat, or Agnes. It's very unusual.'

'As unusual as its owner?'

She was annoyed he could read her so easily. 'I don't claimto be special in any way—'

'Don't you? A girl who's never bored, and who will throwherself into the breach for her uncle without a secondthought? I'd say you were either very special or very stupid,Miss Lindsay.'

'It isn't much to come out to Kenya—'

'Not for a man,' he said dryly.

She dismissed that with a casual shrug. 'There wasn't aman available. And anyway, I don't see what he could havedone that I can't do equally well!'

He gave her a slanting look. 'You'd better come and look atthe garden before we quarrel again—'

'I'm not going to quarrel with you, Mr Montgomery, the wholething is perfectly simple. I'm going to get on with what Icame out here to do—and you can't stop me! Well, youcan't, can you?'

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'I think I might be able to,' he answered smoothly, 'How?'she demanded.

'Don't you really know, Miss Lindsay?'

She stirred uncomfortably. 'You'd better call me Annot afterall,' she compromised, hoping to change the subject.'Thank you. Will you call me James?'

He sounded so serious she knew he was mocking her.'Yes,' she agreed. The strange thing was that she wasflattered that he should ask her to use his first name, yetwith most people she would never have thought of doinganything else. Was she so much in awe of him? shewondered, and came to the conclusion that perhaps shewas, which was in itself a ridiculous state of affairs.

'It's quite an easy name to pronounce,' he assured herwithout a glimmer of a smile, 'but perhaps you don't care forit?'

'Yes, of course I do! I like it very much.'

'But not its owner?'

'I don't know you well enough to say,' she countered quickly,and stepped out on to the terrace before he could sayanything further to embarrass her. He followed her, walkingslowly by her side across the vividly green, springy lawn.

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'It's incredible,' she said in her most social tone of voice,'that you've been able to create such an oasis of beautyhere when it's so dry all around. Have you a secret supply ofwater?'

`Not just a pretty face, Miss Lindsay? How do you come toknow about our water problems out here?'

'We had a farm here ourselves when I was a child. Not inthe Rift Valley, we grew sheep close to Molo. The land ismuch richer where we were.'

'The rainfall is much higher,' he agreed.

Before he could go on and say anything else, she lifted herhead and looked him straight in the eyes. Molo is a longway from anywhere, but I never heard my mother complainof loneliness. We couldn't pop into Nairobi for the day fromthere!'

'In -those days you had more neighbours of your own kind,'he retorted. 'It might have been different if you had neverseen a white face from one week's end to another.'

Her eyes fell. There was some truth in what he said, thoughshe didn't believe for a moment that it would have madeany difference to her mother of all people. She likedpeople, all people, and the only time Annot had seen herreally, angry was when she had discovered by accident the

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appalling conditions some of the workers had beenexpected to live in on a neighbouring farm.

'Are you lonely for your own kind?' she asked.

'I haven't been so far.' He stopped beside a yellow-flowering sugar bush, touching the long leaves with gentlefingers. 'The farm is called after this plant,' he told her, 'theMasai call it Ol-Orte. They called the spring and the

stream that runs through the place after the flower, and Icalled the farm after that.'

`Ol-Orte,' she repeated, savouring the name on her tongue.'What is Jeremy's place called?'

'He hasn't got a place:

'You said he has a house!'

'A shack. It's actually on my land. I let him have it rent free.'

She turned to him in surprise. 'Now why do you do that?'she wondered.

`He had nowhere else to go. Don't make too much of it,Annot, it wasn't much of a favour! Nor is he the only onewho comes and goes on my land at will. The Masai have amanyatta over there which gets positively crowded whentheir cousins the Samburu come visiting. I've never turned

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anyone off my land yet, unless they bring diseased cattlewith them, or try to run their beasts with mine.'

`Why not?' Annot inquired, genuinely interested.

'God gave us the land as he gave us the air above. Wedon't charge people rent for breathing.'

She digested that in silence. 'How long have you beenliving here?' she said at last.

He smiled slowly. long enough to understand something ofhow the natives think,' he responded. 'Was that what youwanted to know?'

She nodded. 'I suppose it was. Why did you write to Motherabout Jeremy?'

'He wasn't well when he left here—he gets recurring boutsof malaria and he won't do anything about it. I thought thewhole expedition ill-judged and ill-planned.' He hesitated. 'Isuppose it was another way of washing my hands of him.He can be a tiresome neighbour and I didn't want his fateon my conscience.'

`You don't like him,' she accused him.

`No, Annot, I don't. You'd do much better to forget all

about him and go back to England. If he's in any trouble, it

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will have been entirely of his own making. Why should yourisk your neck for him?'

'I'm his niece,' she pointed out. 'Besides, I don't believethere's any danger in finishing his assignment and having alook round for him. What on earth could happen to me?'

'In Africa you never know—'

'Oh, come on! I've lived here too, you know!' she remindedhim.

'Under rather different circumstances. You'll understandbetter, perhaps, when I show you where he lives.'

'Where I'm going to live.'

'Not on my land, you're not!'

She set her chin at a belligerent angle. 'I shan't do anythingto your cattle!' she defied him, then her curiosity got thebetter of her determination. 'What kind of cattle do you run?'she asked him.

'The native cattle, the humped Boran. It's a bit dry here foranything else, and the rainfall isn't enough to grow anycrops. The Boran isn't a bad beef producer, though, it liveson next to nothing and it butchers well. When I first camehere, I thought of crossing them with a European breed, butI came to the conclusion that they wouldn't do half so well

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here. Like their people, they're much more demanding thanthe indigenous breed!'

'Is that a hit at Jeremy—and me?' she demanded.

He moved on nonchalantly to where some bougainvilleaspilled over a frame to make a shady walk underneath. 'Ifthe cap fits—'

'Because I haven't asked you for anything!' she deniedviolently.

He turned round so quickly that she collided with him

'Oh, yes, you have] You've been asking for trouble eversince I first set eyes on you, Miss Annot Lindsay! And youknow it ! '

`I don't know what you mean, and I don't think I want toknow!' she told him.

`No?' He raised a hand to her face and traced the curves ofher lips with his finger. 'Girls were made to love and kiss,not to go rushing off on harebrained adventures bythemselves!'

She took a step backwards. 'You're very old-fashioned—and not very kind,' she protested.

`Kind?' He looked amused. `Do you want me to be kind to

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you, Annot?'

'I'd like you to leave me alone!'

The smile reached his eyes. 'Would you? I doubt it.' He benthis head and touched his lips to her cheek. 'Isn't that whatyou want?'

She considered slapping his face, but knew even as shedid so that she had already left it too late for such an actionto be spontaneous. The next best thing, she thought, was topass it off as coolly as she suspected Judith Drummondwould do.

'What I want, Mr Montgomery—'

'James.'

`Oh, all right then, James! What I want is to be allowed tosettle into Jeremy's shack in peace. He'll have left thedetails of his assignment somewhere around and I need tothink about that too, all by myself!'

James straightened up, shrugging his shoulders. 'As youlike,' he murmured. 'I suppose you've been ballooningbefore?' he added on a throwaway note. 'It's a bitfrightening at first—or so I'm told.'

`Ballooning?'

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'Didn't you know?' He raised an eyebrow at her. 'Perhapsthat'll make you change your mind about takingon whereJeremy left off?'

Annot made a play of admiring an hibiscus vitifolius whileshe gave herself time to recover. The flowers were

yellow, with dark centres, something like an enormousblack-eyed Susan, and she had always liked it. The Masaiand the Kipsigis make their arrow-shafts from the stems ofthe shrub—she remembered being told that as a child. Shetouched the enormous stamens and brushed the pollen offher fingers on the green grass.

'I seldom change my mind—about anything,' she saidaloud. 'Even Father allows that I have a very determinednature.'

'Determined, or stubborn?' James asked her. 'You have astubborn set to your chin.'

'Only when people try to stop me from doing what I have to,'she replied, squinting up at him. 'One has to do what onehas to do, even you must admit that?'

'That's a man's philosophy,' he answered. 'If you were aman I'd probably admire you for it, but no one expects a girlto prove herself by trying to achieve the impossible. Thevery idea of going up in a balloon frightens you to death,doesn't it? Be sensible, Annot! Nobody is going to think any

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less of you if you leave Jeremy to his own devices, certainlynot I!'

'But I should.' Her voice quavered despite herself. 'I shouldfeel a pig if I didn't do what I set out to do, finish hisassignment, and find him too—if I can. I'll do it too, you seeif I don't!'

He sighed. 'I knew you were going to be a perishingnuisance,' he said, 'I could feel it in my bones the moment Isaw you lying in my bed asleep. You're more than anuisance, you're the most tiresome wench I ever cameacross! If you must know, I hate to be made uncomfortable,and I can see we're both going to be thoroughlyuncomfortable before we're through. Especially me,because you're not going to sleep in Jeremy's shack, I am!'

Annot stood up with a bounce. 'But I don't mind—' He puthis hands on her shoulders and looked deep into

her eyes. 'Don't press your luck, little one,' he advised. `Oneof the advantages of being female is that the male gives upthe best he has for you. There are other advantages, butyou'll have time to learn about them later on. The oneadvantage the man has is to run things his way, and that'ssomething you'd better learn straight away, because thistime I'm telling you. Next time, I won't tell you anything —I'llbring it home to you not in words, but in actions. Okay?'

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`You mean you're coming with me?' she demanded.

'No, I. don't. I mean' that you're coming with me—providingyou behave yourself and don't get in my way.' He shook herwith surprising gentleness. `What else can I do, AnnotLindsay? I can't let you go by yourself, can I?'

`Can't you?' she asked.

`No, I can't! And you know as well as I do why not!'

CHAPTER THREE

ANNOT stood in the doorway of the hut, her mind in a whirl.How could anyone live in such a pigsty? Especially, howcould any relative of hers live there? What had happened toJeremy since she had last seen him, that he should be sounaware of his surroundings? The place smelt of dung farmore than the nearby Masai enclosure which was built of it,and the roof badly needed re-thatching. She suspectedthere were bats lurking in the shadows too, but she had notstopped to investigate the interior further. More thananything else, however, she was glad that she had not hadto spend a night there by herself. She had more reason tobe grateful to James Montgomery than she had known.

Her eyes swept the distant horizon, marvelling at the milesand miles that were spread out before her. Close by werethe thorn bushes, the wind whistling through their holedseed-cases, rivalling the many insect noises of the bush. A

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lizard in magnificent array of reds and blues was sunninghimself on a nearby flat-topped stone, his less brilliantfemales darting in and out of the crevices. Beyond thestone was a group of umbrella trees casting little pools ofshadow on the rust-coloured earth. In one of these poolsstood a Samburu moran, a warrior of his tribe, his scarletloincloth a flash of brightness against the sun-bleachedbackground. He was leaning on his spear, one foot tuckedup against his thigh and his head thrown back, his long hair,dressed with a mixture of pulverised mud and fat, reachingdown almost to his shoulder-blades. It was a typicallyAfrican scene, such as could be seen nowhere else, andshe had not known how much she had missed it. It

made her heart ache within her see the blues and purplesof the distant hills and the ever-present puffs of cloudsround the edges of the sky.

There was a movement behind her and she stirredreluctantly, moving away from the doorway. JamesMontgomery ducked his head and came out into thesunshine, standing beside her in silence for a few minutes.

'I'm sorry,' she said at last, 'I didn't know. I'll get myself aroom in Nairobi—'

'I've slept in worse places. Don't fuss, Annot!'

'I'm not fussing,' she denied, 'only I didn't know what it was

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like. I wouldn't ask a dog to sleep in such a hovel!'

'Jeremy's dog certainly agrees with you about that! Hethinks he was made for better things!'

'I daresay he does,' Annot said dryly. 'But you shouldn'tallow him to sleep on your bed, all the same. What heneeds is a firm hand.'

James grinned. 'Like somebody else I can think of! I gatheryou lost the battle?'

'I was tired,' she excused herself, 'I wouldn't have stood for itotherwise. He'd have slept in his basket—or else!'

'Perhaps you'll have better success with him tonight,'James said on a note of malice. 'You can console yourselfthat he's far less dangerous an invader than I should be.'

Annot pursed up her lips with disapproval. 'I shan't be doingbattle with him tonight. You're not going to spend anothernight here, and I can't stay on at your house with you there,so I'll v. It'll be your turn to have the dog tonight! '

'He's called Sijui—'

'Meaning "I don't know"?'

'That's right. Every time anyone inquired what he was calledthat was the answer they got, so he finally came to be

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known by it. Jeremy just calls him The Dog.'

Annot squinted into the distance. 'I'm glad he has him. Hedoesn't seem to have much.'

'He has what he wants.'

But she shook her head, determined not to believe it. 'Hewas going to be the greatest photographer on earth. Iremember him saying that one day he would holdexhibitions of his work all over the world. He wanted tomake a name for himself then; I don't believe he's changedso much.'

`You haven't seen him for a long time,' James remindedher. 'People change. Don't expect too much when you dorun across him.'

She would certainly expect less now she had seen thedismal but he called home, she thought. But why? That wasthe question. Why had he given up everything that he hadand then disappeared without a word to anyone?

She brushed the tears out of her eyes, pretending it wasdust that had blown up into her face. 'It doesn't matter whathe is, he's still my uncle.'

`True, little one. Perhaps he sold all he had in order to gainthe pearl of great price. It costs real money to hire hot-airballoons and make a dream come true.'

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Her shoulders sagged with relief at the thought and shegave him a rather misty smile. `Yes, it could be that, couldn'tit? A Range Rover doesn't cost nothing either, nor does thesort of camera he uses. He was always particular about hiscameras.'

James frowned. 'What about you?'

'My first camera was an old one of his,' she told him, almosteagerly. 'I've graduated since those days, but I still believein keeping it simple. The one I have suits me very well. I usedifferent lenses, of course, including a zoom for mostanimal shots, but I keep the same base for them all.'

`What about developing?'

'I do my own. Most of the art lies in that side of photography.One can change the colours, fuzz the edges, do almostanything once one knows how. I enjoy messing about in thedarkroom. It's a challenge, and when something reallycomes off there's nothing like it! It's like climbing MountEverest. It's an achievement no one can take away fromyou.'

James gave her an odd look. 'Jeremy taught you well?' hegrunted.

She shook her head, laughing. 'Jeremy hasn't thatenthusiasm patience to teach anyone anything! But he fired

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my

for photography, though. The rest I learned at college inEngland.

'Passing out with honours?'

She opened her eyes wide. 'Top of the class,' sheanswered gently. 'I'm good, you know—more than capableof finishing Jeremy's assignment for him.'

James looked beyond her to the Samburu moran. 'We'llsee. Are you ready to go back to the house?'

Annot nodded her agreement. 'Who is the Samburu?' sheasked him.

'He used to be my gun-bearer before he became a juniorwarrior. There's a group of morons living on my land at themoment and he joined up with them, though he cameoriginally from another group that lives in the south. We'lltake him with us when we go down to Amboseli.'

This was the first Annot had heard about their going to anysuch place. 'Amboseli? Isn't that one of the gamereserves?'

'Yes. It's right down on the Tanzanian border, tucked underMount Kilimanjaro. That's where Jeremy was headed forwhen he left here. The wardens said he never checked in

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with them, but he might have got on to the reserve someother way. It was where he intended taking his photographsfor this assignment of his, or so he said the night before hetook off.'

Annot turned towards James in some embarrassment.'Look,' she began awkwardly, 'you don't have to botherabout me to the extent of going all that way. You have yourfarm to look after. 'I'll manage quite well by myself!'

'Like hell you will! My dear girl, you're as green as grass ifyou think that! I may not like it, but I'm landed with you, andthat's that! So do me a favour and don't argue about itanymore. Okay?'

Yesterday, she might have thought he had no reason fortaking charge of her in this high-handed way, but afterseeing Jeremy's shack and knowing that he had spared hera night in its squalor, she had a greater respect for hisjudgment. 'Perhaps I should go back to England after all,'she muttered. The prospect hardly pleased and she heldher breath until he made an impatient noise in the back ofhis throat and glared at her.

'Annot—'

She smiled her relief, her eyes dark with emotion. 'All right,all right,' she said quickly, 'I give in gladly! I expect you'reright and that I wouldn't know how to begin to hire a balloon

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and so on, but you see, I don't want to impose on you either.There's nothing I can do for you in return, is there?'

He strode off ahead of her, his unbuttoned shirt flappinground his hips. He walked with the same arrogance andgrace as the people he lived among, his head held highand his back straight. He looked as though he could walkfor miles without even noticing the exercise. He had astrength that appealed to her greatly—and not only to hereye. She thought of him as a bastion protecting her, notonly from the hazards of a country where the unexpectedwas always just round the corner, but in a more personalway, almost as though they were necessary to each other insome way as yet unspecified. Was she flattering herself tothink that? she wondered. It was easy to see what he wasgiving to

their partnership—if partnership it was—but what was shegiving back to him?

'James, you don't mind coming with me, do you?'

He turned his head and waited for her to catch up with him.'What do you think?'

Something in his glance brought the colour burning into hercheeks; she could have danced and sung for the sheer joyof it. Instead, she fell into step beside him, her eyes meeklyon the ground in front of her.

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'I'm so glad,' she said.

'Didn't I say you were far too good for Jeremy?' heobserved. He held out his hand to her. 'Partners?'

'Oh yes! I'll do my share, you know. I'm—'

A smile lingered at the corners of his mouth. 'Haven't youlearned yet that people only do what they want to do when itcomes down to it? You don't have to thank me, AnnotLindsay. In fact, you're more likely to dislike me intensely bythe time we're through. I've become used to having my ownway, and I don't appreciate it when some obstinate femaleargues the toss with me over something she knows nothingabout.'

'Of course not,' she agreed.

'But you're still the one to do it?' he sighed.

'Probably,' she nodded. 'I'm sure you'll put me down yerynicely, though. You have a gentler touch than I thought atfirst.'

Apparently that startled him. He gave her an outraged lookand then burst into laughter. 'Was I being pompous?'

'A little bit,' she smiled. 'But I expect it is aggravating to belanded with me and my problems—and without any warning—and you felt you had cause to be a trifle—a trifle

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autocratic!'

'Autocratic, yes; pompous, no,' he said. 'I wish I weren't sosure you're likely to break your neck by falling out of theballoon, or something equally terrible. I'm not ac-

customed to having women to look after and the prospectmakes me nervous. I can't help worrying about you. You'dstep into disaster without even knowing you'd done so! AndI'd be responsible!'

Annot was silent for a long moment, then she said, 'I don'tthink you've known many women, have you? Didn't youhave any sisters?'

'Not sisters, no.' Something in his tone alerted her to thefact that he was laughing at her. She supposed it had beenan unfortunate way of putting things. She had no doubt thatmost women found him attractive and probably went out oftheir way to tell him so.

'I didn't mean the women you've made love to, that'ssomething quite different!' she went on blithely. 'I meantwomen you've done things with—your mother, forexample?'

'My mother died when I was a boy. I was too young to havedone many things with her.'

'There you are, then!' Annot said triumphantly. 'That

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explains your Victorian attitudes to us. You either put us ona pedestal, or cast us as sirens luring you to a fate worsethan death—'

'My dear girl, surely that ought to be the other way round!'

'It doesn't matter.' She dismissed his objection with thecontempt it deserved. 'The point I'm making is that you don'tknow women as people at all! We're not very different frommen, you know.'

'You think not?'

She pursued, 'I can look after myself—you'll see!'

He laughed. 'That's what bothers me most of all, that youthink you're the original iron maiden. You'd be less of ahandful if you were more realistic about your owncapabilities. If I could, I'd leave you here and go toAmboseli by myself, but I don't suppose you'd stand forthat?'

'Certainly not! That's exactly what I mean about you. You'dlike to have all the fun by yourself and then come home andbe acclaimed for your masculine triumphs! Well, let me tellyou, that sort of attitude went out with Queen Victoria!'

'More's the pity. Remember, Africa isn't your friendlyEnglish countryside. Africa sometimes requires brutestrength to deal with it, and that's something no woman has,

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my dear. In Africa, the sexes still have to play their ownroles to survive very often, and that's no bad idea to my wayof thinking.' He spoke with a wry humour that she foundappealing.

I'm not against the feminine image,' she confessed, 'as longas it doesn't get too much in the way of what I want to do.'

'I'm glad to hear it,' he murmured, and she knew thatsomehow or other she had got the worst of the argument,even though she was still quite convinced that herreasoning was better on the subject than his.

Her feeling of mild exasperation with him prevailed all theway back to the house, Not even the sight of a lilac-breasted roller, bright with colour, could rid her of theconviction that he had not been arguing at all, that he hadbeen so sure of himself that he had done no more thanhumour her by going through the motions as one would witha bright child busy making a fool of itself.

'You're lucky to have such a garden!' she exclaimed as thebird took wing and disappeared over the top of the trees.

'It was more planning and hard work than good luck,' Jamesresponded. 'Keeping the baboons out was quite a problemin the beginning. They tore up everything that came up,eating a bit here and there, and then passing on to wreakhavoc somewhere else. It was quite a struggle to persuade

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them that this is my territory and not theirs.'

'But you managed it?'

He smiled. 'Yes, I managed it. I usually do when I set mymind to something.'

Annot detected a warning to herself in that remark, but theput it resolutely out of her mind, because she was still in astate of shock over the shack where Jeremy chose to liveand her own relief that James had not taken her at her wordand made her sleep there.

The French windows were still standing open as theywalked across the lawn towards the house. Sijui, the dog,was on guard on the terrace, his attention wholly taken upby someone in the shadows of the room beyond.

'You have visitors,' Annot remarked. 'Shall I make myselfscarce?'

'Are you ashamed to be seen with me?' he retorted. Helinked his fingers about her wrist in case she should think todisappear without his consent. 'It's probably Judith,' he wenton casually, 'and no doubt Dorcas too. Sijui has a strongpartiality for children.'

At that moment the dog saw them coming and uttered ayelp of joy over his shoulder, tempting Dorcas to join him inhis welcome of James and Annot. The child, shy at first,

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came slowly on to the terrace, saw Annot in her turn, andcame tearing across the lawn towards her.

'I didn't know you'd be here!' she said with obvious delight.'Isn't Sijui an intelligent dog? He knew who I wasimmediately although he'd never seen me before.'

'Dorcas!'

The child froze, and made a quick face at Annot. 'Mamawon't be at all pleased to see you here!' the whisperedfiercely out of the side of her mouth. 'You know! I told you—'She caught James' eyes on her and came to an abrupt halt.Engagingly, she smiled up at him. 'I'm Dorcas Drummond,'she said in quite different tones. 'How d'you do, MrMontgomery?'

He shook hands with her gravely. 'How d'you do, Dorcas?'

But the moment for good manners was past. `Is Sijui yourdog? Could I borrow him sometimes during the holidays?I've never had a dog to play with—'

'Dorcas, I've already told you that you're not to touch thatanimal. This isn't England! Dogs are liable to all sorts ofunpleasant diseases out here.' Judith Drummond rose fromher chair in a single, elegant movement. `Hello there,James. I took you at your word and brought Dorcas to seeyou at the first opportunity.' She too became aware ofAnnot, and the smile on her face changed to a frown. 'Have

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we chosen a bad moment?'

`Not at all. Annot Lindsay is Jeremy Lincoln't niece—' 'Pooryou!' said Mrs Drummond.

'Why?' Dorcas inquired. 'I like Jeremy. He's very funny mostof the time.'

Annot's eyes sparkled. 'Isn't he?' she agreed. 'We used tohave tremendous fun together when I was your age.'

James gave her a speaking look. `Sijui is Jeremy's dog,'he told Dorcas, 'but for some peculiar reason he prefers tolive with me.' He quelled Judith Drummond's impatientgesture with a slow smile. 'He's a bit fat, but he's healthyenough. Don't fuss, Judith. Dorcas won't come to any harmplaying with Sijui, but outside, I think, don't you?'

Dorcas uttered a whoop of joy and disappeared down thegarden with the fat little terrier close behind her. Halfwaydown the path, she turned and came back. 'Will you cometoo, Annot?' she asked politely. `We could play pig-in-themiddle if you came too.'

Annot was only too glad to leave the other two alonetogether. She took Dorcas's proffered hand in hers and ranwith her across the springy carpet of the bright green lawn.Sijui came panting after them, a broad smile on his canineface, caused partly by the heat of the day and partly by his

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pleasure in having Dorcas's whole attention centred on hisportly personage. Dorcas collapsed on to the grass besidehim and patted the back of his head very gently.

`Do you think he likes me?' she asked with anxiety. `Hecertainly seems to,' said Annot.

`Good. Mama said it was very important that MrMontgomery should like me, but I'd rather Sijui did. I shouldthink he has very good taste, shouldn't you?'

Annot sat down on the grass too. 'With Jeremy away, he'llbe glad to have someone make a fuss of him.' She thoughtSijui could have shown some sign of recognising hismaster's name, but the dog plainly couldn't have cared lessabout Jeremy's absence. He had made his own life wherehe was comfortable and well-fed, and owed absolutelynothing to his errant master. Briefly, Annot envied him hisconfidence as to his welcome in his chosen home, wishingthat she could be half as sure that James had fed andwatered her with the same indulgence he had shownJeremy's dog. Jeremy's niece was a different proposition, itseemed. She couldn't accept the run of his house and theuse of his bed, even if it were offered to her. It was muchmore difficult being a human being, and a female one atthat, than she had ever imagined.

`I wonder if he likes chocolate?'

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Annot brought her mind back to Dorcas and Sijui withdifficulty. 'Probably, but it isn't good for him to have toomany sweets,' she answered. 'He's fat enough already.'

`Not fat,' Dorcas objected. `Fat people wobble and Sijui isquite hard. He has a lot of muscle, that's all.

So they were both given to wishful thinking, Annot thoughtruefully; and she had by far the lesser excuse of the two ofthem. For why should James Montgomery study her comfortwhen she was nothing more than a nuisance to him, andrelated to a greater nuisance to boot?

Annot lay flat on her back, putting her arm up over her

eyes. There was a pleasantly sensual feeling to the grassand drowsy sound of a bumble-bee making its rounds ofthe moonflowers close by them. She half-hoped that whenshe shut her eyes, she would shut out the memory of theway Judith Drummond had looked at her.

Her presence had been a decided shock to the otherwoman at first, but she had soon recovered herself. Afterthat her face had reflected her amused contempt foranyone who might compete with her for James' attention.Was she so sure of her position in her life? Perhaps shehad reason to be—Annot had no way of knowing, and shecould only wonder that the thought of it should depress herso much.

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Dorcas contented herself with talking to the dog. Herchatter was borne away on the gentle breeze, having asoporific effect on her other'companion. Annot didn't evennotice when the flood of admiring words came to a suddenand slightly resentful halt.

'You mustn't let my little daughter tire you out, Miss Lindsay,'Mrs Drummond's voice drawled from a long way off. 'As amatter of fact I want to talk to you myself. Do you mind?'

Annot opened her eyes in time to see Dorcas's motherplace a garden chair in the shade under a Nandi flame-treeand sit down in it.

'You don't have to bother about Dorcas,' Annot assured her.'I like her. I liked her from the first moment I set my eyes onher on the plane.'

'She likes you too,' Mrs Drummond returned, just as thoughthere was no accounting for her daughter's strange taste infriends. 'Perhaps you remind her of your uncle— isn't it?She hung on his every word the last time she was our here.'

'Jeremy has a way with children,' Annot agreed, sitting upthe better to cope with the taunts that lay beneath the otherwoman's would-be friendly tones.

`Which you seem to have inherited. Or perhaps it'sbecause you're still little more than a schoolgirl yourself thatDorcas feels she has so much in common with you. James

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says that you fell over yourself to have that strange little dogsleep in your bedroom with you last night—I expect you feltstrange all on your own in the house?'

'I felt guilty at turning James out of his bed. He slept at myuncle's place, as I expect he told you?'

`Mmm.' Judith Drummond leaned forward in her chair. 'Butthat can't go on, Miss Lindsay, can it? James is a busy manand he hardly had any sleep at all in that terrible but of youruncle's. He asked me to have a word with you— it's somuch easier for a woman to say these things, don't youthink? The fact is that you can't stay on here, and Iunderstand you have nowhere else to go?'

Annot's face darkened with anger. Had James really askedthis woman to speak to her? She supposed he must havedone, and she tried not to mind, failing as dismally as shehad when she had tried to stop herself day-dreaming.

