She should have realised that Adam was not the kind to be easily thwarted, for he swerved his horse towards her, and her horrified gasp was rudely stifled when his hard arm was latched about her waist, almost squeezing the breath from her lungs as he lifted her up in front of him on to the horse's back.
'This wasn't necessary,' she protested weakly. 'I'm not—'
'Shut up!' he growled in her ear. 'And relax, will you, or it's going to be an uncomfortable ride for both of us.'
Lisa did as she was told while Adam gestured Petrus on ahead with the child, and then, as Adam dug his heels into the horse's flanks, Lisa experienced for the first time the thrill of being seated on the back of such a powerful animal. It would have been a most enjoyable ride except for her intense awareness of the man seated behind her. His hard chest was against her shoulder, and his breath was warm against her cheek, but what disturbed her most was the touch of that warm, work-roughened hand against her bare flesh where she had ripped her blouse away. His touch seemed to scorch her, and while her blood began to flow more swiftly through her veins, her nerves were sending frantic little messages to her brain; messages that made no sense at that moment except to fill her with alarm.
Neither of them spoke during the short ride to the homestead, but pandemonium broke loose when they finally arrived at the house. Erica Vandeleur, Daisy and Kate seemed to bundle out of the kitchen door simultaneously, but it was the children's grandmother who spoke first.
'What happened?' she demanded, her anxious glance taking in Lisa's dishevelled appearance and Josh's dirty countenance as they were lifted off the horses.
'Get the children upstairs and into a bath while I do the explaining,' Adam ordered Lisa bluntly. 'I'll be up later to strap up that ankle of Josh's.'
With Daisy's help, Lisa managed to get the twins upstairs and into the bath. They were unnaturally subdued while Lisa and Daisy scrubbed them clean and put on their pyjamas, but when Adam walked into their room a half hour later, the twins went a definite shade paler. It was obvious that they expected some kind of retribution for their disobedience, but when none seemed to be forthcoming, Lisa suspected that Josh and Kate found Adam's silence just as frightening as she did.
Adam placed the first-aid box on the floor beside the bed and, after re-examining Josh's ankle very carefully, he applied an ointment to the affected area, and strapped it up expertly with a clean crepe bandage.
All this was done with surprising gentleness, and when he finally straightened, his eyes travelled with deliberate slowness over Lisa. It was then that she realised what a be-draggled mess she herself must be, and embarrassment sent a wave of colour surging up into her cheeks. His ruthless mouth twisted a little cynically and humorously as if he enjoyed her discomfiture, and then he was gone, leaving behind only the force of his personality which was frightening enough even in his absence.
Daisy, thankfully, took charge of the twins, and, alone in her bedroom a few moments later, Lisa took a capsule for the nagging pain in her hip, and stared at herself in the mirror with something akin to horror.
There was dust in her hair and a streak of dirt across her nose. Her denims were soiled and her blouse, or what was left of it, only just succeeded in covering her breasts. She looked a sight, she thought with a grimace, and while running her bath water, she stripped down to the skin and disposed of her dirty clothes.
The hot bath did wonders for her aching hip, but it did nothing for her nervousness at the confrontation which was yet to come between Adam Vandeleur and herself, and, as she wrapped a towel around her wet hair, she could almost hear that harsh voice of his dismissing her.
Dressed, later, in an old tweed skirt with a green, long-sleeved blouse, Lisa took a little time with her make-up before she brushed her fine, silky hair until it shone like gold. She looked cool and confident, she decided as she stared at her image in the mirror, but deep down inside she was afraid; afraid of facing Adam and afraid of what he would say.
A quick glance at her wristwatch told her that she could no longer prolong the inevitable and, squaring her slim shoulders, she went downstairs to find Erica Vandeleur already seated at the one end of the long oak table. She smiled warmly at Lisa, banishing a little of the chilliness about her heart, but heavy footsteps approaching the dining-room made Lisa's answering smile freeze on her lips.
