Captivity

by Margaret Pargeter

  Like Chase, she noticed the slight strain on Alex's sensitive young face and took charge immediately. 'Ruby, you'd better take Miss Latham upstairs right away. I've put her in the pink guest room.' Though slightly puzzled by Ruby's disdainfully raised eyebrows, she added, 'I'll get Mrs Young to serve tea in half an hour, which should give you both plenty of time to freshen up.'

  Chase, after making Alex known to his aunt, had disappeared, but when Alex came down again he was sitting with Miss Marshall in the drawing-room, to which Alex had been directed by a smiling Aboriginal girl.

  'Come in, my dear,' Harriet Marshall waved her hand. 'Where's Ruby?'

  'She doesn't want tea…' Alex sat rather nervously on the chair Miss Marshall indicated, very conscious of Chase.

  'Doesn't want to give an account of herself, more likely,' Miss Marshall retorted tartly. 'Have you told her, Chase,' she turned to her nephew, 'that Henry's coming over later?'

  'Not yet,' he replied laconically, his eyes on Alex. She had changed into a strapped sundress, just bare enough to be cool without being too daring.

  His mouth quirked. Was he laughing at her modesty? Raising challenging eyes to him, she flushed and felt foolish on meeting only a cool surveillance. Of course, he wouldn't feel anything, one way or another, for a girl who bored him!

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Chase's next words took Alex by surprise. 'What do you think of my home, Alex?'

  Glancing at him quickly, she received the rather unbelievable impression that her answer was of some importance to him. His dark gaze was intent, probing hers, as though he looked for inner reactions that he might weigh against the usual conventional reply he expected from her.

  Because of this, she answered guardedly, 'I haven't really had time yet.' Then, unable to help herself, she exclaimed impulsively, her blue eyes shining, 'I think it's wonderful! I've never seen anything like it before.'

  'You mean the house?'

  Her glance fell to the cup she was holding, hiding her quick dismay. Naturally he would believe she had seen only the house. That this was indescribable she couldn't deny. It had comfort and style, vastly superior to anything she had ever known. Even so, she had sense enough to realise it was enough to impress and delight even a woman used only to the best. Chase would be convinced a girl like herself would never notice anything else.

  She nodded to his query with a tentative smile. 'The house is beautiful, of course, but I didn't know about it when I first saw Coolabra.'

  'You mean you were impressed from the air?' he sounded coolly amused.

  'If you like.' Her eyes widened on him with a faint dislike. 'You don't have to laugh! I don't suppose I'm your first visitor to be hit by something inexplicable when looking down from up there, but I'm sure every earthly paradise has its snags.'

  Softly he drawled, 'Don't look at me as though I'm the biggest one, Alex. If you say you fell in love with Coolabra at first sight, I'd be the last to disapprove, but don't get carried away by first impressions.

  Coolabra is too big to see all at once. There's more to it than meets the eye.'

  'Yes,' Miss Marshall smiled, with some pride, 'over five thousand square miles of it, and this is only one of our stations.'

  Ruby mentioned that Coolabra is part of a company,' said Alex.

  Chase is the company, dear,' his aunt rejoined mildly, but with obvious admiration. He runs everything.' When neither of her two listeners replied, she smiled at Alex again. 'How long have you known Ruby, Miss Latham?'

  'Alex works in the same office,' Chase explained before Alex could draw breath. 'They share the flat or have done since Miss Beck left.'

  'Ah, yes,' Miss Marshall was immediately diverted, 'that was an extraordinary affair, wasn't it? Imagine anyone being so swept off their feet!' she appealed to Alex when Chase made no comment. 'Don't you think it was extraordinary, dear, to fall for a man just like that?'

  'As Alex hasn't been in love yet, it's no use asking her.' Softly derisive, Chase stared at Alex, clearly waiting for her delicate flush.

  He wasn't disappointed and Alex hated his easy ability to disturb her. Indignantly she protested as she met his eyes, 'It doesn't stop me from using my imagination.'

