and
mouth ascertained her precise dimensions.
He looked up to
find her gazing steadily at him.
It was unsettling.
For a moment he believed she could see straight through into his
brain. Not that there was much to see. Still, he doubted she’d
feel more amiably toward him if, for instance, she could
discern how vast an amount of mental space his fantasies of seduction
occupied, compared to the cramped corner devoted to the problem of
murdered guides and corrupt police.
“ Before we go
any further, I must say something,” she said. “I have a
temper.”
“ I noticed,”
he said. “It’s quite exciting. I don’t know what
you were saying to the police at the guardhouse, but you didn’t
seem to be trying to win them over.”
“ You guessed
correctly,” she said. “I was pointing out how illogical
it was for us to kill our guides and leave ourselves in utter
darkness.”
“ Is that what
you were telling them?” he said. “It sounded a great deal
more complicated.”
Her color rose. “I
may have commented unfavorably on their intelligence and added one or
two unflattering references to their parentage.”
“ That is exciting,” he said. “It’s a wonder they didn’t
behead us on the spot.”
“ I was not
thinking clearly,” she said. “I have never been arrested
before. It was infuriating. The thickheadedness of the police was
beyond anything I have ever before encountered, or even imagined.”
“ Yet somehow
these thickheads penetrated your masterful disguise,” he said.
She looked down at
herself. Her eyes widened. She put her hand up to her head. “Good
grief,” she said. “I’d com-pletely forgotten.”
She rose hastily. “I am not at all presentable.”
Her idea of
“presentable” was buttoned up, pinned up, and covered up,
all in black. Rupert vastly preferred the disheveled and
temperamental version—especially the tumbled hair, which begged
his fingers to tangle in it.
“ It’s
only me,” he said, helping himself to a date. “I don’t
mind if you’re a bit of a mess.” He threw her a look of
innocent inquiry. “Or were you were wishing to make yourself
more attractive to me?”
She sat back down.
“I was explaining about my temper— and perhaps I ought to
mention your genius for setting it off.” She shut her eyes, and
after a moment opened them again.
Rupert wondered if
she was counting to ten. People often did that when conversing with
him.
“ I wish to
apologize,” she said.
“ That isn’t
nec—”
“ It is necessary,” she cut in. “I should have been wretched if
you hadn’t taken me toGiza. And we did learn something, as you
said.”
He didn’t
want or need an apology. He didn’t mind her temper in the
least. Liked it, actually. Still, it was sporting of her to
apologize.
She’d
displayed the same pluck inGiza. Since she did seem to have a morbid
aversion to being shut up in dark places, she must have been sick
with fear. Yet she’d gritted her teeth and kept on, emerging in
fine fettle for battling the police.
Even a night’s
incarceration had not shaken her.
Meanwhile he, who’d
abundant experience with jails, had not spent the most comfortable
night. He’d told himself the police wouldn’t harm her.
They’d restrained themselves during her tirades, hadn’t
they? All the same, he’d spent the night sharply alert,
listening for any indication that she was in distress.
He banished the
puzzling recollection. She was a handful. He’d seen that from
the start. Not a restful sort of female. She even obliged him to
think from time to time.
He did so now,
eager to put the apology behind them.
“ Obviously,
our villain is trying to delay and mislead you,” he said. ‘That
tells us your brother is unharmed and probably not far away.“
She nodded, but her
green gaze was abstracted, shifting from side to side.
Rupert returned to
eating while he watched her think.
After a few
minutes’ hard cogitation, she
mouth ascertained her precise dimensions.
He looked up to
find her gazing steadily at him.
It was unsettling.
For a moment he believed she could see straight through into his
brain. Not that there was much to see. Still, he doubted she’d
feel more amiably toward him if, for instance, she could
discern how vast an amount of mental space his fantasies of seduction
occupied, compared to the cramped corner devoted to the problem of
murdered guides and corrupt police.
“ Before we go
any further, I must say something,” she said. “I have a
temper.”
“ I noticed,”
he said. “It’s quite exciting. I don’t know what
you were saying to the police at the guardhouse, but you didn’t
seem to be trying to win them over.”
“ You guessed
correctly,” she said. “I was pointing out how illogical
it was for us to kill our guides and leave ourselves in utter
darkness.”
“ Is that what
you were telling them?” he said. “It sounded a great deal
more complicated.”
Her color rose. “I
may have commented unfavorably on their intelligence and added one or
two unflattering references to their parentage.”
“ That is exciting,” he said. “It’s a wonder they didn’t
behead us on the spot.”
“ I was not
thinking clearly,” she said. “I have never been arrested
before. It was infuriating. The thickheadedness of the police was
beyond anything I have ever before encountered, or even imagined.”
“ Yet somehow
these thickheads penetrated your masterful disguise,” he said.
She looked down at
herself. Her eyes widened. She put her hand up to her head. “Good
grief,” she said. “I’d com-pletely forgotten.”
She rose hastily. “I am not at all presentable.”
Her idea of
“presentable” was buttoned up, pinned up, and covered up,
all in black. Rupert vastly preferred the disheveled and
temperamental version—especially the tumbled hair, which begged
his fingers to tangle in it.
“ It’s
only me,” he said, helping himself to a date. “I don’t
mind if you’re a bit of a mess.” He threw her a look of
innocent inquiry. “Or were you were wishing to make yourself
more attractive to me?”
She sat back down.
“I was explaining about my temper— and perhaps I ought to
mention your genius for setting it off.” She shut her eyes, and
after a moment opened them again.
Rupert wondered if
she was counting to ten. People often did that when conversing with
him.
“ I wish to
apologize,” she said.
“ That isn’t
nec—”
“ It is necessary,” she cut in. “I should have been wretched if
you hadn’t taken me toGiza. And we did learn something, as you
said.”
He didn’t
want or need an apology. He didn’t mind her temper in the
least. Liked it, actually. Still, it was sporting of her to
apologize.
She’d
displayed the same pluck inGiza. Since she did seem to have a morbid
aversion to being shut up in dark places, she must have been sick
with fear. Yet she’d gritted her teeth and kept on, emerging in
fine fettle for battling the police.
Even a night’s
incarceration had not shaken her.
Meanwhile he, who’d
abundant experience with jails, had not spent the most comfortable
night. He’d told himself the police wouldn’t harm her.
They’d restrained themselves during her tirades, hadn’t
they? All the same, he’d spent the night sharply alert,
listening for any indication that she was in distress.
He banished the
puzzling recollection. She was a handful. He’d seen that from
the start. Not a restful sort of female. She even obliged him to
think from time to time.
He did so now,
eager to put the apology behind them.
“ Obviously,
our villain is trying to delay and mislead you,” he said. ‘That
tells us your brother is unharmed and probably not far away.“
She nodded, but her
green gaze was abstracted, shifting from side to side.
Rupert returned to
eating while he watched her think.
After a few
minutes’ hard cogitation, she
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