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Kirinda followed the Leopard on silent feet. He knew she was behind him, realized she wished to speak with him in private, so he stepped into the conservatory. The scent of jasmine brought memories of Leopard’s Leap.
“Sahib, I wish a question.”
“Ask me anything,” he said simply. There were no barriers of race or class between Savage and his native servants. They knew every detail of his unsavory past.
“Will you marry in Ceylon?”
“Yes. I shall marry Lady Lamb a few days after we arrive.”
Kirinda’s face fell and she made a sign to ward off evil. “Forgive me, sahib, but the widow will not bring you happiness.”
Adam’s brow cleared as he took her meaning. “I am not marrying Eve. I am returning to Ceylon to tell her so. I have chosen Antonia.”
Lotus Blossom’s face broke into a radiant smile. “John Bull told me she was the one he had chosen for you. Why is the wretched man never wrong?” Her dusky beauty was incomparable.
“He possesses the wisdom of generations of an ancient civilization. When are you going to put him out of his misery and marry him?”
Kirinda dimpled. Here was another wretched man who was never wrong. “Soon, sahib, very soon now.”
Adam Savage’s face broke into a rare smile. “Let’s fill Edenwood with babies.”
When the large black carriage halted on the driveway before Edenwood’s portico, Adam Savage came down to greet its three occupants. In the previous week two of them had paid discreet visits to Half-Moon Street; the other had paid a most indiscreet visit.
A mountain of baggage and steamer trunks were quickly unloaded from the carriage and taken directly aboard theFlying Dragon.The clipper’s cabins had been fitted out luxuriously for its passengers. The dozen nautical craftsmen Adam had hired were still adding the finishing touches, but the long ship, looked a very fine lady indeed these days.
Tony and Adam soon learned to communicate with their eyes, for they were never alone no matter how they tried to slip away from the others. In the late afternoon Adam poured Roz a brandy. “I’m taking Antonia for a stroll around the lake.” He had a difficult time keeping his amusement hidden. “We will be visible the whole time through the French windows.”
They set off sedately, her long slim fingers resting lightly on his arm. When they were out of earshot she groaned loudly. “Adam, I’m so sorry about this.”
His other hand covered hers warmly. “My love, it rather pleases me that they are guarding you. This is the way it should be, you know.”
She looked at him in disbelief.
“Mr. Burke called and made me promise that I would not shock Lady Randolph’s sensibilities.”
“Roz doesn’t shock easily. She said with you in rut and me in heat, she was coming along to play dragon.”
“She was much more to the point with me, darling. She told me flatly she didn’t want you swollen with child before I got you to the altar.”
Tony’s wide green eyes scanned his face, looking for a hint of suspicion.
“She has a point, you know. Besides, abstinence is good for the soul,” he said lightly.
“Hah! Tell me that when we’ve been at sea a month and you’re stiff as a ramrod. You’ll think rigor mortis has set in.”
“What about you?” he teased. “McSwine will start looking good to you.”
She slapped him. “Wretch! I’ll keep my hands off him if you will.”
They both sobered. They stopped walking. Their hands clung to each other, their eyes glittered with suppressed desire. “You need me to kiss you,” he murmured intensely.
She shook her head and said breathlessly, “I need you to fill me.”
“Trust me to find a way,” he promised. “I love a challenge as much as you do.”
She took some deep breaths until her shudders passed.
They resumed their stroll. “I didn’t tell Roz about Bernard Lamb.”
