Monday morning, Leigh headed to the lobby to mail a letter to her aunt in Texas. Her heart soared with a happiness, an event she could share only with Jenna. It would be hard to mask her feelings to the others, but she knew she must. November was—
As she passed a door leading into a lovely garden, her thoughts ceased abruptly. She saw Jace standing in a romantic setting talking to a beautiful, light-skinned African woman. She halted, then stepped to the nearby open window. She peered around the edge and observed them. Something in the way they were standing and looking at each other told Leigh they knew each other well.
Leigh did not like spying on her new lover, but she could not help herself. She felt a chill wash over her. She knew he was teasing the female. Jace grasped her chin and shook it in a playful manner. She captured his hand and held it as she spoke to him. His rich laughter reached Leigh’s ears. She wished she could hear what they were saying. The woman was exquisite. Her sarong garment revealed a shapely figure. Her black hair was braided, then twisted around her head like a royal circlet. She never took her brown eyes from Jace, and that riled Leigh, as much as the fact Jace was smiling at another woman.
The blonde watched Jace pull money from his pocket and give it to the woman. They talked and laughed again. As they headed toward the doorway, Jace’s arm was around the female’s waist. Leigh heard him say, “Don’t be like that, Ka’arta. I’ll be home soon and we’ll solve any problem we have. Love isn’t the question; marriage is. It scares a man.”
Almost in a run, Leigh rushed back to her room. She did not know what to think about what she had witnessed. It sounded terrible, but she could be mistaken. After last night with him, she had to be mistaken! Leigh cautioned herself not to jump to hasty conclusions. She would ask Jace to explain the incident. If only they hadn’t appeared so close and his words didn’t plague her so …
At lunchtime, Leigh’s body and nerves were taut. She could not allow this incident to prey on her mind. She had to find Jace and get an explanation. She didn’t care if he was upset with her for spying on him and questioning him. Misunderstandings were stupid and costly. She left her room and headed for the stairs. Just as she reached the first corner, she heard Jace’s voice and came to alert. She did not round the bend, because she heard another voice: Louisa’s.
“Hurry inside, Jace,” the redhead was telling him, “before someone sees you. This will be like old times. Chad is out for the—”
Leigh couldn’t hear more because the door to Louisa’s new room closed and the lock clicked loudly. She fumed at this new discovery. Jace had said he would have nothing to do with that redhead, then sneaked into her room. After a cozy rendezvous with another beauty! Two curious episodes in one day were too much for her to accept as innocent. It was clear now why Louisa had found a way to have privacy. But who was the first woman and what did she mean to Jace Elliott?
Leigh concealed herself around the corner and waited to see how long Jace would remain inside Louisa’s room. If it was only a talk to set the woman straight about his lack of interest and about her wanton note, it wouldn’t take long. If Chad caught Jace fooling around with his ward and his mistress …
Leigh didn’t like the suspicions that thought inspired. She leaned against the wall. Time passed and her tension mounted, along with her painful doubts. She tried to keep her mind blank and alert. She had to give Jace the benefit of trust. The way the rooms and halls were arranged, only someone coming to her suite would pass her. If that happened, she could pretend she was taking a stroll. Louisa’s door didn’t open again. Jace didn’t leave.
When over three hours passed, she returned to her suite, dejected and infuriated. No talk, she concluded, personal or business, could take that long, only “old times,” as Louisa had said in her sultry voice. Even if he was trying to romance clues about Chad from the redhead, this was a cruel betrayal.
“Damn you, Jace Elliott,” she murmured.
Obviously Jace had lied to her. Worse, she had allowed him, encouraged him, to do so. He had seemed so sincere, so honest, so …
“So what, you stupid girl?” Leigh scoffed in anger. “In love with you? How easily and skillfully you tricked me, you sorry bastard. All those accusations about Chad were only a cunning ruse to turn me against him. You see, Mr. Traitorous Elliott, there are a few things you don’t know. Such as, Chad has nothing to gain by getting rid of me, but you do. In fact, because of that reckless wager I made with you, you stand to win a lot, either by snaring me in your clever trap or by slaying me. You know you can win with the wager, but do you know you can win without it if anything happened to me? No doubt you only want to use me to spite Grandfather and Chad. Curse you and your rivalry! If it’s revenge you’re after, two can play at your game,” Leigh vowed.