`You don't have to worry, Mrs Drummond. I'm going back toNairobi today. I should have thought James would have toldyou, I certainly told him that that was what I intended to do.I'll get myself a room there, until I can get in touch withfriends, or find myself a pied_a_tent while I'm here. I shallbe pretty busy '

`Ah yes, that's another thing,' Mrs Drummond went on, hersmile freezing on to her lips. 'Aren't you being just a wee bit

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inconsiderate, expecting James to go with you?'

`You'd better take that up with him,' Annot answered ascalmly as she could. 'He told me in no uncertain terms notto argue with him when I tried to put him off from interferingin my affairs. Perhaps you'll have better luck, MrsDrummond?' She smiled a brilliant smile herself. Yet shecouldn't quite dislike Judith Drummond, there was too muchof Dorcas in her for her to do that. And she envied her

her beautiful, even tan: she felt white and decidedly half-baked beside her.

`Call me Judith, won't you? Dorcas already calls you Annot,and I shall too. The thing is, Annot, that I don't think anyonecan. find Jeremy after all this time. It's such a waste of timelooking for him. I mean, if he were still alive, we would havehad word by now. Not even in a country like Kenya can alive man disappear for ever. It isn't as though .he wasimportant to anyone, so surely it's much better to leave wellalone. Have a holiday out here by all means, but then goback to England and forget all about him!'

Annot plucked a blade of grass. 'He was important to me.He's important to my mother too, to all my family.'

'It's hard to imagine Jeremy having a family!' Judith sighed.'I've always looked on him as some kind of tramp. You-mustn't be offended, my dear, but ever since I've known him

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the man hasn't even bothered to shave '

`Possibly because he wore a beard,' James said quietly.Neither of them had heard him coming towards them, norcould they guess how long he had been standing therelistening to them. He had his hands in his pockets and wascompletely at his ease. The sight of him gave Annot's hearta shock of recognition, and she felt cold inside that heshould have such an immediate and physical effect on her.

'If you could call it a beard!' Judith muttered darkly.

James looked from one to the other of them. 'Have youfixed Annot up at your place?' he asked Judith.

'I was just about to invite her, darling. You know how much Ihate being hurried We were just having a little friendlygossip first. She's sad, poor girl, at the thought of heruncle's fate. Where's Dorcas gone now? James, do see ifyou can find her! Whatever you say about that dog, I'm stillnervous of her getting too close to him James, please!'

James studied her through half-closed eyes. 'You'reneurotic about all animals,' he said. 'I wonder why? And asDorcas seems to be singularly unneurotic about them, if Iwere you I'd leave her alone to play with Sijui all she wantsto. It's giving them both a great deal of pleasure.

'But he might be rabid!'

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'Nonsense, my dear. Are you going to ask Annot to staywith you, or not?'

'Of course I am! You will, won't you, Annot? WhateverJames says, I'd much rather know Dorcas was playing withyou than with that beastly pet of Jeremy's!'

Annot swallowed down her amusement without daring tolook at James. 'I think I'd rather go to Nairobi —'

James took his hands out of his pockets. He reached downand hauled Annot up on to her feet. 'Don't be daft!' headmonished her. 'Judith lives just down the road, which willbe far more convenient all round! I'll deliver her to you,Judith, after tea. Meanwhile, would you and Dorcas care tostay on and have lunch with us?'

Dorcas hung out of the car so far that Annot had amoment's sharp anxiety for her safety. 'I wish Annot couldbring Sijui with her when she comes!' her voice drifted backfrom the top of the drive. 'May she, Mama? Please, mayshe? I'll ring her up ...'

`Do you want to take him?' James asked Annot.

She grimaced. 'I'd better not, I don't think I'm the mostwelcome guest as it is.'

`Don't you believe it! Judith will far prefer to have you whereshe can keep an eye on you ! '

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Annot opened her eyes wide. 'What do you mean?' shewondered.

James had the grace to look embarrassed. 'If you want todo something for me, Annot Lindsay, you could make apoint of standing between me and Judith whenever shecomes here.'

'Don't you like her? I thought you were—friendly—'

'I haven't made up my mind about her. She has her points,and she's made a fine job of living alone on that farm ofhers—'

Annot remembered the possessive closeness with whichJudith had sat beside James on the sofa after lunch. 'I'm notsure that there's much room between you,' she said.

James' eyes flew to her face, `I'd always move over for you,'he said slowly, `if you wanted me to!'

CHAPTER FOUR

ANNOT made a mad effort to recover her balance and notto show that he had embarrassed her. 'But this is sosudden, Mr Montgomery!'

He was not in the least disconcerted. 'Is it? It seems to methat if we're going to travel round Kenya together you should

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have some kind of protection from gossiping tongues. Whyshouldn't we render that service to each other?'

lt's nonsensical!' she protested.

'Then it ought to appeal to you,' he confounded her. 'You-seem to me to have a decided partiality for nonsensicalnotions.'

'Oh, how can you say that? I'm usually very self-reliant!'

'Is that so?' If he wanted to make her feel ridiculous, he hadcertainly succeeded. But how did one protest withoutseeming to protest too much?

gather I haven't given you that impression?' she asked.

'I don't think you'd like it if I told you what my firstimpressions of you were. I'm not used to finding strangewomen in my bed.'

She ignored this. 'Anyway, what nonsensical notions have Ihad?'

'We-ell, how about the idea that you can easily manage ahot-air balloon with one hand, while you take photographsof animals with the other? You may be self-reliant, my dear,but you're not an octopus. You still only have two hands.'

'I know that!' She glared at him, a touch of mutiny in the

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depths of her dark eyes. 'Doesn't a man come with theballoon?' she demanded.

He shrugged. `Could be—if you can pay for his services.'

That was quite a point, she reflected. She didn't know howshe was going to pay for any of the equipment she wasgoing to need. But surely her uncle had made somearrangements that she could make use of as she wascompleting an assignment that was rightfully his. Perhapshe had already paid for the use of a balloon?

But when she voiced this possibility to James, he was morecaustic than he had been before. 'Jeremy? Pay in advancefor anything? My dear girl, you must be joking!'

She turned away from him, fondling Sijui's ears so that shewouldn't have to address her host directly.

'Jeremy may be a trifle—vague in his personal life, but he'svery professional when it comes to anything to do with hiswork. I'd rather you didn't belittle him all the time!'

'Annot, must you be so touchy? You can defend him all youlike to others, but if you're not more realistic to yourself,you're going to get hurt—and badly! Jeremy is a wastrel,and we both know it! He has a certain charm andsometimes a touch of genius in his photographs, butprofessional he is not! He doesn't know the meaning of theword!'

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'He's always turned in his assignments on time before,' sheargued.

He studied her face thoughtfully. 'How do you know?' heasked gently, so gently that she looked up at him beforeshe thought and then wished she hadn't for the glint in hiseyes took her breath away.

'I just know!' she claimed wildly.

'You know nothing about him, Annot. That's another reasonwhy you're not going to be able to manage this by yourself.'He smiled slowly. 'Perhaps we need each other more thaneither of us know!'

The fight went out of her as she turned back to the dog whowas nosing her, determined to have her attention forhimself.

'What do you want me to do?' she asked. She was still tiredafter the flight, she told herself. That was the trouble! Thatwas probably why this man was able to disturb hercomposure with such consummate ease too. There was noother reason she could think of why he should rake heremotions every time he spoke, turning her knees to water,and making her feel foolish and feminine and almostexultant that he should be taking her affairs into his tough,not particularly gentle hands, overriding her objections witha forcefulness that in other circumstances she would have

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been the first to deplore.

'You won't stay here?' he asked.

She shook her head. 'How can I?' she pleaded. 'You know Ican't!'

'You could, if we thought up some good reason for it thatpeople would believe.'

'What sort of reason?'

'That we were thinking of getting married.' He let the wordsdrop into her stunned silence and mature slowly before hewent on, 'As my fiancée you'd have a valid reason forstaying in my house, and I for making this trip to search forJeremy for you. Afterwards, we could do as we liked aboutit.'

Her head whirled on her shoulders and she hoped shewasn't going to faint. 'And what would Judith have to say tothat?' she murmured, clutching at the first objection thatoccurred to her.

'That might be another advantage,' he said calmly.

She was immediately furiously angry. 'For whom? If shecares for you, how do you suppose she'd feel to see youpretending to be engaged to someone else? And allbecause you're too superior to make up your mind whether

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she would make a suitable wife for you or not! I know whatmy answer would be! When you finally came round to

thinking that perhaps you would marry me after all, I'd giveyou a thick ear for your pains!'

His obvious amusement at her display of temper added tothe already strong temptation to give him a thick ear thereand then. She controlled herself with difficulty, takingseveral deep breaths until she could face him more calmly.

'But would Judith?' he asked.

'Of course she would!' Annot declared violently.

'I think not,' James considered. 'If you want to know, I thinkshe'd fall on my neck, however unflatteringly I made myproposal to her. There's not much love lost between us.'

'Then why should she want to marry you?'

'Women have other reasons besides the more obviousromantic ones for marriage as often as not. One isn'tnecessarily plighting undying love to one's partner byengaging oneself to marry him '

She didn't like to admit that his cynicism hurt her, cutting herfeelings to the quick. 'What other reason besides loving youcould Judith have?' she asked.

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James raised his eyebrows. 'Don't you really know? Shewants a man to relieve her of the necessity of having toearn a living for herself and Dorcas. She's made a goodjob of farming, but she doesn't intend to do it for a daylonger than she has to! Nor does she particularly like beinga widow. It restricts her social life, and she misses having aman permanently at her beck and call. There may beadvantages in the kind of independence you pretend towant for yourself, but Judith would exchange them tomorrowfor the security of marriage with someone like myself. Atone blow, she'd have a suitable father for Dorcas, and therenewed approval of her family and friends. Her firsthusband came as a disappointment to them, and that isn'ta mistake she intends to make again.'

She hid her face from him by the simple expedient of

giving in to Sijui's demands for a greater show of affectionon her part.

`Would that be enough for you?' she asked as soon as shecould sufficiently control her voice to form the question.

`That's what I'm hoping you'll give me time to find out,' heanswered swiftly. 'Are you going to, Annot?'

`No,' she said shortly.

'Just no? Nothing more?'

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`Nothing I can think of I'm going to find Jeremy myself. AndI'm going to finish his assignment myself too!'

He stood over her and she felt a wave of panic rise withinher. 'With my help?' he insisted at length.

`Yes,' she said, wishing that it didn't have to be so. `And inmy way?'

'I exactly don't know. I like to have my own way too!' she .

He reached down for her wrists and pulled her up besidehim, looping his hands together round her waist. Sijuiuttered a yelp of indignation at being thus abandoned and,when nobody noticed his predicament, went off into thehouse in a huff, his displeasure written large in his stiff-legged walk.

`It's my way, or not at all,' James threatened, his handsincreasing their pressure on the small of her back.

I won't stay here! I'm going, to Amboseli with you! You can'ttake the photos, can you?'

`Perhaps not, but you'll admit I have a point when I preferyou don't break your pretty neck for Jeremy's sake?'

His touch was an exquisite torture against her back. 'It's myneck!' she pointed out.

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`But I'll take the risks, Annot. Is that understood?'

She opened her mouth to speak, but for some reason she

couldn't remember what it had been she was going to say.`Well, Annot?'

She was suddenly very conscious of his closeness. Shenodded briefly and made to take a step away from him, buthis hands prevented her, squeezing her closer still until shecould feel the whole length of his body pressed tightlyagainst hers. For a moment she thought he was going tokiss her and knew a certain curiosity as to what herreaction would be. But then she remembered that hewouldn't mean anything by the caress, and her spirits sank,taking all the pleasure out of the taut moment for her.

'What are you trying to do? Seal the pact?' she asked himtartly. 'It's quite unnecessary, though I don't mind shakinghands on it if it'll make you feel better!'

He put up a hand to her face, tracing her lips with his finger.'You talk too much,' he warned her. 'You're enough of achallenge to any man without verbally throwing down thegauntlet whenever you open your mouth. Are you going tohelp me with Judith?'

'No! I don't think you're being kind to her—'

'Kindness isn't what she wants from me. I thought we were

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agreed about that? A more interesting question is what youwant.'

'Me?' She made a last attempt to escape his clasp, foundthat she couldn't, and rested her head against his shoulderwith something very like relief. 'I don't want anything—certainly not if it comes without any kindness! I'd rather havekindness than anything else!'

He raised her chin with a masterful hand, his eyes glintinginto hers. 'How little you know yourself, Annot Lindsay. Ithink you'd like a great deal more than kindness from me—'

She pulled away from him, breathing hard. 'Let me go!'

He did so with a suddenness that nearly lost her herbalance, catching her up against him again in a grasp thatthreatened to bruise her ribs.

'I could kiss you now, my dear, and you wouldn't dis-

like it half as much as you think you would, but I won't— notnow, when you have no means of defending yourself. Butdon't think I wouldn't like to! Let that be a lesson to you anddon't push me too far! A little meekness is what's wantedfrom you! Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit theearth—and, for all I know, everything else they want!'

' She found herself set free and had to curb her strongdesire to run as fast and as far as she could away from him.

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'There's nothing I want so badly that I'd forgo the pleasure oftelling you what I think of you—'

'Annot, what more can I do? So far you've had your ownway about everything! Can't you be content with that?'

'My way!' The injustice of that robbed her of the words sheneeded to rebut his arrogant assumption that she had hadher own way in anything! 'Left alone—'

He bent his head towards her. 'Left alone, you'd becompletely lost, my dear!' His eyes rested on her mouth fora long, bitter-sweet moment. 'Shall I leave you alone, AnnotLindsay?'

She wondered how she would manage without him? Thethought of hiring a hot-air balloon by herself, and managingall the other details of the expedition, was not one thatappealed to her. Then she thought again of Jeremy's shackand she shivered inwardly. She couldn't even be sure thatJudith Drummond would give her a bed if James washedhis hands of her.

'I'm sorry,' she said, 'I didn't mean to be ungrateful.' `Andyou can't manage without me?' he insisted.

'No.' Her lips tightened into a mutinous line. 'But I would

if I could! Let me tell you, it would be a great deal more

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comfortable to go looking for Jeremy by myself! I may begrateful to you, but that doesn't mean I have to like you ! ' Toher dismay he only smiled. 'It would be a mistake

to waste your energies disliking me, you'll never gainanything that way!'

'I don't know what you mean!'

James' smile broadened into laughter. 'Oh yes, you do!' Hismouth met hers in a fleeting kiss which made her gasp. Helaughed again and she felt the beginnings of an answeringdelight deep down within herself. She made no objection atall when he hooked her back into his arms and kissed heragain, his lips lingering against the softness of hers. On thecontrary, she felt bemused and a little lost when he lifted hishead and released her again.

`Do you still not know?' he taunted her.

`A brief physical attraction doesn't mean anything—toeither of us!' she insisted.

His eyes narrowed. 'Nothing at all,' he agreed withregrettable promptness. 'I'm glad you realise that.'

'After all,' she struggled on, 'you have Judith to consider—'

'And what about you? Whom do you have to consider?'

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The question shocked her and it hurt too. Whom did

she have to consider? she wondered. Was there no oneshe really cared about? It wasn't normal not to havesomeone interested in her at her age, yet she couldn't thinkof anyone who mattered a row of pins to her at thatmoment.

'I don't know many people in Kenya,' she said defensively.

`I didn't imagine you did. What about in England? Or areyou heart whole and fancy-free?'

That sounded a little better than overlooked, she thought,but she didn't trust him not to take advantage of her lack ofcommitment to the boy back home to admit there was nosuch person.

'I don't want to marry for years and years,' she begancautiously, 'but I wouldn't call myself fancy-free exactly,either.'

'He doesn't seem much of a reason for you not to obligeme,' he said on a derisive note. 'If he allowed you to comeout here on your own, he can't have your interests much atheart.'

'I'm over twenty-one, let alone eighteen,' Annot protested,'nobody allows, or disallows, me from doing anything Ichoose.

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James put his hand on his hips, his feet slightly apart, andlooked at her, the glint very much back in his eyes.

'I would—if you were mine,' he said.

`Then thank goodness I'm not!' she retorted.

He favoured her with a wry smile. 'You might find there werecompensations,' he suggested.

`I can't think of any! '

`No? Most women need someone to care about what theydo. Certainly, I'd see you had something better to do thanact as nanny to that uncle of yours. Didn't your young manhave anything to say about that?'

Annot reviewed the young men she knew in her mind's eye.Not one of them would have had the faintest idea of whatwas involved in such a search and, if they had, she doubtedthey would have expressed much interest. They wereinterested in their own affairs and surroundings and reallyhadn't wanted to know about the reasons why she hadmade her sudden departure for East Africa.

`He knows I'm planning to finish Jeremy's assignment forthe magazine.' She lifted her chin, looking him straight inthe eyes. `He respects the fact that I have a career of myown ! '

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`A paragon indeed,' James mocked. 'What a pity he meansso little to you.'

'He does not!'

He flicked her angry cheeks with his fingers in a gesturethat angered her the more because she thought it socontemptuous. 'My dear Annot—'

'I'm not your dear anything!'

'Nor anyone else's,' he told her firmly. 'If you were, he'd beout here with you, keeping you in order, and not letting yourun round loose with anyone you pleased.'

'Have you thought that it might be because he trusts me?'Her attempt at sarcasm passed him by. 'I suppose youwouldn't trust any woman further than you could see themshe allowed herself to be goaded into adding, rapidlylosing the slender hold she had on her temper.

'You think not?' He was openly amused now. 'I might, once Iwas sure you knew you belonged to me—and to nobodyelse! Once I'd removed your doubts on that score, I think Icould trust you not to get involved with anyone else.'

'Well, you couldn't!' she denied. 'I'm not the faithful type!'

'Then if it means so little to you,' he came back at her, 'you

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may as well act the part of my fiancée, at least until we findJeremy. There won't be many other women around atAmboseli, Annot, have you thought of that?'

She wished she'd been more careful before she hadallowed her tongue to run away with her. It had seemedimperative at the time to get the better of him verbally, if shecouldn't any other way, but he had turned the tables on herwith a vengeance. If she wasn't given to fidelity, and if shedidn't care what her friends in England thought, whyshouldn't she pretend to be his fiancée? There was nothingto stop her except Judith's feelings on the subject, andsomehow she wasn't as disposed to consider them as shehad been earlier. Whatever else being James' fiancée—even a temporary, let's-pretend fiancée—might entail, itwould never be dull!

'We could take another woman with us,' she pointed out.'We could take Judith and Dorcas,' he agreed promptly,

`but not if she thought I was about to make her my wife onthe strength of it.'

'But you might do?'

He didn't answer directly. 'It wouldn't be kind to build up herhopes and then not go through with it, would it?'

This aspect of the situation hadn't previously occurred toAnnot. 'I suppose not, but won't she find it odd that we

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should have teamed up together in a matter of a fewhours?'

James lifted a cynical eyebrow. 'I think she's half expectingit,' he said.

Annot could not believe that. 'Why should she?' shedemanded.

'I told her the circumstances of our first meeting. After that—' He shrugged, leaving the rest of the sentence to herimagination.

'You mean, you told her that you found me asleep in yourbed?'

'Something like that.'

The knowledge. disturbed her. First of all she thought, PoorJudith! And then she thought, how dare he put me in thisposition?

'But she would be bound to think—' She spread her handsin an expressive gesture. 'Don't you care what she thinks?'

'Not particularly.'

'Well, I do! I care very much! That anyone should think sucha thing of me is bad enough, but that you'd let her think I'dlet you—allow you—'

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`To make love to you?' he supplied in matter-of-fact tones.'You might not have had any choice.

'How dare you?'

His expression was bland. 'It wasn't lack of courage thatprevented me,' he assured her.

'No, I know that! It was lack of interest! And so you can tellJudith!'

'If,' James said in pained tones, 'you would allow me tofinish without these furious interruptions, it was becauseyou looked more like a child than a grown woman asleep—'

'I did not!'

'I beg your pardon, but you couldn't see yourself asleep,' herebuked her. 'I have yet to be persuaded of yoursophistication, Annot Lindsay, and if you're wise, you won'tseek to prove it to me by issuing challenges that if I took upwould frighten you half to death. You'll have your hands fullenough playing the part of a loving wife-to-be, withoutstriking sparks off me to see how far you can go. It'll be yourfingers that will get burnt, not mine!'

She tried to think of some way to get back at him withoutexposing herself to any more of his barbed observations,but unfortunately she could think of nothing that would make

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any impression on his thick-skinned arrogance.

'I think you're perfectly horrible!' she burst out. 'How couldyou tell Judith such a thing about me? How could you?'

He gave her a distant look. 'I thought you might find out youcared about your reputation after all,' he put in dryly. 'Let thisbe a lesson to you. Your innocence is as plain as the noseon your face to someone like me, so don't try to confuse mewith horror stories about your past. If you must know, I don'tfeel called upon to tell Judith anything about you at all.Somehow or other, you've worked it so that it's myresponsibility to look after you and to guard you as best Ican from the consequences of your ill-judged rush to comeout here and look for Jeremy. It seems to me that the bestway of doing that is to form some kind of a link between usthat will save endless explanations as to why we'retogether, and which will protect you at the same time. Otherpeople besides yourself have old-fashioned ideas about

people of the opposite sex going off together into the bush!Okay?'

'But if you didn't tell Judith that, what are you going to tellher?' Annot demanded.

'As little as possible.'

She glowered at him. 'She won't like it!' she pointed out.

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He shrugged. 'Too bad. It may tempt her to come toAmboseli with us, if only to dislodge you from your positionas my fiancée. You'd better start thinking whether you wanther and Dorcas along, or not! '

Annot was silent, trying to sort out her own chaoticemotions. She didn't know whether she was coming orgoing, but one thing was quite clear: James might be areluctant knight-at-arms, but once his chivalry was aroused,neither she nor anyone else was going to stop him. And,just as at the tourneys of old, women were superfluous tothe serious matters of the day, and he had every intention ofrelegating both her and Judith to the sidelines now. Anyfighting they would be allowed to do would be to competeas to whose favour he would deign to carry. Well, shethought, feeling suddenly more cheerful, she had theadvantage there. Jeremy was her uncle, not Judith's!

She looked up at him with a fleeting smile. 'Dorcas willprobably like to come along. She's a quaint little thing.'

'Judith would say she'd make a suitable playmate for you,'James murmured.

'And you? Do you think so too?' she asked him

'I'm not telling you what I think. I'm warning you that Judithwill push Dorcas on to you every moment you allow her to,and more! You'll have to fight for yourself if you want any

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adult society.'

'I shan't mind,' Annot assured him. 'I like Dorcas.' She metthe glint in his eyes squarely. 'I find her a great deal morerefreshing than any adult society I'm likely to encounter atAmboselil '

'I see,' he said. 'You're abandoning the field to Judith?' 'Isn'tthat what you want me to do?'

He put up a hand, cupping her cheek in his palm. 'Do mypreferences come into it?'

His touch sent the blood singing through her veins, and shebitterly resented that he should have such an effect on her,especially as she couldn't understand why he should. Hewas quite the most unlikeable person she had everencountered!

'You seem determined to be in charge of everything,' shesaid sweetly, 'why not of my free time too?'

'I'll bear it in mind,' he answered, amused. 'But I won't beable to protect you from Judith all the time—'

'I'm not asking you to!'

'No? When you know your own mind, I think you'll ask quitea lot, and you'll probably get it too. Nice, apple-fresh girlshave a way of undermining all resistance—in the nicest

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possible way, of course!'

'I wish I thought so!' she retorted. 'If I should live so long, Ishould undoubtedly faint if you gave in about anything! '

'Perhaps you haven't tried the right technique on me yet,' hesuggested smoothly. 'I might prefer a little flattery to theprickles you've so far displayed. Try a little honey, my dear,and leave the vinegar alone for a bit. It would work wondersfor my morale!'

She choked. 'I'm sure Judith will be delighted to oblige,though there are dangers to gathering honey too. You neverknow when a bee might not sting you!'

`You prefer to be an antidote?' he asked her, lookingamused.

'Where you're concerned, I wouldn't be anything else!' sheanswered with spirit. Her eyes fell before his. 'Not that I'mnot grateful, of course,' she added hastily.

'Of course not,' he agreed at once. 'Only with you that, too,is a sweet and sour emotion.'

`Do you mind?' She hoped he didn't know how much hisanswer Mattered to her.

James was silent for a long moment and she found shewas holding her breath. Then he said, 'No, I don't mind.

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Sweet and sour is less cloying than pure sugar in the longrun. Come inside, my dear, and we'll make our plans forgetting to Ainboseli, and then I'll run you over to Judith'splace. Will that suit?'

`It'll suit very nicely,' she said.

CHAPTER FIVE

JUDITH DRUMMOND made Annot much more welcomethan she had expected. Her house was small and badly inneed of repair, but it was comfortable and, as it was on themain road to Nairobi, very much more accessible than wasJames' place.

Only once had Judith referred to Annot's unexpectedengagement to James.

'I wish I knew your secret,' she had said almost wistfully.'There's nothing to know,' Annot replied. 'It's moreconvenient if you see what I mean?'

'No, I don't think I do,' Judith put in.

Annot hadn't been in the least surprised; she didn'tunderstand it herself. 'James wanted it that way,' she saidbluntly.

'Don't you?'

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Disconcerted, Annot made a face. 'I don't know,' shesighed, 'I really don't know!'

If Judith's questions had disturbed her, however, it wasnothing to the inquisition that Dorcas had in mind for her.

'How could you, Annot?' she had demanded. 'You knew Iwas hoping he would look after Mama!'

Annot felt completely defeated. 'One doesn't choose thesethings,' she said on a note of desperation, 'they justhappen!'

Dorcas opened her eyes wide. 'Do they? I suppose youmean you're in love with each other?'

'Something like that,' Annot agreed. 'You see—'

'Oh, I quite understand that!' Dorcas told her. 'If I were'older, I expect I'd be in love with James too. He'sgorgeous!' She turned to Annot with a gamine grin. 'Allright, you can

have him, if you really want him. I withdraw Mama's claim tohim. It's almost as good to have you marrying him really,because I can come over and see you all the time, can't I?Then Sijui won't forget who I am. You can remind him aboutme and show him my photograph while I'm away at school.'

Annot seized with relief on this much safer topic of

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conversation. 'Yes, but I don't think dogs can seephotographs. I'll let him smell something of yours every nowand then. How about that?'

`Perfect!' the little girl responded. 'I wish you could havebrought him with you to stay with us, don't you?'

`I think he prefers being with James,' Annot said withoutthought.

Dorcas looked crestfallen. 'Like you,' she said. 'You preferJames too, don't you?'

Annot didn't know the answer to that. 'I like you both equally.I don't have preferences like that.'

For a moment Dorcas looked much older than her years. 'Ishouldn't tell James that,' she advised frankly, 'he wouldn'tlike it and Mama says he can be absolutely beastly whenhe's crossed.'

That Annot could believe. She gave her small companion aflustered look, wondering how it was that JamesMontgomery could put her into a blind, delicious panic evenwhen he wasn't there to do it himself. 'Then we'd better notcross him,' she said aloud.

Dorcas giggled. 'I'm not afraid of him!' she declared. `To tellthe truth, I like him almost as much as Jeremy. I can't waitfor him to take us to Amboseli, can you?'

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'I'd like to get started,' Annot admitted.

Dorcas poked her in the ribs. `Do you think James willbring Sijui?'

Annot shook her head. 'Dogs aren't allowed In the gamereserves. I'm afraid there's no chance of his coming withus.'

Dorcas accepted this philosophically. 'James says he'sgreat friends with his cook, so I expect he'll stay with him,don't you?'

A few tears were shed, however, when the party of four whowere to go to Amboseli gathered on James' verandah.Dorcas hugged the dog to her, ignoring his feeble efforts towin free of her. 'I wish you were coming!' she whisperedinto his ear, and she burst into tears, hiding her face inSijui's neck.

Her mother ignored this unnecessary show of emotion,leaving it to Annot to cope with her small daughter. But,surprisingly, it was James who took Sijui from her and,taking her hand firmly into his, diverted her attention bytaking her down the drive to look at the Range Rover theywere going to travel in. Annot accompanied them, not fromchoice, but because Dorcas determined that she should bythe simple expedient of hooking her free hand into hers andpulling her along behind them.

