hundred shillings to repay her at
once? I can get it from the bank next time I go to Isiolo, but I'd rather send it to her straight away.'
He felt in his pocket and handed her the money 'Keep it,' he said. 'I'd have given it to you myself if I'd known you really wanted to read it.' He turned it over to look at the photograph of himself on the back. 'But why my bed?'
She didn't know how to answer that. 'This one's so big!'
'When you write to Betsy, you'd better ask her to come as soon as she can,' he said dryly. Tell her we both feel in the need of some company.'
'But she won't come!' Hero stated. 'She never has in all the years I've known her.'
Benedict's eyes met hers. 'Oh, she'll come,' he said. 'She'll come running! You don't have to worry about, that!'
'Because you ask her to?' She couldn't quite keep the resentment out of her voice.
'Something like that,' he drawled.
Hero slept as well that night as she had slept badly the night before. It was cold in the night too, making her wonder if the rains might not be coming after all. There were some clouds all along the horizon in the morning, but they were too far away to be of much interest, and the sun burned as hotly as ever over the farm.
'What are you going to do today?' Benedict asked her as she sat down for breakfast.
Hero spread her napkin across her knees with nervous fingers. 'Truck some more topsoil back onto the fields.' She looked across the table at him. 'If I may?' she added.
'This morning,' he agreed. 'I'm going to surround the foot of some of the trees with piles of stones to try and catch the morning dew for them. The stones should hold the moisture and let some of it get down to the roots.'
'Like they did in the Bible,' Hero said.
'Did they? I didn't know that. I believe they've tried it with some success in modern Israel. Perhaps that's where they got the idea from.'
'May I help?' Hero asked, even more cautiously than before.
'I thought you were going to write your letter. You could take it into Isiolo and post it there. There are some supplies I want picked up there some time. You could bring them back with you.'
'We get most of our supplies from Nanyuki. They come up from Nairobi on the train—'
'I think you'll be able to get most of these things in Isiolo.' He looked at her thoughtfully across the table. 'Nanyuki is too far for you to go by yourself.'
'But I've often been!'
'As Hero Kaufman. Now you're Hero Carmichael, I prefer you to have company on a long drive like that.' He smiled slowly. 'I have a fancy to go with you to the Siverbeck Hotel and have a drink in the —World- famous Equator Line Bar", with a foot on either hemisphere.'
'With me?'
'Don't look so surprised. Any pretty girl would do!'
'Then you'd better wait for Betsy to come!' she answered back.
He put his head on one side, considering the matter. 'You might enjoy it more than you think. We could spend a night at Treetops or the Ark and come back the next day.'
Hero was tempted, but she was aware of the difficulties of pretending to be a normal husband and wife in such circumstances if he was not. There would be people there who would know her, as they had known her parents before her, and how would she explain Benedict away to them, no matter how sympathetic they were to her want to acquire the right to live in England.
'We'd have to share a room,' she said.
'Would that be so bad?'
She didn't answer.
'Most husbands and wives do!' he pointed out.
'We're not most people!' The recollection that he had said it was one of his ambitions to have a son added to Hero's discomfort.
'That didn't stop you sleeping in my bed,' he pointed out in such reasonable tones that the dawning suspicion that he was teasing her died almost as soon as it had presented itself.
'But you weren't there.'
'Would it have made any difference?'
'Of course it would!' She could hardly believe that the conversation was taking place. 'I couldn't —'
'Oh, Hero, are you sure?' She watched
once? I can get it from the bank next time I go to Isiolo, but I'd rather send it to her straight away.'
He felt in his pocket and handed her the money 'Keep it,' he said. 'I'd have given it to you myself if I'd known you really wanted to read it.' He turned it over to look at the photograph of himself on the back. 'But why my bed?'
She didn't know how to answer that. 'This one's so big!'
'When you write to Betsy, you'd better ask her to come as soon as she can,' he said dryly. Tell her we both feel in the need of some company.'
'But she won't come!' Hero stated. 'She never has in all the years I've known her.'
Benedict's eyes met hers. 'Oh, she'll come,' he said. 'She'll come running! You don't have to worry about, that!'
'Because you ask her to?' She couldn't quite keep the resentment out of her voice.
'Something like that,' he drawled.
Hero slept as well that night as she had slept badly the night before. It was cold in the night too, making her wonder if the rains might not be coming after all. There were some clouds all along the horizon in the morning, but they were too far away to be of much interest, and the sun burned as hotly as ever over the farm.
'What are you going to do today?' Benedict asked her as she sat down for breakfast.
Hero spread her napkin across her knees with nervous fingers. 'Truck some more topsoil back onto the fields.' She looked across the table at him. 'If I may?' she added.
'This morning,' he agreed. 'I'm going to surround the foot of some of the trees with piles of stones to try and catch the morning dew for them. The stones should hold the moisture and let some of it get down to the roots.'
'Like they did in the Bible,' Hero said.
'Did they? I didn't know that. I believe they've tried it with some success in modern Israel. Perhaps that's where they got the idea from.'
'May I help?' Hero asked, even more cautiously than before.
'I thought you were going to write your letter. You could take it into Isiolo and post it there. There are some supplies I want picked up there some time. You could bring them back with you.'
'We get most of our supplies from Nanyuki. They come up from Nairobi on the train—'
'I think you'll be able to get most of these things in Isiolo.' He looked at her thoughtfully across the table. 'Nanyuki is too far for you to go by yourself.'
'But I've often been!'
'As Hero Kaufman. Now you're Hero Carmichael, I prefer you to have company on a long drive like that.' He smiled slowly. 'I have a fancy to go with you to the Siverbeck Hotel and have a drink in the —World- famous Equator Line Bar", with a foot on either hemisphere.'
'With me?'
'Don't look so surprised. Any pretty girl would do!'
'Then you'd better wait for Betsy to come!' she answered back.
He put his head on one side, considering the matter. 'You might enjoy it more than you think. We could spend a night at Treetops or the Ark and come back the next day.'
Hero was tempted, but she was aware of the difficulties of pretending to be a normal husband and wife in such circumstances if he was not. There would be people there who would know her, as they had known her parents before her, and how would she explain Benedict away to them, no matter how sympathetic they were to her want to acquire the right to live in England.
'We'd have to share a room,' she said.
'Would that be so bad?'
She didn't answer.
'Most husbands and wives do!' he pointed out.
'We're not most people!' The recollection that he had said it was one of his ambitions to have a son added to Hero's discomfort.
'That didn't stop you sleeping in my bed,' he pointed out in such reasonable tones that the dawning suspicion that he was teasing her died almost as soon as it had presented itself.
'But you weren't there.'
'Would it have made any difference?'
'Of course it would!' She could hardly believe that the conversation was taking place. 'I couldn't —'
'Oh, Hero, are you sure?' She watched
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