  'Oh, I think you've plenty of that,' he countered mockingly, holding her eyes with his. 'But perhaps, like Miss Beck, you should be putting your dreams into practice. She must have discovered that life is really made for living. And one doesn't have to be in love.'

  Alex was thankful when tea was over, as she seemed to arouse Chase Marshall's disparagement at every turn. When he was called away she fancied even his aunt gave a small sigh of relief. 'Chase has too much to do,' the older woman said, as if seeking to excuse his abruptness. 'I'm always hoping that one day he'll meet some nice girl and settle down. I'm sure if he had a wife and family to keep him here, he'd be willing to delegate some of his work, in other parts of the country.' Doesn't he have a special girl-friend?' Ruby had hinted that there was one and Alex couldn't understand why her curiosity was driving her to ask again. It hadn't anything to do with her and she suspected Chase wouldn't be pleased if he were to discover his aunt had been discussing him like this. 'He had someone until recently,' Miss Marshall replied tartly. 'A film star, of all things. Not the kind of girl who would ever settle down here.'

  While Alex's heart dropped, she forced herself to go on, 'You never know. She might.' 'Well, whether she would or not doesn't arise, my dear. Chase has told me himself it's all over and has promised he'll try to find a more sensible girl.'

  ' Sensible girls are often considered dull,' Alex said dryly, somehow not able to see Chase with this kind of girl at all.

  She was startled, though, when Miss Marshall retorted, 'Exactly what he said, and he made it sound like a warning. However, nothing could be worse than Davina. Only I hope he hasn't left it too late.' 'Too late?' Chase was one of the most attractive men Alex had ever seen, and in the prime of life at thirty-six.

  Miss Marshall shrugged. 'I'm not really talking about age, dear. Women find him very attractive, but he seldom seems to take them seriously. Often I find myself wondering now if he ever will.' Later, during dinner, Alex felt her eyes wandering frequently in Chase's direction. She didn't know why she should find him so riveting as she was still sore from the frank remarks he had passed earlier. She wished she could forget them, but somehow she could not. These, added to those he had already made about her being malleable and boring, hurt. But perhaps it was just as well she knew his exact opinion of her. At least it would keep her from missing him when he left. A few unkind words might make an admirable barricade to hide behind when other, more heartshaking thoughts bombarded her too vulnerable senses.

  Chase sat at one end of the long gleaming dining table, his aunt at the other. Both wore an air of supreme confidence. Alex couldn't imagine anyone defying either of them and getting away with it. Miss Marshall talked a lot, a woman who clearly enjoyed having people around her. Her dress was smart and must have cost quite as much as Ruby's, her hair was exquisitely styled, but otherwise she made no attempt to disguise her age. Alex suspected she was in many ways an old fashioned woman, in so much that she would have high principles.

  Chase, as host, was charming; a little aloof yet missing nothing. When his eyes rested on her, Alex was glad she had managed to find time to buy a new dress herself before leaving Melbourne, and that the creamy georgette she wore this evening was more flattering than anything she had ever possessed. It moulded to her figure, and while the neckline was low it was still circumspect. She did wish, though, that Chase's eyes wouldn't return so frequently to the shadowed hollow between her half exposed breasts. It made her feel peculiar, in a way she wasn't sure she liked. She had a feeling that he deliberately meant to disturb her and didn't really mind how he went about it.

  Henry Brett, who was sitting beside Ruby, had arrived in time for dinner. After attending a meeting in Brisbane he had been held up. When he first arrived, he had certainly given every appearanc
e of being angry, but after he had talked with Ruby and met Alex his mood appeared to brighten. Alex felt cynically amused as Ruby repeated her name more often than was necessary, and Henry's face lightened with relief. For all this, Alex felt Ruby might have a lot more explaining to do later and couldn't feel altogether sorry for her. Mr Brett looked like a man who had recently come or been brought to his senses, and Alex couldn't help wondering what, or who, had been indirectly responsible.

  After dinner, when Henry asked if he could borrow a utility to take Ruby for a ride in the moonlight, Chase agreed genially. Half an hour afterwards Chase excused himself too, to go to the office, and Mrs Marshall went to speak to the housekeeper. Left on her own and feeling curiously lonely, Alex decided to have a short walk in the garden before going to bed. She didn't think she would sleep unless she got some fresh air.