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Dorcas's voice rang out loud and clear. 'You're sure Sijuiwill be happy with Joel?' she questioned James. 'It's so sadhe has to be left behind!'

`Sijui, like all animals, has a special feeling for the personwho feeds him,' James responded. 'Even when Jeremy'shere, Joel feeds Sijui as often as not. He knows just whento go to the kitchen and where his plate will be put down forhim to eat his meal. That's very important to him—itwouldn't be very kind to upset his routine for a sentimentalreason, one has to have a more important reason than that.It takes a dog a long time to feel secure when the things heknows are taken away from him.'

`I see,' said Dorcas. 'People are animals too, though. Dowe need familiar things to make us feel secure?'

James took the question completely seriously. `Do you?' heasked her.

She nodded with enthusiasm. 'I hate it when I have to

go back to school. I'm never in the same dormitory twoterms running and it takes ages to get used to being in adifferent room. I don't even like changing my desk foranother one. I think I must be very like Sijui, and that's why Ilike him so much!'

`I daresay you're right,' said James.

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Dorcas ran her eyes swiftly over Annot and then came backto James again. 'You'll have to be very patient with Annot,'she announced, 'everything is strange to her out here. She'sgot used to England now.'

`But when I was a child—' Annot began.

`That was ages ago!'

`But one never forgets,' Annot insisted. 'The funny thing isnot how strange everything is, but how familiar. We had acook just like Joel, too. He was the best story-teller in theworld ! He lived in a but a short way away from our houseand Jeremy and I used to visit him whenever we could. Wewould sit round his fire, holding our breath until he began anew story by saying the magic words, Ugai Wm. It couldhave been yesterday,' she added dreamily.

James smiled at her. `Rukirika, it is finished,' he said toher. 'Wake up, sweetheart! We have more to do than tellstories today!'

Sweetheart? That brought her back to earth with a bump.`You have no right ' she began angrily.

'I'll call you what I like! Why shouldn't I call my fiancéesweetheart?'

`Because I'm not!'

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'A bitter-sweetheart,' he amended, tongue in cheek. `Doyou prefer that?'

Annot was very conscious of Dorcas staring at them, wide-eyed, even if he wasn't. 'Of course I don't object to yourendearments,' she said stiffly, 'only they don't seem to suitme very well.'

He put a hand on her shoulder, apparently not noticing

how she winced away from his touch. 'How little you knowabout yourself!' he said, and then when she would haveargued that with him too, he put his forefinger across herlips and shook his head at her. 'While we're at Amboseliyou may be lucky enough to see a male lion approaching afemale. Her first reaction is usually to snarl, too.'

Too? She glared at him resentfully. 'Perhaps he shouldhave more sense!' she said, escaping his finger withdifficulty.

'But she wouldn't like that at all!' he retorted. 'Females areever perverse, even in the wild!'

He turned his back on her, opening the door of the RangeRover and gesturing to Dorcas to get in. 'You'll have to bethree in the back,' he said. 'I'm taking Okumu with us.'

'Okumu?' Annot queried. 'Is he your Samburu gun-bearer?'

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'He speaks the same language as the Masai,' Jamesanswered her. 'The Samburu and the Masai are related toone another and share many of the same customs, and theAmboseli Reserve is run by the Masai. The Kajiado DistrictCouncil took it over in in return for a fairly handsomegovernment annuity. The idea is that the Masai shouldslowly move out of the area and leave it to the exclusive useof the animals, but somehow no matter how often they leavethey always make their way back there. If anyone knowswhere Jeremy is, it will be one of them. The border withTanzania goes straight through their traditional lands andthey come and go at will.

'Surely Jeremy wouldn't have been such a fool as to havecrossed the border without going through the usualformalities?' Annot protested.

'Balloons are notoriously difficult to control,' he answereddryly. 'Get in, girls! Are you going to travel in the front or theback, Annot?'

Annot muttered something about being sure that Judith

would expect to go in the front and got in beside Dorcaswith the speed of lightning, in case James should see fit totouch her again, and that she couldn't allow until she hadhad time to work out some kind of defence against theimpossible feelings he stirred within her whenever he camenear.

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Once they were on the road she told herself she had madea good choice. Okumu, his long spear in his hand, sat self-consciously beside her. Under one arm he had placed abundle of leaves, a primitive but effective form ofdeodorant, and his black skin was painted in patterns ofwhite that must have taken hours to apply. His hair wasdressed with red ochre mixed with animal fat, and lookedlike so many looped shoelaces falling to below hisshoulders. Annot wondered if it was a wig or his own hair,but she was too much in awe of his superb appearance toaddress him directly until he had first spoken to her.

But then he did speak. 'Have you enough space, mama?'he said in a deep voice, whose accents were as educatedas her own.

`Thank you,' she murmured.

'And the little girl?'

Dorcas peered at him round Annot. She had none of theolder girl's reservations about initiating a conversation withhim

'I'm not really little,' she told him. 'Besides, you've only juststopped being little yourself. James told me you've only justbecome a moron.'

`That is true,' he answered, 'but I am old to be a junior

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warrior. My own people are away to the north and I had mywork to do here.'

'Well, you look magnificent anyway,' Dorcas told him kindly.'What do you do while you're being a moran?'

It's a bit like military service,' he explained. 'We protect

our people from marauders and guard their homes. We arerenowned as being very brave fighters.'

`But there aren't any marauders nowadays,' Dorcasobjected.

'But we practise all the time in case they should come backone day and surprise us. Besides,' he added with alopsided smile, 'when we are morons we find it very easy toimpress the young women of the surrounding villages. Abeautiful girl must always know that the man who choosesher is the bravest of his age-group, then they will have finechildren together and be happy.'

Dorcas approved this attitude. She turned eagerly toDorcas. 'At least you know James is brave!' she exclaimed.`He's much braver than Jeremy!'

`Jeremy is my uncle, so I could hardly marry him,' Annotsaid dryly. She would have preferred to have talked aboutsomething else, but Dorcas had other ideas.

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'Have you ever fought with James?' she asked Okumu.

The Samburu flourished his spear with vigour. 'Often.Together we have tracked every kind of animal, to find outmore about how they live. The bwana is interested in thehabits of many creatures—and men too.'

But not women! Annot said to herself. Certainly not herself!She enlarged on that, reflecting bitterly on the way he tookall women for granted—Judith, herself. Look at the way hehad ridden rough-shod over her finer feelings by insistingon this ridiculous engagement that nobody could possiblybelieve in, because it must be obvious that they weren't inthe least bit in love with each other.

The road seemed endless. It had led at first across the sun-burned Athi where a few herds of gazelle and theoccasional giraffe hinted at what the animal life had oncebeen like before the white man had come and fenced offthe land the better to farm it, thus destroying the ecologicalrelationship that had been maintained between the Africansand the

animals since the beginning of time. Only in the Masaigame reserves were things still the way they always hadbeen, with both animals and men existing side by side intheir wild terrain.

They turned right after a while, heading for the Tanzanian

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border, and the tarmac petered out into a murram surfacethat put up a plume of rust-coloured dust behind them,announcing their presence to anyone who was watching forfifty miles or more.

At the gate of the game reserve the locals had set up quitea market-place, selling the Masai jewellery, heavy collarsmade from tiny beads all strung together; rings which hadbeen made to match; a variety of carved animals, carvedby the Wakamba who specialise in the craft; and picturesmade from banana plants, showing both animals anddomestic scenes of women drawing water or grinding corn,their babies strapped securely to their backs.

They had plenty of time to admire the artefacts on displaywhile James and the Samburu talked to the game wardensand paid the fees that were necessary to get into thereserve. Annot, whose interest in souvenirs was strictlylimited, gravitated towards the men, trying to understandwhat they were saying. She had known some Swahili as achild, but she thought she had long ago forgotten most of it.It seemed this was not true. She couldn't understandeverything, but she could make out long sequences of whatthey were saying and soon came to the speedy conclusionthat most of it involved her far more than anyone else.

'Whose balloon is it?' James was asking.

'He is an Englishman. He is making experiments at the

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moment, but he wants to get away before the rains come.He is staying in one of the lodges—you will find him there.'

'Does he know anything about Jeremy Lincoln?' Jamespersisted.

The warden shrugged. 'It could be. He spent some days

waiting for some photographer to turn up, but he nevercame. He's afraid of Lake Amboseli flooding before he isready; there has already been rain across the border, butTanzania always gets rain before we do.'

'Is that the balloon we're going to use?' Annot inquired,tugging impatiently at James' sleeve.

'Not you, my love. Just possibly I may go up with him andtake your photos for you—'

`James, you couldn't!'

`Don't you trust me with your cameras?'

She faced up to him bravely. 'I want to do it myself. I have todo it myself! I owe it to Jeremy. I had the dickens of a job topersuade the magazine to use my work in place of his, andit has to be my work. It would be fraud if I submitted yourphotos instead.'

'But, my dear girl, you would be developing them, choosing

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which one to use, and very likely touching them up too.Does it matter who actually points the camera at theanimal?'

`To me it does!'

'It would!' His exasperation was obvious. 'Can't I get itthrough your thick head that these hot-air balloons aredangerous? Anything might happen to you!'

'Nothing that couldn't happen to you too,' she pointed out.

He looked her up and down with a meaning, very masculinelook. 'That's what you think!' he exploded.

Annot had no answer to that. It was unfair, she thought, theway James could devastate her defences by the simpletechnique of using her sex against her. Surely he'd heardthat women were having adventures all over the world thesedays, often by themselves, without the aid of any man? Yethe seemed to think that she would break apart unless shewere guarded and cherished and prevented from doinganything for herself!

She changed the subject, trying hard to look -calm andconfident. 'Have they heard anything about Jeremy?'

He put a hand on her upper arm and walked away from thegate office. 'Leave it to Okumu,' he said when they could nolonger be overheard. 'If they do know anything they're not

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likely to tell anyone who might pass it on to the authorities.We know they're not personally involved, but they may haveheard gossip which they're unlikely to tell to a white man '

She allowed herself to be walked back down the road andhalf-shoved up the bank to the area where the stalls wereset out.

`james—' she began tentatively.

'What now?' he joined her at the top of the bank, a quizzicalexpression on his face. 'Have you never been told that it'ssometimes better to leave well alone?'

`I like to get things straight,' she insisted, then spread herhands in a gesture of despair. 'You don't understand, doyou? I don't want to be awkward—'

He let go of her arm, running his hand down the line ofMasai beaded collars. 'Choose yourself something youmight wear sometimes,' he· commanded her.

`But, James—'

`The balloon is called Icarus,' he cut her off.. 'You know whathappened to him, I suppose?'

:Didn't he fly too near the sun?' she muttered, not caring forthe allusion. 'That was different!'

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`Was it? The wax melted in his man-made wings and he fellfrom the skies like a bolt from the blue. He was killed,remember?'

'I'm hardly likely to be killed in a balloon!' she retorted. Hechose an elaborate collar that came into three pieces

and fastened it with ungentle fingers round her neck. `Howdo you like that?' he asked her.

'It makes me feel like a slave, if you must know—it

reminds me of the collars they forced the slaves to wearwhen they were looped together. It gives me a funny feelingwhen it bobs up and down against my chin.'

'Very appropriate,' he said dryly. 'I like you in it.' 'But I'llnever wear it!' she blazed.

'I think you may. I'll remind you that you have it from time totime,' he assured her, as imperturbably as ever.

'I still won't wear it!'

He brought some notes out of his pocket and paid for thecollar without further reference to her. Annot struggled withthe catch to undo it, but the three layers kept getting tangledwith one another, defeating her.

'Take it off!' she commanded James, her temper rising.

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'Why? It suits you,' he drawled, jumping down the bank andholding out his hand to her to help her down. 'It'll give yousomething else to think about besides arguing with me!'

'James! Do you know you're unbearably conceited?' Sheput her hand reluctantly into his because the bank wassteep and she was half afraid she would fall if she didn't 'Idon't need anything else to think about!'

He slipped both hands up under he arms and lifted herbodily down beside him. 'No, I suspected you were enjoyingyourself too much to be easily diverted into more profitablechannels of thought!'

'Such as?' Her breath caught in the back of her throat as heshowed no signs of releasing her, but held her relentlesslyup against his hard body.

'Such as, my pet, that your uncle may very likely have cometo grief in that same balloon and may well need more fromyou than a few photographs. It's strange that no one admitsto knowing anything about him! Okumu says it's commonknowledge among the Masai with whom he's living thatJeremy's Range Rover is somewhere in Amboseli. Thatmeans Jeremy must be somewhere here too.'

'Oh,' she said.

'Is that all you have to say?'

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She searched his face for some clue as to what he wasreally thinking, but there was none that she could discover.He was as enigmatic to her as ever.

'James, I am grateful '

'That's something else you might think about,' he interruptedher. 'It might not be gratitude I want from you!' `Oh?'

'Annot, if you say Oh just once more, I'll

`Annot, what a super necklace! It looks absolutely lovely onyou! I do like those colours together, and it goes beautifullywith 'your shirt. Don't you think so, James?' Dorcas's faceshone with unabashed enthusiasm. 'Mama says you haveto stand tall like the Masai do for their jewellery to lookanything, and Annot does, doesn't she?'

'I'd have to have notice of that question,' James reflected,his eyes on Annot's startled face. 'The Masai dance welltoo, and I've yet to see Annot doing any kind of dance. Butthe beads certainly go beautifully with her shirt!'

'I think so,' Dorcas sighed. 'Is that why you bought them forher?'

No, it wasn't,' Annot interposed hurriedly. 'He bought themto annoy me!'

'Nothing of the kind,' James retorted. 'Why should I want to

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annoy you?'

Annot cast him a speaking look, as she bent down towardsDorcas. 'Please undo it for me,' she asked the girl. 'Itmakes me uncomfortable.'

Dorcas fiddled with the hook of one of the clasps andsucceeded in getting it loose. 'I keep catching your hair init,' she apologised, 'you've got it awfully dusty! You shouldhave worn a scarf like Mama.'

`It doesn't matter,' said Annot, 'I'll wash it when we get toAmboseli. It'll soon dry in this heat.'

'But don't you go to a shop for that?' Dorcas asked her. 'Notoften.'

'Mama does—'

'What does Mama do?' Judith Drummond had strolledacross the road to join them, holding a small carvedelephant she had bought for her daughter in her hand.

'You go to a shop to have your hair done,' Dorcasenlightened her. 'Annot just washes hers. It's no good,Annot,' she added, 'I can't undo the last one. It's all twistedand the wires are terribly stiff.'

'Perhaps I should try,' Judith volunteered. She turned Annotround so that she could see what she was doing. 'I can see

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you're very impulsive in your purchases as well as in someother of your actions! Aren't you afraid of catchingsomething from these things?'

'I can't say it occurred to me.' Annot's voice was muffled byher arm as she strove to lift her hair out of the way.

'I gave them to her,' James put in, 'I think they suit her.'

Judith's fingers tightened on Annot's neck. 'I wouldn't havesaid there was anything primitive about Annot,' she said.'Masai women don't have much fun, and Annot certainlydoes have that!'

'Can't you do it?' Annot asked her anxiously, beginning tofeel she was destined to wear the collar for the rest of herlife.

'You'd better let me try,' James soothed her. She knewimmediately his firm touch against her skin and wasdismayed at her awareness of him. Supposing he noticed,what would he think of her? She burned inwardly withhumiliation, hating both him and his unwanted gift to her.

'I told you I'd never wear it!' she declared violently. 'I couldn'tgo through this every time!'

His only reaction was to laugh at her. The catches cameloose with a minimum of fuss and he held the offendingcollars out to her. 'You have only to ask me to do it for you,'

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he taunted her. 'That and other things!'

'I'll never ask you for anything! ' She snatched the beadsfrom his hand, smoothing them down with trembling fingers.'Never ! '

'Softly, sweetheart,' he rebuked her. 'One of these days Imight believe you, and what would you do then?'

She didn't deign to answer him. Turning her back on him,she stalked back to the Range Rover and got into the backseat. Judith came after her, a faint smile lifting the cornersof her lips.

'You are impulsive!' she said over her shoulder as sheresumed her seat in the front. 'I wouldn't dare speak toJames like that. You're not a very loving couple, are you?'

'Should we be?' Annot countered.

'My dear, only you can answer that, just as only you candecide if you aren't heading for more trouble than you canhandle. James isn't an easy man to handle, and if the bestyou can offer him is these little-girl tantrums, I don't thinkyou'll hold his interest for very long. But don't listen to me!I'm just a jealous hag who wants him for myself! Only Ihappen to like you too, and not even James' most ardentadmirer could describe him as a kindly man!'

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Annot fingered the beads thoughtfully. 'Sometimes I hatehim!' she said aloud.

'Well, if I were you I shouldn't let it show,' Judith advised her.'You'll only be the loser if you do.'

Annot wasn't hating James, though, when he got into thedriving seat and drove through the gates of the reserve insilence. She was remembering the sensation of his touchagainst her neck, and her skin burned with the memory,making her heart pound against her ribs in an agony offrustrated excitement. She would have to pull herselftogether, she thought wildly. She couldn't go on like this,starting whenever he came near her. She was a grownwoman, and Judith's jibe of 'little-girl tantrums' hurt. Some-

how or other, she had to treat James as naturally as she dideveryone else, but it was a tall order, and one she wasn't atall sure she could fulfil.

Her first impression of the Amboseli was the flat, desolatenature of the scenery; the broken down, shiny grey wood ofthe trees telling surely of the presence of the vast herds ofelephants who had made that part of the country theirhome. But the only animals they saw on the way to thelodge were some jackals playing by the side of the road, afew hares speeding over the sandy ground, and a herd ofzebras grazing on the spiky, sun-dried vegetation.

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The lodge blended in so well with its surroundings it washard to see it at all. Mud-coloured, it had been designed tolook as much like a Masai village as its luxurious standardsof comfort would allow. A couple of porters rushed out toopen the doors of the vehicle for them, followed more slowlyby a white man, dressed in very obviously English-madeshorts that came right to his knee and were held up by whatlooked like an old school belt, complete with the S-shapedbuckle and the faded striped colours that all such beltshave.

`Hullo there,' he said, lifting a hand in greeting. 'I'm NormanWhite, don't you know? The balloon man. I hear we may beworking together.' His eyes fell on Annot and his expressionbrightened visibly. `I'm hoping so, at all events,' he addedwith greater enthusiasm. 'It's the very greatest fun! You'll alllove it, I know you will!

CHAPTER SIX

Annot, who had always thought of balloons as silentshadows floating through the skies, was shocked by thenoise they were making to get the thing into the air at all. Ifthe din didn't frighten all the animals for miles around,nothing would, she decided to herself and went back to theRange Rover to gain for herself a little peace and quiet.James and the Samburu were holding open the mouth ofthe balloon while Norman White directed the two gas jetsinto the interior and pressed the triggers, Another roar of

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sound rent the still air of the morning and Annot lookeddeterminedly away, trying to think of other things. It wouldnot have been strictly true to say the balloon frightened her,but she was secretly relieved that she had been forbiddenthe excitement of actually travelling in the wicker basket—which couldn't have been much more than four feet square—but would only have to track the balloon's progress fromthe ground.

She had liked Norman White from the first moment she hadset eyes on him. With him she felt at home; he was Englishin a way she understood very well, with a nonchalantexterior that hid a sharp intelligence which was mostly usedto mock himself and the things he held dear. She knew heliked her too, and she had enjoyed talking to him the nightbefore, long after the others had been driven to their roomsby the insect life. They had watched the honey-badgersdisporting themselves in the pale arc of light from the lampsthat lit the water-hole by the lodge's verandah. The blackand white animals, so pretty to look at and so vicious intheir manners, had looked much smaller

than they really were out there, fighting over the pieces ofrib that the lodge kitchens had provided to attract them, andin the shadows the jackals had peered out at them, waitingtheir opportunity to steal their prized treat from under theirnoses.

'Who would have thought you would be Jeremy's niece?'

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Norman had said, his mouth curling with amusement asone jackal, braver than the rest, came fully into the light,daring the honey-badgers to send him back whence he hadcome.

'Is it so odd?' she had retorted.

'Somehow one never associated Jeremy with a family likeordinary people. But if James accepts you as Jeremy'sniece, then his niece one must suppose you to be.'

'What else would I be?' she asked.

His eyebrows had risen and he gave her a derisive lookthat made her blush. 'What indeed?' He took a pipe out ofthe pocket of his misshapen shorts. 'Tell me, pretty lady. ifJeremy is your uncle, what is James to you?'

'James?'

'Why the surprise?' Norman murmured,- busily lighting hispipe. 'Aren't you supposed to be engaged to one another?'

Annot felt a pricking sensation on the back of her neck. Thetruth was, she told herself, that she didn't like to think aboutJames at all. He had succeeded in putting her into a falseposition from which there seemed to be no way out, and itwas in danger of spoiling everything for her!

'Oh, that!' She dismissed it lightly. 'That's a convenience to

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stop people gossiping—'

'Is it? Is it necessary when you have Mrs Drummond anddaughter along to chaperone you very adequately as well?'

'I suppose not,' she murmured, 'I hadn't thought about it.'

But she was thinking about it now, just as she thought aboutit most of the night with increasing resentment

against its author. Why ever had she agreed to such athing?

She hadn't hesitated to tell Norman that James didn't meana thing to her. `He's been kind—in his way—and I didn't liketo make difficulties for him,' she confided. 'I think he has athing going for Judith, but he needs time to get used to theidea. You might say we're making use of each other—in away.'

`I might,' Norman drawled with meaning, 'I might take it tomean that you're still on the open market, Annot. Have youthought of that?'

She was pleased rather than otherwise that he should thinkher attractive enough to chat her up start thinking now,' shesaid.

`You do that, my pretty one,' he recommended.

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And she had, though it gave her much more pleasure todwell on the warm feeling Norman's interest in her hadgiven her. He was much nicer than James! A little dullperhaps, but none the worse for that, and much, much nicerthan James!

The balloon was no longer stretched out on the ground, butreaching skywards like some gigantic orange and yellowparachute. Estimating it with her eye, Annot reckoned itwas as high as a modern block of flats as it pulled againstthe restraining ropes that tethered it to the ground. Ittowered over them with the life and purpose of anenormous giant straining at the leash.

James came over to her and put a casual hand on hershoulder. 'Do you still want to do your own photography?' heasked her.

`Of course,' she declared bravely.

`Well, you're not going to,' he answered with a derisivesmile. 'Perhaps, when I've learned to fly the thing myself, I'lltake you up for a trip—'

'Don't bother! I have only to ask Norman and he'll take me!'

James' fingers bit into her shoulder. 'I think not. It wouldn'tbe kind to raise his expectations, Annot, and you know it.You need more than romantic surroundings to have asatisfactory romance! Just ask yourself if you'd look twice

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at Norman back in England.'

'I'll do no such thing!'

'If you don't,' he murmured, 'I'll put him straight myself. Now,you'd better run over the finer points of this camera againbefore you let me loose with it.'

Annot suppressed an angry retort, determined not to payany attention to anything that James might say. 'I don't thinkit will work,' she said instead. 'That balloon makes afantastic amount of noise!'

'Not all the time. If you want some shots of the movementsof the herds, I don't see how you can do better. I'll do thebest I can for you.'

For Jeremy,' she amended. She didn't want to be beholdento him, although she was already that. It bothered her thatsomehow she was going to have to repay him for the timeand expense he had laid out on her behalf, and she didn'tknow how she was going to do it. It made her feel a littlebetter if she could insist that it was all being done forJeremy and not for her at all.

`Isn't your name going on the photographs for themagazine?'

'Well, yes,' she admitted, 'but only if Jeremy doesn't turn up.I couldn't say they were his, could I?'

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He picked up the camera he was to use. 'Too honest, ortoo afraid of being found out?' he taunted her.

She cast him a resentful look. 'A bit of both, if you mustknow. I don't see what it has to do with you, though!'

He pressed the button on the side of the camera, releasingthe lens and taking it out carefully. 'Don't you?

Haven't you realised that everything you do has to do withme?'

'I don't see why! I hate all this "let's pretend" business—'

He was openly amused. 'I'm sure you do,' he agreed calmly,'but how else am I to keep you in order.? You'd have us allrunning round in circles if you could, my girl, but I won't playand Norman needs the money we're paying him for the useof his balloon. Satisfied?'

'What about Judith?'

'You can leave Judith to me. She's much more easilycontrolled than you are. I haven't noticed her batting hereyelashes at the defenceless Norman!'

Annot's mouth dropped open. 'And you have noticed me?Well, let me tell you—'

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'I shouldn't,' he murmured.

Her temper burned brightly within her. 'Why not?' shedemanded.

'You might not get the reaction you're looking for.' He gaveher a slow, affectionate smile. 'Come on, Annot, admit it,Norman doesn't mean a row of beans to you and never will

'That's got nothing to do with you!' she stormed at him.

He shook his head at her. 'The balloon won't wait, or I'd giveyou a taste of what you're looking for! Which lens do youwant me to use?',

With a huffiness that was not usually part of her nature, shefound the wide-angled lens she thought he would find mostuseful. 'You'd better take the zoom too, for close-ups,' shesaid.

'Okay.' He fitted the wide-angled lens to the camera with anease that spoke of greater familiarity with a camera thanshe had allowed for. It didn't endear him to her. Then helooked up quickly, his eyes holding hers for a long, painfulmoment. 'Are you sure you can manage things down

on the ground?' he questioned her then.

'I expect so.'

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'That might not be good enough,' he said dryly. 'Okumu isthe best guide I know, but he doesn't drive. I don't want yougetting bogged down or anything like that, so keep to themain tracks as far as you can.'

'I am, as it happens, quite a competent driver!' shesnapped.

'On motorways I expect you are. Africa can be a frighteningexperience for a novice, though. I wish Judith had come outwith us—'

'I'm sure you do, but I can do anything she can do! Better!'she declared wildly. 'This isn't my first visit to Africa, youknow.'

'You were younger then,' he retorted, then smiled slowly. 'I'monly trying to ensure that it isn't your last!' His eyesnarrowed as he looked her up and down. 'You're not afraidto be on your own with Okumu, are you?'

She was genuinely astonished. 'Why should I bee'

'No reason at all,' he assured her. 'He'll look after you likethe baby you are. Most Africans are good with children andanimals.

'Are they?' she said bitterly. 'Well, please explain to Okumuthat I'm in charge down on the ground. You can do as youlike up there!'

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James laughed, slinging the camera and the spare lensover his shoulder. 'My dear girl, Okumu is a Samburumoran. He doesn't take orders from any woman. If you'rewise, you'll follow his advice to the letter—he understandsrhinos and elephants as if they were his brothers, and morethan once my life has depended on his being right aboutwhich way they'll jump.' He turned on his heel, looking backat her over his shoulder. 'Besides,' he added, 'that's one ofthe things I agree with the Africans about.'

`And what's that?' she demanded, knowing even as she

asked that she would have done better to keep a stilltongue in her mouth.

'They don't like bossy women----and neither do I!'

If she had had anything in her hands she would have thrownit at him, and that surprised her. She was seldomaggressive and even more seldom antagonised into astrong desire to be rude, but she would have loved to haveannihilated James in that moment, with her tongue or withanything else that came to hand. She wanted to knock himoff his superior perch once and for all—and have him admitit! Yes, more than anything, she wanted him to admit thatshe had got the better of him and have him look up to herfor a change. How sweet such a moment would be! It wouldbe pure nectar to her, a balm that would restore herbattered pride and customary good humour to their usual

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pre-eminence among her emotions.

`Mind you don't trip,' she said sweetly as James swunghimself into the basket.

'I won't,' he returned, his voice as honeyed as hers. 'Look toyourself, Miss Lindsay, and take your own advice!'

She shrugged her shoulders. 'I'm not going anywhere,' shereminded him.

He leaned out of the basket, rocking it violently. 'Annot,you'd trip over your own tongue if I let you every time youlook at me! And as for not going anywhere, you'd better bethere when we come down or I'll know the reason why riot!'

Norman, who had ignored them both up to this moment,stepped into the basket beside James, his eyes anxiouslylooking up into the balloon.

'Let go!' he commanded. let go now!'

Annot looked about her in a panic, not knowing what to do,but she need not have worried, Okumu stepped forward,raised his panga high above his head and cut through therestraining ropes. At the same moment, Norman fired the

jets of gas and with a mighty roar the balloon lifted up intothe air and began a stately dance over the elephant-ravaged trees.

