Maid for the South Pole

by Demelza Carlton

  "I'll make dinner tonight, but tomorrow's your turn," she said. "Carrie packed some of last night's pasta into a supply crate, and it looks like there's enough for two."

  "Who's Carrie?" he asked.

  "The cook aboard the Investigator. Kevin told me she gave us some other treats from her stores, too – "

  "Who's Kevin?"

  Audra blew out a breath. "Did you avoid everyone on the Investigator like you avoided me at Davis? Don't you know the names of anyone you work with? Kevin just spent most of the day helping me put this camp together with Darsh and Greg."

  He stared miserably at the floor. "I figured I'd set up camp when I got back. I wanted to get a feel for the island so I could plan out my research schedule. He just asked me where to put the hut. I didn't realise you were all here working while I was..."

  Audra almost felt sorry for him, but she'd seen researchers like him before. Usually, it was their first trip south and they weren't familiar with the rules established to keep them safe. Jean hadn't been particularly safe last trip, though, so maybe he'd missed out on a proper briefing. That made it her job.

  "Okay, here goes: Antarctic expedition 101. First, we establish base camp. No research until we know where we'll eat, drink, sleep and go to the loo. The bathroom, I mean. We don't skip meals. We don't skimp on sleep. And we definitely don't leave camp alone." She fixed her gaze on him. "D'you hear me?"

  He lifted his eyes to her face in outrage. "What? You expect me to tag along with you while you do weather things, when I have more important research to do? No. That's bullshit. It's not going to happen."

  For a moment, the mischievous part of her wanted to tell him, yes, that he'd be forced to follow her around, carrying her equipment for four weeks. She could do it, too, though she'd probably get into trouble for it much later, when his university found out what she'd done. They were paying for her to be out here, after all. Jean was a minor inconvenience. An inconvenience who came with the significant perk of being a penguin expert. If anyone could help her get good wildlife videos that would go viral, it was him.

  Audra wet her lips. "Actually, it'll probably only take me a day or two to set up the weather station, once I work out where to put it. I figure if I tag along with you for the first few days, it'll help me get a feel for the best place to install it. Once it's in, I'm free to help you with your research." She grinned. "I've always wanted to learn more about penguins."

  He shook his head. "I'm not sharing my findings with you. Not before I've had a chance to write and submit my thesis, or at least some papers."

  Audra suppressed a snort. He was one of those researchers. "Keep your secrets. I don't care about them. Who would I tell, anyway? But you're going to have to learn to cooperate and share information, at least a little. Because the person who pisses off the meteorologist won't get the weather forecasts. And knowing when it'll rain, or snow, or the tide's going to be unusually high, or there's a bad storm coming in, will make a big difference to what you get done. Is your secret penguin business worth so much to you?"

  She could see him thinking, sizing her up. Funnily enough, his eyes didn't once stray to her chest.

  "So, for two days I help you with your weather station, and for the other twenty-six, you're my research assistant?" he asked.

  Put like that, it didn't sound fair. But twenty-six days of penguin watching...

  "Pretty much, yeah. Barring bad weather, of course. Which I'll warn you about, because we don't want a repeat of your accident from last year." She bit her lip. "For my own safety, and for yours, I need to know what happened, to stop it from happening again. Whether you love me or hate me or something in between, I really am here to help you accomplish what you didn't last year. So, what do you say? We work together until we have to leave this lovely place? Do we have a deal?"

  His eyes were still searching. Maybe he didn't trust her yet. Good thing he didn't have to for this to work. "We do," Jean said finally.

  "Good. Shake on it." She held out her hand.

  A tingle ran through her fingers at his touch, before his hand engulfed hers. He was as gentle as warm water as he shook her hand, and the warmth spread all the way up her arm. Strange. It sure hadn't felt like this when he'd grabbed her on the ship.

  As if to prove her point, he released her of his own accord, without needing to be stabbed.

  Audra let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding. Things were off to a better start than she'd expected.