As always, Adam's presence had a startling effect on her nervous system, but on this occasion her pulse rate quickened alarmingly when he walked into the room. She recalled the way she had lain weakly against his chest, and felt again the hard pressure of that tanned, muscular arm about her waist as she had felt it during that uncomfortable ride back to the homestead, and her cheeks flared hotly at the memory.
Adam, however, gave her nothing but a cursory glance as he pulled out his chair and sat down, and his silent, almost morose attitude during dinner shattered the remaining fragments of hope she had clung to so desperately.
Lisa tried to concentrate on her food, but she hardly knew what she was eating, so intensely aware was she of every movement Adam made, and of the muscles rippling beneath his clean white cotton shirt. His powerful body suggested a limitless strength and stamina that was awe-inspiring, and also a little frightening, but it was the unrelenting line of his jaw that troubled her most. Adam Vandeleur would not overlook this incident, and she was convinced that he took a cruel delight in stretching out the inevitable. She would be dismissed without a flicker of regret, and she was becoming more certain of this with every second that passed.
When Adam retired to his study after dinner, Lisa excused herself from the table and went up to her room. She paced the floor restlessly, expecting at any moment to be summoned to his study, but, as the hours passed, nothing happened, and she went to bed eventually, still nursing her anxiety.
Sleep evaded her, and the silent darkness made her increasingly aware of an inexplicable weight in her chest. Her breathing became laboured, her palms damp with perspiration as she lived again through the frightening experience of finding Josh at the bottom of the disused well, and suddenly she could not stand being cooped up in the confines of her room a minute longer. She needed a breath of fresh air, but more than that, she needed peace of mind. The latter would be a little difficult to obtain, but fresh air was no problem, and, slipping out of bed, she put on her gown and went downstairs, the soft mules on her feet making no sound as she crossed the spacious entrance hall with its antique furniture. The old grandfather clock ticked away the seconds as she fumbled in the darkness to unlock the front door, and moments later she stepped out on to the verandah to draw the cool, fresh night air deep into her tortured lungs.
The brilliance of the stars never ceased to fascinate her, and she tried, foolishly, to count them as she leaned against the wooden rails. The night was no longer silent, for the insects in the undergrowth loudly chorused their own particular brand of noise, but to Lisa, at that moment, it was like music, primitive and exciting. Shutting her mind to the turmoil of her thoughts, she lost herself in the scented darkness of her surroundings, at peace, for a time, until something alerted her to the realisation that she was not alone.
Rolf, the Alsatian, bounded up the steps and padded softly towards her to nudge her thigh fondly. They were no longer strangers to each other and, as Lisa's hand fondled the smooth head, she knew that Adam would not be far behind. Her body tensed when she picked up the faint aroma of cigarette smoke and, conscious suddenly of being dressed only in her night attire, she fled towards the door, but Adam emerged from the shadows at that precise moment to bar her way.
Tall and broad, he towered over her frighteningly, and she shrank from him instinctively until she felt the roughness of the wall digging into her back. She could not see his face, only the outline of his arrogant, proudly held head, but she felt his dark, penetrating gaze making use of the moonlight to take in every part of her now trembling body as she cowered against the wall.
'What the devil are you doing out here at t
his time of night?'
The deep, resonant timbre of his voice sent a peculiar little shiver along her nervous system, and she stammered like a child caught in the act of doing something unforgivable. 'I—I couldn't sleep, so I—I came out for a breath of—of fresh air.'
'Is your hip giving you trouble?'
'No.' He was so close to her now that she could detect the clean, fresh smell of the veld as it clung to him, and all at once her wary heart was beating in her throat. This was the moment she had dreaded, but, unable to stand the uncertainty a moment longer, she stumblingly brought matters to a head. 'I suppose that—that after what happened this afternoon you—you want me to leave Fairview.'
'Why should I want that?'
Was he mocking her? she wondered confusedly as she said: 'I should have guessed what the twins were planning, especially after hearing them discuss the well, and I should have been a little more observant, but instead I… was asleep.'