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`They'll never make it!' Annot whispered, choked with aprimitive fear that she couldn't understand. 'I just know they'llcrash!'

Okumu watched the balloon more philosophically. `They'llbe all right while it's in the sky, but when they come down—who knows what will happen then?'

Annot shut her eyes against the vision of the basket beingdragged out of control across the rough ground, perhapseven into the path of an angry elephant. They would breakevery bone in their bodies! She knew it as surely as sheknew the sun was shining. 'I should never have let him do it!'she exclaimed.

Okumu shaded his eyes with his hand. 'It's better he shouldbreak his bones than you should do so,' he remarked.

`Do you think he might?' Annot paled at the thought. 'NotJames, I mean, but Norman has never done anyone anyharm!'

The Samburu began to pull up the iron weights that hadheld the balloon to the ground while it had been filling upwith hot air. 'The balloon man will not be the one to defendyou from the bwana's wrath if you fail him We had betterfollow before we lose them!'

Annot turned to him in amazement. 'Lose that?'

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Okumu nodded. 'It is possible,' he insisted. 'It can hide in avalley, or come down unexpectedly, or be blown across theborder unawares. We need to stay with it all the way.'

Annot hadn't really intended to argue with him. 'We'd bettergo, then,' she capitulated. Now that the moment had come,she was more scared than she liked to admit at theprospect of taking the Range Rover over the virgin soil ofthe Amboseli. All round the lodge were huge lumps ofvolcanic rock that had been spewed out, maybe byKilimanjaro

itself, in some bygone age. They lent a desolate, burned-out look to the scenery that was otherwise splendid in everyway. True, the trees had suffered from the great herds ofelephants that roamed the reserve, and the dust waspervasive, rising in clouds behind the vehicle andenveloping them in a film of red that got in their clothing andtheir mouths, gritting against their teeth, but there wassomething majestic about the flat land and the range of hillsthat culminated in the snow-topped Mount Kilimanjaro, thehighest mountain in the- African continent.

Okumu sat beside her, his back straight and his eyesconstantly roaming the horizon. `Go this way,' he would sayat intervals. Often it would seem to Annot they were turningtheir backs on the balloon, only to come round the side of ahill and find it still ahead of them.

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`But your people don't come from here, do they?' sheasked him, impressed by his detailed knowledge of theterrain.

He shook his head. 'My people live in the north. My familycome from the same district as Elsa the lioness. When shewas still alive I have seen Elsa and her cubs, but then Icame south to be with the Bwana James. The Samburu arerelated to the Masai; we are both Maa speakers, and wehave the same customs and the same beginnings.'

She smiled at him 'You feel at home here?'

'I feel at home everywhere in my country,' he returned. `Butyour people didn't originate in Kenya, did they? shequestioned him

`Who knows? In the beginning our people lived in a crater-like place with high escarpments all round them. Oneseason the rains failed and many people and cattle died,but it was observed that the birds continued to fly down thesteep cliffs bringing grass and young leaves with them tomake their nests. The elders met and decided to send outscouts to climb the escarpment and find out what

was beyond them. But how were they to make the ascent?It was very difficult, but at last they found a path and, whenthey reached the top, they were astonished by the fertilityand the wealth of the land that lay beyond. There were wide

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pasturelands, water, and plenty of room for the people tolive and prosper. Also, the land was empty save for wildanimals. The only people there were lived far, far away inanother country.'

'So everybody followed the scouts out into the new land?'Annot put in.

`Not everybody. A bridge was built so that the people andthe stock could climb out, but it was still a giganticundertaking. At that time all the people lived together—there were no clans, or age-groups, or any other divisions.Everyone spoke Olmaa, from which the Masai derive theirname. Then the great ascent began, but in the middle of theexodus the bridge broke, throwing half the people backdown into the crater. There was now a division betweenthem. The people at the top could not go back, and thepeople at the bottom could not get out. In the end it wasdecided to leave things as they were. The people who wereleft behind became Ilmeek, those who are not Masai. Lateron the Somali people managed to climb out, but by thistime they spoke another language and they remained apartfrom the Masai. Thus the people were divided into Maaspeakers and others. The Samburu speak Olmaa and aretherefore at one with the Masai—that is why I live amongthem without strain. To them I am no different from theMasai of another clan, and they accept me and all mypeople as they would any strangers of their own people.'

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Annot's interest was caught. 'I heard them singing in theMasai village last night,' she said. 'It was late and itsounded beautiful.'

`You were not asleep?' Okumu asked.

She shook her head. 'I was talking to—to someone else

on the verandah and watching the honey-badgers.'

`I have heard you were talking,' the Samburu said distantly.

'If I had gone to my room Mrs Drummond would havewanted to talk, and Dorcas found it difficult enough to go tosleep with the light on, without having the two of uschattering as well!' She wondered why she should bother todefend herself. She could have told James the same thing,but she hadn't thought he would believe her. At best it was ahalf-truth that she had been concerned for Dorcas. She hadwanted to talk to Norman. He was an easy person to talk to—and it had been none of James' business whom shetalked to, or when she did her talking!

`Go that way!' Okumu jerked out suddenly.

Annot wrenched at the wheel, turning the Range Rover offthe main track across the dried-out Lake Amboseli. It washard going through the loose dust; the tyres spun, gained amomentary purchase and shot forward, only to spinhelplessly again. Annot tried to even out her pace, keeping

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her use of the accelerator down to a minimum. Too late sheremembered that James had told her on no account toleave the main trails across the reserve.

'We'd better go back,' she said at last, 'we'll get stuck if wego on much further.'

`But it is dry now,' Okumu pointed out. 'When it is wet, afterrain, it is easy to stick, but not now!'

The Range Rover lost momentum and came to a slidingstop. Tentatively, Annot 'slammed the gear-lever into thebottom position and turned the vehicle slowly round. Theback of her neck prickled with a fear she couldn'tunderstand and she was hardly surprised at all whenOkumu's restraining hand brought them once more to ahalt.

`What is it?' she demanded with a tetchiness which sheimmediately repented.'

'Hush,' he whispered, 'we are between a rhino and her

baby. She doesn't see well, but she hears everything!'

Annot's hand froze on the steering-wheel. She scarcelydared breathe as the enormous armour-plated bulk of therhinoceros—a black rhino, she noted almost withoutrealising she had done so—trotted round the Range Rover,snorting a warning that she was on the warpath. Her child,

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however, less concerned than his mother, snorted anxiouslyback and hurried into position beside his ill-temperedparent. Mollified, she made a false charge on the RangeRover, stopping a mere foot away from the bonnet with afinal warning shuffle of her front feet. Then she turned awayand went back to browsing for food a few yards away fromwhere they were sitting.

`Now can we go back?' Annot whispered, badly frightened.

'Yes, now we go back,' the Samburu agreed.

Even so it took them all of twenty minutes to get back to themade-up track that went across the lake in dry weather.`Made-up' was a bit of a misnomer; it meant only that anearth-leveller had passed that way some time in the recentpast, it did not mean it had been surfaced, or that it wasfree from potholes or hidden patches of dry, crumbling dust.

Annot's first reaction was one of relief, compounded by amixture of guilt that she should have forgotten so easilyJames' warning to stay on the main tracks, and reactionfrom her first encounter with an angry rhinoceros. It was onlyslowly that she began to remember what they were doing inthe Range Rover in the first place.

`Where's the balloon?' she demanded, her voicesharpened by the thought of James Montgomery beinglanded somewhere in the blue, without any hope of getting

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home without her.

`We will find it,' the Samburu said comfortably. 'You don'thave to be afraid for the bwana,' he added.

'Afraid for James?' She laughed at the thought. 'But whyshould poor Norman suffer unnecessarily?'

'He is in more danger,' the African acknowledged. 'He isrecently from England and lions are more tempted by thesmell of fresh blood—'

'Oh, shut up!' Annot commanded him. 'You're deliberatelytrying to frighten me! '

Okumu laughed. 'No, it is true! Bwana James would be veryangry if I told you anything that was not true!'

Annot digested that in silence. Belatedly, she came to theconclusion he was teasing her and wondered at her ownsurprise at what she would have expected from anyoneelse.

'What will happen if we don't find the balloon?' she asked,her voice trembling a little despite herself.

'We shall find it. They will be on the other side of the lake,for the wind is blowing them in that direction. You have noneed to worry, mama! If you hurry, we shall soon catch themup.'

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But it didn't seem soon. In fact it was several hours beforethey sighted the orange and yellow shape of the balloon,silhouetted against the fast-setting sun. It was very low overthe ground, hovering only a few feet over the whistling thornbushes that had been practically eaten out by the younggiraffes who had been left by their mothers to fend forthemselves all day on the top of an incline. Soon the olderfemales would return to suckle their young, having spent theday foraging for themselves on the thorn trees on the lowerslopes.

Annot headed straight for the balloon, the lessons ofleaving the main track completely forgotten. She rushedover the rough ground like a mad thing, conscious of thewind blowing through the seed-cases of the whistling thornuntil she 'could hear nothing else but the shrill, eerie soundand it began to grate on her nerves.

'Slow down, mama,' Okumu advised her, 'the balloon is notdown yet.'

'They're coming down among those young giraffes—I knowthey are!'

`Maybe. It is better than coming down among a pride oflions.' He felt in the fold of his loincloth and produced asmall calabash in which he kept his snuff. Carefully, hesniffed a small portion up each nostril, sneezing fiercely toclear his head. 'The Bwana James knows what he is doing.'

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Annot hoped he did, but she was pretty sure that Normandidn't, and it was Norman who was supposed to be incontrol of the balloon. She meant to be there when theytouched the ground, if only to ease her own mind as to howthey were going to manage it.

The giraffes were hurrying now through the red glow of theevening. Their family feeling was not very great, but themothers allowed their young to suckle and would evensuckle another female's child if that mother was notavailable. The Range Rover came crashing up the hill just intime to see the whole group take fright, as the gas jetsexploded over their heads for the balloon to clear the top ofan inconvenient tree. Giraffes rushed helter-skeltereverywhere, their incredible speed carrying them rapidlyover the ground. Only one mother was left behind, a shortdistance away from the rest. For a moment Annotwondered why she hadn't fled with the others, but then toher horror she saw she was about to give birth. The babygiraffe was dropped from a height on its head to theground.

`We've killed it!' Annot exclaimed.

Okumu shook his head. 'That's how giraffes are born,' hetold her. 'Mostly they survive and only sometimes they donot.'

Annot was not so easily comforted. She felt deeply for the

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Annot was not so easily comforted. She felt deeply for theadult giraffe as she stood her ground, refusing to leave

her calf; as the basket of the balloon came floating downtowards her she advanced towards it in her turn, using herhead as a sledge-hammer in the time-honoured way of herkind if sufficiently pressed. She caught the corner of thebasket and sent it rocketing away from her. Annot gaspedaudibly, but the two men hung on to the handles witheverything they had, and another spurt of gas took them upsafely above the giraffe's head.

Without thought for her own safety, Annot leaped out of theRange Rover and pointed over towards another clearing inthe trees where the balloon could come down with greatersafety.

`Right, Annot!' Norman shouted back to her.

'Get back in the car!' James' voice added, as calm and assuperior as ever.

'But you'll need help—'

`Get in, Annot ! '

She might have argued the point further if Okumu hadn'tforcibly dragged her back into the vehicle.

'He is all right, mama, the giraffe has done him no harm.Drive over there and he will be waiting for us. It will soon be

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all over.'

He is all right! What about Norman? Didn't anyone carewhat happened to him? Annot opened her mouth to protestthat he was every bit as important as James, but the wordsdied away in her throat. He ought to matter as much, but hedidn't and he never would. And if that was the truth, it wassomething far better kept to herself. She didn't trust Okumunot to repeat to James every word she said to him, and thiswas something she couldn't bear for James to know, notnow, not ever! It was something she refused to admit evento herself. She would go on disliking him just as thoughnothing had happened, because nothing had happened,except for a split second of time when she had thought—when it had seemed as though James was

much more important than any other man could possibly beto her.

Afterwards she had no recollection of driving the RangeRover to the clearing to which she had directed the men inthe balloon. Indeed, she remembered very little about theirlanding, the series of hiccups in the smoothness of theirdescent caused by the wind catching in the material of theballoon, and the final, resounding thump when they hit theearth, the balloon, the hot air having cooled down,crumpling up over the top of them.

Norman stepped out of the basket, a broad grin of triumph

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on his face. 'Fantastic! James is a natural—'

The basket overbalanced and James, who had beenreplacing the cover on the lens of the camera, was spilt outon to the ground, a tangle of limbs, spare film, and extralenses. He sat up, rubbing the back of his head indignantly,and Annot began to laugh.

`Dammit, woman, it's nothing to laugh at!' he berated her,getting to his feet and brushing the worst of the undergrowthoff his trousers.

But she only laughed the more. 'I told you to mind your step!'she reminded him.

He came over to the door of the car. `So you did! Moveover and let me in, my girl, and then we'll see who'slaughing!'

CHAPTER SEVEN

`You've caught the sun.'

Annot averted her face. She wasn't sure it was the sun thathad reddened her face, but she certainly hoped it was.Surely it couldn't be the close proximity of JamesMontgomery that had affected her?

`The sun?' she echoed.

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He touched her cheek with a gentle finger. 'Isn't it the sun? Ithink by tomorrow you'll be peeling nicely. Have youanything to put on it?'

She shook her head. 'I never burn,' she claimed, flying in theface of the evidence. 'At least,' she amended, `if I do, itnever hurts.'

'I hope you're right. It's a long time since you were out allday in the African sun; I should have warned you thismorning. Prevention is always better than cure—even if itdoesn't hurt!'

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She shrugged, feeling ungracious. 'It's my face!'

`I consider I have an interest in it. I don't want it to come toany harm.'

'I still think that's my business!'

James gave her a sidelong look. 'You have a lot to learn,sweetheart,' he said.

`About balloons, everything!' she agreed with a heartinessthat made her wince. 'Shouldn't we be helping with folding itup?'

'They aren't ready for us yet.' He drummed his fingersagainst the steering-wheel while he closely observed her,noting with interest her restiveness under his gaze. 'Youlook tired,' he spoke at last. 'Another reason for having anearly night tonight, don't you agree?'

Annot gave him a rebellious glare. 'I want to see the honey-badgers again!'

He looked amused. 'I keep forgetting you're not much moregrown-up than Dorcas,' he smiled. 'I bet you used to inventexactly the same sort of excuses for your parents when theytold you it was time for bed!'

'I don't remember them ever telling me such a thing!' she

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denied.

'No? They spoilt you rotten, I suppose?'

She didn't like his teasing. 'I don't think so. They treated meas an adult—I'm not used to being dismissed as amindless child!'

'Is that what I do?' She caught the underlying laughter in hisvoice and wished she had not thought to make thecomplaint in the first place. He obviously wasn't disposed totake anything she said seriously.

'You hardly treat me as a grown-up with a mind of my own!'she rebuked him sharply.

'I'll try to do better,' he drawled, 'but you can take it from me,I think of you as quite grown-up, Annot Lindsay. Too grown-up for my comfort most of the time!'

'And what's that supposed to mean?'

'It means, my dear, exactly what you suppose it to mean,that I am well aware of every movement you make and amhard put to it not to end this little game you're playing in thebest way for both of us!'

Her eyes widened in dismay. 'I haven't the faintest ideawhat you're talking about!' she exclaimed.

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He smiled, but not with amusement, and her breathquickened. Surely he could not mean that?

'But I do! he affirmed. 'I keep thinking about what it wouldbe like to kiss you, and one of these days I will, but not whileyour face is raw from the sun and you look tired enough tosleep for a week!' He bent his head closer to hers. 'Did youspend the whole day worrying about me? It

wasn't necessary, you know. Norman is a better balloonpilot than I would have given him credit for.'

'I wasn't worried at all,' Annot denied. 'We had our ownadventures—and with something much more dangerousthan a giraffe!'

'I saw you,' he said dryly. 'Serve you right for disobeyingorders. Didn't I tell you to keep to the main trails? If I hadn'tknown you were all right with Okumu with you, I'd have takenyou to task for that, tired or not! Little fool! I hope you didget a good fright!'

`How kind of you!' she retorted. 'I was a bit frightened, but itwas much worse when we thought we'd lost you!' She couldhave bitten out her tongue the moment, she had spoken.What kind of a fool was she to tell him a thing like that? Shemust be tired and every bit as half-witted as he thought her!

James' expression softened. 'You won't lose me easily,' heassured her.

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'Unfortunately not! How about Judith? She may not evenwant to lose you!'

His eyes flashed. 'How you do love to stir it up! I can't thinkwhy I allow you to get away with it. Why don't you let Judithlook after herself? She's well able to, and far betterqualified to manage her affairs than you are —'

'Meaning that she kisses you back, I suppose?' Annot saidbitterly.

His features froze. Slowly, he turned and looked at her,lifting a frigid eyebrow. 'And you won't?'

'I'm not in love with you!'

'And you think Judith is? Don't be childish, Annot! You don'tknow the first thing about it. I doubt if you even know howyou feel yourself. That, quite as much as your washed-outstate, is the only thing that's making me hold back fromtrying out your particular brand of kisses. Satisfied?'

She was certainly shocked by his plain speaking. 'I can't

be very attractive if I look so tired and washed-out. I'msurprised you bother!'

He cupped her chin with a firm hand, turning her face up tohis. 'Don't be provocative, Annot, it doesn't suit you.' He

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touched his lips to hers. 'And you might get more than youbargained for in return.' He kissed her lightly again. 'Whatwould you do then, my love?'

Annot knew the answer to that. She would panic as shewas beginning to panic now, and she didn't like it at all! Sheliked to be fully in control of herself and her emotions, not tofind herself at the mercy of someone else—someone shedidn't even like!

'I didn't mean to be provocative,' she said almost humbly.

'Did you not?' The sardonic twist to his lips made her blush.'Possibly not,' he went on. 'I keep forgetting what aninnocent abroad you are!'

Annot sighed. 'You make me out to be a fool,' shecomplained, 'and I'm not! I may not be very experienced insome ways, but I know much more than you think about—'She came to a full stop, clinging to her dignity with adesperation born of the fear that she might take the easyway out and burst into tears, a course she knew she wouldlater despise.

'About love?'

'That sort of thing,' she compromised. 'I've had boyfriendsgalore!'

She wondered why he laughed, a great shout of laughter

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that made Norman look up from what he was doing andstare at them with disapproval.

'Don't you believe me?' Annot demanded. It was suddenlyvery important to her to convince him that she was every bitas capable as Judith was at looking after herself.

James stepped out of the Range Rover. 'No, my sweet, Idon't.'

She followed him out, a little nervous at stepping out of

the protection of the vehicle, but she couldn't hear anyanimals, and so she could only hope there were none closeenough to matter.

'Why not?'

He paused, considering the question, his head a little onone side. You take fright too easily to be at home in theways of men,' he answered. 'I'd stake my last shilling onyour innocence. Am I right?'

Annot dropped her eyes to the ground, unnerved by hisperception. 'All the same ' she began, and then stopped.'Oh, never mind, what does it matter? Why should I carewhat you think?'

'That's what I'm wondering,' he agreed smugly. 'I'd say youwere on the brink of growing up, Annot Lindsay, and not

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before time!'

She stooped to re-tie her shoelace. 'I hate you!' shemuttered in muffled tones. 'I hate you more than anyoneelse I've ever met!'

James waited for her to stand upright again, his hands onhis hips, the very picture of male arrogance. 'Good,' hesaid. 'I can live with a little hatred from you—if you're sure itis hatred that you feel?'

'What else would it be?'

He didn't bother to answer. He didn't have to—the look onhis face was answer enough. He knew! But what did heknow? Annot considered the problem, trying to still theincreasing turmoil inside her at the same time. She threwhim a timid look, trying to make up her mind whether itwould pay her to take the war into the enemy's camp andask him exactly how he felt about her. But her spirits failedher. If only she could be as indifferent as she had beenwhen she had first walked into his house, thinking blithelythat it was Jeremy's home she was entering! But she mostcertainly didn't feel indifferent about anything to do withJames

Montgomery, and if it wasn't hatred she felt for him, thenwhat was it?

He put an affectionate arm across her shoulders. 'What

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else indeed?' he said in her ear. 'You'd better get back intothe car and leave the hard work to the men,' he added. 'Youlook fit to drop!'

`Charming,' she said, making a face at him. 'Yourcompliments are enough to turn any girl's head!'

'Oh, I haven't started yet,' he grinned back at her. 'I could tellyou that you have beautiful hair and that it looks simplygorgeous when it's just been washed and kicks up all overthe place; or I could tell you that the combination of that hairwith your wide, dark eyes is fascinating even to a hardenedbachelor like myself, but—'

Annot held her breath. 'But?'

`But I won't. You might believe me, and then where would Ibe?'

She shrugged. 'Nowhere. It would take more than that to getyou anywhere with me!' She stuck her nose in the air, tryingto ignore his laughter. 'Anyway,' she added unwisely, 'youdon't know anything about my hair!'

He laughed again. `I know a great deal about you, Annot.More than you could ever guess at—'

'It hasn't made you like me any better!' She hoped shesounded less hurt than she felt.

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'Oh, I don't know,' he said. 'I guess I dislike you about asmuch as you hate me! Now, will you get back into theRange Rover and try to keep quiet for a few moments, or I'llsend you to bed before I tell you about the photos I think Itook for you—no, I'm not going to tell you right now, though Ithink I got a beauty of that giraffe heading off the basket ofthe balloon. That will be one to tell our grandchildren about!'

She did as she was bidden and got back into the RangeRover. She was glad to do so, for she was extremelyweary,

though she would have died sooner than admit it to James.He'd have to hurry up if he was going to tell hisgrandchildren anything, she thought nastily. Judith alreadyhad one daughter and she was not exactly the maternaltype, craving for more babies. Annot had received thedistinct impression that Judith found Dorcas more of anuisance than an asset, and if she had more children itwould be to please her husband rather than herself.

It was almost dark when the men had finished folding theballoon and stowed it away in the back of the Range Rover,tying the basket and the rest of the equipment on to theroof-rack.

`You needn't bother to come out tomorrow, Annot,' Jamessaid as they piled into the vehicle and made for home. 'Youcan take a turn at staying put with Dorcas and let Judith

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have a bit of fun.'

`Can't Dorcas come with us too?' she argued. After all, thiswas her project and it had nothing to do with JudithDrummond!

'Later on, perhaps.'

Annot said nothing more. It was possible, she thought, thatJudith wouldn't want to drive the Range Rover through thedust and the heat of the midday sun; it was more thanpossible that she would refuse to stir from the lodge and theswimming-pool. She might even remember that Dorcaswas her daughter and entitled to some part of her mother'sattention.

James put out a hand and patted her knee. 'Never mind, itwon't be half as bad as you think. You'll need the time todevelop the shots we already have. Can you manage inyour bathroom if I get them to black it out for you?'

'Yes, thank you,' she said. She had reason to be grateful tohim yet again, but she didn't feel one bit grateful. All she feltwas a burning resentment that he should make all

her plans for her and tell her what to do all the time, with allthe confidence of—of what?

'Another day,' he went on, 'and I think I might be flying thatthing by myself. Norman can drive the Range Rover after

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that.'

'Oh yes? And what will I be doing?' she asked.

'What do you want to do?' he asked.

`I want to go up in the balloon too,' she confessed.

He laughed easily. 'My word, you never give up, do you?Okay, little one, if I can be sure of landing the thing as easilyas we did today I'll take you up for a ride. That's a promise,but you must do your part and not mess up thearrangements before then. Right?'

So he did see her as a child! What was more, a child whocould be bribed into behaving as he wished. Well, perhapsshe was more childish than she knew, but she couldn't passup a chance of going up in the balloon, torn as she wasbetween a mixture of fright at the thought and the longing totry a completely new experience.

'Right,' she said.

James patted her knee again. 'Good girl,' he commendedher. 'Was it really so difficult to make up your mind?'

'In a way,' she admitted. 'I like to make up my own mindabout things—even things like whether I can go up in aballoon that I'm paying for!'

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The tart note in her voice made him laugh. 'Are youpaying?' he taunted her.

'Aren't I?' The tartness had gone to be replaced by genuinebewilderment. It was true that so far no one had asked herfor any money, but surely James hadn't anticipated payingthe bill himself?

He bent his head towards hers. 'You see now theadvantage in being my fiancee? Noman will render hisaccount to me.'

'But that isn't fair! This is my project!'

'Fair or not, that's the way it's going to be,' he said with afinality that warned her she would be courting more thanshe could handle if she were to argue the point further withhim. He was so stubborn! 'If and when we find Jeremy, I'llsort it out with him.'

'Why with him and not with me?' she cried out.

'He's a man, and you're now but a bit of a girl,' he teasedher. 'Be glad that you are,' he added. 'I am!'

Annot was effectively reduced to silence for the moment. Ofcourse she couldn't leave matters there—he was beingridiculous and so old-fashioned that it wasn't true. Yet therewas something in his attitude that caught at her heart-strings and made her want to cry.

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'I've always paid my own way!' she exclaimed. 'James,don't be daft! What do you hope to get out of it?'

He was silent for a moment, then he said, 'Let's just say thatJeremy is a friend of mine, and I should have donesomething about his disappearance long before you turnedup on the scene. I didn't like what he'd become, but thatdoesn't excuse my lack of action.'

For an instant she thought she had got the better of him.'But Jeremy is my uncle,' she said somewhat smugly, 'heisn't related to you at all!'

'Thank God!' he retorted. 'But the ties of friendship havetheir responsibilities too.' He gave her a smile which it wasalmost too dark to see. 'A man has to do what a man has todo!' he quoted at her, as she had once quoted it to him.

'And a woman doesn't?' she countered.

'You've done your bit,' he answered her. 'You've found aman to do it for you!'

'You're so conceited!' she told him. 'I'd manage just as wellon my own! Women do nowadays, you know!'

'In the cities perhaps, not out here,' he squashed her. 'Dropit, Annot, there's a love. It won't do you any good to arguethe toss with me and you know it. I mean to have

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my own way, and your best plan would be to give ingracefully and thank me nicely when it's all over! Do youthink you could manage that?'

'Never!' she decided.

He sighed a deep, mocking sigh. 'What a good thingwomen are renowned for changing their minds!' he saidsotto voce.

Her lips trembled on the edge of laughter—or was it tears?'They have the last word too,' she reminded him. 'I shallenjoy that!'

`Content yourself to have had the last word now,' he saidwith a gentleness she didn't usually associate with him.`We've reached the barrier and we'll have to get the night-watchman to open it up for us. The reserve shuts down atseven o'clock, and we're supposed to be back at thelodges by then.' He glanced over his shoulder. ` Okumu?'

It was darker than Annot had thought; she could hardlyfollow the progress of James and the Samburu as theymade their way to the warden's office. She wished she hadgone with them, but that would have left Norman on his own.The Englishman had been silent for so long that she hadalmost forgotten all about him, and she searched her mindfor something to say to him now, wondering that she shouldfind it so hard now to talk to him when it had been so easy

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the evening before.

`Norman, how much do you charge for the use of theballoon?' she burst out.

There was an uncomfortable silence. 'I haven't worked it outyet, but it isn't cheap, Annot. I had to hang round here forweeks looking for an alternative client after your uncledisappeared. I had one or two bookings from people whowanted to know what it's like to go up in a balloon, but therewasn't anything definite until James came along.'

Annot noted that even he was apparently convinced thatthis was James' adventure and not hers at all, but she had

hopes of Norman. He was much more easily managed thanJames Montgomery would ever be! He wouldn't ignore herclaims to having a hand in the getting of the photographsfor her own series of articles.

'Will you submit the bill to me?' Annot pressed him, anxiousto get the whole thing sewn up before James came back tothe Range Rover.

'It was James who hired me—'

'No, Jeremy did that! I get a reasonable expense allowancefor completing the assignment for him, you know, andthere's no reason why James should come into this at all.'

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Norman was obviously uncomfortable about her request.'It's expensive, Annot. A joy-ride can cost twenty pounds aperson back in England.'

Annot blenched. 'Twenty pounds? Whatever is this tripgoing to cost?'

'I told you it was expensive. You'd best leave it to James tosettle up with me, and pay him back when and how you can.I don't want to press the point, my dear, but I need payingon the nail. If I hadn't had James' guarantee I wouldn't havetaken the risk of staying on here. You do understand, don'tyou?'

