‘Let me—’ Joanna moved towards him, and she was acutely aware of his height and his masculine aliveness as she lifted her hands and fixed his tie for him. She didn’t dare to raise her eyes from the narrow bow, black against his white shirt and dinner-jacket. She was more afraid of Adam since she had come to love him. His frown could hurt; his smile could make her knees go weak, and she was terrified of giving herself away to him, or anyone else.
‘Thank you.’ He spoke formally. ‘I’m glad to see that the mail-order dress suits you, Joanna. You look very different tonight from the jungle waif of last night.’
‘It was kind of you to buy me the dress.’ She had built her defences and was holding them up with a gallant smile. Then aware that Vance was watching the by-play with an inquisitive glint in his eye, she turned towards the door. ‘I’ll go and see if Aunt Charly wants me for anything.’
As she walked from the room, Vance’s voice followed her. ‘That is a sweet young woman,’ he said. Adam didn’t say anything.
The party went with a swing from the moment Adam proposed the birthday toast, to the moment when they rose to go to the room which had been prepared for dancing. Bonney looked as pretty as a bouquet in a mimosa-yellow dress, with a flower tucked into her glossy dark hair. Her eyes shone with excitement as she blew out the candles on her cake and made a wish. She smiled at Adam, and he in turn was looking at her, his lean fingers playing with the stem of his wine glass. His gaze dwelt on the pearls that glowed milkily against the honey of her young throat, and she put up a hand to them, Joanna noticed, and seemed to go shy for a moment.
Someone started the radiogram and couples began to dance. Tye was at Joanna’s side, and with a smile she moved into his arms and they circled the floor. Aunt Charly sat talking to Adoniah. In her gold-brown lace, with colour in her cheeks, she looked very handsome, and very happy tonight, as if she too had made a wish that looked like coming true.
‘Grand party,’ murmured Tye. ‘I think everyone is extra gay tonight because we were all so anxious about you and the Boss. How does it feel, Joanna, to be so popular?’
She looked at him with a smile in her eyes, but she felt a little sad at heart. She had grown so fond of the Raintree Valley folks, and they had shown her tonight that she was more than welcome among them. But it couldn’t last, not for her. Even as she danced with Tye, pretty Bonney was talking eagerly to Adam.
Someone moved through the dancers to join the couple. It was Vance, and he was laughing in his gay way as he leaned down to Bonney, as if to ask what the conspiracy was about.
‘Our party girl sure is pleased with herself,’ said Tye. ‘Look, Adam is holding up his hand - he wants everyone to stop and listen to him!’
The music died away, and the chattering ceased, and all eyes were fixed expectantly upon Adam as he stepped into the centre of the room, one hand leading Bonney forward. ‘I have some very happy news for all of you,’ he said smilingly. ‘Some of you may already have guessed from the light in Bonney’s eyes that she herself is extra happy tonight.’
He raised the girl’s left hand to his lips, and everyone gasped as they caught sight of the diamond ring sparkling on her engagement finger. Vance stood at one side of Adam, while Aunt Charly leaned forward in her chair, the gleam of happy tears in her eyes.
Joanna wanted Adam to have his happiness, but it was too unbearable for her to watch. Gathering her filmy skirts into her hands she withdrew silently from the room, a blue shadow that skimmed along the breezeway and sped out of a door on to the veranda. She didn’t stop running until she reached the rear of the house, where all was quiet but for the night-time chiming that came from the trees. She stood and caught her breath, and fought back her own tears of pain. She wanted Adam of all men to have all he desired, but it hurt ... much more than she had ever dreamed ... to see him kiss Bonney’s hand and announce the engagement.
There were cries of congratulation from inside the house, then the music started up again, the sound of Dream Lover, old and smoochy. Her cold hands clenched the veranda rail, she breathed the poignant scent of clustering flowers, and gazed at the silvery slip of a moon that gemmed the sky. It was a perfect night to have a man whisper his love, but she stood alone and heard only the drift of music and the occasional chirp of a restless bird.
‘Joanna?’
