Close to the Heart

by Rebecca Stratton

  Lisa looked along the deck to where the huge bulk of

  the sacking-wrapped machinery they had taken on at Bouli loomed just aft of the wheelhouse, ugly and incongruous against the gleaming luxury of the Djenoun's planking. 'What about that thing?' she asked, and Ali shrugged.

  The landing place is not more than one hundred metres from Zobi, mademoiselle. The machine can be driven across the sand quite easily.'

  'Oh, I see.'

  Lisa thought she was probably not being quite fair to question him as she was, but he was the only one of the crew who she knew spoke English. Also it had crossed her mind earlier that he might help her if she asked him, and she mused on the possibility again while he stood beside her, deciding to test his reaction.

  Td give a lot to be able to go ashore when we get there/ she ventured. 'If I could just manage to '

  She left the sentence tantalisingly in the air, but Ali looked distinctly uneasy. His expression did not change, but his normally frank eyes were suddenly evasive, and Lisa wondered if he knew the predicament she was in, and why. Obviously if he did he was sufficiently in awe of his employer not to take any chances. He stood rather stiffly, carefully avoiding her eyes and returned to his original errand.

  'I was to ask if you had eaten luncheon, mademoiselle, 9 he said. 'Monsieur ben Dacra is concerned that you eat properly.'

  'I do.' Lisa dismissed the matter of her appetite and Yusuf s concern with the same slightly impatient gesture. 'But I'm far more interested in what's going to happen when we get to Zobi, Ali. Can't you tell me?' She had tried yesterday and failed, but she tried again. 'No, mademoiselle !'

  Lisa first stared, then laughed shortly. Yusuf knew how to keep the loyalty of his crew, and she wondered

  just how he achieved it. 'Well, at least I know where I stand/ she said. 'It looks as if I'll have to rely on my own initiative yet again.'

  'Mademoiselle?'

  He looked puzzled, but Lisa wondered if he was quite so much in the dark as he made out. *Never mind;' she said, and gave her attention again to the shimmering image of Zobi as it got closer with every minute. 'Well at least you could ask the helmsman exactly how long it will take us to get there, couldn't you?' she said.

  Ali heaved his slim shoulders resignedly. He would not give anything away that Yusuf ben Dacra did not want her to know, she had discovered that already, but Ali was sympathetic to a point, she thought, and found comfort in that. He turned and was saying something to the man at the wheel, and once more the name Zobi was the only decipherable word in the spate of Arabic.

  'About one half hour/ Ali told her, and Lisa frowned anxiously.

  'So soon!'

  She immediately thought of Geoffrey and the rest of the group already waiting at Zobi, and for some reason she did not understand, the hope persisted that they had changed their minds. She guessed that Geoffrey would be worrying about her, for she doubted if her father would have thought it necessary to put him completely in the picture. He had never liked Geoffrey very much and Lisa had never understood why, for he was exactly the kind of young man most parents would have approved of. Now that her father knew about Balek! he would feel his opinion justified.

  'Has Mr ben Dacra said exactly what happens when we get to Zobi?' she asked Ali, but again he merely shrugged off the question.

  'I cannot say, mademoiselle.'

  'Or you won't!' Lisa retorted sharply, and Ali spread his hands regretfully. i 'I am sorry, mademoiselle. 9

  Lisa sighed, turning from the sight of Zobi for a moment to look at him. Then she smiled ruefully and her eyes were more anxious than she realised. 'I suppose you can't even tell me if Zobi has a telephone or a post office, can you?' she asked, and Ali was shaking his head even before she had finished speaking.

  There is nothing, mademoiselle. It is a village of few people.'

  'Of no people at all by the time your boss has finished vandalising it!' Lisa declared, and wondered that he could look so puzzled. He must surely have some idea of what was going on at Zobi. 'Is there any chance of me being able to find some form of transport out of there, apart from the Dj'enoun?' she asked, but with very little hope of him telling her. . Ali, it seemed, had co-operated as far as he intended to; he was shaking his head. 'I am sorry, mademoiselle, I cannot tell you.'