'It's impossible for anyone to keep a twenty-four-hour watch on the children, and you did warn them not to go near the well.'
Lisa's heart skipped a beat as she asked with breathless incredulity, 'Do you mean you—you don't blame me?'
A low rumble of unexpected laughter seemed to come from deep within his throat. 'You sound unconvinced.'
'Well, I—you weren't too keen to take me on in the first place,' she explained haltingly, totally confused and bewildered by his attitude. 'That's why I—I thought—'
'You thought I was waiting for an opportunity, like this one for instance, to send you packing?' he finished for her quietly.
'Something like that… yes,' she admitted, her cheeks growing hot.
He moved suddenly in the darkness, and then his hand was warm and rough against her cheek. The unexpectedness of it startled her into immobility and left her speechless as she felt his fingers against the scar above her left temple, then he deliberately explored the scar running from ear to chin. His touch on the raised, sensitive skin was electrifying, and there was a sudden clamouring in her body which she could not understand. She held her breath, too afraid to move, and then she was overwhelmed by the knowledge that here was one man who was obviously not repulsed by her scars in the least.
'Is that why you couldn't sleep? Because you thought I was going to send you away?'
He lowered his hand to his side as he spoke, but she was still under the spell of his touch. She stared up at him in a dazed fashion for several moments before she understood what he was referring to, and, colouring swiftly, she said lamely, 'I've grown very fond of the twins.'
'Not many women would have climbed down into the stench of an old well to sit with an injured child until help arrived, so forget what I said about being on probation.' There was just the slightest hint of praise in his voice, but it sent the blood flowing warmly through her veins as he added forcefully: 'You're staying.'
'Thank you,' she whispered unsteadily, making an effort to pull herself together. 'About that well…'
'The well will be sealed off properly this time,' he told her with his usual abruptness, and turned away from her, his attitude conveying his dismissal of her even before he spoke. 'Goodnight, Lisa.'
'Goodnight, Mr Vandeleur.'
Her voice had sounded prim, almost detached, but all she could think of as she arduously climbed the stairs up to her room was the sound of her name on Adam Vandeleur's lips. He had called her Lisa, probably without even realising it, but it had given her the strangest thrill of pleasure to hear him do so.
She was being ridiculous, she told herself sternly. It was relief at the discovery that she was not to be dismissed from his service that made her feel this way, but she felt again the rough warmth of his hand against her cool cheek, and it was the memory of that touch that finally made her go to sleep with a smile on her lips.
Josh's resilience was remarkable. Within less than a week after falling down that old Well, he was running about with as much enthusiasm as his sister. The nightmare incident was forgotten, and Lisa once again had her hands full trying to keep the twins in order.
'Don't let them tire you too much,' Erica Vandeleur warned when Lisa joined her for tea on the verandah one morning after one of those mad ball games on the lawn with Josh and Kate.
'I don't mind,' Lisa sighed, flushed and happy as she leaned back in the cane chair and sipped her tea. 'I enjoy the exercise, and it's done wonders for me despite being a little painful at times.'
'I've noticed you seem to be walking better,' the older woman observed, her warm glance taking in the small slenderness of the girl in the chair opposite her. 'Are you happy here with us, Lisa?'
'Oh, yes, very happy,' Lisa replied without hesitation.
'It's not as primitive, then, as you imagined it would be?'
Lisa almost choked on a mouthful of tea, and her cheeks reddened as she met Erica Vandeleur's humorous glance.
'I suppose you've heard from my Aunt Molly,' she observed weakly, and Mrs Vandeleur nodded laughingly.
'I had a letter from her a few days ago, and she was very concerned about you. She mentioned your doubts about living under such…' that teasing smile flashed again, '… primitive conditions.'