A man’s voice spoke her name, and as she whirled from the rail the moonlight gleamed on a white dinner-jacket and smooth dark head. She waited tensely ... she was going to find it hard to make light-hearted conversation with Vance ...
‘Joanna, why did you leave the party?’
He came nearer, and then another step nearer, and Joanna’s wide blue eyes collected into them the image of a strong-boned, serious face, with eyes that held the thrill of lightning.
‘Why did you run away?’ he demanded.
She backed against the rail, not understanding why he should be here when Bonney was inside the house. ‘I - I felt like a breath of air—’ she whispered.
‘Couldn’t be that you couldn’t bear to see Vance become engaged to Bonney?’
‘What?’ She stared at him, unbelievingly. ‘Vance ... Bonney?’
‘Yes, my girl.’ Suddenly he was close to her, her blue chiffon brushing his white jacket. She saw his face clearly, the flash in his eyes, the nerve that flickered beside his mouth. ‘Can’t take it, never could, the idea that you could love anyone but me!’
‘Adam—’
‘Yes, Adam!’ Now he mocked, now he touched her arms, now he drew her from the rail and held her so she couldn’t get away from him. ‘Why did you run away just now? Did you think Bonney was getting engaged to me?’
‘Yes—’
‘Did you, Joanna?’ Now he laughed softly, and she thrilled to the touch of his hand on her fair hair, and was caressed by his eyes, no longer guarded but wide open for her to see what they held.
‘Both Aunt Charly and myself had the hope that Vance would come to love Bonney - well, it seems they realized how they felt about each other during the time he had that bad hand. They’re well matched, Joanna. A couple should be that way ... and we knew in the rainforest, didn’t we, that all the wild loveliness had a meaning for us. I wanted to put it into words, I wanted to tell you how much you meant to me, but it was too dangerous. I wanted nothing to spoil the moment when I came to you and claimed you for my own.’
‘Adam, are you sure?’ She searched his face; she had to be utterly certain that this quixotic man was not declaring he loved her because they had spent a day and a night alone in the rain-forest. ‘I couldn’t bear it if you were just being gallant—’
‘Gallant?’ With rough tenderness he crushed her close against him. ‘I’ve never wanted anything on this earth as I want you, my girl. I said all along that you wouldn’t marry Vance or anyone else. You marry me! And if you care so much about going to New Zealand to see Viviana, then we’ll go there for our honeymoon. Would you like that?’
‘I’d love it.’ And shaken by a delayed storm of joy she buried her face against his shoulder and savoured the feel of his arms, the strength and integrity and exciting maleness of him. ‘I love you, Adam. I love you so much. Even when we fought. Even when I believed that you wanted Bonney.’
‘Bonney’s my ward,’ he said tenderly. ‘You are my girl. Right from the start, from the moment I made you fight to stay at Raintree. I had to find out if your spirit matched your lovely face, and it did, Joanna. Even in the plane, with the coral reef jagging beneath us, you kept up your spirits, and mine, and I knew if we survived that landing I’d waste no more time about claiming you. I could only hope that you cared for me. I told myself that if you didn’t, then I’d make you care.’
She smiled at the very idea of not caring for him, and then she caught her breath as he enfolded her close to his heart and took her lips in a long and loving kiss. It was wonderful, to surrender lips and heart and all her future to Adam Corraine. It was a dream come true - his arms and his kisses a thrill
ing reality.
‘A minister will be flying to the valley to marry Bonney and Vance,’ he whispered. ‘Shall we make it a double wedding?’
‘Yes - oh yes!’
‘Sweet Joanna.’ He kissed her soft hair. ‘I have my own word for love, you know. It’s cherish. I wish to cherish you all our days together at Raintree Valley.’
‘I can think of nothing I’d like more, Adam, than to be cherished by you in this valley of raintrees.’
And then she reached up on her toes and kissed lovingly his lean, warm, sun-weathered cheek. She had come to the valley to stay, and her smile of joy was enclosed in her eyes as Adam held her even closer to him and kissed her as if he would never stop.
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