  Shrugging impatiently, she turned to lean on the rail once more with her arms resting along the top of it, and when she heard the sound of Ali's retreating footsteps on the deck, she ignored it. He had more than likely gone back to report to his employer that she was showing a great deal of interest not only in Zobi itself, but in the possibility of finding transport out of there. Well let him. The thought of Yusuf knowing exactly what was behind her questions gave her a brief moment of satisfaction as she watched Zobi begin to take shape in the haze of heat. Let him have no doubt she would try again.

  The nearer they got to Zobi the less impressive it looked, and Lisa frowned, undecided whether or not it was worth all the bother it had caused so far. Not to mention the worse trouble that could follow if Yusuf

  ben Dacra proved stubborn, and the group took the action they threatened to. It looked bare and inhospitable, and she could not imagine how anyone managed to survive there, or why they should want to stay.

  She was still standing at the rail when the Djenoun turned quite sharply around the village itself and towards her mooring. It was isolated, as Ali had said, by a huge sandbank and the water swirled dangerously, stained brown by the sand sucked from the structure by the pull of a strong undertow—the kind of current that plagued this Atlantic coast for so much of its length.

  Among the low shack-like buildings of Zobi she could see nothing to suggest that Geoffrey and the others had shown up, only a handful of workmen who took a moment from their labours to watch them in. It was no more than a hundred yards into a natural harbour that must once have been a small port, for it already possessed a jetty and was free of dangerous currents. So that Lisa wondered why Yusuf had not chosen that spot for his hotel instead of destroying Zobi.

  Lisa was briefly distracted from the view on shore when she saw Yusuf striding across the deck, head down as if he meant business, but it took her only a moment to realise that he was not coming in her direction. At the moment he was concerned only with mooring his yacht, and she watched the procedure, quite fascinated by it.

  His eyes seemed to be everywhere at once, checking distances and depths, nodding approval or issuing short, sharp orders, until the big shiny bulk of the Djenoun slid smoothly alongside the jetty, secured by her mooring lines and rocking gently on the swell. Only when the whole manoeuvre was completed did he seem to notice Lisa and come to where she stood at the rail, blowing smoke from his lips and flinging the end of his cigarette over the side as he came.

  He said nothing for a moment, but stood looking down

  at her with his disconcertingly steady gaze, as if he was trying to decide what to do with her. 'Obviously Zeineb's dresses are too big for you/ he said, and Lisa felt suddenly and inexplicably shy as she put a hand to the gaping neckline that showed far too much of her soft, lightly tanned skin.

  The scarf that encircled her waist seemed suddenly to be pulled in much too tightly, and she was more conscious of the curves it emphasised, both above and below. And also of the fact that Yusuf s dark eyes lingered too long and too appreciatively on them, and brought a bright flush of colour to her cheeks.

  It was a new experience for her to feel so completely overwhelmed by a man's admiration, and she was not yet sure whether she liked the sensation or not. There isn't much I can do about the neckline,' she explained in a huskily defensive voice, and gathered the offending opening into her hand for a moment. 'None of them has a high neck or I'd have worn it/

  The colour suits you very well/

  The compliment, mild as it was, was so unexpected that Lisa did not quite know what to say. She was conscious of the thudding beat of her heart and of a curious shivery sensation that slid along her spine
as he continued to watch her steadily,

  'I suppose it matches my red-rebel image, doesn't it?' she suggested flippantly, and chanced a brief upward glance when she said it.

  A lurking gleam in the depth of his eyes stirred strange and disturbing emotions in her, and she felt more self-conscious than ever in the badly-fitting dress. 'I find it curious/ Yusuf said in his deep and oddly affecting voice, 'that just by wearing a dress that is a few sizes too large for you, you appear so small and vulnerable/

  Lisa stroked her unsteady hands over the red dress and gave him a tentative smile. It was too much to hope

  that he might be relenting, and yet he had never before spoken to her as he did now and she could not help feeling hopeful. 'I am vulnerable at the moment/ she told him, and watched his face anxiously for a reaction. Tm very unsure what you intend to do with me, or how long you propose keeping me/

  Yusuf continued with his study of her for a few more seconds, then put a hand on her arm. His palm was hard and warm and it tingled on her soft skin so that she felt herself trembling again and wanting more than anything for him to go on being as nice to her as he was now.