A horrible thought came to mind, and she voiced it in alarm. “Oh, God, what if you two are in collusion? What if Louisa was the reason you were in London? What if Louisa is working on Chad for you, trying to help you pin those crimes on him? What if you enticed her to lure Chad here? Merciful heavens, what if you and Louisa are after me because of the will? Louisa sent that note in London; you were at the waterfront. Louisa knew I was going to the fort; you were there. Coincidence? How else could those men have set a trap for me? Or did both attacks simply play into your greedy claws, you jungle beast? No, that can’t be true, not the way she greeted you!”
Leigh vigorously brushed her hair, checked her clothes, and left her room. She walked past Louisa’s door with her head held high. She was only half glad Jace didn’t bump into her leaving his wanton love nest. She went to Chad’s room and knocked persistently on the door. When it opened, she stalked past him and took a seat. Her mind was in a turmoil. She was tempted to tell her guardian that his lover was being unfaithful with his enemy. Her dislike and distrust of Louisa had increased with the redhead’s daring conduct. But exposing the tryst was none of her business. In time, Louisa and Jace would expose themselves; villains always got cocky and made mistakes.
“No more secrets, Chad,” she stated in response to his quizzical expression. “No more stalling, half-explanations, and none-of-your-business or it’s-pri-vate excuses. I don’t like what I’m feeling and thinking about you and Jace. I want to know what happened between you and Jace Elliott years ago, and I want to know right now. I don’t like feeling trapped between you two. Tell me, or I’m going home.”
“What in heaven’s name brought on this fit?” he asked.
“Hints from both of you without clear answers. In London, you acted like Jace was a near stranger. I come here and discover he isn’t. You two hate each other, but you offer him a job and he takes it. How can you make a truce without having waged a war? And a war makes bitter enemies. I can’t relax until I know the truth.”
“What did Jace tell you to upset you like this?” he probed.
“He’s as secretive and bitter as you are, Chad. Why?”
“Are you afraid of him?” the handsome man asked.
“Why should I be? You said he doesn’t know about the will, and I certainly haven’t told him anything. You also implied he was innocent of those charges in London. Why should he be a threat to me? Yet I get the impression you think he is. I find that odd and distressing. I keep recalling his accusations at Mr. Johnston’s party about being your bait and accomplice, about you using me to get at him, to spite him.”
“Jace and I talked everything out that night, Leigh. It was mostly a terrible misunderstanding between us long ago. We both thought it was best if we didn’t mention it again, because we both acted like bastards and we didn’t want you to think badly of us. If I tell you what he did, you’ll think he’s awful. If I tell you what I did, you’ll think I’m awful. It was a crazy and stupid situation.”
“What was?” she persisted, her expression stubborn. “Tell me!”
Chad inhaled deeply and took a seat near her. To satisfy and fool her, he would reveal part of the truth. “Jace and I have known each other since our early teens. We went to school together and after, we joined the Royal Navy together. We shared plenty of adventures around the world. Later, we hired on as sailors on private ships, choosing whichever one was heading where we wanted to go. We’ve saved each other’s lives and shared each other’s good and bad days. We wound up in South Africa in ’89. The diamond fields caught our attention. We gathered a fortune. Then I was captured by warring Matabeles. I was tortured and enslaved. When I escaped, I was told Jace hadn’t tried to find me, that he’d taken our diamonds and left Cape Colony. I was sent back to London to heal. That’s when I met William Webster. My father had been killed while settling a dock strike that was crippling William’s shipments. William felt compassion for me. He befriended me, hired me, and trained me. But that’s off the subject. When Jace came to London in ‘92, he was shocked to find me there. He had believed me dead. I accused him of treachery. We fought, did spiteful things to each other, and made enemies. Once a friendship is mistreated, Leigh, it’s over forever.”
“How did Jace explain what happened in South Africa?”