He sounded so apologetic that Annot said she did. Sheunderstood very well, she thought bitterly. James had wonagain! It was as if he were determined to drive home thefact that she couldn't manage without him But she wouldn'tgive in. It was more than time that someone showed himthat he couldn't interfere with impunity in her affairs! With abrief shudder, Annot suppressed the memory of the but thathad been Jeremy's and which James had spared her fromhaving to sleep in, and the flood of gratitude she had feltwhen she had seen it for herself. She had nothing to begrateful to him for now! He was merely being insufferable,superior and—and masculine!

'But you will take me up one of these days, won't you?'Annot deliberately tempted Norman.

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He responded immediately. 'I'll say I will! Or better still, wecould get away by ourselves in my van and leave the othersto get on with things. It would give you a rest fromquarrelling with James.'

'I'd like that,' Annot said softly.

'Then we'll do it, my dear.' He leaned forward in the backseat until his head was on a level with hers. 'James has noreason to object, has he?'

'None at all,' she declared.

Norman expelled his breath in a rush of relief. 'That's allright then, just as long as we all know where we stand.You're a very desirable girl, Annot, but I wouldn't care to putJames' back up. You know what I mean?'

'You won't with me,' Annot assured him, wondering at herown bitterness as she said it. `To do that, you'd have toshow an interest in Judith—'

'In Mrs Drummond?' Norman's surprise came, in turn, as asurprise to Annot.

'Didn't you know?' she asked dully.

'Mrs Drummond? I thought he was engaged to you.'

'I told you,' she said, 'that's just an arrangement until we find

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Jeremy. Neither of us has the faintest intention of marryingthe other!'

She felt better when she had said that out loud; it made itmore believable to her. It also gave her a funny feeling inher middle that she coutdn't account for. Perhaps she wasonly hungry, but she was very much afraid that the hollowsensation had something to do with a future in which Jameswould not be there to take charge and to order her about inthe odious way he had ever since the first moment he seteyes on her. For, she remembered with an embarrassmentthat set her heart pounding within her, it had been he whohad first seen her, some time before she had opened her

eyes and had seen him sitting on that chair, watching heras she slept.

'Good,' said Norman. 'It's a long, long time since I spent aday with a pretty girl! I'll get them to pack us up some lunchand we can be gone for hours. Getting to know you, darling,will be one of the highlights of my time at Amboseli—maybe the best moment of them all!'

Annot wasn't sure if there was a query at the end of thatremark or not, but if it was a question she preferred toignore it. Indeed, she was beginning to wonder if she wasgoing to find Norman as easy to manage as she hadsupposed. But that was ridiculous! She had never had thefaintest difficulty in drawing the line with the men she knew

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before. However it was, she knew only relief when she sawJames coming back to the car, an elderly African besidehim bearing a hurricane lamp which he shone into the car,curious to know who was inside.

He and James shook hands, and then he shook hands withOkumu, still talking all the while. He was evidently agarrulous old man, but James showed a patience with himthat came from genuine liking. Eventually, he put back hishead and sniffed the air.

ltanyesha?' James asked.

The African nodded, pushing his worn hat more firmly on tohis head. :Maybe it will rain tonight,' he agreed. 'I havesmelt it coming all afternoon.'

'I can smell it now!' James agreed.

'Yes, it will come tonight,' the old man considered. 'How willyou manage with your balloon then?'

'We'll manage,' James promised. 'We had a good daytoday. If we keep going, we may finish before the rainsreally set in.'

'I hope you are right.'

Everybody shook hands again and the old man stumbledforward to undo the catch of the iron bar that stretched

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across the road when the reserve was officially closed.

It wasn't far from there back to the lodge. Annot barelywaited for the Range Rover to draw up outside thereception hall before she was out and making her waydown the path towards the room she shared with Judith andDorcas. The rooms had been made in more or lessseparate buildings, reminiscent of a Masai village, and theeffect at night was to cast black shadows hither and thitheracross the path, in and out of which the lizards, startled bythe sound of footsteps, scuttled with nervous haste, seekingsanctuary from the unwelcome intruder.

There was a particularly beautiful male lizard by the lampoutside the door to their room and Annot paused to admireit before rapping on the door.

'Who is it?' Judith's voice called out.

'It's me, Annot.'

The door was flung open by Dorcas with an enthusiasm thatAnnot found touching. 'I can swim!' the child told her,jumping up and down in her excitement. 'Truly, I can! A mantaught me—a German man—and I can do three strokeswithout touching the bottom or anything!'

'Good for you!' said Annot.

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'She can certainly pick them,' Judith drawled, flat on herback on her bed. 'He can't speak a word of English, but thatdidn't stop him from joining us for lunch, giving us tea, andwanting to have drinks with us as soon as it showed signsof getting dark.'

'That was kind of him,' Annot suggested.

'Wasn't it?' Judith sat up to make her sarcasm morepointed. 'Terribly kind! Men usually are when they wantsomething from you! How did your day go?'

Annot began to tell her, her resentment at James' high-handedness spilling over as she warmed to her task. 'Hewon't let me do anything!' she complained.

'How nice for you,' said Judith. 'Isn't that what you

expect from a man who claims to be in love with you?' 'ButJames isn't--'

The two women stared at one another in an appalledsilence.

'He isn't in love with you?' Judith probed carefully.

Annot shook her head. 'He's making up his mind aboutsomeone else, and he's a friend of Jeremy's, and he wasworried what sort of a hash I'd make of things by myself.'The rush of words died to a trickle. 'I don't think he even

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likes me very much,' she added miserably.

'What a fool the man is!' Judith said disparagingly. 'And Isuppose he thought I wouldn't mind a bit?'

'I don't know,' said Annot, 'I don't know what he thinks aboutanything! I thought at first he was hoping to make youjealous, but now he says it's because he's a friend ofJeremy's. It can't be that, though, can it?'

Judith shrugged, narrowing her eyes as she lookedthoughtfully at the younger girl.

'And how do you feel about him?' she inquired on a silkynote.

'Me?' Annot put back her head and laughed, and thenstopped because she thought -she sounded hystericalrather than amused. 'I hate him! I've never hated anyonebefore, but I hate him! I wish he'd mind his own businessand leave me alone!'

'Fair enough,' said Judith, 'I'll do my best to see that hedoes.'

CHAPTER EIGHT

JUDITH took the wheel of the Range Rover with an air ofmartyrdom. 'I don't mind driving,' she told the men, 'but asfor anything else, don't rely on me! Okay?'

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'Absolutely,' James assured her.

'Beast!' she said without heat. 'You always make me out tobe a lazy so-and-so.'

`That's justice,' he murmured. 'How many times have yougot me to do your work for you? You can't complainbecause now I'm making use of you.'

Judith looked at him, her eyes soft and warm. 'I'm betterable to cope than Annot is. Have you thought of that?'

James' face turned to granite. 'I'll look after Annot,' he said,'there's no need for you to pitch in on her behalf.'

Annot felt uncomfortable, but Judith was quite determinedto say her bit now she had started.

`No need? The girl was quite exhausted last night! Andinstead of hurrying her home, you had to keep her out untillong after dark—'

'Drop it, Judith,' James advised her. 'Or has Annot beencomplaining to you?'

No, no, I haven't!' Annot said quickly, 'not about that! Thatwas just one of those things!'

He smiled slowly at her. 'Have an easy day today and I'll

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take you out tonight if you promise to wear your prettiestdress.'

But there's nowhere to go here!' Annot objected.

James smiled more widely. 'I know a place,' he said. `Doyou want to come?'

She meant to say no, or at least to ask if the others were

coming too, or even whether he wouldn't prefer to takeJudith, but she did none of those things.

`Yes, please,' she said in a rush. 'I'd love to come!'

His smile reached his eyes, warming her. 'Anywhere, orwith me?'

It was Judith who answered him. 'Don't ask leadingquestions, James! Can't you see you're embarrassing thegirl? You frighten her to death—that's quite obvious! Andshe isn't old enough to know that you'll flirt with anything inskirts and not mean a word of it! Leave the girl alone! '

James straightened himself up. 'Stay out of it, Judith. Annotunderstands me very well, and if she doesn't, she has onlyherself to blame. Besides, she has a tongue in her head. Alshe has to do is to ask what I'm about and I'll tell her. Youdon't have to fight her battles for her. She's a grownup lady,even if she does seem sometimes to be as young as

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Dorcas! '

Annot didn't understand anything at all, but now hardlyseemed to be the time to say so. The discontented look onJudith's face disturbed her, and she didn't dare to look atJames at all. If he wanted to make Judith jealous, he had afunny way of going about it, and what was the point of itanyway?

But Judith had no such hesitations. 'What are you about?'she demanded.

He wasn't half as angry as Annot expected him to be.'That's none of your business,' he murmured to Judith,'you're only here because you asked to come along, gladas we are to have your help.'

Annot was surprised by that. 'I thought you asked her tocome?' she said.

'You think too much!' James rounded on her.

'Dorcas wanted to come,' Judith put in huffily. 'She took toAnnot on the plane and she wanted to see as much aspossible of her during the holidays. She has these sudden

passions for people—she had one for Jeremy—and I didn'twant to disappoint her.'

'You'd do better to give her more affection yourself,' James

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said quietly. 'She's hungry for your attention, my dear, notfor other people's, though she may be trying to make dowith them.'

'That was hardly the case with Jeremy,' Judith said dryly.'She doted on him! She still quotes every word he ever saidto her.'

James gave her an amused look. 'You remember prettywell what he said to you too,' he reminded her. 'Isn't that whyyou're here?'

Judith's temper flared. 'Sometimes I can understand whyAnnot hates you, James Montgomery!' she declared. 'Youknow exactly how I feel about Jeremy. Why, more often thannot, he's not even clean!'

James held up his hands in surrender. 'Okay, so you don'thold much of a brief for him, but I know better than tobelieve what any woman says. Annot hasn't got it withinherself to hate anyone!'

Oh, hadn't she! Well, she was doing a pretty good imitationof hating him now! He had a knack of making her feeluncomfortable and ridiculously conscious of the differenceof sex between them. She didn't enjoy either sensation:particularly she didn't enjoy the weak, helpless feeling shehad in her middle whenever he came near her, nor thehollow, empty feeling she had when he wasn't there! Oh

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yes, she hated him all right.

She watched them pile into the Range Rover, trying toignore the loneliness that the sight gave her, eating into herand making her long to cry out that she was going with themwhatever James might say. But there was Dorcas toconsider. A full day out in the sun chasing the orange andyellow balloon would have been too long for the little girl,even Annot could see that, but it didn't stop the tears from

stinging her eyes nor the wretched sense of loss in herheart at knowing that James had deliberately left herbehind, probably because he had really wanted Judith withhim all the time!

`Are you crying, Annot?'

Annot felt Dorcas's hand slip easily into hers as she shookher head. 'You've just missed seeing them off,' she said.'They certainly stirred up the dust as they left.'

`You've got it all over your blouse,' the small girl confirmed.'I'll bet Mama was driving! She can make it spin up from theback tyres better than anyone else can!'

`Perhaps they try not to,' Annot suggested mendaciously.

Dorcas giggled. 'Jeremy says Mama has a flair for theunexpected, and that it's caused by reality slipping into thegame of let's-pretend she plays with herself.' The girl

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frowned, her laughter forgotten. 'It's such a pity Mamadoesn't like Jeremy. I don't think she pretends about that,though. She was always trying to stop me seeing him, buthe wouldn't let her most times. He's more fun than anyone Iknow!'

Annot joined her in a nostalgic sigh, remembering theadventures she herself had had with Jeremy when she hadbeen Dorcas's age. 'Jeremy and I once photographed aweek-old elephant,' she said aloud. `It was so small and soexactly like its mother, even down to its baggy skin!'

Dorcas squeaked with joy. 'How did you take it?' shedemanded. 'Did Jeremy put you on his shoulders so thatyou could see better? He did once with me when we werewatching two lionesses kill a zebra. It was horrid! But theywere awfully clever the way they worked together. Jeremyexplained it all to me. Did you know that James has lions onhis farm sometimes?'

Annot confessed she did not. `What about your mother'sfarm?' she asked.

Dorcas made a face at her. 'We don't have anything like

that at our place. Jeremy says it's because it's over-civilised ! '

Annot could almost hear him saying exactly that; no won-,der Judith didn't like her uncle much. She had probably

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carefully nurtured that civilising process along—and shehad been successful too! Her house had a very English feelto it, like fires in the evenings and hot buttered crumpets -for tea, a feeling was totally lacking in James' place. Hishouse had grandeur and comfort, but it was firmly based inthe continent where it had been built. It was just like he washimself, a little bit frightening, standing proudly in the landhe loved, and with never a nostalgic look over his shoulderfor another greener, more familiar countryside such as theone he had left behind.

She looked down at Dorcas, her eyes a little dreamy fromher thoughts, and became aware that the child was alreadydressed in her swimming-suit.

'You're not to go into the pool alone, Dorcas!' she bade her,seriously enough to gain Dorcas's fitful attention.

'I'm going swimming with my friend,' Dorcas answered.'Why don't you come too?'

Annot smiled 'I haven't been invited.'

'He won't mind,' Dorcas assured her airily. 'He didn't inviteMama to tea yesterday either, but she came all the same.I'll tell him you're coming, shall I?'

It seemed suddenly a very good idea to go to the pool for aswim. Annot had learned to swim almost before she couldwalk, taught by her still adolescent uncle whose contempt

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for all things female had been only slightly mitigated by herstar performances in front of his friends.

'I'd love to,' she said, 'if you don't mind my horning in on yourdate?'

Dorcas reassured her gravely. 'He's not a particular friend,'she explained with a nicety her mother would surely haveappreciated. 'He can't be that because he doesn't speak

much English, but he's nice all the same. Do you speakGerman, because it would be a great help if you can?'

'I'm afraid not. Hasn't he any English at all?'

'A bit,' Dorcas admitted, screwing up her face, 'but it's not avery useful bit. He got it out of a phrase-book he has. He'sworking in Tanzania, actually, something to do with somework they're doing on the harbour. He speaks quite a bit ofSwahili, only it's much more correct than mine, so I can onlyguess at what he means half the time.'

Annot took Dorcas to the swimming-pool herself. Althoughit was well within the confines of the lodge, the vivid pictorialstory of a man being killed by an elephant because he hadventured outside the compound on foot had taught her alesson that had made her determined not to let Dorcas outof her sight while she was in charge of her.

The small girl's German friend was much more charming

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than she had been led to believe, but she raised hereyebrows a little when she saw Dorcas's confidence that hehad nothing better to do than play with her.

'It's kind of you—' she began, speaking slowly and clearlyso that he should understand.

'Kind, no!' he denied. 'Dorcas is my friend.' He looked deepinto Annot's eyes, a sparkle in his own. 'And my friend hasother delightful friends, no?'

'I told you so!' Dorcas crowed from the shallow end. 'Fritzwants to be friends with me! He told Mama so yesterday,but she didn't believe him!'

Fritz sat on the edge of the bath, working on what hewanted to say in his mind. Finally he said, 'The little one hasno father. Is that so?'

'Yes, he's dead.'

'Poor little one. But soon she will have a new father, yes?'

Annot was tempted not to answer. She could easily have

pretended not to have heard and have dived into the pool,thus ending their brief conversation.

'Yes, I think she will,' she said reluctantly.

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'This Jeremy she talks about?'

'No,' Annot controlled her breathing with difficulty. 'Jeremy ismy uncle,' she explained, 'the brother of my sister. She musthave meant James Montgomery.'

'Ah yes,' the German said. 'Her mother spoke of thisJames, but the little one speaks always of Jeremy—and ofyou tool'

Annot managed a laugh. 'Her mother doesn't approve ofJeremy,' she told him.

He gave her an uncomprehending look. 'What is this?'

She said it again, in Swahili, stumbling a little over thewords. He understood immediately and smiled kindly ather. 'And you have no one?' he asked her.

Too late she realised that she was the one who wassupposed to be engaged to James, and that if the Germanwas ever to hear about it, he would think her odd indeed.'It's difficult to explain,' she began.

'Too difficult,' he agreed with a promptness that could onlyincrease her dismay. 'You may have me! We go welltogether, yes?'

'You have Dorcas!' she exclaimed hastily.

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'I have Dorcas, yes, but she is too young to mind me havingyou as well! ' he said with a smugness there was nomistaking.

Annot stared at him in consternation. 'I have work to do!'she muttered. 'A quick swim and then I must work!'

She dived into the clear blue water before he could sayanything else to her, and swam up and down the pool asthough she was in training for the Olympics.

'You swim marvellously well!' Dorcas's piping voicecongratulated her. 'Will you teach me to go as fast as that?''Some time,' Annot muttered, not best pleased. 'Just now

I have to go and develop the photographs we tookyesterday. You won't leave the pool except to come to ourroom, will you? And please knock on the bathroom doorwhen you come, I'm using it as a darkroom. Okay?'

'Okay,' Dorcas sighed. 'Only it's a bit disappointing for Fritzand me. We thought you were going to swim properly withus.'

'I'll swim with you again this evening,' Annot compromised.'Be good, pet!'

'I'm -always being good,' Dorcas returned, determined tomake the most of her grievance. 'I'm bored with beinggood!'

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Annot gave her a look of helpless pleading. 'Dorcas, youwon't be stupid and go out, or anything like that, will you?You could be killed—'

'I know! I'm not a baby!' The child smiled a small, waveringsmile 'This evening will do, Annot. But you will teach me toswim fast then, won't you?'

'It's a promise!' Annot agreed in relief, and avoiding the hot,smouldering look in the German's eyes, she rushed away tothe sanctuary of their chalet and her work.

It turned out to be a quiet day, but it had its own excitementsall the same. The first and most important of these was thequality of the photographs that James had taken. She hadhad no idea that such intimate, engaging pictures of wildanimals were possible. When she first saw their quality sheknew a moment's wild jealousy that they should be quite sogood. Photography was her field, not his! Why couldn't hestick to his farming, or ranching, or whatever it was hecalled if? And if he had to trespass in her field, why did hehave to be so good? Where did that leave her?

The second excitement was over the lunch table. Fritz hadjoined them as a matter of course, inviting them to have adrink from the bar before they ate. Dorcas had been

pleased to be asked, relishing the way that the Germantreated her as though she was just as much grown up as

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anyone else.

'I'll have some passion-fruit juice,' she had said.

This had caused an endless discussion because Fritz wasunsure what she wanted and refused to allow the waiter toaccept the order until he did.

'What will you have?' he asked Annot sourly, once he hadgot it sorted out to his satisfaction.

'I'll have some passion-fruit juice too,' she said meekly. Butthis was too much for him. 'You are afraid to havesomething stronger?' he demanded angrily.

'Not afraid, I just don't like it in the middle of the day,' sheanswered.

He ordered himself a beer, glowering at her over the top ofit. It was frustrating, she told herself, not to be able to hold aproper conversation, but did he have to make such amouthful of it? She smiled back at him and met with animmediate response that had worried her more than a little.

'Look, Dorcas,' she pointed out in an attempt to diverteveryone's attention to something other than herself, 'lookat all those donkeys grazing where the honey-badgers werelast night.'

'They're lucky!' Dorcas sighed. 'They can go where they

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want to, while we have to stick inside our cage like animalsin a zoo!'

Which was true, Annot supposed. Human beings were theones who were caged up in their vehicles and in the lodgesin these great animal reserves. It was the animals that wentfree.

'Let's go into lunch,' she suggested.

That was when her troubles really began. It started quietly,with Fritz getting to his feet and suggesting they should alleat together as a matter of course.

'We did yesterday,' Dorcas chimed in.

'It would be very pleasant,' Annot said, wondering what onearth they would find to talk about with the few words theyhad at their disposal.

Fritz was in no doubt at all. To get to the dining room theyhad to travel down a short covered walk, where somemonkeys had gathered, hoping to steal some nuts andother edibles from the guests. Fritz took Annot's hand firmlyin his and pointed out their antics to her; he even producedsome peanuts out of his pocket and invited her to feedthem. Annot passed the nuts on to Dorcas.

'Be careful, though,' she warned her, 'they may hurt you ifyou allow them to snatch them from you. Put them down

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somewhere where they can pick them up by themselves.'

But Fritz Slapped Dorcas's hand away, taking the peanutsforcibly from her and returning them to Annot. 'I wish for youto have them!'

Annot stared at him in dismay. 'But—' she began.

'You are beautiful!' he said, and he stroked her arm with hishand. 'Brown. Very nice!'

Annot froze to the spot, casting him a look of completedislike. 'I've changed my mind. Dorcas and I would prefer toeat alone!'

'But he's my friend,' Dorcas objected, 'I like him!' 'Dorcas!'Annot warned her.

`And I like you,' Fritz said with a grin, `so, we eat to gether,no?'

It seemed more trouble than it was worth to insist that he leftthem alone, and so Annot gave way. In a funny way sheknew she was going to regret that moment of weakness,and now she was regretting it. She was regretting it withevery mouthful of delicious cold salad that she took.

'I could have gone out to see the animals this afternoon,'Fritz was saying.

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'Why didn't you?' Dorcas asked him reasonably enough.

'I'd go like a shot, only everyone says I'll be in the way.James has promised I shall go some time, though.'

'It is better you should sleep this afternoon,' Fritz told hersharply.

'That's what I intend to do,' Annot murmured. She thoughtwith pleasure of the evening she was to spend with James,although she tried not to. If she looked forward to it toomuch, she was sure that something awful would happen toprevent her going with him. That it was strange that sheshould want to be with him was something she preferrednot to think about at all.

Fritz shook his head at her. 'You and I swim,' he said.

She glanced at him uncertainly; his explosive way ofspeaking could have been because of his lack of words inwhich to express himself. 'I don't think so,' she saidpleasantly enough. 'The food here is so good and I eat somuch that I'd sink like a stone if I went into the pool straightaway.'

'Not understand,' said Fritz. -

'I'm not swimming!' Annot almost shouted at him.

The hot look came back into his eyes. No, not swim,' he

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agreed quickly, too quickly. 'The little one will sleep. Youand I will talk.'

Annot took fright. 'Certainly not!'

Fritz refused to believe her. 'Otherwise I would have gone tosee the animals,' he told her. 'I prefer you!'

But Annot did not prefer him. 'I don't want to talk, I want tosleep!'

A smile played on his lips. 'Of course, sleep—if that is whatyou wish?'

Annot lost her temper completely at the sly note in his voice.'Will you please leave me alone!' she snapped. 'I prefer tospend my afternoon by myself!'

To her relief he shrugged his shoulders. 'If you wish it, butthis evening you will spend with me!'

Worn out with making her point about the afternoon, Annotsaid nothing more. By evening, she hoped, the otherswould be back and there would be nothing for her to worryabout as far as Fritz was concerned. It was a prospect thatpleased—and not only because she was going out withJames. She had had more than enough of Dorcas's friendFritz!

Lying flat on her back on her bed, Annot felt more and more

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uncomfortable about the whole incident. What was worsewas that there was the evening swim to be faced yet, andshe couldn't possibly put it off, for she had promisedDorcas faithfully that she would give her a swimming lessonafter tea.

She sighed and turned over, staring out of the window atthe cloud formations on the horizon. The rain was comingnearer every hour; she hoped it wouldn't rain that night. Ashort, sharp shower would be wonderful, laying the worst ofthe dust, but if it poured, as it so often did in Africa, the drylake from which the reserve took its name would turn into abog in a matter of moments. Then, even as she watched,the clouds began to lift and the distant hills came into viewone by one, crowned by the steamed-pudding shape ofKilimanjaro, the snow-topped extinct volcano reaching highinto the skies. It was a fascinating moment, one to betreasured for as long as she lived.

Silently, she slipped off her bed and found her sparecamera, going to the window to catch the moment on film.

'It would be better with flowers in the foreground,' Dorcassaid from the trestle-bed which had been specially put upfor her. 'Why don't you take it from round by the swimming-pool?'

For a moment Annot hesitated. 'Would you- come withme?' she asked.

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Dorcas shook her head. 'I'm reading. It's your book, as amatter of fact. It's splendid!'

Annot was only glad that James wasn't there to hear hersay it. If they shared the same taste in novels, he wouldthink her more of an age with Dorcas than ever. 'It's meantfor grown-ups,' she said aloud, with more asperity than shehad intended. 'Haven't you anything else to read?'

'Not as good as this!' Dorcas returned pointedly to herbook, turning the page with a fierce concentration thatbrooked no further interruptions.

'Please come with me,' said Annot.

'I will later,' Dorcas answered, her natural willingness toplease getting the better of her desire to keep the book inher possession for as long as possible before Annot askedfor it back.

'The clouds will be back by then,' Annot pointed out. 'Youcan read the book before me,' she added by way of abribe.

'Then I'll come,' Dorcas conceded, 'after I've been to thebathroom. I can go in there now, can't I?'

'Yes, of course.' Annot felt guilty that she hadn't made thisclear to the little girl before. 'Look, I'll start, or I might missgetting the whole mountain unveiled. Will you follow?'

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'Will do!'

Annot slung her camera over her shoulder and hurried outof the room, leaving the door open behind her. It wasn't farfrom the chalet to the swimming-pool, and she ran all theway, fiddling with the levers that governed the lens as shewent. The mountain was perfect. She took a quick snapfrom round the side of the building and then proceeded totake greater care with the next.

To her annoyance a couple of Masai boys walking past thelodge, and their halo-shaped headdresses of canes, thespaces stuffed with feathers indicating that they had onlyrecently been circumcised, came between her and the viewshe wanted. Knowing it was strictly forbidden to photographthe Masai inside the reserve, she paused, waiting for themto get out of sight, and in that moment Fritz came

running out of the hotel lounge, diving into the pool besideher.

`You came after all!' he called out to her. 'I knew you wantedit as I do!'

Annot pointed to the mountain. 'Isn't it beautiful?' she said.

`Bee-eautiful!' he repeated, looking only at her.

Annot decided to ignore him She lined up the mountain in

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the viewfinder, framing it with sunflowers and, in the bottomof the picture, a particularly vivid strip of purplebougainvillea. They would be out of focus, of course, butthey would frame the mountain, leading the eye in and up tothe central feature of the picture, Kilimanjaro itself.

She took the photograph and wound the camera on. Sheknew without looking that Fritz had pulled himself out of thewater and was shaking himself like a dog on the pavingstones beside her. She made a gesture of distaste.

`Go away!' she said angrily. Really, this was the last straw!

But he had no intention of going away. He took the camerafrom her, placing it carefully down on a tuft of

coarse grass, holding her and her strong desire forvengeance away from him by the simple expedient ofholding out his arm as a barrier. And then, before she knewit, she was on the inside of that barrier and he was laughingdown at her, well pleased with himself.

`We swim, yes?' he teased her.

'Not in this dress!'

He felt the material with probing fingers, pulling her closeagainst him. 'You like to swim. We swim!'

Desperately, she tried to keep her balance, but he weighed

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more heavily than she did, and she began to think her onlychance was to fall in with him, dive into the water, and touse her greater speed to win free of him there. With aresounding splash they landed in the pool and Annot

dived down as far as she could, brushing her body on thebottom, before she came up again as far from him as shecould get.

'Annot!' She heard Dorcas's agonised squawk and glancedover her shoulder to see where the child was. `Annot, youcan't swim like that!'

It's all right, Dorcas, I'll—'

But she never finished. Two hands grasped her feet andthen seized her round the waist, enfolding her in a closeembrace.

`We swim. We kiss, yes?'

She shook her head, but Fritz had no intention of taking nofor an answer now that he was so close to his goal. He puthis lips against Annot's, holding her more tightly againsthim. His mouth was cool and wet and not unpleasant, with adash of chlorine from the water. Annot gave herself up tothe inevitable, striving only now to keep her dignity in theface of this unwelcome assault. Fritz, delighted that she hadstopped struggling against him, kissed her again withgreater fervour.

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What happened next, Annot never knew. Ruthlessly setapart from her unwelcome pursuer, she was lifted high andseated with ungentle firmness on the edge of the pool. Witha feeling of horrified disbelief, she shut her eyes against thesight of James dragging her tormentor out of the water, acold, glassy look of anger on his face. He said or did verylittle, though. A few words in perfect German elicited aquick apology she could scarcely hear as Dorcas went intoa shrill war-dance, shrieking encouragement to both menwith a lack of discrimination Annot could only deplore.