  THIRTY-THREE

  Why was she here? Oh, that's right. To stop him from falling in a hole again. Jean wanted to laugh. She was a far more dangerous distraction than any cushion plant, because if he fell into her hole, he'd never get out. He wouldn't even want to try.

  Outside, where it was cold and she'd have to keep her clothes on, he'd be able to concentrate better. In here, in such close quarters, it was a lot harder.

  While she heated up dinner at the tiny gas burner, he unrolled his sleeping bag on the bunk across from hers. The shelves above both beds that might have doubled as bunks if there'd been more people on the island now held the bulk of their supplies. Including the pack of wet wipes he'd found her stroking down her body when he'd walked in earlier...

  He had to stop. This was doing his head in. Jean racked his brain for something, anything, to take his mind off how much he wanted to take this woman to bed. To lie her down on his bunk and taste...

  "Do you want me to tell you about what happened last time?" Jean asked loudly, hoping to drown out his own thoughts.

  Audra glanced over her shoulder. "Yes, please."

  So he did. He started with the cushion plant, the cave, then coming up in the middle of the cove and swimming ashore. Dragging himself into the Apple hut and calling for help. Help that finally came, in the form of herself.

  He left out two things that she didn't really need to know. First was the penguin population he'd thought he'd seen. There was a reason he'd been out alone that day, and he barely knew the woman. He definitely didn't trust her. The other...he wasn't sure why he didn't mention Dairine. Maybe because it was more than a little embarrassing to admit that he'd used his ex-wife as the motivation he'd needed to live. Holding on to someone who didn't want him made him weak, and he didn't want Audra to think that. Or maybe it was because just thinking about his ex-wife or saying her name hurt so much. More weakness, right there. That's why women didn't want him. They wanted some guy who'd step in and save them from everything, not someone who risked everything for a dream.

  "Okay, I think it's ready." Audra divided the food into two bowls and handed him one. "I hope it's not too hot."

  The pasta sent up a cloud of steam, but it smelled delicious, so Jean took the risk, which paid off. It tasted as good as it smelled and the heat helped chase off some of the chill in his bones he hadn't even noticed until now.

  Audra sat with her bowl in her lap. "If I understand your story correctly, there's probably only two things we need to do, in order to avoid a similar accident." She held up a finger. "One, we be careful around cushion plants. You'll have to point them out to me tomorrow, so I know what to watch out for. And two, neither of us leaves camp alone. Not even for a short walk."

  Jean wanted to argue about the alone bit, but with his mouth full, he just nodded. She wouldn't understand why he'd gone out looking for those penguins alone. The weather wasn't much of a secret, like a new species or a remarkable recovery from extinction would be. Besides, she wasn't a researcher. She had a science degree, sure, but she wasn't driven by the same passion to discover like he was.

  If he ever did settle down with a woman, he'd want her to share that passion. There had to be women researchers out there who were truly passionate about their work. Maybe one day, he'd wind up on an island with a seal researcher, or maybe even a marine biologist, and...

  "What's your plan for tomorrow?" Audra asked.

  Count penguins, like he intended to do every day for the next four weeks.

  "
Check out the king penguin population at Spit Point," he said. It wasn't as far, and he could sit in the boat, which would give his legs a rest after today. They'd already started aching and tomorrow, they'd be agony.

  "Okay. How long will that take?"

  He considered. "A day. Maybe two. I usually try to get each colony a few different times a day, over a couple of days, if I can. It makes the count more accurate."

  Audra nodded. "All right. Does it have to be two days in a row, or any two days while we're here?"

  "Any two days."

  "And after that?"

  "There's meant to be a huge colony near Doppler Hill. If it's as big as the old reports say, we're looking at a week, at least. Maybe more, depending on how long it takes to get out there. And then the same again for a second pass. We'll need to take the boat – "

  Audra held up a hand. "Wait. I think I remember Doppler Hill from one of last year's expedition maps. The geologists were studying the Stephenson Glacier, which runs down Big Ben, between us and the hill, and into the little meltwater lagoon at the bottom. They said they did it on foot. Are you saying they took a boat instead?"

