Lisa ignored his authoritative tone, and tried not to see the anxiety in his eyes. She had set her mind on this way to tackle Yusuf ben Dacra now, and it would take a lot to swerve her from her course. Her hands clasped together in front of her, she mused on her chances of getting aboard the Djenoun without being seen.
'He said he was sailing either tomorrow or the day after/ she said. 'I should have to try both days to make sure I got the right one/
'No, Lisa!' Geoffrey gripped her hands tightly, and his eyes had a desperate look, as if he realised he could not win but felt bound to try. 'I'll have to ■
'You don't have to do anything/ Lisa told him with a touch of impatience. 'Just stand by with the others in case he turns down the warning out of hand—as I suspect he will,' she added.
'Oh, Lisa!'
She could not help feeling sorry for making him look so unhappy, but it did not make her consider changing her mind. It was the best way of getting to Yusuf ben Dacra and she meant to try; in fact the idea of seeing the craft he obviously set such store by, was quite exciting when she considered it further. She took Geoffrey's hands in hers and spoke quietly and confidently, even though her heart was hammering hard at her ribs, and there was a bright gleam of anticipation in her eyes.
'It's very simple, Geoffrey. I get aboard his yacht, and I'm not fooling myself that that won't be the most difficult part, then I simply come out of hiding the moment he comes aboard, and tell him what I have to about our plans for stopping him destroying Zobi—then I walk ashore.'
'Lisa, Lisa, you make it sound so easy '
There's no doubt it will be difficult, but it isn't impossible, and I'm going to try.'
Geoffrey was shaking his head and there was a look in his eyes that brought warmth to her cheeks, for she had caught glimpses of it once or twice lately and it disturbed her without her being quite sure why. Folding her hands between his, he looked at her earnestly.
'I wish I had the right to be more firm with you/ he said, and pressed her fingers tightly. 'You're as headstrong as you are lovely, my dear, and it's a very dangerous combination.' He bent his head for just a second and brushed her finger-tips lightly with his lips. 'Please be careful,' he begged.
'Of course I will!'
Lisa thought she caught sight of something in his eyes for a moment that was more than he intended her to see, and her heart leaped alarmingly. She liked Geoffrey, but she wasn't in love with him and she would rather he did not fall in love with her at the moment. That look in his eyes suggested it would be all too easy to hurt him, and she hated the idea of doing that. Gently disengaging her hands, she smiled across at him, keeping her voice determinedly light.
'Don't worry, Geoffrey!' Her laughter was a little unsteady and she tossed back her hair in a gesture that was more anxious than defiant. 'After all, what can he do to me other than have me put ashore with a flea in my ear?'
Geoffrey was shaking his head slowly, and his grey eyes had a dark, unhappy look that she carefully avoided. That's what worries me most,' he said.
CHAPTER THREE
Lisa had never considered herself to be a nervous type, and yet the idea of coming face to face with Yusuf ben Dacra again and in these particular circumstances made her alarmingly jittery. Finding his yacht, Djenoun, had not been difficult even in Casablanca's crowded harbour, but getting aboard her as easily as she had, Lisa realised, was sheer fluke.
As far as she could tell when she eventually found the Djenoun's berth, the only person on board her was a single crewman, and she spent a full ten minutes watching and waiting to see if anyone else appeared. No one did and all she saw was the one young man leaning on the rail and looking faintly bored. He might have noticed her there, but before he had time to take more serious interest, someone hailed him from a passing boat and he hurried eagerly across to the other side to exchange greetings, leaving the coast clear.
Quick to grasp the opportunity, Lisa had slipped aboard, holding her breath in case her reading of the situation had been at fault and someone else was below deck. The accommodation was sumptuous down there, and she spent a few minutes opening doors and looking for a likely place to conceal herself until Yusuf ben Dacra came aboard.