'Well,' said James, 'what happened to you?'

'I was taking a photograph of Kilimanjaro,' she explainedfaintly.

He looked across to the horizon, but the clouds were

already back in position concealing the mountain from theirview.

'It looked like it,' he drawled.

'He—I—'

'Yes?'

She had nothing to feel guilty about, but unaccountably shedid. 'Mind the camera!' she gasped out.

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'Fritz is very nice,' Dorcas interrupted. 'I like him!' Jamessquatted down beside Annot. 'What about you? Do you likehim too?'

'From a distance!' she admitted.

He put his hand on the nape of her neck, holding her as

he would have done a young puppy. 'Little fool,' he said.

'All you had to do was to tell him you belonged to me! 'But Idon't!'

His eyes glinted in the sun. 'Don't you? In public you do!' Heshook her gently. 'See that you remember it! '

Annot tried to escape his hand and failed. 'I'd better go andchange,' she said.

His hand tightened on her neck. 'Perhaps you'd better, mylove. And, in future, keep all your kisses for me! All right?'

She trembled, for once not disliking him at all. 'I'll try to—inpublic!' she said, and wondered why he was laughing.

CHAPTER NINE

'My dear, sweet Annot, is this public enough for you?'

She looked down her nose and pretended not to have

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heard him. 'It wasn't Fritz's fault—not entirely,' she said.

'You don't have to tell me that!' he retorted, The look hegave her was decidedly intimate. 'You should know betterat your age, my girl!'

She pursed up her -mouth, a touch of bitterness pullingdown the corners. 'It wasn't my fault either! Naturally hethought you were more interested in Judith than me, andthat I—' She broke off with a hopeless shrug.

'I'd say that was your fault too,' James said sternly. 'Whotold him to ignore your engagement to me?'

Right now that seemed like a blow below the belt. 'I'm goingto change,' she announced, defying him to put anydifficulties in her way.

'But, Annot, you promised to give me a swimming lesson,'Dorcas reminded her anxiously. 'You haven't forgotten,have you?'

'I'll change into my swimming-suit!'

'Not before I've had my kiss,' James mocked her, 'seeingyou're so free with them,' he added on a note of laughter.

'I am not!' The pointlessness of arguing with him occurredto her too late. She clamped her mouth shut, favouring himwith an outraged stare that had no visible effect on him

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whatsoever. 'I don't want to kiss you!'

But she did! She wanted it with every little bit of her. It wasonly curiosity, she told herself, because Fritz had kissed hervery nicely even while she hadn't wanted him to at all. Nowshe wanted to know what it would be like to

be kissed by James, not just pecked at, as he might kisssomeone of Dorcas's age, but to be kissed by him properlyin her own right. She had wanted it ever since the last timehe had kissed her, because even then it had been arelease from, frustration and not because he found herparticularly attractive.

Her eyes widened, losing a lot of their outrage andbecoming frankly speculative instead. Was it possible thatshe wanted him to find her attractive? Irresistibly attractive,even, so that he might want to kiss her as much as shewanted him to? That was a thought to take her breath away—and it did !

'Little fraud!' he murmured. And then, 'Damn all publicplaces! I could do with a little privacy myself!'

She had nothing to say at all. All she could think of was thewarm tan of his skin and the shattering sensation of histouch. Oh lord, she thought, any kiss had to be ananticlimax after this! And just as well too! This was JamesMontgomery, and he was every bit as superior and

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unattainable to her as he had been a few minutes before.

'Well?' he said.

'It isn't very public,' she heard herself say in a small voice. 'Imean—'

'I know exactly what you mean, sweetheart!'

She wanted to tell him that he didn't, that he couldn'tpossibly guess at anything she might want to say, but shewas afraid that she might say far too much. Worse, hemight think that she wanted more from him than onemiserable kiss—he might think—

James never did the expected thing as far as she wasconcerned. He didn't kiss her at all; he ran his hand downher back to her waist and helped her up to her feet with aneasy strength that delighted her.

'There'll be less public occasions,' he said. 'I can wait.You'd better give Dorcas her swimming lesson—we'll be

leaving earlier this evening than I'd anticipated. Can you beready at five o'clock?'

It was hard to hide her disappointment. Had she no pride atall? she wondered. Why should she want a caress thatmeant less than nothing to the donor? But she had wantedit. She had wanted it so badly that her whole body smarted

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from his sudden withdrawal.

'I'll be ready,' she said.

He ran his finger down the length of her nose. 'Ready foranything?'

She ignored the question, 'Why are you back so early?' shecountered. 'Did you get any more photographs?'

He smiled. 'I thought you'd never ask,' he said dryly. 'Howdid yesterday's batch come out?'

Her eyes lit. Now was her chance to snub him and put himin his place once and for All She could even insist that shewent up in the balloon herself—if she could hide his photosfrom him. What a triumph that would be! But she couldn't doit. Instead, she heaved a sigh that told him volumes.

'They're the best I've ever seen,' she told him reluctantly.'They're much better than anything I—or Jeremy either-- hasever taken.'

'Ouch,' he said, 'did it hurt very much to tell me that?'

'I could have done with being better at something myself,'she admitted.

He looked amused. 'You've as much talent as we canhandle between us in other directions, Annot—you must be

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content with that!'

A frown creased her brow. 'I'm a good photographer,though I've always known Jeremy is a better one, and Ididn't mind that. But it isn't fair when an amateur— James,you are an amateur, aren't you?'

'It would have been hard to go wrong after you'd set thecamera for me, love. All I had to do was lean out of the

balloon and snap away. I take it they turned out better thanyou'd hoped?'

She ran a hand through her damp hair, shaking it out overher shoulders. 'I was jealous,' she confessed.

He was unexpectedly kind. 'Were you?' he said very gently.'Now you know how I feel when you exercise your talents inthe wrong field.'

Her frown deepened. `Do I?' She couldn't think what he wastalking about. 'I've hardly taken any photographs at all.' Sheuttered a whoop of dismay. 'The camera! I'd forgotten allabout it! Kilimanjaro was as clear as you can see it in thetravel advertisements, and now you can't see it at all. I thinkit's going to rain tonight, the way those clouds keepscudding in.'

'Let's hope not,' he responded. 'It rained heavily last night inthe Tanzanian parks, but they usually get it a week or two

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before we do. Go and change, my dear, or Dorcas willexplode with her anxiety that you may let her down after all.'

But still Annot hesitated. 'What are you going to do?' sheasked him.

`Me? I'm going to order myself some tea and sandwiches.Do you want to share them with me?'

She shook her head. 'I ate too much lunch. The food is sogood here, I eat too much all the time!'

'Pity,' he said, 'it appeals to the gallant in me to share mylast crust of bread with you!'

Her eyes opened wide. 'Your last crust? I'm not socredulous as to believe that, Mr Montgomery!'

He had his hands on his hips, the picture of insolentindolence. 'What would you believe?' he drawled.

'Nothing that you say!' she denied hastily.

'We can cry quits, then, for I .never believe what you sayeither,' he returned lazily. `Go and change, Annot! '

She did so, and when she came back, she found he had

chosen to eat his sandwiches by the side of the pool wherehe could watch Dorcas's swimming lesson and, willy-nilly,

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her as well.

It was silly, of course, to be conscious of him every momentthat she tried to explain to Dorcas that the paradox everyswimmer has to learn is that the faster you want to go themore you have to learn to relax.

'If you can do three strokes, you can do thirty-three, or threehundred and three strokes just as easily, if you don't stiffenup and panic.'

'Should I try and float first?' Dorcas asked nervously. 'If youlike,' Annot agreed.

'You see,' the small girl went on, hoping that her chatterwould put off the evil moment of actually having to trustherself to the water, 'I know you're right in theory. Deadbodies always float unless they're weighted down. That'swhy American hoods clothe their victims with concrete.Would anyone want to make a concrete suit for you,Annot?'

'I might,' James said from his chair.

'Don't talk so much!' Annot rebuked her charge, restrainingthe impulse to send a shower of water shooting all over theman on the edge of the pool.

'You're a fine one to talk!' James laughed at her, filling hismouth with another mouthful of sandwich. 'Women always

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think they can put off any action by making with theirmouths.'

Annot didn't even turn round, but the water hit him full in theface with the uncanny accuracy she had learned manyyears before from Jeremy.

'That's it!' James roared at her. He shed his shirt andslacks in a single movement and jumped in beside her. Histrunks, she saw, were black and silvered with use. It wouldbe too much if he proved to be the better swimmer too, shegroaned inwardly; and, knowing that she was showing

off and that might prove a provocation he couldn't resist,she shot across the pool, pulled herself out of the water andran along the side, only to dive in again, catching him neatlybehind the knees and destroying his balance.

His retaliation was swift. He caught her in a fireman's gripover his shoulder and bore her down to the shallow end,where he gained his feet, delivering a stinging slap acrossher bottom at the same moment. An instant later she wassitting on the edge of the pool, as much a prisoner asbefore, though he was no longer touching her but hadplaced one hand on either side of her, flat on the tiles.

'Are you going to make her a concrete suit now?' Dorcasgiggled, her gruesome sense of humour making the mostof the moment.

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'I thought you liked me!' Annot wailed. 'Why do you wish medead all the time?'

'Because you haven't spent any time at all teaching me toswim,' the child responded unanswerably.

'I will, I promise I will!' Annot's eyes sparked with laughter. 'IfJames will let me.'

'Better,' he commented. 'You're beginning to get ourrelationship right, Miss Lindsay!'

She tensed, getting ready to kick out at him with her feet.'And what is that, Mr Montgomery?' she asked, dangerouslycool.

He pushed away from the side and out of harm's way.'What it's always been, if you'd only stop a-fussing and a-feuding and admit it, my love. What else could it bebetween us?'

Annot's heart was beating like a sledge-hammer againsther ribs. 'I'd still rather do my own job, and do it by myself! 'she asserted.

His smile infuriated her. 'How long are you going to hold agrudge against me for that? It's the prerogative of everywoman to appeal for help—'

`And for every man to rub it in?' she demanded sweetly.

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`To run the show his way is how I'd put it,' he retorted.'Especially if that's the way the woman likes it too. Mygoodwill isn't endless, Annot. You might do well toremember that!'

The silence stretched her nerves until she could bear nomore. She could have forgiven him if he had looked asthough he was mildly interested in her reaction to his lastwords, but he turned his back on her and held out his handsto Dorcas.

`It looks as though you'll have to make do with me, pet,' hesaid to her.

Dorcas was only too willing. Forgotten by them both, Annotfelt more than a little forlorn. Had she really sunk so low thatshe would compete with a child for his attention? The hardtruth was that she had, and that it was only pride thatprevented her from doing exactly that; and her pride wasn'tmuch of a defence, for her worst enemy couldn't haveaccused her of being a proud person.

It was a minute or two before she realised the wetness onher face was not from the pool but was the result of her owntears. Angrily she brushed them away, ashamed of herweakness. She got to her feet, unconsciously throwing aglance over her shoulder at the man and child in the water.Dorcas's ecstatic face stirred the envy within herunbearably and she felt herself wince away from the scene.

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She might as well go and change for her evening out, shethought. No one was going to miss her here.

'Annot, you show me! Will you, please? I want to float all bymyself!'

With ill-concealed triumph, Annot took a flying leap backinto the water, coming up beside her small taskmistress.James didn't seem to mind at all when she took charge ofDorcas, straightened her back for her, and placed her handin just the right spot to keep her afloat.

'You're now but a silly child yourself,' said James, shakinghis head at her. 'Only grow up soon, Annot Lindsay, or Imight forget and not take the care of you I should. I have tokeep telling myself a half-fledged chick needs a mother-hen, not a lover, but you have such pretty plumage, my love!'

Annot's hand dropped away from Dorcas's back without thegirl realising that she was on her own.

'Why did you come back early, James?' she asked. Hertongue felt as hard as a board in her mouth and she wasbriefly, heart-stoppingly shy of him.

'Because I think we spotted Jeremy,' he said.

They had motored what seemed like miles and in almosttotal silence. Annot was still burning with indignation thatJames hadn't said at once that he thought he had seen her

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uncle.

'How could you keep it to yourself?' she had demanded. Hehad given her a look that had set her back on her heels,feeling more guilty than she liked.

'Something diverted my attention,' he had said. 'I guess weall have the instinct to protect our own. You're not the onlyone to want to have things both ways!'

Annot hadn't welcomed the note of criticism in his voice.For some reason or other she had felt more hurt by thatthan by anything that had happened to her for a long time.To keep up her morale, and to show him she had a mind ofher own, she had made elaborate preparations for theevening. She had put on a dress—the same apple-greenone she had worn that first morning on James' farm—and,deciding her legs were sufficiently tanned not to bother withstockings, she had nevertheless put on her prettiest pair ofsandals and had made up her face with as much care as ifshe had been going to Buckingham Palace to see theQueen. Lastly, she had put on the Masai beaded collar

he had given her, though she might have changed her mindabout that if she had been able to take it off again.

She was glad she had taken the trouble when she sawJames already seated in the Range Rover waiting for her.His safari suit, white with a pale grey line in the material,

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was so beautifully tailored it took some living up to. Thatwas another thing she had forgotten about Kenya, shethought, how beautifully and how quickly the Asian tailorsworked, producing garments that many a European hautecouture establishment could have learned much from insuch matters as finish and immaculate fitting.

Okumu got in the back seat at the same time as sheslipped into the front passenger seat. He said nothing, butAnnot knew that he, too, had summed up her appearancein the one comprehensive glance he had given her, and thathe had not found her wanting.

'Where are we going?' Annot asked James, her colourrising as he looked her over.

James waved a hand in the direction of Arusha. 'Overthere,' he said.

It hadn't told her a thing. Since then, she hadn't opened hermouth at all, not even when they had left the main track andhad branched out across raw Africa where, from allappearances, no one had ever gone before. Before long,when she had been able to discover no landmarks at allthat she might be able to recognise on the way back, shehad become decidedly nervous, but she had still saidnothing.

Then, when she was least expecting it, James parked the

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Range Rover under an 'umbrella' tree—so called becauseof their flat tops and the shade they give to both animalsand men in the heat of the day—and announced that fromthere they were going to walk.

Annot looked down doubtfully at her sandals. She hopedthey were not going to have to walk far, or she would becrippled for life.

'You should have told me,' she complained in a small, tightvoice, 'and I'd have brought some other shoes.'

James, whose shoes were perfect for walking anywhere,remained cheerful. 'If the going gets bad I'll carry you,' hesaid.

`Don't be ridiculous!' she snapped.

Okumu merely looked into the distance. 'It is not very far,mama. You will walk it easily.'

Annot certainly hoped so. She hoped, too, that neither manwould realise how desperately afraid she was to set out likethis across territory she knew to be dangerous and full ofwild animals waiting their chance to eat her up. They didn'teven have a gun between them!

Okumu went first as if by right. He had his spear with him,Annot noticed with relief. It gleamed in the sunshine as hewalked, finding the path as easily as if he walked it every

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day of his life. That was something too, she thought.Obviously someone else used this path and, with any luck,it would turn out to be men—Masai even—and not a prideof lions.

The path had a very African feel to it. Narrower than anysimilar path that European feet would have made, so thatAnnot was inclined to stumble at first, until she followedOkumu's example and walked along like a cat, placing onefoot directly in front of the other and not parallel as camemore naturally to her. She had never realised that Africanswalked like that before, though she had frequentlyremarked their freer movements and swinging hips as theycovered the ground.

Annot glanced over her shoulder at James. He was havingno difficulty in matching his strides to the width of the path,of course. On the contrary, he gave every sign of enjoyingthe exercise as much as if he had been walking over theSussex downs at home.

`Tired?' he asked her.

She straightened her back. 'No!' She wished she had thecourage to ask how far they still had to go, but ever sincethe incident in the pool, she had only to look at him to feel anervous quiver in her insides, and she was fast coming tothe conclusion she was afraid of him. Either that or theAfrican sun was making her emotionally unstable, so that

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every movement he made seemed to be beating a trackacross her heart.

'We're nearly there,' he consoled her. 'How are the sandalsbearing up?'

She had almost forgotten all about them. They must havebeen better made than she supposed, for, while they didlittle to support her feet, they were light and gave plenty ofroom to her toes.

`They're fine.' She hesitated. 'I'm sorry if I made a fuss; but

But you felt like it?' he suggested on a thread of laughter.

She supposed she deserved that. 'Well, yes,' she admitted.'It's tiresome when someone else is always right!'

'My dear girl, only because you insist on placing us on abattlefield! What we need is less confrontation and more—'He broke off, drawing up sharply. `Okumu,' he breathed,and gabbled off a whole lot more in a language she didn'tunderstand.

The Samburu stopped too, looking up into a tree a fewyards on ahead of them.

'What is it?' Annot whispered on a wave of excitement.

It was Okumu who - turned 'his head to answer her.

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'Leopard, mama.' He grinned, showing flashing white teeth.`A very well-fed leopard!'

But even so he took no chances, but led their small partysome way away from the tree before they rejoined the path.Annot kept pace with him all the way, amazed at her owncalmness. She would suffer later, she knew, when she no

longer had to keep up a front of blasé courage for James'benefit, but just now she was doing fine!

'There is the village,' Okumu said suddenly, pointing it out toher with his spear.

It was some time before she could pick it out from thesurrounding land. Branches of thorn bushes had been usedas a fence round the dung and mud huts to keep the cattlein at night and safe from any marauding predators. Itseemed to be the only defence the Masai had themselves,which Annot found more foolhardy than brave,remembering stories she had heard of hyenas removingwhole families from their huts in the middle of the night.

She said as much to Okumu, marvelling at the way theMasai, and for all she knew his people too, chose to live.

'Those people were not Masai,' he answered her.

'Nor were they Masai donkeys,' she said on a sigh. 'Theyseem to be always on their own and completely immune

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from disaster.'

'Nothing wishes to harm a donkey,' Okumu said with scorn.'There is nothing they have to fear in the whole Amboseli.'

But why not? Annot wondered.

'Satisfied?' James teased her. 'This is Masai country.They've always lived in the same way. Okumu too.'

She nodded, glad to display her own knowledge to him. 'Hemust have come up the escarpment with them in the verybeginning,' she said.

James put out a hand, pushing back a loose wisp of hairfrom her face. 'He speaks the same language, so he musthave done,' he conceded.

Okumu laughed, his eyes and teeth flashing in the eveningsun. 'Did you climb up too? You speak our language also!'he reminded his employer.

Annot felt left out. 'I wish I did,' she said.

'It doesn't matter for a woman,' Okumu replied. 'If your

father is a Masai, you are a Masai. Your mother can comefrom any tribe.' He grinned wickedly at her. 'There was atime when the Masai captured women from every tribe andmade them their wives!' He spat accurately on the ground

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ahead of him 'Except the Luo—their women were alwayssafe from the Masai men.'

`Why was that?' Annot asked, genuinely interested.

'The Luo don't circumcise their women,' he answered.'Besides,' he added, 'they live far away.'

As they approached the village, two Masai morans cameout to meet them. They looked magnificent in a primitive,barbaric way, tall and withdrawn and with muscles ripplingunder their mud-coloured loincloths, suka or of karaha.They, too, carried spears and had their hair arranged in thedistinctive manner of the junior warriors of all their relatedtribes. They shook hands with Okumu in the African way,first in the European manner and then clasping each other'sthumbs. When they had talked awhile, they even greetedJames, but Annot they didn't look at at all, pretending not tonotice she was there.

They all walked back to the village together. To Annot'sdismay there were no women in sight, for this was clearly amaityatta especially for morans, who were forbidden tomarry or even to have relations with women until theyshaved off their hair and took on the responsibilities offamily life within the tribe at the end of their compulsorymilitary service for the safety of their particular community.

Once they had shown their superiority, surprisingly, the

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Masai broke into perfect English, still without looking atAnnot, but evidently as a compliment to her so that shecould understand what they were saying.

`You have come to see the dance?' they asked, wellpleased at the thought of having visitors.

'My fiancée has never seen the Masai dance,' James toldthem, and it was with a sense of shock that Annot realised

he was referring to her, 'but she has heard all about theircourage. Even in England the Masai are known for theirbravery.'

After that, the village was theirs. James and Annot sat on afallen tree at the side of the clearing and tried to ignore thepowerful smell of the dwelling-shacks about them. Thesewere no more than a frame of sticks, covered with a mixtureof cow-dung and earth. That might not have smelt in itself,but the Masai are a nomadic people and prefer to move onto a new site sooner than do much in the way ofhousekeeping.

It was evidently a great occasion. Other Masai men andwomen came walking into the clearing, intent on enjoyingthe spectacle that was about to be put on for them. In all thetribe there was no one better qualified than the morans todepict their traditional dances and to recite their ancientsongs, for it was to learn these things as much as the

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military arts that they were kept segregated for eight longyears. Thus were the traditions of the tribe handed on fromone generation to the next.

It began simply enough. A group of young men facedinwards in a circle and began to chant, drubbing theirspears on the ground; then they trooped back and forth,always keeping up the complicated rhythm of their chant.

James put an arm behind Annot and invited her to leanback against him. 'Glad you came?' he said in her ear.

'I nearly didn't,' she retorted. 'You might have told me you'dseen Jeremy!'

`Mmm,' he said. 'You might have remembered you areengaged to me!'

`But I'm not—not really.'

He pulled her closer still. 'Aren't you? You'll never convinceyour German friend of that again, my sweet.'

Another time she might have taken issue with the note ofmasculine triumph in his voice, but this didn't seem to bethe right moment for taking up cudgels for the rights of

women. This was a male-orientated society, a celebrationof manhood, and she couldn't see that the Masai, orOkumu, were any the worse for that.

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The dance came to an abrupt end. Okumu was invited intothe centre of the compound where he made a few startlingleaps into the air, his long hair flying out behind him. Annotwas amused to notice he had caught every watchingfemale eye around, and knew that he knew it too. His brightscarlet loincloth was distinctive enough to set him apartfrom the others, but the beauty of his movements wassomething else again. What would they have made of himin Europe?

When he had done, the Masai came back again, bringingwith them piles of staves cut from the sisal plant and calledin the Masai language duvai, from which came the name ofthe area where the Leakeys were to discover the oldestprehistoric ancestors of man. These they flung at eachother across the open space, warding them off with theirshields. It was a fantastic sight to see the green stavesflying through the air, any one of them able to kill a man if ithit a sensitive spot.

But after a while, Annot's attention wandered to where thewomen were sitting, their backs leaning against the sidesof the huts. Bedecked in the same mud-coloured clothingas their men, they relied on their magnificent jewellery toappease their feminine vanity, and their fingers were busilyemployed in making yet more pieces as they watched theirsons and brothers performing before them.

Then something caught her eye in one of the huts. It was the

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face of a man—a white man! Annot was on her feet with awhoop of joy and went running towards him.

'Jeremy! Jerry! It's me, Annot!'

A piece of sisal hit her squarely on the back of her headand neck and she sank to the ground, the blacknessclosing in all round her, and she knew no more.

CHAPTER TEN

ANNOT awoke to the sour smell of manure and a splittingheadache. It wasn't all bad, though. Comforting arms heldher close against a hard, masculine chest and, almostimmediately, she gave way to the temptation to rest herhead against his shoulder. Somehow that eased the ache abit, but then Jeremy had always been able to comfort her,even when as a child she had mostly run into trouble of herown making.

'I knew it was you,' she said slowly and carefully. 'Did younow?'

She frowned, confused. That hadn't sounded much likeJeremy. When she tried to open her eyes, however, it wasjust as dark with them open as with them shut.

'Where are we?' she asked.

`Don't you remember?' amused, masculine tones

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murmured affectionately. 'Poor little Annot, you do needlooking after, don't you?'

She thought about denying it, but it didn't seem worthwhile.Strange that it wasn't Jeremy who held her.

`We're not outside now,' she said. There was somethingshe had to remember, but she couldn't remember what itwas. `I saw Jeremy!'

'You thought you did, there's no doubt about that.' themasculine voice agreed. 'Did you have to take off like amaniac across the compound, though?'

`Did I do that?' She snuggled a little closer to him. 'Did youtry to stop me?'

He was silent for a long moment. 'Did you want me to?' hecountered then.

'I don't know,' she admitted, 'I don't remember much aboutit. Silly, isn't it?'

'A trifle impulsive,' he said dryly. 'How's the head now?'

`Sore.' She gave a thoughtful wriggle. 'I wish I couldremember better, but all I want to do is go to sleep. Are weinside somewhere?'

`They gave us the loan of one of their huts. I think they

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thought they'd killed you—and they might have done had itnot been for the protection of that beaded collar and

in the general relief that you were still alive it wassuggested you should stay the night before I took you backto the lodge.'

So that was what she was doing lying on this prickly bed.Annot tested it gingerly with one hand and found it wascovered with animal skins. Judging by the smell they hadnot been very well cured, and if it hadn't been dark, shecould imagine they would have been swarming with fliesand maybe even with other, less appetising insects.Supposing the dawn came before she was ready to leavethis makeshift couch? She felt quite sick at the thought.

'What time is it?' she asked.

'It's getting on for midnight. Lie still, my love, and try tosleep. You'll feel better if you do.'

Her eyes opened wide in the darkness. 'Nearly midnight?Then what are you doing here?'

He hugged her tight. 'I can wait until you're in your right mindbefore I seduce you, if that's what you're thinking. Go tosleep!'

But sleep was impossible now. She thought with a sinkingfeeling that the feel of his arms about her was so right, so

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necessary to her comfort, that that was seductive enough.Before long she would want something more, and thatwould never do!

'James

`Ah, you do remember who I am!'

She swallowed a lump in her throat, humiliated by theswooping action of her heart as he moved his hand againsther.

'Of course I do!' she said crossly. 'And I refuse to beseduced, now or ever!'

He turned a little to face her. 'But I could—'

She took a deep breath. 'You flatter yourself, JamesMontgomery! I don't even like you!'

'Do you not? That isn't what you said just now. You cameinto my arms like a homing pigeon—and quite right too!Have you forgotten you're engaged to marry me?'

This was worse than anything! Whatever could she havesaid? She unpicked his fingers from their grasp on herwaist, concentrating hard on winning free of him, but assoon as she succeeded in pulling his hand away, it returnedto a more intimate position against the curve of her breast.She felt his chuckle against her ribs and wondered at the

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wave of happiness that rolled over her.

'What are we going to do?' she asked him.

I could kiss you a little,' he suggested. His voice was assmooth as treacle. How many other girls had he bent to hiswill with no more than his tone of voice? Funny what it did toher! She who had always been immune from getting herselfinto such untidy romantic interludes before. For that was allit was, and she would do well to remember it. It was aninterlude, and once she had left Kenya, would she ever seeJames again?

She took a tight hold of herself. 'If you're sure Jeremy isn'there, I think we should go back to the lodge,' she said.There was nothing warm about her tone. She sounded'bright, brittle, and to her own ears, very near the edge oftears.

For answer, he put his lips against hers and kissed hergently. Annot shut her eyes, abandoning her defences witha little sigh, then when he kissed her again, she put her

arms up round his neck and gave in completely. She forgoteverything else—the pain in her head, even the smell ofmanure that surrounded them—in the shattering bliss of hisembrace. She strained closer still to him with a little sob.

'Oh, James!' she whispered.

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He released her with a suddenness that almost threw heroff the makeshift bed. `God,' he groaned, 'you're too much!I'm sorry, love.'

He was sorry! The tears filled her eyes and rolled, unseen,down her cheeks. 'I'm sorry too,' she said. 'I'm sorry you'redisappointed in me—'

'Annot, if you say another word I'll turn you over my knee andsmack you. How can I make love to you here, with you stillclaiming you dislike me, and probably still out of your mindafter that blow on your head? That doesn't mean I wouldn'tlike to! I could have killed you when I saw you in the poolwith Fritz!'

`But

'Shut up! You're right, we'd better go back to the lodge andreturn you to Judith's indifferent care.'

'I don't need anyone's care!' she spat at him, bitterly hurt.Why had he had to mention Judith now of all times? As ifshe didn't know that Judith was his true love, whereasAnnot was only a passing diversion brought about bycircumstances. 'I'm not a child, whatever you may think!'

He took her hands in his. 'No, you're no child, AnnotLindsay. That's half the trouble, my sweet. You're not achild, but nor are you exactly in control of the situation, areyou?'

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She shook her head, gulping back a sob. 'I don't think I dodislike you after all,' she confided.