“He claimed innocence. He said he searched for me for weeks and presumed I was dead. He came here to work and live. He purchased his plantation with the profit from part of my diamonds. To be honest, he offered to repay me for my losses, but I was too proud and bitter to accept. He visited again in ‘93 and ‘94, but we couldn’t forgive each other or make a truce. Both of us had done too many bad things to the other. After his father died, I figured Jace had suffered as much as I had. It seemed foolish to go on hating him. By then, I had myself and my life back together. Trouble was, Jace believed William and I were out to get him. I tried to tell him there was no way we could have framed him, but he wouldn’t believe me. We went from best friends to worst enemies. That was sad and stupid on both our parts,” he murmured, using Jace’s words. “Now that William’s dead, part of Jace’s resentment is gone. The other night, I took the blame for our past trouble, so he agreed to drop the matter. It’s only a business deal, Leigh; he needs money and we need a guide.”
“What if you were right, Chad? What if he did leave you to die and stole your diamonds? What if he’s still dangerous?”
“We were young and reckless in those days, Leigh. If he did betray me, it was on impulse. Jace and I had our share of them, and they got us into plenty of mischief.”
Leigh added up the time span. It was seven years since the two friends docked in Africa. Twenty-five was not “young” and “wild.” Nor were they reckless children during the ensuing years, during which they had battled bitterly.
Chad continued. “Frankly, as much as I hate to admit it, I don’t believe he did leave me to die. At the time, I was too weak in mind and body to think clearly. By the time I saw Jace again, I had convinced myself those men at Kimberley had told the truth. Looking back now, they always were troublemakers. I think they lied because Jace had quarreled with them several times, verbally and physically.”
Chad took in a deep breath. “Don’t you see how terrible this makes me look, Leigh? I should have trusted him. I shouldn’t have spited him. He had good reason to retaliate. Just like he has good reason to be suspicious of me today. He’ll find out differently while we’re on safari. Maybe that will soften him toward both of us. I have to make peace with him to protect you. Once he sees that I’m sorry, he won’t want to spite me again.”
“Please don’t think badly of me,” Chad urged. “I was very ill. I had been terrified and abused for months. I had lived under the threat of torture and death every moment of every day I was their prisoner. I came home broke and weak, to learn my father was dead and my home was lost. I hate to admit it to you or myself, but I was at the pit’s bottom, Leigh, ready to break. William saved me from myself and a dire fate. He gave me back my strength, my pride—my life. I loved him, Leigh, and I miss him. You’re a lot like your grandfather. That’s why I know we’ll make a good team. I owe you, because I owe him. And I’m very fond of you.”
He stood and paced the room. “Jace should have been patient and understanding; he should have given me time to get ahold of myself; he knew what a terrible ordeal I had endured and what I had been told. He knew my father had been killed while I was enslaved, and that I’d lost everything. Once we got into a fistfight and I was hurt badly. He was arrested, and I let him sit in jail for a month where he had it rough with the guards and other prisoners. He never forgave me.”
Chad halted and met her gaze. “I told you he wasn’t the reason I came here. Maybe I was fooling myself. Maybe somewhere in the back of my mind I wanted to make peace with him. We had been a big part of each other’s lives. Maybe I thought it would prevent him from ever wanting to harm you. He is bitter over his family’s losses to William, so it was a good precaution for him to get to know you and like you. He has to get himself and his life back together, as I have, Leigh. Only then will the past be over.”
Leigh had remained silent and alert. If Chad had endured such a “terrible ordeal” in Africa, why would he come back?
As if reading her thoughts, he absently remarked, “Maybe I had something to prove to myself by coming here. Maybe I needed to pit myself against the jungle and its perils again; maybe that’s the only way I can accept what happened years ago. Sometimes I still have nightmares about it.”
That sounded more like the truth than anything Chad had told her. Yet there were contradictions in his words. “Are you sure you want to go on this safari, and with Jace Elliott?”
“They are the only two unresolved problems in my life, Leigh. I’m thirty-two. I want to settle down in the near future. I have to get rid of all my ghosts before I can be free and happy.”
Leigh eyed her handsome guardian closely. For the first time, Chadwick Hamilton looked young and vulnerable to her. He looked like a man who had suffered greatly in the past. She had nothing firm to hold against him, and what he had told her did explain the feud between the two men, though she needed more details. She smiled and said, “Thank you for trusting me with this information, Chad. I can see that mistakes were made on both sides. Perhaps this trip will settle everything for everyone. I hope so. What do you say to a glass of wine and an early dinner? I skipped lunch and I’m starved.”