A large galley and several smallish cabins she dismissed as unsuitable, but she was struck immediately by the possibilities of a large and luxurious salon amidships. It had all the luxury and extravagance of a Moroccan palace and it struck her as the kind of setting that would fit Yusuf ben Dacra like a glove.
The rich red medallions of a Rabat carpet with its traditional floral borders harmonised perfectly with dark antique furniture, and even the exquisite grace of Moorish arches had been reproduced so that lacy filigree patterns caught reflected sunlight from the water through wide square windows. The walls were white, and long bench-like seats upholstered in bright fabrics provided seating, as well as more conventional chairs.
An ornately decorated folding screen fronted by potted palms concealed a section of the room evidently set apart for letter-writing, or perhaps Yusuf ben Dacra never fully let go of business affairs and he needed somewhere to work, even here. Immediately below a window was a small antique desk and a matching chair and, apart from one thing, the little private section of the room made an ideal place to conceal herself.
The window was a drawback, for she could be seen by anyone passing along the deck, and she was anxious not to be seen until the moment was right. In the circumstances Lisa settled for the rather cramped cover of the folding screen where its leaves zig-zagged into slightly deeper folds at the window end, and resigned herself to waiting with as much patience as she could.
She was tense with anticipation and shivering with mingled anxiety and excitement, and it was only a matter of minutes before she decided that this kind of activity was not really in her line at all. She was not cut out for this cloak-and-dagger secrecy and, had it not been much too late, she would have renounced her interest in the Zobi project and left it to the more militant members of the group.
So far it had been very quiet, but then she caught the sound of men's voices somewhere, and the sound of laughter followed by the padding of feet on the linoleum-covered floor of the passage outside. Then, just when she had steeled herself for activity, it became quiet once
£2 CLOSE TO THF HEART
more and she let out her breath, with her hands to her mouth to smother the sound it made.
It must have been another fifteen or twenty minutes before she heard another, slightly louder voice, and when she heard it her heart gave a sudden jolt of anticipation. She heard it again a few seconds later and it sounded to be immediately outside the door, then the unmistakable sound of the door opening made her catch her breath. It closed again and a firm tread crossed the salon, and she knew without a moment's hesitation that Yusuf ben Dacra was just the other side of the screen. It was what she had waited for, and yet as she crouched there in the folds of the screen she had the wild inclination to run.
The remembered scent of that expensive French aftershave tickled her nose pleasantly, and her heart was banging away at her ribs with the force of a sledgehammer, making her as jumpy as a kitten. Her legs were so weak that she doubted if she could have moved even had her life depended on it, and she fervently wished she had taken Geoffrey's advice and not come.
It might have been some unconscious betrayal of movement on her part, or some animal instinct of self-preservation in Yusufs make-up that warned him, she would never know. But the folds of the light screen were flattened together suddenly with a series of sharp clacking sounds, followed immediately by hard fingers closing firmly about Lisa's left arm, and she was jerked out into the open so swiftly that she stumbled and would have fallen if he had not been holding her so tightly.
'Mon dieu!'
He kept his hold on her and it was hard to believe that just for a second or two he was more startled than she was. Lisa got the stunning impression of an overwhelmingly masculine presence, and of grey slacks and
a cream shirt that showed the smooth darkness of his body
through its texture, and it brought a shivering and uncontrollable response from her senses. Then very deliberately he ran his eyes over her trim figure in white slacks and a pale blue shirt, and Lisa shook her head slowly without having the slightest idea what it was she sought to deny.
'So, Miss Pelham, you have once more managed to force your way in to my presence uninvited!' His arrogance was overwhelming and for the moment Lisa simply looked uncertain, then he released her to take a cigarette and light it. 'Have you no respect at all for the privacy of others?'
Rubbing one hand over the arm he had gripped so tightly, Lisa despaired of him ever seeing her as other than a nuisance. There was a stern, fierce look about his features that discouraged her, and she resented his air of reserve that kept her at arm's length. Most men of her acquaintance were all too ready and willing to flatter and try to please her, but not so this man.