  As she stepped from the house to the garden the night air, after the heat of the day, seemed wonderfully cool and fresh. Gratefully she took long deep breaths of it. She could see nothing of the moon Henry had mentioned, but the stars were huge above her head, much brighter, she was sure, than those in the south.

  With a sigh of contentment she choose a wide path which meandered around small groups of what seemed in the darkness to be shrubs. As she hadn't yet explored the garden or anywhere else, she thought she would be wiser not to go very far and risk getting lost.

  She hadn't been out more than ten minutes and was thinking of going back before she could be missed, when Chase came up behind her. Not really pleased to see him, she said quickly, 'I was just going in.'

  ' Surely not?' lazily he smiled at her. 'You've only been out a few minutes. I nearly suggested we went with Ruby and Henry, but we might have been de trop.'

  Looking up at him, Alex tried to see the harsh features above hers more clearly. 'You're awfully casual about it. Do you think he's really going to forgive her?'

  Again he smiled. 'Henry has apparently decided there's nothing much to forgive, but a little indiscretion, which you've put right simply by being here.'

  Incensed, Alex retorted fiercely, 'And you don't mind being part of this deception? What's it going to be called? The fooling — of Henry?'

  'You're awfully prickly of a sudden,' he drawled. Why the temper? Ruby might have intended to, but she never actually got around to doing anything. As far as I can see you haven't had to tell any lies. You told him you worked in the same office as Ruby and that seemed to satisfy him. I doubt if he'll ask you outright about the holiday you were supposed to be having together. He won't want to remind Ruby of it.

  'Unless I'm mistaken he'll be concentrating on a honeymoon.'

  'So if they come back engaged, I can go home?'

  'No, not yet. You're being too hasty.' Chase paused sardonically. 'He's not that daft. You have to be here to convince other people, but don't worry. It will all be done so deviously you won't be aware of anything happening. Henry's parents might want to meet you and there'll be a party or two, that's all.'

  ' Then they'll be married?'

  'I'll eat my hat, Alex, if they don't. It seems we've brought them both back to their senses, if by different routes.'

  'Do you always get your own way?' she asked sharply.

  If possible,' he said with unpardonable conceit. 'I'd like to know why you changed your mind about coming here. I'd like to think it came under the heading of getting my own way, too. It bothers me that I'm not so sure.'

  Uneasily, she glanced away from him. 'You're quite right. It had nothing to do with you personally but I can't explain.'

  'You might have to one day.'

  Diplomatically Alex let that pass. It was unlikely they would share anything in the future. His eyes were on her averted face. 'I'm curious, but I won't press you. You're clearly not ready to share your secrets with me yet.'

  Lightly she said, 'Other people's secrets can be disappointing.'

  'I agree, but I might enjoy yours.' His glance concentrated through the darkness, as the light wind lifted the soft golden hair, exposing her perfect profile, the beautiful lines of her head and throat. His voice roughened slightly, he said, I would like to know all about you, both mentally and physically.' She wasn't quite sure what he meant, but something inside her stirred uneasily, like an early warning system against invasion. 'Wouldn't you be afraid I might bore you?' she asked innocently. Chase laughed, so she couldn't be sure that he considered her question seriously. 'If I let you keep your secrets, and you allow me to keep mine, that needn't stop us from getting to know each other better.' 'What's the point, though?' A ferment of uncertainty inside her, she looked up at him. 'You're only staying two days and I'll soon be gone myself. I suppose we're like ships which pass in the night.' 'Even if we were to know each other only two hours, Alex, I would rather it was on a friendly footing. And plans can be changed. I come and go as I please.'

  Alex's voice was unsteady as she challenged him. 'You always leave a way out? You believe in playing safe.'