“If you’d like to question Jace and tell him what I’ve told you, I don’t mind. I just don’t want you upset and scared.”
“Let’s make this another one of our secrets. Jace might get nervous if he discovers I know the truth about his past.”
“Whatever you think best, Leigh. Let’s go eat. I can use a drink. This was hard. Even Louisa doesn’t know the truth.”
“I’m sorry, Chad, but I had to know.”
“I should have told you that day in my office. I was afraid you’d think I’m a sorry bastard for being so weak and rash.”
“I don’t think any such thing, Chad Hamilton. We’re friends.”
“Please don’t let me do or say anything to destroy that bond. If something troubles you, come and discuss it with me. I won’t keep any more secrets from you. You don’t know how much you mean to me, Leigh. These past few weeks have been good for me. I didn’t realize a woman like you existed.”
When Leigh tensed, Chad frowned and said, “I’m sorry. That was a little too personal. Let’s go eat before I get into trouble again.”
Leigh and Chad took a small table in the tranquil garden. Verdant trees and lush vegetation made a semicircle of their secluded area. A cooling breeze swayed the greenery around them. The sun was setting, creating colorful streaks on the horizon. Fragrant flowers blossomed in the private location and sent forth heady smells. Musicians played softly in the adjoining room. It was quite a romantic setting. Chad and Leigh both noticed but pretended not to.
A waiter took their order for two wines. When he returned, Chad toasted her. “To a most unique woman, my beautiful ward.”
Leigh smiled and replied, “To my special friend and guardian.”
As they dined, Leigh asked, “I’d like to ask one more question, Chad. Why did you give me that necklace on Friday?”
Chad realized Jace must have told her about it. “Actually I brought it to give to Jace. It belonged to his mother. I figured, if we ran into him and he caused trouble, it might soothe his ire against us. Then, I decided that was foolish. William earned it legally and fairly, and it was your property. I had no right to make it a peace offering. I wasn’t truthful with you about it, Leigh, and I’m sorry.”
“Jace was furious when he saw it on me that night. When he came to my room to discuss our wager, he told me why. I offered it to him, but he refused to accept it. He seemed to think it was odd that I was wearing it that night. Now that I know about the trouble between you two, it makes sense.”
“If it hadn’t matched your gown, you wouldn’t have worn it and he wouldn’t have gotten suspicious. I didn’t know what you were wearing, and I didn’t know he had arrived and would be at the party. It wasn’t a trick on my part, Leigh, honest.”
Leigh didn’t doubt his speculations. “I believe you, Chad, but I’m sure Jace wouldn’t.”
“Why don’t we forget about Jace tonight? He’s only our hired man. If things can’t be worked out, I’ll call off the safari. I don’t want you unhappy or frightened, Leigh.”
Leigh recalled the contract she had created and signed with Jace Elliott. If she let Chad call off the safari, Jace would win his bet with her. If she refused to honor her wager, he would show it to Chad. Her guardian would wonder why she had made such a rash and intimate bet, and she would be humiliated. Then, Jace would delight in exposing her wanton deed to Chad and others. If not for the paper, it was her word against his. She had to go on the safari and she had to win. Afterward, she would refuse his plantation—purchased with part of Chad’s blood, sweat, and pain—and sail home, a place where Jace couldn’t pursue her. If he still wanted to do so.
“What are you thinking?” he probed her pensive silence.
She lied convincingly. “About the safari. I want to go, Chad. I want to best that arrogant beast. You promised to make certain I didn’t lose. It’s not the money, it’s my pride at stake. I’m holding you to your word. Don’t let him make it extra tough to break me.”
Chad grinned and suggested, “If you get weak or have a problem, let me know. I’ll find a way to help you. I’ll take the blame so you’ll be in the clear. We make a good team, Leigh. I’m looking forward to many years with you.”
His tone and gaze told Leigh what kind of years he had in mind. Jace was right about one thing: Chad did want her. Was it the money, she fretted, her, or both he craved? She was a desirable woman, so why couldn’t it be only her?
“Would you like to take a stroll?” Chad hinted, after their dinner was finished. “The garden trail is lovely this time of night. It’s well-lit with torches.”