  Tor now I would like you to go below to your cabin/ he told her, and surprise and disappointment made her draw back her arm sharply.

  She could not understand the feeling she had of wanting to cry, because really nothing had changed. But for those few moments it had all been different; he had treated her like a woman instead of a very unwelcome disruption in his routine, and she had liked it. She could do no other than admit it, but it made his return to normal all the harder to take. And it made her angry; both with herself for being so responsive, and with him for making her so vulnerable.

  'I'm not a prisoner/ she insisted in a voice that wavered uncontrollably. 'You can't lock me up, my father never intended you to do that!'

  She struggled when he took her arm more firmly and guided her towards the companionway, but she knew it was useless. 'I do not intend to lock you up/ he assured her, urging her down the steps in front of him. 'As you say, you are not a prisoner, but you are under restraint as a stowaway and a would-be saboteur. If you give me your word, however, that you will make no more silly attempts to leave the Djenoun, I will not find it necessary to put someone on guard to make sure you do not leave/

  'Couldn't I have stayed on deck?' she asked. 'You could have kept just as strict an eye on me there.'

  Yusuf was shaking his head. There is a great deal of activity on deck and no room for spectators.' She was ushered along the passage and into her cabin by the relentless hand under her arm. 'Please remain here until we have unloaded/

  'And what then?' Lisa demanded, turning to face him.

  Standing in the doorway, Yusuf eyed her for a moment. 'And then, Miss Pelham, I hope you will relent sufficiently to have dinner with me.'

  Lisa was still too startled to reply when he closed the door, and she dropped down on to the edge of the bed, blinking across at the closed door almost as if she expected him to reappear. But she could hear his footsteps retreating along the passage, and she could not imagine why she felt so excited at the prospect of having dinner with him. She was, after all, still his prisoner, even though he hadn't locked her in.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Her second night aboard the Djenoun Lisa slept soundly. It was due in part, she supposed, to the fact that she no longer felt quite so completely cut off, now that her father knew where she was. Although she was very disappointed that he had co-operated so readily with Yusuf ben Dacra.

  She had also had several glasses of a fairly potent wine with her dinner which had helped to lull her into a less belligerent mood. In fact dinner with Yusuf had gone very smoothly and once or twice she had found herself wishing the circumstances were different, for she had quite enjoyed herself.

  Not that last night's more congenial atmosphere meant that she was prepared to accept things as they were from now on; far from it. This morning she was as determined as ever to get ashore if it was at all possible, whether or not a truce had been called last night, and no matter what her father had agreed to. She owed it to Geoffrey, for he would be worrying about her.

  With nothing to do until it was time to prepare lunch, Lisa took up her favourite stand on deck, but kept in the shade because the sun was much too hot to stand in it for any length of time. Another delve into Zeineb Boudri's wardrobe had produced a brightly patterned garment that was most likely meant to be worn with trousers.

  On its original owner it was probably a three-quarter-length tunic, but on Lisa it came to just above her knees and served perfectly well for a dress, even if it was rather skimpy and showed more of her bare tanned legs

  than an ordinary dress would have done. It was loose and flowing and it had wide sleeves and a vee neck, and Lisa found it beautifully cool and comfortable, so that she did not bother to tie anything around the waist.

  Brushing a stray wisp of hair from her forehead, she stood on tiptoe for a moment to look across at the shore, the other side of the jetty where the Djenoun was moored. The movement made the too-wide neck of the tunic slip down off one shoulder and she did not bother to recover it, but simply relished the hot dry air on her skin.

  It was just possible to see Zobi from the deck of the Djenoun and she searched in vain for some indication that the group had put in an appearance. All she could see was Yusuf s workmen, clad in loose, striped, homespun djellabas, and unhurriedly piling bags of cement and stacking bricks. There was no sign of anyone else, and she frowned as she narrowed her eyes against the sun.