'It was essential that I see you,' she told him, but was irritated by the fact that an unmistakable quaver in her voice gave a quite erroneous impression of meekness. 'I've tried all the conventional ways and failed, so I had to think of some other way.'
'So you chose instead to invade my privacy once more!'
'Would you have seen me if I'd asked for an appointment?' Lisa challenged. 'You know you wouldn't—I've already tried that!'
'But you knew from your—listening in that I would be here today,' he said, and his eyes condemned her for making use of what she had overheard in the restaurant yesterday. Tell me, Miss Pelham, do you make a habit of listening to private conversations with the intention of making use of what you hear?'
It was impossible to deny that in this instance she had
done exactly as he said, and the colour in her cheeks confirmed it, but his obvious contempt was very hard to take. She had not expected to feel guilty about what she was doing, and she did not altogether understand her own need to justify herself to him.
'You don't understand how important this is/ she said. 'I don't normally behave like this, but in this instance— well, I just happened to overhear something and took advantage of it because I saw no other way open to me/
His dark eyes were narrowed, keen and sharp and waiting to pounce, like a cat with a mouse. 'I wonder, Miss Pelham/ he said in a dangerously soft voice, 'if your father is aware of your activities. In his position '
The unfinished sentence hung like a threat in the air, and Lisa's scalp tingled warningly when she considered its implication. She recalled how interested Yusuf had seemed in the identity of her father, and for the first time it occurred to her that her activities with the group could present a threat to more than Geoffrey's career. Her father's standing with the Moroccan government was very good at the moment, but that unfinished sentence reminded her that this man wielded a great deal of influence, and a complaint about her militant approach could well prove damaging to that good opinion.
'My father knows nothing about this/ she told him, and the very genuine look of anxiety in her eyes must surely have convinced him that she spoke the truth.
But he allowed her to suffer her full share of uncertainty for several moments before he replied. 'I accept that,' he told her eventually. 'I know John Pelham to be an honest and intelligent man, unlikely to condone such behaviour in his daughter if he knew of it.'
'He doesn't even know I belong to the group/ Lisa hastened to strengthen his belief. 'I doubt if he's even heard of Balek!'
'Balek!' He repeated it with such obvious derision that Lisa almost squirmed with embarrassment. 'Is that what all this is about? Is it simply to draw attention to yourself that you tricked your way into my father's house, and now on board the Djenoun? Are you so anxious to be noticed, mademoiselle, that you resort to any means?'
'No, of course not!■
'Of course not!' He echoed her denial, sweeping his gaze over her flushed and angry face. 'You have no need to resort to such measures, I am sure. Miss Pelham. You must have all the admirers you desire, therefore it is harder for me to imagine the reason for your incredible rashness; for your determination to bring yourself to my notice whether or not I wish to notice you.'
It was not only anger, Lisa realised, that brought the colour to her cheeks and roused the thudding urgency of her pulse to almost deafening force. Obviously he recognised her as more than ordinarily pretty, as most men did, but unlike most men, he made it clear that he was quite unaffected by it, and indeed derided her own awareness of it.
'Please believe me, Mr ben Dacra,' she said, determinedly controlling her voice, 'there is absolutely nothing personal about why I'm here. It's something much more—much more important/
She no longer sounded meek, and for a second or two she believed she had at least aroused his curiosity. But he was not a patient man, that was obvious, and if she did not come to the point quickly he was quite likely to have her bundled ashore by his crew, having achieved no more than on that first occasion. It was something she could not let happen; not now she had gone to so much trouble to pin him down.
But something was happening that for a moment made her forget all about the group and the warning she had
been so intent upon delivering. She stared at him for a second or two, not daring to believe it was true, but forced eventually to accept the fact that, while she had been confronting Yusuf ben Dacra, the crew of his yacht had been going about their routine jobs, quite unaware that they had an extra passenger aboard.
'We're moving!' She turned on him accusingly, in a sudden welter of panic. The boat's moving! You must stop it; tell them to turn back!'