Feeling brave and bold and spiteful to Jace and Louisa, Leigh smiled and said, “That sounds very nice, Chad. But what about the others? We were to meet them at eight for dinner. They’ll be down soon.”
He shrugged. “I’ll tell the waiter inside to give them a message that we’ve already eaten and left for a walk.”
“Somebody will be angry,” she teased in a playful tone.
“That’s too bad. I can’t spend my life trying to appease a willful woman. After the safari, Louisa and I will part ways.”
“Have you told her?” Leigh queried, secretly glad.
“Not yet. I don’t want to spoil our adventure. Louisa and I have been a twosome for a long time. I owe her that much. I don’t want to hurt or embarrass her. It’ll be kindest and best to let her go back home. I’ll even let her make me the villain in our parting.”
Leigh wondered if he was being honest and if he’d done that before, considering his notorious reputation with women. “You’re a good man, Chad. She is in love with you.”
He laughed. “Louisa doesn’t love anybody but herself, Leigh. Don’t let her fool you. I’m nothing but a conquest to her. She enjoys being with …” He halted and sent her a roguish look. “How shall I put this without sounding vain? I am considered a good catch. She likes to be seen with me. And she’d like to marry me for my position and money. I’m afraid that isn’t enough for me. I want love and respect.”
“You amaze me, Chad. Being considerate of old flames is a rare trait.”
A genuine smile flickered over his appealing face and settled in his blue eyes. “For some reason I’m changing, and I think it’s because of you, Leigh. You’re a good influence on me.”
“Thank you, kind sir,” she responded, returning his smile. He had changed during the evening. He was relaxed and open. Maybe Chad was in love with her and Jace wanted to hurt him with her conquest.
“Ready to go?”
“Lead on, Chad; you can be the guide tonight.” While they walked, Leigh prayed that the forceful gaze she sensed on them was Jace Elliott’s. This should teach the traitor she wasn’t to be duped and used. This behavior should make him doubt his effect on her. This would show her if that effect was real …
Jace was watching them, and he was furious. He was also baffled. Leigh was matching Chad’s every flirtation. What, he wondered, did she have in mind with this crazy ruse? Was she trying to get information? If so, it was perilous to tempt that man. He would tell her so later. He had set one woman straight today, and it looked as if he had another task awaiting him tonight. It hadn’t taken long to get his point made with the redhead, after which he had sneaked out the window.
He had sent a cable asking Lord Salisbury to check into the men who had attacked Leigh in the London alley. Leigh had supplied the names she had heard them call each other and their descriptions, and a clue about their smelling of horseflesh. He had suggested all employees of Louisa, Cynthia, and Chad be investigated. If any men with those names and faces worked for either one, he would be notified. A friend in the Colonial Office was checking on her attack herein for him. With luck, it would be the same culprit, giving him only one villain—or villainess—to thwart.
Jace didn’t like Leigh being alone in the garden with Chad. He headed downstairs to intercept them.
Leigh walked beside Chad. She realized she could not allow him to kiss her or to touch her, not even to test his magic against Jace’s or to punish Jace. She let Chad know not to make advances by the way she talked and acted. They spoke of business and the London restaurant they were decorating. They talked about her days in Texas. “It’s late and I need rest. Let’s head back now.”
“That was a pleasant walk, Leigh. You’re enjoyable company. We should do this every night for exercise and to get better acquainted.”
“Sounds nice to me, Chad.”
Jace met them at the next bend in the tropical path. Torchlight danced on his bronzed face and brown hair.
“Hello, Jace,” Chad said. “You finish the preparations today? Our departure is still on for tomorrow, isn’t it?”
“Yep. We leave by train at ten. Did you tell everyone to be ready? The train doesn’t wait for anyone.”
Leigh and Chad glanced at each other and laughed at a private joke. “No such luck, Leigh,” Chad teased, “so be good.”
“What’s so amusing?” Jace inquired, feeling jealousy bite him.
Chad explained. “Cynthia is always running late. This time, she’ll get left behind if she tries to pull one of her grand entrances.”
“If you two gentlemen will excuse me,” Leigh said, “I have to make certain my things are ready so I can get a good night’s sleep.”
“Good night, Leigh. Sleep well. I’ll see you at breakfast.”
