"I don't want to talkabout Glenclaren. It's a dank, depressing place." He turned and smiled ather. "And didn't suit me at all. It wouldn't suit you either. Once we'rewed, we'll live on Cinnidar."
Exasperated, she sought a lesspersonal subject to distract him. "How did you find your Cinnidar?"
"I was on a ship boundfrom Australia to Africa that put in at Cinnidar to take on food and water.When the ship left, I stayed on."
"Why?"
He shrugged. "I…liked it. I felt—" He stopped, searchingfor words. "It called to me."
"Is it beautiful?"
"I suppose it is."He thought about it. "Yes, Cinnidar is beautiful."
"But that's not why youliked it."
"The moment I saw it Iknew it was going to belong to me.I feltit." He turned her handover and idly traced patterns in her palm with his index finger. "Andsince it was obviously meant to be mine, I couldn't see why fate wouldn'tfurbish the island with what I loved most."
She chuckled."Gold."
He nodded. "I had to goand see. There's a trail down the canyon wall, but it was blocked with stones Ihad to crawl over, and after I reached the canyon floor it took me three weeksto make my way through the jungle and get to the mountain. A few times I didn'tthink I'd make it. But when I got there… " His face lit with eagerness."Veins, not pockets of gold. Rich wide veins... Even the streams were fullof nuggets. I could reach down and pick up a nugget as big as a gooseegg."
"Did you gather them totake with you?"
He shook his head. "Wordof a strike would have gotten out, and Cinnidar had to be legally mine beforethat happened. So I went back to the port ragged and half starved with nothingbut my hands in my pockets and told everyone I'd never made it past the canyon.I shipped out on the next boat that put into port and went to the gold fieldsin Jaylenburg. It took me three years and two gold fields, but I finally made abig enough strike to provide me with enough money to buy Cinnidar from themaharajah."
Three years of staggering workand deprivation and all for Cinnidar, she thought. "And now you're goingback."
"Yes, I'll send for youas soon as—" He stopped as he saw her expression. "Itwillhappen,Jane." He reached out and touched a tendril of hair at her temple."I've never seen you with your hair loose. I want to see it flowing aboutyour shoulders. I wanted to unbraid it when we were in the railway coach but Iwas hurting so bad I couldn't wait."
She felt the heat rise to hercheeks, suffusing her throat and breasts.
"I could do it now,"Ruel said softly. His index finger rubbed slowly back and forth on her palm,and a tingle ran up her arm. "I could do anything you want me to do.Patrick's asleep and wouldn't bother us. I could close the doors and—"
"No," she whispered.Sweet Mary, her breasts were swelling, pushing against the material of hershirt. Let him not notice. But he probably did know, she realized in despair.He seemed to know how to trigger her every response.
"Do you remember themaharajah's painting? There are so many ways of pleasure, and I want to showyou all of them."
She couldn't get her breathand was beginning to tremble as she had that day in the railroad car. Shesuddenly knew she wanted to kneel down like the woman in the painting, to obeyhim blindly, to do anything he wanted of her.
She was acutely aware of thefaint scent of soap surrounding him, the tiny jolts of sensation as his fingerrubbed her palm, the sound of the rain on the thatched roof of the bungalow.
Like the sound of the rain onthe maharajah's railway car…
"But this isdifferent," he said as if he had read her mind. "I'm not trying toseduce you."
"Aren't you?"
"I want only to show youthat you need me as much as I—God, that's not true." He laugheddesperately.
"That's how it started,but now I don't give a damn about showing you how tame and respectable I couldbe."
She should pull away, but shecouldn't seem to move. "Let me go," she whispered.
His grasp tightened for abrief instant, and then he slowly released her hand. "You see how good I'mbeing? I didn't want to let you go." He stood up and strode toward thedoor. "But I'm keeping my promise. The ten minutes are up and I'mleaving." He paused at the french doors to glance back at her. "Butit's not over, and you're not going to get rid of me. I'm staying here inKasanpore until you and Patrick leave."
"That would be a waste oftime. I'm not going to change my mind. And what about your Cinnidar?"
"I've worked and waitedyears for Cinnidar. I can wait a little longer." He smiled. "You'reworth it, Jane Barnaby."