His acceptance of the situation unnerved her for a moment, for he drew deeply on the long black Kebir between his lips and narrowed his eyes speculatively behind the drifting smoke from it. 'Of course we are moving, Miss Pelham, I gave the order to sail when I came aboard and my crew have done as I instructed/
Lisa looked past him to the window that showed tall masts against a cloudless blue sky, sliding slowly past as the Djenoun made her way out of Casablanca harbour. Under her feet the carpeted floor vibrated gently with the power of the engines, and to Lisa it was clear that she had been caught in her own trap. She could see little to suggest compassion in the dark features of the man facing her.
'I didn't expect you to sail so soon/
He must have noticed the slight tremor in her voice, and his eyes gleamed as if with satisfaction. 'I did not expect to find you aboard, mademoiselle* he told her, apparently unconcerned at her plight. 'Not that you could expect me to delay sailing in any case, while you harangued me about some matter that you have so far been very mysterious about/
Looking around at the sumptuous Arabian Nights setting, Lisa felt curiously unafraid, not at all as she would have expected to feel in such circumstances. She had, after all, got Yusuf ben Dacra's undivided attention for
the moment, and she could only take advantage of the situation as she saw it.
'It doesn't matter/ she decided, grasping her opportunity while it was still there, but one look at his face suggested she was being over-optimistic.
Technically you are a stowaway/ Yusuf informed her with every appearance of being serious. 'I am within my rights to have you put in irons or the equivalent, Miss Pelham. Do not become too sure of yourself—it does matter, believe me I'
Lisa eyed him warily. Not so certain now, but not completely deterred either, and looking him in the eye with a confidence she was far from feeling. 'You're on your way to Zobi, aren't you ?'
'So much you learned from listening to my conversation/ he reminded her. 'I see no reason to enlighten you further/
'Because you're ashamed of what you're going to do?'
His eyes narrowed and he looked as if he held his temper only with difficulty. 'I have nothing to be ashamed oi,' he informed her in a tight firm voice. 'And I repeat, Miss Pelham, my plans are of no concern to you/
They're very much my concern if you insist on destroy
ing Zobi to make way for your wretched hotel!' Lisa insisted in a quick breathless voice; for it was now or never, she realised. Tour plans are the concern of every right thinking human being when they involve something as callous and ruthless as what you're proposing to do at Zobi!' She warmed to her theme rapidly and her courage rose on a par with her emotional enthusiasm. The whole world should know what you mean to do at Zobi!'
She had his attention, she realised a little dizzily, but he was so maddeningly self-controlled, even though his
eyes burned fiercely as he watched her. And the fact that he could so successfully contain his emotions when she was so obviously incapable of doing the same, almost made her hate him.
'I have reason to believe that most of the world does know about it/ Yusuf remarked coolly. 'Although I doubt whether it has aroused such fervent interest in anyone else. Also/ he went on when she showed signs of continuing her tirade against him, 'I think I should point out that your own situation could quite easily become much less comfortable if you continue in your present vein, Miss Pelham/
Lisa was shaking like a leaf and it startled her to realise that it was not simply anger that caused it. Somehow crossing swords with this man could be incredibly exciting, no matter how dangerous it might be eventually. 'You don't frighten me, Mr ben Dacra/ she told him. 'I belong to a group of people who care more for humanity than they do for getting rich, and we mean to stop you from destroying Zobi merely to make a profit! If you vandalise those village houses to make way for your luxury hotel, you can expect trouble from us, that's a promise! We've no intention of allowing it!'
'You dare to threaten me?'
'We dare, Mr ben Dacra, because we believe it's important !'
'You are a pack of fools who know nothing about the facts!' His dark eyes glowed blackly and Lisa shivered as they rested immovably on her. 'As for you, mademoiselle —you are insolent and hot-headed and I will hear no more of your wild threats! Give me one good reason why I should not have you put into close confinement at this very moment!'
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