  His mocking smile held the hint of a threat. 'No, indeed I do not, but I suspect you do.' As she felt her cheeks grow warm, Alex was glad that the darkness must hide her quick flush. 'Isn't it wiser for a girl to play safe? Emotions can be messy things, from what I've seen' Firmly he replied, They can also provide us with a great deal of pleasure, if handled properly.' Greatly daring, she retorted. 'Being a man, I imagine, you always relate emotions with sex?' 'Why not?' Although his brows rose, his eyes held a glimmer of amusement. 'That can be very enjoyable as well, as I think you have yet to find out?'

  'I suppose so,' she replied frankly. 'I think it's better not to experiment before marriage. In spite of what you say I still believe that the problems might outweigh the pleasure.'

  Ironically he smiled. 'I wasn't advocating letting it all run riot, but keeping everything on too tight a rein can make for a very dull life and people.' 'Would you say I was dull?'

  'No.' He disregarded her slightly anxious indignation. 'You've a lot to learn, Alex Latham, but you've a lot to give. You can deny it until sun-up, but it's there in your eyes and mouth the perfect shape of you. A mouth gives a lot away, you know, and yours, I would be willing to bet, would be capable of giving more away than you bargained for.' 'Don't be ridiculous!' She stepped back sharply, angry rather than frightened. 'I don't even recognise the girl you're describing.'

  'Don't you?' he asked silkily.

  She moved quickly and stumbled, feeling she must get away from him. Automatically his hand shot out to steady her, and the warmth of her skin combined with the coldness of her voice must have woken a devil in him. Swiftly he caught her close to his hard, masculine body.

  While her heart raced. he said softly, 'I think it's high time you learnt a few things about yourself. If they aren't helped, sleeping beauties are apt to fall over their own feet.'

  'I don't want any lessons from you!' she gasped. Gently threatening, he brushed back some fine strands of golden hair which the wind had blown across her mouth. 'In situations like this I'm apt to concentrate on what I want, but I'd be surprised if we didn't both want the same thing.'

  His hand had made feathery movements against her lips. Now he lowered his dark head to touch his mouth to where his fingers had been.

  Caught off balance, she gasped and would have jerked back if his arm had given even a fraction. As she tried to escape his arms tightened, his mouth hardening, as if her resistance angered him, making him regret his gentle approach. Her heart pounded crazily as her lips moved helplessly under his and began to burn with a strange kind of fire.

  When his mouth eased she would have wrenched herself free, but he shook his head, his mouth parting in a slight smile as he watched the dazed disbelief in her eyes. 'Not yet.'

  Alex shivered and stiffened as his hand slid caressingly over her shoulders to her nape, to tangle in her soft thick hair. Gently he tugged her head back until the light from the stars shone directly into her shimmering, apprehensive eyes, illuminating her perfect satiny skin. She moane
d softly and he pressed his thumb under her chin so she had to look at him.

  Slowly he said, I suspected you were a little innocent, but I didn't know how much. I don't believe you've even been kissed properly before.'

  Fright overtook her as this invasion of her privacy seemed unbearable. For the first time a man was delving at her innermost secrets and she found she couldn't endure it. She had been kissed before, but not like this, it was true. At least no one had ever made her feel as she did now, her pulse racing, her senses, always so cool, on fire.

  'Please,' she whispered, not knowing how to fight him but aware she must. 'We're strangers! I don't have to answer questions like that.'

  'We could never be strangers after this,' said Chase a little angrily, his eyes on her own until she felt lost in his compelling gaze. 'Couldn't you stop worrying and relax? I'm not going to hurt you. I may have to one day, but not yet. Another kiss won't harm you, I promise you that.'

  'No…'

  Again he bent his head and found her lips. Again his mouth hardened more than it might have done as, once more, she tried to push him away. She felt his mouth punishing her futile endeavours to be free of him. He swept away her resistance, like the onslaught of a flood against which she had no means of saving herself. Yet she knew it wasn't so much Chase she wanted to escape as the blaze of excitement he was arousing inside her, an excitement which made her want to cling to him and forget all about tomorrow.

  When he released her, her mouth was throbbing and alive and she didn't want to leave him. She would have liked to have pressed her face against his, to have turned her burning lips against the coolness of his cheek. She had to draw breath several times, in tormented little jerks, before she could speak. 'Are you content now? You set out to frighten me.'