Jace was vexed by the way his rival bid his woman good night and by the way Leigh totally ignored him in Chad’s presence. He hoped it was nothing more than a means by which to conceal their affair, but he feared it wasn’t. Leigh gave off a chill that alarmed and confused him. He didn’t say good night to her; he would do that later in her room …
After she was gone, Chad informed him, “Leigh came to my room late this afternoon and demanded to know about our quarrel, Jace. I had to tell her something, or she was going to call off the safari and sail home. She was upset.” He related what he had said to her. “If you don’t believe me, ask her yourself.”
“After hearing how wicked I am, she still wants to leave tomorrow?”
“Don’t be suspicious. It was the truth, and we both know it. I didn’t mention Joanna. I thought it was a disadvantage to both of us. Don’t you agree?”
“For now,” Jace replied flippantly.
“Getting worried about losing your pay and our bet, old chap?”
“Not in the least,” Jace replied with confidence.
“You should, because I’m going to win,” Chad told him with just as much confidence. “Leigh is mine; I’ll make certain of it.”
Jace shrugged and grinned. “See you at nine, old friend.”
Chad watched Jace vanish into the shadows. For some crazy reason, he was feeling mellow tonight. Seeing Jace didn’t sting as usual. And Leigh, she had his heart pounding and his body flaming. As for Louisa, he dreaded to see her, even to sate his aching loins. He didn’t even want to talk with his close friend Reid. What, he mused, was wrong with him?
Leigh headed for the front desk and asked for a new room for the night, explaining she couldn’t sleep well in the bed in her suite. Hurriedly she fetched what she needed and went to the room where she hoped Jace could not locate her. When —because she had no doubt he would sneak to see her—he found her suite unoccuppied, let him think what he would, she decided. Until she learned the truth about the incidents with the beautiful native girl and the sultry redhead, she did not want to see him in such a dangerously intimate setting.
By eight the next morning, Leigh was packed, dressed, and ready to depart. She joined the others downstairs for breakfast. Chad was in a happy mood. Louisa was quiet for a change. Reid and Cynthia seemed bored. Jace was gone.
“Jace is waiting for. us at the train stop,” Chad told them. “Since he does so much work for them, they’re letting him pay to have the train take us near the end of the line. The railroad isn’t halfway to Nairobi yet. He’s having all our supplies and baggage loaded and we’re to be out front at nine with any remaining luggage. He’s arranged for a man to fetch us.”
The depot was nothing more than a small business office of the Uganda Railroad and an area from where supplies to continue the rail line were unloaded from cargoes and transported to work camps along the winding route into the adjoining protectorate. Everything and everyone was aboard within twenty minutes. The whistle blasted loudly, and the engine began to take them to their destination.
Leigh sat in the last car, the only one with seats and windows. She was to the rear, while the others were near the front. She wanted a last glimpse at Mombasa and the ocean as they moved inland. Jace was riding up front with the engineer. She wondered if he had come to her suite, last night to find her missing. If he had, did he believe she had spent the night with Chad?
Leigh turned to watch the large seaport outlined against a vivid blue ocean, and realized how glad she was she’d come to Africa. The light structures with their red or white roofs, numerous mosques, and jungle greenery were striking against glittery sapphire water and cerulean sky. Soon, ferns and trees of several varieties ended the breathtaking sight. The engine picked up speed and traveled smoothly along the rails. It rolled through picturesque hills; passed plantations of coconut, mangoes, and bananas; and provided magnificent views.
The forest halted for a time. Stretches of small shrubs, baobab and acacia trees, thornbush, grasses, and other unfamiliar vegetation surrounded the short train as it chugged along. Here and there she spotted waterholes where animals were drinking. Everything intrigued her. She saw gazelles bound away at the noise of the engine, leaping gracefully. She saw huge elephants at the edge of the forest they had departed. Wildebeest and zebra mingled in herds as they grazed contentedly until the engine also startled them into speedy flight. She noticed several lions stalking the fleeing herd of brown and striped prey. Nature, she decided, could be very beautiful, and also very brutal.