'I never thought you did,' he responded.

'James, what am I going to do?'

He brushed his fingers through her hair.- 'Does it hurt

much, love? Can't you be content to leave things to me? I'llsee you're all right, I'll even look out for Jeremy for you.Don't you know that yet?'

She was hungry for the sense of security she haddiscovered in his arms; it was like a physical ache insideher. 'Suppose,' she said, 'just suppose I fell in love withyou?'

'I'd prefer you didn't tell me when you have a lump on yourhead the size of an egg. I'm having a hard job keeping myhands off you as it is!'

'Yes, but—'

'Don't you realise how much I want to make love to you?' Hesounded kind and a little sad too, and she felt deeply sorryfor him

'I'd know if it was love you felt,' she contradicted. 'It's just

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being here alone together.'

'Is that what it is?' he said wryly. 'My dear girl, where haveyou been all your life? No, don't tell me, I'll tell you instead.You've been cosseted and petted by everyone around you,all of them intent on keeping you pure and virginal until yougo to your wedding. And I'm just as bad as

'There must have been other girls 'More than I care toremember!'

'Well then,' she began, 'why were they different?'

'I don't think this is the time or place to tell you. Come on,my pretty one, and I'll take you home before you find outanything else about me! Are you coming?'

I suppose so.' She wished it hadn't ended like this. Shewished—well, it was no good pretending about it—shewished she had found out what it was like to be loved byJames Montgomery after all. Only it was bad enough toadmit such a thing to herself, and she couldn't possibly sayso to him! 'I wish it had been Jeremy—in some ways,' sheadded, 'then perhaps this would never have happened!'

His laughter was full of mockery. 'It would have happened allright! The only surprise is that it didn't happen sooner ! '

That shocked her deeply. How could she have been on thebrink of as devastating a discovery as she had just made,

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and not have known about it? She was glad of the darknessthat surrounded them as she considered the ease withwhich James had swamped her defences. How long hadhe known, she wondered, that she was no more than apuppet waiting for him to pull the strings to get the responsehe wanted? Had he suspected such a thing all along?

`You can't have known!' she told him

He put his arms about her in a comforting gesture, kissingher cheek. 'If you'd been a bit more experienced you'd haveknown yourself, sweetheart. It's apt to happen when a manand woman get together.'

But not without love! Her whole being protested against theidea that she would give herself to any man without love.And yet she had been willing to—or had she? Suppose shewasn't on the verge of falling in love with James, but hadalready done so? Would she have known?

`But—'

'Annot darling, don't you want to go to your marriage bed avirgin?'

She hid her face in his neck. 'I don't think I shall ever marry!How will I know if I'm in love or not?'

He didn't laugh at her as she had been afraid he would. `Ifyou trust your husband, you'll have to take his word for it,' he

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told her. 'If he's any kind of a man he'll make sure of yousoon enough, and not give you the opportunity to fall foranyone else.'

`It sounds as though you expect him to make up my mindfor me,' she said on a quiver of laughter.

He held her closer still. 'Do you think I couldn't?'

`But we're not talking about you!' It was very important,

especially now, to remember that he had no real interest inher. 'You may ride rough-shod over my feelings—'

'I'm trying not to, sweetheart, but you're not making it veryeasy for me.'

'No, but nobody else is as sure as you are that you alwaysknow best. Nobody could be!'

'That might be because nobody else knows you quite aswell as I do!' he retorted dryly. He got to his feet, bentalmost double because of the lowness of the roof, anddragging her after him, made for the doorway and the openair. `And what you need now, my girl, is a nice long sleep inyour own bed!'

Annot was too tired to notice that Okumu had not come withthem until they were almost back at the lodge.

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`Didn't Okumu want to come?' she asked sleepily.

'He had some other business to attend to,' James told her.pick him up tomorrow. He and I are going up in the balloonby ourselves and he won't want to miss that!'

She would have wanted to go herself if she hadn't been sotired. 'What's Norman going to do?' she murmured.

James put a gentle hand on her shoulder. 'You and Normancan bring the Range Rover out after us when you wake up,'he said. 'Norman will know which way we've gone.'

Annot nodded her consent. In the morning she wouldprobably argue that he had no right to leave her behind,making her arrangements for her without ever consultingher as to what she wanted to do. In the morning she wouldfeel a great deal braver and would be ready to do battlewith him again. In the morning she would be herself againand she would wonder what all the fuss had been about.

The Range Rover drew up outside the lodge and Jamesturned on the interior light, looking her up and down asthough he were trying to commit every detail to memory.

She stirred restlessly; he didn't even have to touch her, shetold herself angrily, a look was enough to make heragonisingly, burningly aware of him.

`Don't hate me, love,' he said, almost as though he were

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pleading with her, 'I'm only trying to look after you. You don'tmake a very good job of looking after yourself

With a lump on her head to prove his point, it was as muchas she could do to summon up a tired smile. 'Why should Ihate you?' she asked.

'You may hold me to blame—later. If you were more sure ofyourself—'

'It isn't for me to blame you,' she said primly, her mind firmlyfixed on Judith, `so I won't. I'll probably blame myself ! '

He smiled, slowly and with great charm. 'Not if I haveanything to do with it!' he said. And he kissed her hard onthe mouth. 'Goodnight, Annot! '

That night she hardly slept at all. She blamed the rain thatcame pouring out of the sky, drumming against the roof andfinding every shrunken beam where it could run down thewalls, both inside and out. Only to herself did she, admitthat her restlessness had other, less mundane, causes. Tobe knocked out cold was adventure enough for anyone, andshe must have been more tired than she knew to have sleptlike a baby for so long after she first came round. She couldremember that moment now, and her own lost cry of pain. Ithad been after that that James had carried her into the butand, holding her close, had bade her sleep. And sleep shehad, the warmth of his embrace giving her a feeling of

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secure comfort that she could only wonder at now.

She had slept then, and she might have slept now if it hadnot been for what had happened afterwards. How could sheever look him in the face again? Annot burned with

humiliation and shame that she had let him see how weakher defences against him were. They were non-existent!And he had done little enough to encourage her! He wouldthink her wanton or worse, and she so badly wanted him tothink well of her. More, she wanted him to think herwonderful—the only girl in the world for him!

And she had blown it. How could she have done otherwisewhen she hadn't known what he meant to her? For sheknew it now, and could only wonder how dense she hadbeen before. She was in love with James Montgomery, noton the brink of falling for him, not mildly attracted becauseof the way he looked or because of the masterful air heaffected, but devastatingly, irrevocably in love with him!

Supposing he knew? Annot thought. That would be theworst thing of all If he saw her before she was ready hewould certainly know, and she made up her mind that shewould do all in her power to avoid him in the next few days,until she had taken a grip on herself, returned her emotionsto their usual good order, and made up her mind to seeinghim with Judith without feeling sick with jealousy.

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Having come to that momentous decision, she must haveslept after all, for the next she knew Dorcas was bendingover her bed, willing her to open her eyes and pay attentionto the pleasures of the new day.

'Annot, where did you go last night? You were gone ages!'

'That's what we'd all like to know,' her mother chimed in,and if Dorcas was no more than curious, there was nodoubt that Judith meant to hear all the details of the nightbefore.

Annot opened her eyes reluctantly. 'I made a fool of myself,'she confessed.

'What happened?' Dorcas encouraged her, scenting that

Annot was about to unfold a drama that would be very muchto her taste.

Annot shut her eyes again. She couldn't even bear to lookat Judith. If she disliked her, it would have been easier, butshe didn't; if she had been going to marry anyone butJames she might even have quite liked her.

'I thought I saw Jeremy,' she said.

She barely noticed the silence that greeted her words atfirst, but as it went on and on, she began to wonder why theother two were saying nothing and, wincing a little from the

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pain in her head, she turned her head to see what theywere doing. Dorcas had her mouth open, her eyes blazingwith suppressed excitement, but it was Judith's reactionwhich was startling. Beneath her tan she had gone as whiteas a sheet.

'Jeremy?' she repeated on an odd note.

'My uncle Jeremy,' Annot confirmed. 'I could have sworn Isaw his face, but James said I'd been mistaken. The funnything was that James himself said he thought they'd spottedhim from the balloon earlier in the day.'

'But couldn't you have found out yourself?' Dorcasprompted her. 'I wouldn't have taken James' word for it!'She sighed deeply. 'I'd love to see Jeremy again, I've somuch to tell him. He's the nicest man I know.'

'And the least reliable!' her mother snapped.

Dorcas gave her a bitter look. 'Just because you don't likehim you don't think he can do anything! You don'tunderstand anything about him—'

'And you do?' Judith mocked her.

Dorcas nodded defiantly. 'Yes, I do. You don't like himbecause he despises money, but he has something muchbetter than that! He makes other people happy and and

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he always has time for them. I'm proud to be his friend,even if you're not!'

'I couldn't care less if I never saw him again!' Judith

claimed. She still had a funny putty-coloured look to herskin, but Dorcas was too young to notice. She was asfuriously angry as only a ten-year-old can be whensomeone she loves is criticised. Annot wondered howJeremy had managed to capture her loyalty, and thenlaughed at herself for pretending not to know. She had feltjust the same way about him at Dorcas's age; she did now,though the depth of her loyalty had been modified by timeand her own growing up. It had been exactly as Dorcas hadsaid: Jeremy had always had time for her and her mostharebrained projects, taking them as seriously as she hadherself.

'Jeremy has a lot in common with Peter Pan,' Annotobserved.

'He has not!' All Dorcas's anger was diverted from hermother on to Annot. 'Peter Pan is wet! His flying is just apretence, but Jeremy really does the things he tells meabout. James knows a lot about the Masai, for instance, butJeremy has actually lived with them.' A glow shone acrossher face. 'Annot, is that where you were yesterday?Because if it was, then it could have been Jeremy, couldn'tit?'

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'I don't know,' said Annot. She didn't seem to know anythingany longer. 'When I thought I saw him I rushed across to himand got clobbered by a piece of sisal: I've got a lump on myhead you have to see to believe!'

Dorcas was suitably sobered. 'James told me. He said onno account was anyone to wake you, but you were to besure and eat a full breakfast before you went anywheretoday. He said you never got anything at all last night.'

Annot remembered that she hadn't, but she didn't feelhungry enough for food to register very highly on her list ofpriorities. 'Where is James?' she asked cautiously.

'Gone off in that damned balloon,' Judith told her. 'Where doyou think? He won't rest until he has one of his own,

though what fun it can be trailing around in that thing isbeyond my comprehension.' Her eyes rested briefly onAnnot's face. 'Am I right in thinking you're burning to go upin it yourself?'

`In a way. I'm nervous too, though. The funny thing is that I'msure I'd feel safer with James as pilot than with Norman, Ican't think why!'

`I'd say it was predictable,' Judith drawled. 'That kind ofthing is strictly not my scene—whoever's piloting it. You candraw your own conclusions from that!'

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Annot lay back with a sigh, drawing no conclusionswhatsoever from the remark. If James has already gone,'she said, 'who's following him in the Range Rover?'

'Oh, that?' Judith could scarcely have sounded lessinterested. 'He took the Range Rover himself to pick upOkumu wherever it was you left him last night. The idea isfor you and Norman to follow in Norman's Volkswagenminibus later on.'

Annot wrinkled up her nose. 'But it's been raining all night—'

`Men, my dear,' Judith said in withering tones. 'With them,what does a little thing like comfort matter?'

Annot thought it might involve more than their discomfort ifthey were to come down in the middle of a bog, and shemight have said so, but her mind was taken up by thethought of having to spend the whole day in Norman'sundiluted company. She wasn't going to enjoy it, she wasquite sure of that.

'Could Dorcas come with us?' she almost begged Judith.

`Not today,' Judith answered. 'She promised Fritz to spendthe day with him.' She laughed lightly. 'Applying balm to thewounds you dealt him yesterday, poor pet! Or was it Jameswho worsted him?'

'It was a misunderstanding,' Annot said hastily.

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Judith giggled 'And one you don't want to repeat with

Norman? Shall I warn him off for you?'

Annot shook her head; at her age she ought to be able tofight her own battles and not expect other people to defendher from her own folly. Besides, how could she expectJudith to emphasise to Fritz that James was engaged —however temporarily—to another?

'I'll bet it rains!' she said gloomily.

'It already is,' Dorcas assured her cheerfully.

It gave a very unromantic start to the day to be swathed inwaterproofs and wellington boots. Annot, filled with abreakfast she hadn't intended to eat, looked at the leadenskies without enthusiasm. 'I think he's plain daft to take aballoon up in this,' she declared.

Norman silently nodded his agreement, then strode roundthe minibus and got into the driving seat.

`Well, why did you let him?' Annot accused him. Norman'sfeatures relaxed into a smile. 'Perhaps I wanted you tomyself for a whole day,' he suggested.

'A likely story!' she scoffed. 'Why should you?'

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`For all the usual reasons, don't you know? If it isn't James—and you told me it wasn't—and it isn't that German fellow,perhaps you'll have more time for me. Not much to start off,perhaps, but at least we speak the same language.'

'We both speak English,' Annot said carefully.

'And we're both a bit lonely and out of, our depth out here,'Norman went on. 'Might as well admit it, we need eachother!'

Annot relaxed back in her seat. 'I was born out here,' shesaid, 'it isn't strange to me. Sometimes I feel I've neverbeen away.'

Norman grinned and nodded. 'You'll feel better when youget back to England. I always do!'

'I don't think so. When we first went to live in England Imissed the wide open spaces so much that I thought I'd

die. It might be the same again. If I'm ever happy again Ithink it will be out here.'

Norman glanced sharply at her. 'Because of the country orthe man?'

'I don't know!' she snapped despairingly.

'There now,' he said, 'don't go upsetting yourself. Why don't

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you tell him how you feel?'

Annot shrugged her shoulders. 'He doesn't want me,' shesaid, 'not on a permanent basis.' She wrinkled up her nose.'What a funny smell this earth has after rain,' shecommented.

'Pretty pungent,' he agreed. 'Perhaps it's that dead buffaloover there.'

'Perhaps,' she said, but she didn't think so. The wholeboggy surface of Amboseli seemed to smell to her. It smeltremarkably like the but she had been in the night before.'Which way are we going?'

'Back to the village where you were last night.'

Annot lifted her eyebrows at that, but she said nothing.'Look over there!' she exclaimed instead. 'Isn't that a lion?'

As they came closer, they saw it was three lions, crouchingdown, their muscles tensed, in the long grass. A little furtherover was a herd of wildebeeste, blissfully unaware of thedanger that awaited them.

'If we wait, we may see them make their kill,' said Annot,'though it won't be easy on a day like this. When they runtheir feet will slip in the mud.'

The lions were all young, their manes no more than a few

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sprouting hairs on the backs of their necks, but they wereas cunning as many of their elders. One moved forward,deliberately allowing himself to be seen, and pushed theherd over the spot where his two brothers were hidden.After that the chase was really joined. They chose an oldmale on the edge of herd, and Annot watched the gnu fall

with a sense of loss. If it had kept its feet, it might havestood a chance, for a wildebeeste is much faster and cantravel much further than any lion. But once brought down,the animal scarcely struggled at all, and the third lion joinedthe group, grunting his satisfaction at the meal ahead ofthem.

The reserve seemed full of lions that day, all of them hungryand looking for food.

'Shall we follow that lioness?' Norman suggested, hisappetite whetted by the kill they had already seen.

'Not there!' Annot shrieked out.

But she was too late. Norman spun the minibus off the maintrack, taking off at a highly dangerous speed round a clumpof thorn bushes. They came to a slithering stop a few yardsfurther on, their wheels buried well up to the axles.

'That's done it!' he said glumly. 'Now what are we going todo?'

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Annot looked straight ahead of her and took a deep breath.'We push,' she decided. 'We push until we're tired, and thenwe push some more. In between whiles we can cut downbrush and put it under the wheels. Okay?'

'Okay,' said Norman. 'But we're mighty close to those lions,and they're hungry.'

'We can always get back into the van,' she said.

It was hard work jacking up the minibus and filling the holesthe wheels had made with brushwood. It was made harderstill by the hopelessness of the task. When the lions cameclose enough to be seen at intervals and heard all the time,Annot gave in to Norman's demands and agreed to getback into the Volkswagen while they thought things over.She was tired and muddy and more than a little dispiritedby their plight.

It was she who heard the engine of the approaching vehiclelong before Norman did. She was hardly surprised

at all when the Range Rover drew up at the edge of the bogand James stepped out into their muddy tracks. All she feltwas an unbounded relief.

Norman flung his arms round her and kissed her cheek. 'SirGalahad to the rescue!' he cried out. 'And not a moment toosoon!'

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But James had eyes only for Annot. He swept her out ofNorman's reach and lifted her clear from the Volkswagen,an arm beneath her knees and another round her back.

`You still haven't got it right, little Annot,' he rebuked hergently. 'You're engaged to be my woman and it's time youbegan to behave as such! Have you got it now?'

He bundled her, none too gently, into the Range Rover,seating her almost on top of an equally surprised man whoat first was a stranger to her.

'Annot?' the stranger said uncertainly

'Jeremy! Oh, Jeremy!' she repeated, and burst into tears.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

LUCKILY, it had stopped raining.

'Oh, Jeremy, I was beginning to think I'd never see youagain!'

Annot's uncle looked surprised. `No danger of that! Howdid you find out I'd decided to go off by myself for a whileanyway?'

Annot just looked at him, her loyalties split. She couldn'tremember wanting to put someone else's feelings beforeJeremy's before. 'But why, Jeremy?' she asked. 'Why did

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you do it?'

He shrugged thin shoulders. 'My independence wasthreatened. Yes, you might say it was that. I like to be myown man, and I had to show someone I couldn't be bought,no matter how attractive the lure that was set for me.'

`You mean someone wanted to marry you?' Annotexclaimed.

Jeremy's smile was wry. 'Is that so impossible?'

'No, of course not,' Annot recovered herself, 'only somehowI'd never thought of you marrying. I don't know why not.'

'You'd expected me to go on being the ideal playmate forever?' he suggested. 'Unfortunately the lady in question hasforgotten how to play. The goal is money, and unnecessarylittle luxuries all the way—'

Annot laughed. This was indeed the uncle she had alwaysremembered. `So you had to prove you could do withoutany of them? It wasn't very sensible, Jerry. How manymagazines will be willing to employ you now?'

`Oh, that! It's all in the bag, my dear. I still have a few

weeks to deliver the finished article. I'll do it easily!'

`Thanks to Mother,' Annot told him. 'She had me out here

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finishing your job for you before I could tuna round! Thoughit was James who went up in the balloon and took most ofthe photos. They're super!'

Jeremy bristled indignantly. `So are mine! It was kindlymeant, no doubt, but if you think I'm going to use the snapsof any amateurs, you're wrong there! I'll do my own thingand I'll do it my way. I always have and I always will!'

Annot squared up to him, and any onlooker would haveseen a strong family likeness between them which wasn'talways so apparent. 'I'm not an amateur!' she declared. 'I'mprobably better qualified than you are! And as for James'—her voice softened unconsciously —James is better thanboth of us!'

`A highly partial view, if I may say so, young lady,' her unclesniffed 'You never did have the least discernment whereyour affections are involved!'

`Possibly not—where you're concerned!'

'Oh, Annot, what the hell do you think I've been doing allthese weeks but taking photos and making my fortune outof them too? Don't take on so!'

`But he went to so much trouble! And—and expense!' Shefelt cold inside when she thought of the cost of the balloon.'We—I'll never be able to repay him!'

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'I expect you'll think of a way,' her uncle said comfortably. 'Ican't feel much sorrow for the downtrodden James, youknow. The fellow always has the best of everything, and hedelivers a moral lecture with every handout. I can't think whyI have anything to do with him!'

Annot turned on him in a fury. 'That's altogether too much!'she berated him. 'Where would you be without him? Wherewould your dog be?'

'My dog?'

`Isn't Sijui your dog?'

Jeremy looked amused. 'I suppose he is—in a way. But hechose to live with James years ago. Even a dog can sellout for a higher standard of living.'

`If that but on James' land was the best you could offer him,I'm not surprised!'

`Ah, that—well, yes, I had my reasons for that.' He lookedcuriously at his niece. 'Are you .on your own down here withJames?' he inquired.

'No,' she said, still seething at his ingratitude. 'MrsDrummond and her daughter came too.'

`To help find me?'

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'To chaperon me ! '

Jeremy raised his eyebrows. 'From James?'

Annot's anger changed to an all-pervading embarrassmentthat tied her tongue in knots and made her bitterlyconscious that she hadn't made a very good job of turningher feelings for James into other, safer channels.

`So that's the way the land lies, is it?' Jeremy mocked her.'And what has the lovely Judith to say to that?'

'She's been very kind to me.'

'Has she, though? That's interesting. And Dorcas?'

'Dorcas? She's as undiscriminating as I was! She talksabout you all the time and worships the ground you walkon!'

'Good,' said Jeremy, 'I'm fond of her too.'

'Much good that will do her! Annot snapped back at him.

'Well, it might,' he said.

Annot sniffed disparagingly. She couldn't remember havingquarrelled with Jeremy before, but she felt like it now. Hewas being quite insufferable! In the distance a lion madethe choking sound that warned his quarry he was hunting,

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and she felt a renewed concern for the three men who weretrying to dig the minibus out of the mud.

'You can't even do anything to help now!' she muttered. 'Andto think I never realised before how selfish you are!'

Her uncle smiled wickedly. 'It looks as though your belovedJames has all the help he can be doing with, but if you thinkhe needs more I'm not stopping you from offering yourservices!'

By way of answer, Annot opened the door beside her andstepped out of the Range Rover. James looked up at once,gave a quick instruction to Okumu who was manning thejack, and came wading through the mud towards her.

`Got over the shock of finding him alive and well?' heasked, gesturing towards Jeremy's thin frame.

`He's bone selfish!' she burst out.

`A trifle eccentric,' James corrected her. 'Didn't you knowthat?'

`Doesn't he ever think of anyone else?'

`Not in my experience,' he commented `Does it matter,love?'

`I don't know. He can jolly well help you now, though!' Her

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indignation with her uncle boiled over into hot, angry words.'He's not even grateful! You went to all that trouble for himand he can't even be bothered to say thank you!' '

Jeremy stepped out of the Range Rover. `What have I gotto say thank you for?' he asked mildly. 'I didn't ask you tocome rushing out here in the first place. Your mother wasalways given to panicking over her little brother, but youused to be more discerning, Annot my darling. Whatevermade you give in to her?'

`Surprising as it seems now, I too was worried about you!'she retorted

`That a niece of mine—' he began.

`Careful,' James warned him. 'She may be your niece, butshe's also engaged to me!'

`Engaged? Now fancy that!' Jeremy drawled, his eyes onAnnot's face.

'Not properly,' Annot denied. 'I haven't even got a ring!' Sheheld out her bare hand. 'See?'

The look in James' eyes should have been warning enough,but she decided to ignore it. She hadn't got a ring— norwas he likely to give her one! Her look was as defiant ashis was dangerous.

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'Not very sensible, is she?' Jeremy remarked.

'Not very,' James agreed. 'I can't think whatever made youthink her quick on the uptake! '

'She's like her mother,' Jeremy decided. 'Loyal to a fault,and quite determined that all her ugly ducklings, are swansin disguise. If I'd had a greater say in her education, shewould soon have found out that it's far better to love people,warts and all, than constantly face disillusionment over traitsthey can't help!'

'But I'm not like that at all!' Annot protested.

, 'Now there I agree with her,' James put in. 'I haven'tremarked her loyalty at all.'

'How dare you?' Annot stormed at him. 'Oh, how can you?What is this, anyway, a conspiracy between you to put mein my place?'

' 'I hadn't thought of that, but it's a tempting idea,' Jamesagreed promptly. 'You can start doing penance by helpingme dismantle that dead tree over there. That'll take some ofthe steam out of you!'

Annot took the panga from him, longing to use the flat of theblade on him before she used it on the tree. 'I think you'rebeastly, both of you!' she scowled at them.

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'I'm sure you do,' James comforted her, then put apossessive arm around her waist and pointed her towardsthe tree. 'Let's have some action, sweetheart. The soonerwe get the minibus back on the road, the sooner you canhave a nice long chat with your uncle and get things sortedout with him.' He grinned slowly. 'At least I ought to be able

to trust you not to flirt with Jeremy,' he added with deliberatemalice.

`Indeed?' she said in frozen tones. 'You can flirt withimpunity, of course?'

`With you, any time!' His eyes were dark and intimate. 'Anytime at all! Are you going to deny it?'

The honey in his voice made her heart somersault withinher. She could scarcely breathe for wanting him to saysomething more in the same tones, something kind andaffectionate—more, something that would tell her he was alittle bit in love with her too.

`I don't flirt!' she said in stifled tones.

He chuckled, holding her close up against him. 'Not withFritz? Not with Norman? Not even with me?'

She brandished the panga in her hand. 'James, pleasedon't,' she begged him, `I don't like it when you tease me!'

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His eyes narrowed. 'I wonder why not,' he said.

It was hard work getting to the tree. At each step her footsank some six inches into the mud pulling at her boots, andshe was glad of James' helping hand more than oncebefore they at last reached the silvered remnant of whathad once been a fair-sized tree. In the distance, the lionscoughed and growled, and Annot shivered with real fear.

`Shouldn't we light a fire?' she asked.

`They're further away than you think. Cheer up, sweetheart,we'll get it out this time!'

But Annot refused to be comforted. 'Earlier, we saw themonce or twice,' she said on a shudder. 'Why don't we haulthe Volkswagen out with the Range Rover?'

`Because the line would break if we can't give the wheelssomething to bite on. We'll build them up on a platform ofhard timber and, with any luck, she'll come out like the plugout of a bath.'

Annot took a wild swipe at the dead tree, her eyes filling

with weak-minded tears. 'I'm afraid!' she declared violently.

'Of the lions, or me?'

The panga was wedged so hard in the wood she couldn't

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get it out again. She wiggled at it in vain, finally concedingdefeat and giving up her place to James, who naturallypulled it out with a minimum of fuss.

'I don't know what anyone wants any longer!' she ex--claimed violently.

He smiled at her over his shoulder. 'Stick to what you wantyourself, sweetheart.'

But she wasn't even listening. 'What do you want?' shedemanded.

He handed her a V-shaped branch and set her off on herway back to the minibus. 'That would be telling! Youconcentrate on the scorpions that might be hidden in thatdead wood and leave the rest of the worrying to me. I'mgetting used to it,' he added on an indulgent note, 'I'm evengetting to like it!'

It was a perilous journey back to the Volkswagen, andOkumu took the heavy log from her and jammed it into thehole under the offside rear wheel. Annot noticed that he,too, kept looking all round them with wary eyes and sheknew he was as nervous of the approaching lions as shewas.

'How close are they?' she asked him

His answer was a laugh. 'Wove chunga simba!' he

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commanded her. 'You look out for the lions while we work,yes?'

She thought her uncle could do that—his contribution hadbeen a great fat zero so far. 'Jeremy, it's your turn to windup the jack!' she called out to him. 'Norman is going to helpme push, and Okumu is tired.'

Her uncle was surprisingly adept with the jack. He balancedit on a small piece of hard wood and had the minibus

balanced high over the onside hole in a matter of minutes.Between brushing down his shirt and trousers and cleaningthe mud off his shoes, he helped James to pack the holeand lowered the 'van again, maintaining his aloof,disapproving expression till the last.

'We'd better have Annot in the driving seat,' he said whenhe had finished, 'I'd say her head's aching too much for herto put her back into pushing anything. I nearly died myselfwhen she keeled over last night!' He patted Annot on theback. 'Lucky you were wearing your Masai baubles, nieceof mine. Perhaps you're more discriminating than I thought!'

She stared at him. 'You were there!' she accused him.

'It was unfortunate you saw me,' he answered, 'I wasn'tready to come home yet, but James told me something thatmade me change my mind. Can you get in by yourself, orshall I give you a hand?'

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'I can manage,' she said coldly, and then, with a real senseof loss, 'I left my bead collars behind at the manyatta.Someone must have taken them off when I wasunconscious.'

'I did,' Jeremy said. `Okumu has them somewhere for you.'A smile crept up into his eyes. 'They were very muchadmired by the local ladies!'