  "I don't know," he admitted. "I never made it that far south. We were supposed to come here after I was finished at Atlas Cove, but then I had that accident and – "

  "Everything went south," Audra finished for him with a smile.

  "Yeah." Jean resumed eating his dinner.

  "It looks like we should have enough time for all of it, even allowing for some days off for bad weather, which we're bound to get out here." Audra nodded, looking satisfied, then started eating.

  "I thought you were supposed to control the weather. That's why you came along, right?" Jean ventured.

  "I wish!" Then she laughed, and once again Jean couldn't take his eyes off her.

  If he'd believed in magic, he'd call her a witch, because every time she smiled or laughed, she had him enchanted.

  THIRTY-FOUR

  Audra started the outboard motor and set off at a slow cruise, parallel to the shore. "So, are you going to teach me a bit about penguins so I know what to look for?"

  "What do you want to know?" Jean shouted back.

  Audra thought a moment. "Well, why aren't we stopping to count those penguins, or those ones? There's dozens of them all the way along here, at least two different kinds, but you're not even looking at them, let alone asking me to stop. I thought you needed these numbers for your research."

  "They're not king penguins," Jean said, pointing. "The black and white ones over there are gentoo penguins. The ones with the bunches of yellow feathers on the sides of their heads are macaroni penguins. Not the right species. I'm only studying king penguins."

  "Why?"

  He looked surprised by the question. Slowly, he answered, "Because they're different to all the others." He lifted his chin. "Tell me what you know about penguins."

  Audra had to think about that one. "They eat krill."

  "Not king penguins. They like bigger fish and squid. Stuff that swims more than a hundred metres below the surface. They're one of the deepest divers."

  "They mate for life."

  Jean winced. "Actually, king penguins don't. Especially if the chick doesn't survive. They find a new mate right away, because they breed for most of the year."

  "The dads look after the babies while the mums go fishing."

  "King penguins share parenting. They have crèches for the juveniles, but the babies go from mom's feet to dad's and back again."

  Audra racked her brain for something else. "They like sitting on icebergs." She knew he was going to refute this one – all the penguins she'd pointed out were sitting on rock, not ice.

  "King penguins avoid ice. Their colonies are all on rocky beaches at sub-Antarctic islands. And the juveniles camouflage better with the rock. I'll show you when we find the colony."

  "They're endangered, especially by climate change," she said triumphantly.

  "You'd be right for most penguin species, but not with king penguins. King penguins are flourishing, mostly because they were nearly wiped out by whalers and sealers."

  "But they're not whales or seals. Why would they kill penguins?" Audra demanded.

  "Did you see those big, rusted cauldron things on the edge of camp, near the old wooden huts?" Jean asked. When Audra nodded, he continued, "Those are trypots. They'd cut up whale and seal blubber and boil it down in those to get the oil. And they needed fuel for the fires. Did you notice there aren't any trees on the island?"

  Audra hadn't, but a quick scan now told her this place was almost as barren of plant life as the mainland. All she saw were the brown and green mounds Jean had called cushion plants, or azorella. "Did they burn all the trees?" Even as she said it, it didn't make sense. Unless the penguins had used the trees for something, but they didn't seem to miss them now. Especially if, like Jean said, they were recovering.

  Jean laughed. "Everyone says that. No. Hydrocarbons are a much better fuel than wood. Penguins have a lot of fat on them, so they used to feed the fire with the biggest penguins they could find: king penguins."

  "Oh, no! That's horrible. Tell me you're joking," Audra demanded.

  Jean shook his head. "I wish I were. Like I said, they nearly died out. Now they're not being used as firewood, the populations are recovering. That's why I'm out here, counting birds and comparing it to the satellite photos. I've already submitted two papers. That's why I was too busy to socialise on the ship." He sounded bitter.