Onward they traveled. They traversed a narrow gorge where tumbled rocks revealed how they had been blasted out of the path. They entered the Taru Desert. It was flat, sunbaked, and looked as endless at the western plains. The only signs of life were bunches of browned grass, stunted trees, twisted scrubs, and an occasional thornbush and acacia at its beginning. The earth was a dry blood-red, much like Georgia soil, and it seemed to coat everything. It was a cruel and challenging landscape. She could not imagine how the workmen had endured the oppressive heat, choking dust, and hardships while laying tracks through this forbidden area.
The heat had increased, and the train did little to create a refreshing breeze. Leigh felt her clothes and body growing damp. The air was dry and dusty. She knew she looked a mess with red powder on her skin and garments. She knew, because she saw the others covered in it.
Leigh observed how the rails stretched out like glittering silver snakes beneath the tropical sun. She remembered Jace telling them at dinner that this desert had been the great barrier to Swahili/ Arab caravans in search of slaves and ivory. She was relieved the train would take them beyond the Taru and that they didn’t have to cross it on foot to begin their safari. The Taita Hills loomed before them. Soon, she realized, the Serengeti Plains would be to their left: their first destination.
The others enjoyed a picnic packed by the hotel, but Leigh wasn’t hungry. All she wanted was water to soothe her dry throat. She was glad Chad remained with Louisa, despite his glances at her.
The landscape altered its face once more. They entered grasslands with thorn trees, flat-topped acacias, and scrubs, then woodlands. Soon, greenery surrounded them again and sand-colored rocks loomed in the fertile hills. The train slowed and halted.
With strength and agility, Jace pulled himself into their car. “I thought you women might like to refresh yourselves here. We’ll stop for fifteen minutes, then be. on our way again. We have an hour to go. Our bearers will be waiting for us. We’ll load up and walk until dusk. There won’t be any privacy at our next stop, so take advantage now,” he informed them, not once looking at Leigh.
“Can we bathe and change clothes, Jace. We’re filthy,” Louisa whined.
“Sorry, Miss Jennings, but we don’t have time. The train has to back its way to Mombasa before dark. It’s fifteen minutes break, no more.” When he briefly glanced at her, Jace noticed the cold glare in Leigh’s eyes and wondered—worried— about it.
When the redhead and brunette began to complain, Chad scolded, “Remember, Jace is the boss out here. Don’t be childish; do as he says.”
“There’s a river nearby. Use it if you want to wash your face, but be careful of hippos and crocodiles. Call out if you get into trouble.”
Leigh was furious with Jace and Louisa. From the way they behaved, nothing was between them.
The two women walked toward the river first to scrub their hands and faces. Leigh vanished into thick bushes and excused herself. The men did the same in another direction, then headed for the river.
When Leigh reached the water, she noticed it was as red and dirty as she was. The others had already discovered that fact and returned to the train to use their canteen water. Leigh gazed over the landscape as she knelt to wet a cloth. It came back soaked, but red. She sighed deeply, then washed as much of the dust as possible from her face and hands. She blew her nose and cleaned the stifling dust from it. Quickly she brushed her hair, knowing how awful it must look. As for her clothes, they looked ruined. If this red dirt was truly like fiery Georgia mud, the red soil would never wash out completely.
As Jace observed Leigh at the river, he recalled his meeting at the hotel with Louisa. “I don’t want this to happen again, Miss Jennings,” he admonished her after she had made her desires clear. “It could cause trouble for everyone. I work for Chad. Even if I were interested in your curious offer, I wouldn’t mess with the boss’s property. I suggest you cool your interest in me and behave yourself.”
“Why?” the redhead had asked, trying to caress and kiss him. “I have plenty to offer, jungle man. Chad won’t care what I do. He has his lustful eye on his little ward. If she looks his way, I’ve lost him. Frankly, I’d like to drop him before he discards me. Being tossed aside for another woman is most damaging to one’s pride, Jace.”
“If you feel this way, why did you come along?” he had asked.
Louisa had grinned, shrugged, and replied, “Chad is a good catch, and Leigh might not be able to steal him from me. Women have to worry about such things as their futures. Besides, with that nasty problem at home, you’re unavailable for more than a little sport.”
“I’m unavailable for anything, woman, so cool your ardor. I don’t want any trouble.” Afterward, he had slipped out her balcony door. He gazed at the woman who had stolen his heart. Red dust clung to her blond hair and colored it to a curry shade. “Your hair’s as red as Louisa’s,” Jace said from ehind her, choosing the wrong comparison.