  She could only assume that Geoffrey and the rest were holding off as Yusuf had suggested they might, until they were sure exactly what her position was on board the Djenoun. It was perfectly possible that Geoffrey was keeping the group in check until they were a little better informed and she fretted at her inability to contact them. How long they would hold off, she would not care to guess, for they had the Zobi project very much at heart, and she wondered just how long Yusuf ben Dacra could get away with the present situation; even with her father's co-operation.

  Tomorrow we shall start work on the demolition/ The words were said, very quietly, quite close to her ear, and Lisa turned swiftly, catching her breath. Recognising the advantage of surprise, Yusuf s eyes gleamed darkly. 4 I startled you?'

  Without admitting it, Lisa passed the tip of her

  tongue swiftly across her lips before she answered him. Even in the full light of day there was something incredibly affecting about him, and he looked so very much at home against this hot, fierce background that just for a moment she felt herself shiver.

  'You don't intend to heed our warning, then?*

  Leaning on the rail beside her, Yusuf shook his head and reached out a hand to slide the neckline of the dress up on to her shoulder again. 'Have I not said so?' His eyes narrowed against the glare, he looked across at the site, while Lisa coped with the sudden increased urgency of her pulse. 'You are my insurance, Miss Pelham, and apparently an effective one, for 1 see no sign of your friends so far/

  'Oh, they'll be here/ Lisa declared hastily. They're probably keeping a low profile for the moment until they know how the land lies, but they'll be here. And make no mistake about it, I shall try every way I can to get away from you, whatever my father says!' The glint of mockery in his eyes for a moment angered her, and her own eyes flashed at him indignantly. 'You may find it amusing now/ she warned him. 'but you won't stop us, you know! We are in earnest, no matter how much you laugh at us I'

  'I do not find it amusing, mademoiselle, I can assure you/ he informed her shortly. 'This whole ridiculous situation need never have arisen but for you and your silly, misguided group of friends interfering in something you know nothing about! I am not amused, Miss Pelham, I am angry because you have wasted my time and tried my patience to the point of exhaustion!'

  Then you should believe we mean what we say! We are in earnest, as I said.'

  She looked, and felt, very small as
she stood there defying him, and she was very much aware of how skimpy the bright coloured tunic was, and how much

  slim bare leg it showed. Yusuf s dark, angry gaze seemed to see so much more than she wanted him to, and his mouth had a faintly derisive smile that she did not like the look of at all. He was an alarmingly sensual man, and the more she was in his company the more apparent it became.

  'You are a very lovely young woman/ he observed with stunning matter-of-factness, and his voice touched a responsive chord in Lisa's senses. 'But beautiful women should content themselves with being beautiful and not become too intense about earnest causes to the exclusion of everything else. If they do, ma chkre mademoiselle, they can become very tiresome—you are, unfortunately, rapidly approaching that stage.'

  Lisa flushed but clung to the remnants of her self-control because he seemed set on making her lose her temper. 'If you find me so tiresome, why don't you put me ashore?' she demanded.

  He could prick her vanity more easily than any man had done before and she resented it fiercely. A compliment was no compliment if it was immediately followed by such a scathing remark, and she watched him in helpless anger while he reached into his pocket for a cigarette, and lit it.

  'I see no purpose in going through that again,' he told her, and raised his head from the lighter-flame to look at her narrow-eyed. 'May I suggest that you return to your kitchen duties, Miss Pelham? I have received no complaints from my crew about your cooking, so presumably you have at least one feminine attribute—you are a passable cook/

  Thank you!'

  She responded with heavy sarcasm, but in fact it was startling to realise just how much his scathing comments hurt, and she was trembling with a tangle of emotions he had aroused in her, and which she did not

  pretend to understand. She felt angry and confused and she regretted that last night's brief truce had once more degenerated into open warfare, but she had litfle hope of getting the better of him if she tried to hit back. He was too confident of his own lightness.