  Now Audra felt even worse for criticising him about it earlier. Not to mention it was kind of cool how he was following one of the few species that weren't dying out. She opened her mouth to apologise.

  "Stop the boat!" Jean shouted. "Those are king penguins, and we need to count them, photograph them, and count them again. Especially the babies in the middle. Ready?"

  Audra shut off the motor and dropped the anchor. The water was so clear she saw it clunk to the rocks below. She pulled out her camera. "I'm ready."

  THIRTY-FIVE

  Jean clambered stiffly out of the Zodiac, tired and hurting but happy. The last population estimates for the Spit Point colony were around a hundred and fifty pairs, but both he and Audra had counted over two hundred, on both trips. Judging by the number of juveniles, there were still a few adults out fishing, too, which could push the number higher still. He'd have to check his notes to make some estimates, but it was possible that this colony had doubled in size since the last survey. That kind of population growth was just unheard of. A finding like that was a paper all on its own, even before he'd made it out to Doppler Hill or Atlas Cove.

  The walk up the beach to the hut was nothing short of torture. All of yesterday's bumps and bruises had grown into a bone-deep ache pretty much from the waist down. Probably a good thing the only action he'd get for a while would be in his dreams, if last night was any indication. He glanced at Audra. Penguins would fly before he told her how she'd sat astride him naked in last night's best dream.

  He'd have to wait until she used the bathroom so he could take some pain pills to take the edge off again. He hadn't brought the strong ones he'd taken at Christmas, which were probably what he needed right now, but the hangover afterwards just wasn't worth it. Not when he had fieldwork to do.

  As they reached camp, Audra said, "You get started with dinner. I'll be with you in a minute."

  Jean hotfooted it into the hut, determined to get the pills down his throat before she was done in the bathroom. Then he could make dinner.

  When Audra cracked open the door, he had a pot of water heating on the stove and his head down in a box of supplies from McMurdo. "We ate the last of the bread with lunch, so it's field rations all the way from here on in. Which do you want, the chicken pasta or some sort of lamb curry?"

  "Curry," Audra said instantly. She craned her neck to read the package. "Does it come with rice, or do I need to find some?"

  Jean flipped the package over. "No rice. But I think I s
aw some in the bottom, under the chocolate."

  Audra perked up. "Chocolate?"

  "It's the good stuff from New Zealand, too. I spent months recovering in Christchurch, and the one thing I remember most is the chocolate." He grabbed a bar for himself and tossed one to Audra. "Beats Hersheys."

  "Beats what?" Audra mumbled with her mouth full.

  "Don't you have Hersheys chocolate in Australia?"

  Audra shrugged. "I think we might have it in the gourmet shops. The chocolate and the ice cream syrup and every kind of pop tart they don't make at home. Expensive, though. I don't think I've ever had it. Cadburys was good enough for us." She tapped the bar she'd nearly finished. "This is good."

  Jean felt his pain start to ebb as the water boiled, so he could walk over to the stove with barely a hint of a limp. He added water to their dehydrated meals and sat down to wait. At least it beat cooking and doing dishes afterwards.

  They ate in silence. Audra because she seemed to be savouring the spicy food, and him because he had to alternate between curry, rice and big gulps of water. Next time he'd pick dinner, and he'd make sure it was something that wouldn't set his tonsils on fire.

  Audra finished first. "I'll just boil some water for tea before I turn the gas off for the night."

  Jean nodded, struggling to finish his food when all he wanted was to record his results and make a start on that paper. The desire to work won out and he stretched out on his bunk, tapping away at his tablet.

  He wasn't sure how much time passed before he heard someone calling his name. "Mm?" he said without looking up.

  "I asked if you wanted some tea."

  Jean shook his head and kept working.

  He was interrupted by a cup shoved between his face and the screen, full of something that steamed and smelled of flowers. "What's this?"

  "Tea."

  "I said I didn't want any."