you annoyed with me for not taking you along? ” he asked. “It’s a filthy trip, and God knows what condition the rest house is in. It was only a temporary structure—a wooden shed. Probably the rains swept it away. It’s a lousy bit of country, not really fit for rubber trees, but I bought and planted it with the company’s money, and it’s my duty to make it yield.”
“I know all that,” she assured him, trying to suppress irritation with her s elf for feeling so odd this morning. “I don’t want to go, Ross.”
“ Then why are you suddenly so—oh, I don’t know.” He shrugged his khaki-clad shoulders. ‘You said you weren’t afraid of being left alone for ten days, and you’ll be safer with coloured servants than you’d be with white ones. Then you have the dogs for company—a pity we had to destroy all the puppies but one, but they wouldn’t have survived.”
“ I’ll be fine,” she said shakily.
H e came a step closer and cupped her chin in his large hand, tilting her face to him. “Are you a little down at seeing me go?” he queried. “Don’t you hate me quite as much as you said?”
S he pulled free of him, querulously.
“ I don’t like leaving you,” his eyes hardened as they dwelt on her face, “but this is my job and the rains will soon be upon us again. I just can’t put it off any longer.”
S he pressed a weary hand against her head. “I’m sorry, Ross. It’s hard to be merry and bright at this time in the morning.”
“ Have another cup of coffee and eat a biscuit.” He took up his gun and a box of cartridges. “I’ll take these, out and see if the boys have loaded the lorry properly.” She heard him take the steps in one leap, a minute later the lorry began to chug, then he came striding in again ... looking so lean and darkly fit that he made Clare feel positively fragile. She hated the feeling, hoped desperately that she wasn’t starting, a fever. Would he stay, if she mentioned her fears? Her eyes scanned his face, her lips moved, but women only begged of those who loved them. They held on to their pride with those who felt indifferent to them.
“ Ready, honey?” He tossed a cube of sugar into his mouth and crunched it ... he had a sweet tooth, this tough-fibred husband of hers.
S he nodded and followed him outside, hesitating at the top step. From the lowest he glanced back.
“ Where’s your hat?” he demanded.
S he fought down panic. “Ross, I’ll say goodbye to you here ... not go with you as far as the river. Do you mind?”
“ Scared of the dark?” The remark would have sounded teasing, if there had not been a razor-keen edge to his voice. “It will be light before we get there and still cool for the walk back.”
“ I—I’d rather not go.” Her moist hand was gripping the veranda rail, and again there arose in her the desire to tell him that she thought she had picked up an infection. But, if she kept him from his work, he wouldn’t be pleased ... he might even send her home to England if he thought she was becoming enervated by the climate out here.
F rowning, he mounted the steps until their eyes were level. “We’ve stopped being pals, Clare,” he said quietly. “I don’t like that.”
S he leaned against the veranda post to still the trembling of her knees. “Don’t be silly,” she tried to speak lightly. “It’s just that I’m tired and want to go back to bed.”
“ You can sleep day and night for the next ten days. There is something, isn’t there?” He drew a deep, exasperated breath. “How typical of a woman to choose a moment like this for a display of temperament . ”
“Please stop accusing me of temperament,” she pleaded, feeling a disturbing throbbing in her head, wishing desperately that he would go. “Hop off to your rubber plantation and forget me for a while.”
“ Don’t talk like that,” he said, with a hint of pleading. “It’s bad enough leaving you here alone, without parting as if
“I know all that,” she assured him, trying to suppress irritation with her s elf for feeling so odd this morning. “I don’t want to go, Ross.”
“ Then why are you suddenly so—oh, I don’t know.” He shrugged his khaki-clad shoulders. ‘You said you weren’t afraid of being left alone for ten days, and you’ll be safer with coloured servants than you’d be with white ones. Then you have the dogs for company—a pity we had to destroy all the puppies but one, but they wouldn’t have survived.”
“ I’ll be fine,” she said shakily.
H e came a step closer and cupped her chin in his large hand, tilting her face to him. “Are you a little down at seeing me go?” he queried. “Don’t you hate me quite as much as you said?”
S he pulled free of him, querulously.
“ I don’t like leaving you,” his eyes hardened as they dwelt on her face, “but this is my job and the rains will soon be upon us again. I just can’t put it off any longer.”
S he pressed a weary hand against her head. “I’m sorry, Ross. It’s hard to be merry and bright at this time in the morning.”
“ Have another cup of coffee and eat a biscuit.” He took up his gun and a box of cartridges. “I’ll take these, out and see if the boys have loaded the lorry properly.” She heard him take the steps in one leap, a minute later the lorry began to chug, then he came striding in again ... looking so lean and darkly fit that he made Clare feel positively fragile. She hated the feeling, hoped desperately that she wasn’t starting, a fever. Would he stay, if she mentioned her fears? Her eyes scanned his face, her lips moved, but women only begged of those who loved them. They held on to their pride with those who felt indifferent to them.
“ Ready, honey?” He tossed a cube of sugar into his mouth and crunched it ... he had a sweet tooth, this tough-fibred husband of hers.
S he nodded and followed him outside, hesitating at the top step. From the lowest he glanced back.
“ Where’s your hat?” he demanded.
S he fought down panic. “Ross, I’ll say goodbye to you here ... not go with you as far as the river. Do you mind?”
“ Scared of the dark?” The remark would have sounded teasing, if there had not been a razor-keen edge to his voice. “It will be light before we get there and still cool for the walk back.”
“ I—I’d rather not go.” Her moist hand was gripping the veranda rail, and again there arose in her the desire to tell him that she thought she had picked up an infection. But, if she kept him from his work, he wouldn’t be pleased ... he might even send her home to England if he thought she was becoming enervated by the climate out here.
F rowning, he mounted the steps until their eyes were level. “We’ve stopped being pals, Clare,” he said quietly. “I don’t like that.”
S he leaned against the veranda post to still the trembling of her knees. “Don’t be silly,” she tried to speak lightly. “It’s just that I’m tired and want to go back to bed.”
“ You can sleep day and night for the next ten days. There is something, isn’t there?” He drew a deep, exasperated breath. “How typical of a woman to choose a moment like this for a display of temperament . ”
“Please stop accusing me of temperament,” she pleaded, feeling a disturbing throbbing in her head, wishing desperately that he would go. “Hop off to your rubber plantation and forget me for a while.”
“ Don’t talk like that,” he said, with a hint of pleading. “It’s bad enough leaving you here alone, without parting as if
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