Annot looked away. He was so much his old familiar selfthat her bad temper with him was in danger of beingundermined. 'James gave them to me,' she said withoutthought. 'I wouldn't want to lose them'

`Ah yes, James,' he murmured. 'If I didn't say it before,you're very welcome, niece of mine.' He looked away fromher. 'Did Judith make you welcome too?'

'Yes, she did, though she couldn't have liked it much.Dorcas says she was quite serious about marrying James.Perhaps she still is.'

'She can hardly marry your fiancé, pet—unless you handhim to her on a plate?'

Annot almost laughed. 'Me? Can you imagine James sittingdown under that?' Her amusement died. 'I can't think why hedid it. We didn't have to pretend to be engaged at all that Ican see. It's made things very difficult!'

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Her uncle slammed the door on her. 'I shouldn't worryyourself. Things have a way of sorting themselves out. Canyou find reverse all right?'

Annot slammed the gear-lever into the reverse position.The pedals were much larger than those she wasaccustomed to—these would have looked at home in a full-sized bus. 'How will I know when you're ready?' she asked.

`You'll know!' he shouted back.

James was at the wheel of the Range Rover; she could seehis intent face in the driving mirror. She indulged herself bywatching him unseen for the next few minutes, glad that hewould never know how poverty-stricken she was where hewas concerned, that such little moments should mean somuch to her. Then to her consternation he looked straight ather and smiled. Had he known all the time? She manageda small smile in return, feeling lost and lonely. He held uphis thumb to her and pointed towards the rear. They wereoff!

Annot did exactly as she had been told, revving the engineand letting out the clutch in jerks to give the wheels a betterchance of jumping backwards over the branches of wood.She was more successful than she had hoped. The minibuszoomed over the track and practically backed into theRange Rover. They hadn't needed the line at all!

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Annot leaped out of the Volkswagen, thus stalling theengine, and rushed towards the Range Rover. Jamesopened his arms wide to receive her and she ran straightinto them without the slightest hesitation at all.

'I did it, I did it!' she crowed. 'I did it all by myself!'

He cradled her chin in his hand, lifting her face up to meethis. `So you did, my love,' he said on a note of laughter. `Soyou did—with a little bit of help from your friends!'

Dorcas was delighted to hear about how they had beenbogged down. 'Could you really hear the lions all the time?'she asked, her eyes as round as saucers.

'We certainly could!' said Annot, shivering at the memory.

'I wouldn't have been frightened at all,' Dorcas claimed.`After all, you had Jeremy with you. Isn't it super that he'scoming home with us? I was beginning to think I wouldn'tsee him at all these holidays, and that would have beenawful !'

'He looks a bit thin,' Annot said.

`So would you, if you'd been eating nothing but a mixture ofblood and milk for weeks together!' the small girl retortedknowledgeably. 'The Masai never eat anything else!'

'I think they do.' Annot objected, 'I think that's their diet on

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special occasions, when they're about to make war, or arebeing circumcised, times like that! They must eatsomething else sometimes.'

`I'll ask Jeremy,' Dorcas decided. 'He knows everything likethat. I can't wait for him to take me on an expedition withhim. He never nags me, or makes out I can't do somethingbecause I'm a girl!'

Annot was amused. `Do other people do that?' she asked.

'At school, all the time!' the girl sighed. 'One is neverallowed to be alone for two minutes put together. They don'tunderstand that at home I'm often by myself for hours andhours without anyone minding, or worrying about me.'

`Don't you like school?' Annot asked her.

'I hate it! But Mama can't have me here all the time as shehas so much to do on the farm. I wish I could go and livewith Jeremy whenever she's busy, but she'd throw a

fit if he took me off to live with the Masai! She doesn't evenlike me to get dirty when I'm doing something important.She'd carry on like mad if I came home smelling like youdid last night!'

Annot thought the girl was probably right. Her own motherhadn't relished her return from various outings with Jeremywhen she had been a child, and Jeremy had been her own

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brother.

`When you're back at school I'll come and see you if youlike,' she offered. At least Dorcas would tell her how Jameswas, and what he was doing. It would be better than neverhearing about him at all.

Dorcas flung her arms round her neck. `Will you? Will youreally? Oh, Annot, I'll love you forever if you do!'

Annot wished her own problems could be as easily solved.She had mentioned the cost of the balloon twice to heruncle and it was clear he had no intention of helping her tomeet the bill.

'If James was fool enough to hire Norman's balloon, let himpay for it!' he said.

`We were trying to help you,' Annot pointed out to him.`Rubbish, girl. He was indulging himself, as anyone with halfan eye could see! You talk to him about it!'

But Annot was shy of bringing up the subject with James.She might have done if she had seen him alone, but eversince they got back he had had Judith glued to his side— aJudith who looked pale and unhappy, and who neverlooked at Jeremy at all.

`Your uncle,' she had said in the privacy of their bedroom,`would have been no loss if he'd never come back!'

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'I think Dorcas would have been disappointed,' Annot hadanswered.

'Dorcas? What does she know about him? If he had hisway she'd grow up as wild as a hawk! He doesn't evenapprove of her going to England for her schooling!'

Annot was frankly surprised that her uncle had voiced hisopinion on such a subject. 'I can't think it's anything to dowith him,' he had said.

'It isn't, but when has that ever stopped Jeremy?' Judith hadretorted. 'He never gives an inch about anything!'

Annot had thought she had detected real despair in that lastremark and that had surprised her too. Why should Judithcare what her uncle thought or did?

Certainly, when it came to the drive back to Nairobi, Judithflatly refused to go with Jeremy, who had by that time re-possessed himself of his own Range Rover. Nor would sheallow Dorcas to go with him.

let him take his niece!' she said nastily, getting into James'vehicle. 'We'll take Dorcas with us and they can haveOkumu with them!'

James gave her a sidelong look of disapproval. 'Sincewhen has this been your party?' he asked her.

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Tears flooded into her eyes. 'James, don't be beastly,please. I can't stand much more!'

Apparently James agreed with her, for he endorsed thearrangements she had made without a single word toAnnot. Indeed, he had hardly addressed a single word toher since she had run into his arms in triumph after gettingthe Volkswagen out of the mud. She thought he wasavoiding her, and she was sure of it when he drove offwithout looking once in her direction.

'I'll go and see to my luggage,' she said to Okumu, trying tohide the hurt James had dealt her.

Okumu shook his head at her. 'I will arrange all theluggage,' he replied kindly.

She gave him a startled look for she had thought that suchwork would have been beneath his dignity. But she neednot have worried, for he did no more than summon anotherAfrican from the reception to get the suitcases from the

rooms, his achievement being to direct from afar themanual labour of putting them in the back of the RangeRover.

Annot got in reluctantly beside her uncle. The springing ofthe seat had given way under months of ill-use and thewindows rattled, which James would never have allowed in

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a vehicle of his.

'What are you looking so down in the mouth about?' Jeremythrew at her, his own temper obviously stretched to itslimits.

'I wanted to ask James what I should do about payingNorman,' she answered. 'I asked Norman and he saidJames had already paid him. Jerry, I can't pay out such asum all at once. Won't you help a bit?'

`You talk it over with James,' he said firmly, and positivelyrefused to discuss the matter any further.

The only cheerful member of the party on the road wasOkumu. He produced Annot's set of three beaded collarsout of the fold in his loincloth and gave them back to herwith a knowing smile. He exchanged a joke in his ownlanguage with Jeremy and Annot, suspecting it wassomething to do with her, looked inquiringly at her uncle.

'What was all that about?'

'He heard you complaining you had no engagement ring.He said you'd be all right as long as you went on wearingyour beads.'

'Why, do the beads have some meaning?'

Jeremy grinned. 'A Masai man gives the woman of his

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choice a chain, but there wasn't one for sale on the stall, soJames gave you those instead. Okumu says the women willsoon be eating honey and your father will be brewinghoney-beer for his friends.'

`But—'

'I don't suppose Okumu has ever set foot in a church,'Jeremy remarked dryly. 'He's not a Christian, are you, oldson?'

Okumu laughed and shook his head. 'I'm a Samburu. It isenough.'

After that they travelled most of the way in silence. Annotwouldn't allow herself to hope that Okumu was right aboutJames' intentions; Okumu didn't know about Judith, but shedid, and she'd be a fool to allow her longing for James torun away with her.

'Are you driving me to Judith's place?' she asked sleepilyas they drove across the Athi plains towards Nairobi.

'No, niece of mine, I'm not. I'm delivering you to James'door and not a yard further. He can take you on to Judith'shimself—if that's what he wants to do.'

She roused herself, trying to take an interest in the worldahead. 'Are you going to stay with James?'

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'I've got my own place,' he said, 'I'll be going there.'

And he was as good as his word. He dropped Annot andthe luggage on to James' verandah and drove straight offdown the drive again. Annot watched him go, wishing shehad more control over him. Why should everything be left forJames to cope with, when it had been her uncle'sdisappearance which had caused them all to go toAmboseli in the first place?

Sijui, the dog, came out of the door to greet her, his tail ablur of welcome at one end of his fat little body. Dorcascame running after him

'Isn't he a darling?' she said.

Annot bit her lip, unable to answer. 'What time is yourmother leaving?' she asked.

'Mama? She isn't,' Dorcas said with massive indifference.'I'm going to spend the night here and Sijui is going to sleepon my bed! James said he could!'

'And what did Judith say?'

'She doesn't know.' Dorcas's face crinkled into a smile.'She has other things on her mind,' she reported. 'Jamessaid I wasn't to bother her with my affairs just now.'

Busy doing what? Annot wondered. She picked up the

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nearest suitcase and put it down again as she realised shehadn't the faintest idea where to take it.

'Oh, damn!' she said aloud.

'Annot! Dorcas reproved her. 'You shouldn't say that. Sijuiand I are going to look at the stables. Are you coming?'

'No, she isn't,' James' voice answered her, 'she's stayingwith me. I want to talk to her.'

Annot wove her fingers together in an agony ofembarrassment. 'Isn't Judith—I mean—'

'No, she isn't. And as you don't know what you do mean, mylove, why don't you give in gracefully and come and talk tome?'

She longed to do exactly that. 'Where is Judith?'

James came and stood beside her, his gaze on the distantsweep of his land that led towards the but where Jeremysquatted when he was at home.

'I guess she's about two-thirds of the way to Jeremy,' hesaid.

Annot opened her mouth in astonishment. 'On her feet?''He'd expect her to walk. He might not accept her other-

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wise. Poor girl, he's making her go all the way—'

'And you allowed it?' The indignation in her voice would

have been funny had it not been so deeply felt.

'It's their affair, my dear.' -

'But Judith wants to marry you!' Nothing could have stoppedthe words bursting from her lips. 'What has Jeremy got todo with her?'

'I think in the end he means to marry her,' said James.

CHAPTER TWELVE

'But why?' Annot demanded. 'Why should he want her towalk all the way to that dreadful hut of his?'

`It's a long story,' James said, a smile lifting the corners ofhis mouth. 'Neither of them would give an inch. Judithwanted a comfortable living, a father for Dorcas, andsomeone to run her farm. Most of all she wanted security, anice clean kind of security her friends would understandand envy. It was the very antithesis of what Jeremy wanted.He wants the freedom to live as he likes, to come and goas he pleases, and most of all the freedom to despise thevery things Judith holds dear—things like washingmachines and soft living. It was obvious they wereincompatible from the start.

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`So what happened?'

`Judith put on the pressure and Jeremy went away.' lust likethat?'

`You know your uncle better than I do. What would youexpect Jeremy to do?'

Annot's brow creased into a frown. 'You think he alwayscaves in under pressure, don't you?' she said.

'I thought that,' he admitted, 'I'm not so sure now. Perhapshe knew what he was doing all along. All I knew was that Iwasn't best pleased at being cast in the role of desirablehusband for Judith when I knew she was in love withsomeone else, however unsuitable she considered him tobe! I got a bit fed up and I thought I'd bring Jeremy back toface up to her himself. That was when I wrote to yourmother. If his family was here, he'd be sure to come back, Ireasoned, if only to see them. When I saw you I thoughtrather less of that plan!'

'You didn't like me?'

`I found you disturbing, shall we say?'

She had found him disturbing too, but there was no point indwelling on that now. 'It was a disaster, the whole thing!' shesaid.

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`Was it?' Amusement spread over his face. 'I thought we'dcome to a rather successful conclusion myself!'

'How can you say so? Judith's been humiliated; Dorcas willfind out her hero has feet of clay; and I owe you so muchmoney I can't think how I'll ever be able to repay

you ! '

James took a step towards her. 'My dear, sweet Annot,can't you guess why I found you so disturbing?'

She looked as confused as she felt. 'No,' she said baldly. 'Idon't understand anything!'

The glance he gave her was warm and affectionate andtinged with amusement still. 'You had no reason to bejealous of Judith—'

'You think not?' she retorted bitterly. 'It was obvious from thestart that you weren't sure of her, and I didn't like being usedto hurt her!'

'I hadn't thought of that. Is that why you went on about her? IfI was using you at all, my darling, it was to clear thetemptation of my own respectable self out of her way. Iknew Judith wanted Jeremy, and when she came with us toAmboseli I knew that she knew it too. I told Jeremy so at theMasai village. She'd made up her mind to have him on any

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terms, though his were rather steeper than she can haveexpected. Would you walk across the wilderness to me?'

Her heart thudded against her ribs. `Me?' she breathed, herlips dry. 'Why should I?'

James took her hand in his, drawing her down on to hisknee as he seated himself on the nearest chair. 'That iswhat I want to talk to you about.' The honeyed note wasback in his voice and she could feel it in every fibre of herbeing.

She felt weak at the knees and she couldn't bring herself tolook at him at all.

'I don't think—' she began.

'Far better not to ! ' he agreed promptly.

`But—'

`Darling, do you think you could shut up and listen for achange? It becomes a girl to allow her fiancé to talk everynow and again —without argument from her!'

She struggled against his restraining hand. 'And that'sanother thing! You're not my fiancé! You—'

He was much stronger than she was. She found herselfcradled against his chest and when he put his lips against

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hers all desire to quarrel died and refused to be revived, nomatter how she tried to flog her usually ready tongue intorenewed action. It was bliss to have no say in the matter,but to be kissed so thoroughly that every other thought flewout of her mind, leaving her with only a strong desire to bekissed by James again.

`Now are you ready to listen?'

She fiddled with the button of his shirt with tremblingfingers. 'You can't want to marry me!'

She felt his amusement against the palm of her hand. 'It's agood thing you're no mind-reader, or you'd have fled fromme that first morning as far and as fast as you could go! Imeant to have you when I first saw you fast asleep in mybed, and now—'

`And now?' she prompted him, her eyes alight with adawning glory.

He pulled gently on the lobe of her ear. 'Remember at theMasai village you asked how you'd know you were in love?Well, now, my sweet, is the moment for you to find out.You're about to fall in love with me!'

A smile curved her lips. 'On your say-so?'

`Is there anyone else you'd trust enough to believe on sucha momentous issue?'

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`I'll have to think about it,' she murmured.

'That was quite what I had in mind,' he said dryly, 'I hadhoped you'd let me do your thinking for you. Your thinkingonly muddles up every idea I try to put into your head!'

'James! How can you?'

'My dear girl, anyone else would have guessed I was in lovewith you long before we got to Amboseli, whereas you don'treally believe it now, do you?'

'I'm trying to,' she said She wriggled into a morecomfortable position against him. `Okumu knew,' sheconfided, 'he said he knew when you gave me that Masaijewellery. He said they didn't have any chains for sale.' Shejerked upright again. 'Why do they give their women chains,d'you suppose?'

James pulled her back into her former position. 'It could beto show them whom they belong to—not a bad idea at that!'

`I'd sooner have a ring,' she hinted, smiling. 'Besides, theyprobably know who they want to belong to—'

'Do you?'

She refused to answer. 'I wouldn't be a Masai woman foranything!' she declared.

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'Nobody's asking you to be one. And'—the threat in hisvoice suggested that Annot ignored his question at her peril—'don't change the subject! I asked you—'

'I know what you asked me, but please, James, don't makeme answer yet. I can't really believe you prefer me to Judith,though I'm trying to. She's so much more—moreeverything!'

'Are you trying to tell me I'm going too fast for you?'

She grasped at the straw he was offering her, though a partof her wondered that she should be such a coward.Supposing he decided later on he didn't want her after all,and she never had another opportunity of finding out what it

would be like to be loved by James? What a fool she was!

`Yes,' she said on a strangled gasp. 'I mean—'

He groaned out loud. 'Annot Lindsay, what a fool I am! Andas for you, would you ever forgive me if I let you get awaywith taking over my big moment! You, my darling, are goingto be very sweet and meek and you're not going to sayanother word! Instead you're going to listen to me!'

`Well, really!' she said indignantly.

He put a finger across her mouth, effectively silencing her.`Yes, really!' he repeated. `To think I almost believed you!

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Just as if I hadn't had the evidence of my own eyes thatyou're the most unrepentant flirt south of the Equator!'

She made to bite his finger, but he was before her, pushingher head back on to his shoulder by moving his hand fromher mouth to her chin. -

'I never flirt!' she denied hotly.

'You're a walking invitation to every man who sets eyes onyou, but you're going to belong to me! Is that too hard foryou to understand?'

'I won't be bullied—'

'Annot, shut up!'

`And we're only just south of the Equator,' she went on, adelicious panic firing her blood and sending her thoughtsinto a tizzy that it made it imperative to go on talking comewhat may. 'What about north of the Equator?'

`What about it? From now on there are going to be no nomore Fritzes and no more Normans in your life, whicheverside of the Equator you're on. You'll only have time for me! Ifnecessary, I'll sell up here and take you to Nairobi, but we'regoing to be together whatever we do!'

She was appalled. 'Sell up? James, you can't!'

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'It isn't what you're accustomed to ' he began.

This time it was Annot who put her fingers lightly across hislips. 'No. I'm not,' she said. 'I've never lived anywhere

so beautiful in my whole life, and I most certainly wouldn'twant to live anywhere else!'

`Judith wouldn't live out here,' he pursued. 'That was thestart of her quarrel with Jeremy. She may have given innow, but she'll always recoil from the loneliness and the lackof facilities—'

'Perhaps she will,' Annot cut him off. `So what? I'm notJudith Drummond! I come from the same stock as my uncleJeremy. He's not the only one who can do without thedelights of civilisation. I can, and I will, if I have to!'

James sat very still for a long moment. 'With me?' he askedat last.

She couldn't say it. She couldn't have said a single word tosave her life. Instead, she nodded her head and held herbreath in case he hadn't noticed. If he hadn't, what on earthwas she going to do?

James tipped her off his knee, standing up himself. Not fora moment did he relinquish his hold on her, however.'Annot, my darling,' he mocked, 'what am I going to do withyou? First you won't stop talking and now, when at last

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you've got something really interesting to say, you'retongue-tied with shyness and look as though you're scaredto death!'

She braced herself to meet the affectionate amusement ofhis eyes. 'There are worse deaths!' she whispered. Hisexpression changed and her eyes widened. 'James?'

'Are you telling me you'd walk across the wilderness to meafter all?' he asked her.

She shut her eyes, trembling a little beneath his touch. If sheanswered that he'd know, she thought. And then she didn'tcare.

'I came halfway across the world,' she said. 'I didn't know itwas to you, but oh, James, please be in love with me too!'

'I shall be in love with you and loving you for the rest of

my life,' he answered her. 'I never thought I'd say it, butthank God for Jeremy. Without him, you might never havecome here and stolen my heart away from me in yourdreams!'

'It wasn't only Judith I thought you wanted,' she confessed, 'itwas Dorcas too. She's such a darling, anyone would wanther!'

'I think I rate a poor second in her estimation,' James

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murmured with a grin. 'And for me she has the wrongmother. I want to see all my daughters in apple-greendresses and with dark, mysterious eyes like yours! Howlong must I wait, my Annot?'

She fought against the embarrassment that threatened tooverwhelm her. She even managed a smile. 'I think it wouldbe more proper if we got married first,' she said, with aprimness most of her acquaintance would have beenastonished to see in Annot Lindsay.

His laughter exploded around her. 'Wait until you're asked,my girl! ' His laughter died away and he hugged her to him,claiming her ready lips in a kiss that was as passionate asit was masterly. When he finally raised his head, she had tocling to him or she might have fallen.

'I'm asking now, little Annot,' he said. `Will you marry me, mydarling?'

She clutched at his shirt, feeling very young and more thana little foolish. She had never, never in her life imagined shecould have felt so deeply about anyone. And he loved hertoo! She flung her arms up round his neck and kissed himon the cheek.

`Oh, James—yes, please!' she said.

Annot sat on the brick steps that led to the verandah andwondered at her own contentment. She had changed out of

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her bridal finery and was wearing her favourite apple-green.dress. She had pretended to herself that she hadconsidered

some of her other dresses before putting it on, but it hadbeen a question of no contest from the start. James likedthe apple-green dress better than anything else she had,and James was the one she wanted to please, especiallyon this night of all nights.

The cacophony of sound all round her increased in volumeuntil she was almost deafened by it. African nights neverhad the restrained Calm of an English evening. The insectswaited to have their rave-ups after dark when their shrillsounds filled the air, broken every now and then by suddensilences and the cries of distant animals, once a lion, moreoften the weird laughter of the hyenas and the courtingyowls of a family of wildcats. Annot sat and listened, feelinga rush of gladness that this was now her home and thatthese were the sounds of it. How much she had missed itall while she had been away from it!

It had been a lovely day and a lovely wedding. Jeremy,uncomfortable in a brand new suit, had escorted her up theaisle to give her away while Judith had sat in the front pew,composed and cool and once more completely in control ofherself. Her poor uncle, Annot thought, might be sure hehad tamed his new wife, but Annot was a lot less certain.Jeremy hall already moved into Judith's house, and all

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through the reception in James's house had referred to 'our'cattle and once, with considerable pride, to 'our' daughter.

Dorcas had refused to be a bridesmaid, deeming suchactivities beneath contempt, but she had consented to holdAnnot's bouquet while she exchanged her vows withJames, and had even on her own account sprinkled somerose petals on the path between the church and the carbecause she thought it a suitable thing to do at a wedding.

'It doesn't matter that you won't be able to visit me atschool,' she had assured Annot solemnly over a glass ofCoca-Cola. 'You needn't worry about it after all. Jeremy

has talked Mama into allowing me to go to school out here.Won't that be splendid?'

Annot had agreed that it was. 'It's nice that everythingturned out so well,' she had remarked.

'Ye-es,' Dorcas had muttered doubtfully, 'mostly it has. ButSijui won't come and live with us after all. He wasn't happyin our house because Mama wouldn't allow him upstairs atall. Will you have him on your bed, Annot?'

'Not if I can help it!' James had answered for her. 'He'll haveto make do with the room Annot has now.'

`Mmm,' Dorcas had said, 'I suppose it will do. When I havea dog of my own

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Annot smiled to herself. Who would have thought when shehad flown out from England that she would now have ahusband and a dog! The dog in particular added a note ofreality to what otherwise would have been an impossibledream—a dream from which she never wanted to wake up,but a dream all the same!

She didn't hear James cross the verandah, but she gavehim a quick look of welcome as he sat down beside her. Inthe light that flooded out from the window he looked very -big and unyielding and almost a stranger to her.

'How went your day, Mrs Montgomery?' he said.

There was a note in his voice that made her tremble. Itwasn't the honeyed note he had used to her previously, thisone held a pride of possession she had never heardbefore.

'It was super! ' she said as Dorcas would have done.

He put his arm about her. 'I thought you might have missedyour parents?'

'Not really. I'd have liked them to be there, of course, but itwas much more important that you should be there! I wasthinking that it all seems like a dream. Only Sijui seemsreal. He's far too solid to inhabit a fantasy, don't you think?'

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'Indubitably,' James agreed. 'I'm sorry to introduce an

earthy note, love, but you look much less dreamlike in thatfrock than you did in your wedding dress. You look beautifuland inviting, and I'm beginning to get ideas about you.'

Annot smiled and rubbed her hand up his arm. 'Motherwould have liked to have seen me in my wedding dress,though,' she said. 'We must send her plenty of photographs.

James pretended to bite her ear. 'I know just how she wouldhave felt to see you walking up the aisle in a cloud of whiteveiling!'

'Really?' Annot said, surprised.

'Triumph, mixed with relief! Especially relief, if she's everfelt one half of the frustrated fury I felt to see you beingkissed by Norman and apparently enjoying it! It was almostas bad as sharing a house with you these last few days.However, we made it, your mother and I! You were a bridewe could be proud of in every way, but now, thank God,you're a wife. My wife!'

'My parents never spoiled me as much as you think theydid,' Annot objected, but without much heat. 'They gave mea lot of love, but they never gave me many things! Mymother isn't Jeremy's sister for nothing!'

His closeness was beginning to disturb her. She turned

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impulsively towards him and found herself captured moreclosely against him

'James,' she said, determined to get one thing straight withhim while she still could, 'I haven't given up about paying forthe balloon, so don't think I have! Please let me!'

His hands on her waist roused an answering passion withinher and she knew he was aware of it too. How nice it wasthat they were married at last!

'I have a confession to make about the balloon,' he told her,kissing her lightly on the lips. 'I thought we might use it forour honeymoon—'

'I thought you were afraid of my breaking my neck!' sheinterrupted him indignantly.

'So I was! But, darling, it's the most marvellous sensationand I think you'd enjoy it—with me!'

'I would have enjoyed it all along!'

'Maybe, but the thought of you in such close proximity withNorman for hours together was more than I could stand.'

Annot stared at him through the darkness. 'You werejealous!'

'Of course I was jealous! How could I be otherwise, with you

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smiling at every other man in sight and insisting you didn'teven like me?'

'Oh,' she said. 'Well, that wasn't quite true. I liked you verymuch, only I was a bit scared of you, too.'

'And now?' he prompted her.

She buried her face against him. 'You know how I feel now.You've had me at your feet all along—and it isn't kind tomake me say so!' she added, her courage deserting her.'

'And you'll come with me in my balloon?'

That startled her into looking up. 'Your balloon?'

James kissed her lips again. 'That's what I'm trying to tellyou, sweetheart. I didn't hire Norman's balloon, I bought it!'

She gave a little yelp of laughter. 'It doesn't matter,' shesmiled. 'With your photographs and mine it will soon pay foritself. I didn't tell you how good your photos are, but they'reterrific! Poor Jeremy is going to have a lot of competitionfrom the Montgomerys!'

'He's a professional,' James pointed out, 'we shall bestrictly amateur.' He lifted an expectant eyebrow, waiting forher to argue the point with him, but she accepted thedistinction with no difficulty at all. 'No comment?' he teasedher, and his voice was full of honey then.

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`We'll be too busy,' she answered comfortably, 'I know that!'

`Do you?' The doubt in his tone made her laugh.

'Of course I do! I only want to be your wife, James. That's allI shall ever want!'

His hands began a more intimate exploration of her curvesand she gasped against his shoulder.

`I love you very much, Annot,' he said.

She put her hands flat against his chest, relishing the feel ofhis skin and the solid beat of his heart. Some of her frightleft her as she realised he was as acutely aware of her asshe was of him.

`Are you going to love me now?' she asked.

For a moment he was completely still. 'Annot, are youflirting with me again?'

She kissed the corner of his mouth, edging closer still.`When I was a child I used to try and count the stars in the'sky at night, but now I'm a woman and I've put away suchchildish pursuits.'

`Oh?' he said, deeply interested. 'Tell me more!'

She kissed his mouth again. 'I don't need a physical

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heaven, such as the sky and the stars, any longer. I've foundmy heaven in you.'

She had thought she was kissing him, but the quality of thekiss changed and it was he who took the initiative now,stirring her to the very depths with a new emotion that sangin her blood and hinted at the mutual pleasure that was stillto come.

'I love you,' she said when she could.

`This is only the beginning,' he answered. He stood up andlifted her high against his chest, ignoring her protests thatshe was too heavy for him to carry up the stairs. 'Every manhas the right to carry his bride over the threshold!' he toldher. 'Tonight, I'm going to do that with you. We'll find ourheaven together. Okay?'

'And tomorrow we'll go up in the balloon,' she said. 'Maybe.'He grinned at her. 'Right now I'm concentrating

on the pleasure of taking up where we first began!' 'Andwhere was that?' she murmured.

He put her down, bending over her, his lips still curved in asmile. 'Don't you remember, my apple-green girl? It allbegan on a certain morning with you in my bed ! '

Her eyes widened as he adjusted her dress. `So it did,' shesaid.

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