Lisa coloured again, but as she placed her empty cup in the tray she tried to explain.. 'I had no idea what it would be like to live on a sheep farm, and as I'd never done anything other than teach before, I very much doubted that I was capable of looking after two small children. I had very little confidence in myself at the time, and Adam—Mr Vandeleur,' she corrected herself hastily, 'had very little confidence in my suitability as well.'
Erica Vandeleur frowned. 'Adam no longer feels that way, I'm sure. Why, just the other day he said the children have never been as well-behaved as they have been since your arrival.'
The sun was suddenly brighter on that warm October morning, and a strange new happiness surged through her; a happiness that did odd things to her pulse rate and then left her wondering at the reason for it. Why should the slightest compliment from Adam make her feel as though she was walking on air? Most of the time he treated her as if she did not exist, while she…!
Lisa drew her breath in sharply, oblivious of the older woman's speculative glance. It was ridiculous and quite out of the question. She did not even like her employer. He was always so disturbingly frightening, and yet…
'You've gone quite pale, Lisa. Are you all right?'
At the sound of Erica Vandeleur's voice Lisa came to her senses, and, admonishing herself silently for her wild flight of fancy, she said: 'I'm quite all right, thank you, but I think I should go and see what the children are up to.'
Erica Vandeleur nodded silently, but Lisa could feel her anxious eyes following her as she went in search of Josh and Kate.
It took Lisa a considerable time to rid herself of the alarming thoughts which had taken shape in her mind that morning, and she had almost succeeded in forgetting the incident when a small flat parcel was brought up to her room before dinner that evening. The lilac wrapping gave her no indication as to the origin and contents of the parcel, but her hands were trembling when she finally lifted the lid of the flat box to find her name written boldly on a small envelope inside. She knew that handwriting; she had seen it on the cheque Adam had given her at the end of the previous month, and her heart began to thud uncomfortably as she extracted the card.
Accept this as a replacement for the one you were forced to discard. A.V.
Lisa knew at once what it was and, lifting the tissue paper, she encountered a blouse made of the finest, most exquisite silk, with its wide collar embroidered in satin, and its long sleeves gathered in at the cuffs.
Touched by this gesture from a man whom she knew could be gentle, as well as a hard, unfeeling brute, she allowed herself the luxury of holding the blouse up against her while she admired herself in the mirror. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, and the desire to try it on was very strong, but she could not accept it, she realised a little sadly
as she returned it carefully to its box. Her fingers caressed the material lovingly, almost longingly, but her soft mouth became set with determination as she went downstairs to join Adam and his mother at the dinner table.
CHAPTER SIX
Lisa was a little nervous at the dinner table that evening, but the meal progressed in the usual manner with Adam saying very little, except to answer his mother's occasional queries, and Lisa began to wonder just why she had imagined he would behave differently. In no way did he give any indication that he had had anything to do with that beautiful gift which she had left on her bed in readiness to return to him, and, if it was not for the note addressed to her in his own handwriting, she would seriously have doubted his involvement.
Adam did not stay to have coffee on the verandah with Lisa and his mother, but excused himself and went through to his study and, when Mrs Vandeleur finally went up to her room, Lisa decided to risk Adam's wrath. His study was forbidden territory when he was there, she had learnt, but Lisa felt certain that the circumstances warranted this interruption.
With her nerves tightening into a knot at the pit of her stomach, she knocked on the study door a few seconds later and, at his abrupt command, she went in and closed the door softly behind her. Adam's pen halted its progress across the sheet of paper in front of him, and there was a faint look of surprise on his face when he looked up, but then his eyes seemed to burn right through her with an intensity that made her flinch inwardly.
She expected a ruthless reprimand, but when he merely continued to stare at her in that silent, brooding fashion, she asked hesitantly, 'May I—speak to—to you for a moment, please?'
'Is it important?' he barked, his heavy eyebrows drawing together in a frown.
'It is to me, yes.'
He did not invite her to sit down, and she stood with her hands clutched tightly behind her back, shifting her weight uncomfortably from one foot to the other as he snapped, 'Go ahead, then.'
Summer of the Weeping Rain Page 7