“I’m not complaining,” Leigh retorted in a cool tone, provoked by his remark. She finished her task and glared at him.
Jace teased, “Don’t want to break rule one, eh?”
“I’m not going to break any rules, Mr. Elliott.”
Jace knew for certain he hadn’t been mistaken about her suddenly cold mood. It was best to be direct and settle the manner now. “I tried to see you last night. You didn’t return to your room.”
“I assumed you would,” she revealed, “so I rented another room for the night. I had skipped lunch, so Chad and I had an early dinner. I wanted to make sure I began this promising trip well rested.”
“Are you upset about what Chad told you? He’s wrong about me.”
She looked at Jace oddly and wondered why Chad had revealed their private talk to his enemy. “You wouldn’t tell me what happened, so he did. I had to make certain you two wouldn’t involve me.”
“If that news made you so miserable, why come here?”
Forgetting it was a joke, she scoffed, “And lose our bet by breaking rule three? I keep my word, unlike some people I know. Did you say good-bye to all your women in Mombasa?”
Jace was baffled. “I don’t have any women there or elsewhere, only the one standing here and confusing me with this sudden coldness. What have I done wrong, Leigh? Don’t I get a chance to defend myself?”
“Don’t you mean, tell more lies and practice more deceits? Who was the native girl you’re obviously so fond of at the hotel? I saw you two in the garden, and it looked so sweet to me.”
Jace thought a minute, then laughed. “Her name is Ka’arta. She’s my housekeeper’s daughter. She was in town for monthly supplies. She and Johi have a hot romance going, but he’s getting nervous about marriage. I’ve known her for years, Leigh, since she was a young girl. She wanted me to speak with Johi and settle him down. Jealous?”
Leigh realized his explanation fit with the words she had overheard. “What about Louisa and your ‘old times’ she mentioned?”
He sighed heavily. “I explained that note to you.”
“The first one, yes. But what about the second one, Jace? You haven’t mentioned spending all afternoon in her room. I was coming down the hall and saw you enter and I heard how she greeted you.” In a thick southern drawl, she repeated those tormenting words. “Three hours later I gave up waiting for you to come out and explain.”
Jace laughed once more, this time in relief. He related what he had said and done with Louisa and how he had departed unseen. “I swear it’s the truth, Leigh. I know how those incidents must have looked, so you had a right to be angry and jealous. Just as I did about Chad. I saw you two having that cozy dinner and romantic walk. It took all of my willpower not to come down and whip both of you.”
“I know you saw us. At least I hoped that was your fierce stare I detected,” she confessed with a mirthful grin. “I believe what you told me, but I’m still vexed with that wanton redhead. I don’t blame Louisa for desiring you or for being afraid of losing Chad to another woman. But the vixen shouldn’t be so deceitful!”
“You sly wench,” he jested. “You had me worried and scared.”
“You had me worried and scared. But it was mean to spite you.”
“When you didn’t return to your room …”
“Nothing happened between me and Chad.”
“I know, because I know you. Acting is harder than planning.”
“You’re right, thank goodness. I was a little dull-witted.”
“Let’s go before the others get suspicious of us. We’ll talk later.”
Louisa and Cynthia were in their seats while the others strolled around to flex their bodies. “I thought Jace ensnared her Sunday night after that foiled attack,” Louisa whispered. “He certainly stayed in her room a long time and left in a happy mood. He couldn’t have seduced her, or she wouldn’t have been after Chad last night. Damn the greedy bitch. She wants to play with both of them, the little tease. It looks as if little Leigh isn’t so sweet and gullible after all. No one plays me for the fool. I’ll teach her a lesson or two. She won’t get either one of them, and neither of them will get her. Once we’re in that jungle, she’s dead game, Cynthia; I swear it.”
Reid Adams wiped more red dust from his sharp features and touslled his brown hair. “How is the chase going?” he asked.
Chad smiled dreamily and replied, “Better than expected.”
Reid observed the black-haired man and realized Chadwick Hamilton was under Leigh Webster’s spell. He glanced at the returning and genially chatting Leigh and Jace, then thought, You’re fooling yourself, old boy. Jace has her hooked already. When you realize you’ve lost to him, love her or not, you’ll kill them both.