by Ria
The dense, lush greenery along the coastal drive was relieved with vivid splashes of
colour from flowering poin- settia, bougainvillaea and hibiscus. Golden shower
ranked among the indigenous trees and drooped down almost to the road in some
places, like a bridal bouquet. It was exotic, and breathtakingly beautiful; a sub-
tropical paradise in Southern Africa.
They had spent an enjoyable day, ending with a hilarious trip up a lagoon in a
rowing boat, but somehow Janey could not forget the unexpected meeting on the
beach with Rudolph Brink. Why should he single her out for attention when he
usually held himself aloof from everyone else?
Her heart skipped a beat when she caught a brief glimpse of him at dinner that
evening, and she was reluctant to join Alison in the entertainment hall where the
band was in full swing, luring everyone who cared to dance.
Janey chose again the seat behind the rubber plant, and, for a time, they sat and
watched the dancers swaying to the enticing rhythm of the music. Her pulse began to
beat in unison and finally surpassed the steady beat of the drummer, every nerve in
her body suddenly alert and quivering.
She shifted her glance carefully and her heart leapt violently when she saw
Rudolph Brink leaning nonchalantly against the bar counter. He was looking directly
at her and she felt again the power of his glance, and the helpless fluttering of her
heart like a moth succumbing to the lure of a flame. This awareness of someone who
was a complete stranger was incredible and frightening, and yet so achingly familiar.
It was shattering to discover just how strongly his image had been instilled into her
memory. She knew the way his coppery hair grew thick and strong, combed back
over his well-shaped head and trimmed short and neat on his neck. Those heavy-
lidded eyes with the thick lashes gave the impression of laziness, but it was de-
ceptive, for underneath that casual exterior there lurked a fountain of energy. The
aquiline nose, the square chin with the noticeable cleft, and the firm mouth spoke of
harshness, yet there was a gentleness* in the outer curves of his lips.
How did she know this? How could she be sure? She shivered and clutched at the
arms of the cane chair, unable to wrench her eyes from his dynamic presence.
'What's the matter, Janey?' Alison interrupted her thoughts. 'You've gone absolutely
white.'
'He's there again,' she breathed, her voice husky with emotion.
'Who?' Alison asked, leaning closer with concern.
'That Brink man.'
'Janey, he's always there in the evenings, propping up the bar counter. He never
seems to drink much, but he watches for a while and then disappears.'
It did not appear to Janey as if Rudolph Brink was in any hurry to disappear that
evening. He sipped at his drink in a leisurely fashion and smiled at her. It was a smile
she found herself acknowledging without intending to, almost as if she could not help
herself. It was infuriating the way he appeared to control her actions.
The band started playing an old-fashioned waltz and, to her horror., she saw him
empty his glass and walk towards her.
'Alison, he—he's coming this way!'
'Don't panic, he's most probably going out on to the terrace,' Alison tried to calm
her. 'Pretend you don't see him, because——'
She bit off her words and stared dumbfounded as all six foot two of him suddenly
stood in front of Janey.
'Good evening, Janey,' he murmured, bowing slightly. 'I never introduced myself
this morning. My name is Rudolph Brink. I watched you last night, and I've been
watching you this evening. You don't seem to be dancing much.'
'No, I... I'm not a very good dancer.'
'Will you dance this one with me?'
'Well ...' She swallowed convulsively. 'Thank you, I'd like to.'
She caught Alison's wide-eyed glance and tried to smile reassuringly as he led her
on to the dance floor. He had never touched her before, but when his arm slipped
about her waist and they began to move in time to the music, she had the peculiar
feeling that she had known his touch—in some other life, perhaps? She shivered
inwardly at the trend of her thoughts.
'I thought for a moment that you'd run away again the way you did this morning.'
There was a touch of mockery in the deep silk of his voice just above her ear. .
'I wasn't running away,' she argued, not daring to look up into those disturbingly
penetrating eyes.
'I won't argue with you,' he said shortly. 'I heard your friend call you Janey. Janey
who?'
'Janey de Waal.'
He murmured something unintelligible but continued to move with a perfect grace,
guiding her firmly across the floor and leading her into a few intricate steps which
she found remarkably easy to follow.
'Have you been here before, Janey?'
'No, this is the first time.' Her fingers trembled nervously against the expensive
cloth of his dark suit, and as she raised her glance she caught the full impact of his
compelling gaze. It paralysed her conscious mind and she found herself relaying
information which she considered none of his business. 'My friend Alison and her
parents have been here often, but this year Alison invited me to come along. We start
teaching as soon as the schools re-open after the summer holidays, and this is sort of
a celebration holiday after leaving college.'
'Ah, so you're fresh from college,' he smiled briefly. 'Will you be teaching Primary
or High school?'
'Primary.'
The music had ended and, finding herself standing with his arm about her waist,
Janey made as if to return to her chair, but his arm tightened about her instantly.
'Don't go yet, the band is starting up again,' he whispered, drawing her closer, his
arm disturbingly warm about her waist.
Dancing with Rudolph Brink was like drifting on a cloud of enchantment. She had
no recollection of how long she floated about in his arms, except that, when the lights
were eventually dimmed, his chin was against her temple, his breath stirring her hair,
and his nearness stirring her senses.
'It's hot in here,' he said at last. 'Shall we go for a walk along the beach?'
'I—I don't think '
'Scared?' he challenged mockingly, and she drew her breath in sharply.
'Of course not!'
His smile deepened, almost as if he could hear the frightened hammering of her
heart. 'Will it make you happy if I formally ask the permission of Mr and Mrs
Peters?'
'No, that's not necessary.'
'Shall we go, then?'
The air was warm and scented as they walked through the garden and took the path
down to the beach. His hand was firm beneath her elbow, sending a current of
awareness along her nerves that made her trip several times before they reached their
destination. He led her across a stretch of beach where the sand was firm beneath
their feet, but he made no effort to speak and Janey became tense with nerves.
'Have you ever walked on the beach in the moonlight?' he asked eventually,
breaking the peculiar silence that lingered between them.
'No.'
'It's quite an experience,' he remarked, taking her by the should
ers and turning her
to face the ocean. 'The moon reflects its silvery glow on the sea, changing it into a
mysterious living object that lies there breathing ... waiting.'
'Are you trying to frighten me?' she laughed shakily, throbbingly aware of his
hands against the smoothness of her shoulders, and the firmness of his broad chest
against her back.
'No, Janey, I'm merely trying to point out that the sea can be treacherous at night as
well as beautiful.'
My heart can be just as treacherous, she thought as his hands moved caressingly
against her skin. His breath was warm against her cheek, and she lowered her lashes,
shutting out the dancing stars and the diamond-studded sea. What was this power he
had over her, and what were these strange emotions clamouring in her breast? „ 'I've
lived all my life in Cape Town, except when I was away at college, and I love to
watch the sea in all its moods,' she explained, striving to maintain a casualness in her
voice which she was far from experiencing. 'It's never frightened me, but I do have a
healthy respect for it.'
'Tell me about yourself,' he commanded, releasing her to
continue their walk along the shore.
'There's nothing to tell, except that both my parents are still alive and living in Cape
Town. I was fortunate enough to get a post close to home so that I can continue to
live with them.' Her heart was beating in her throat. 'Mr Brink '
'Rudolph. Call me Rudolph.'
^Rudolph,' she echoed, avoiding his penetrating glance in the darkness. 'My friend
tells me you rarely mix with the other guests. If the fact that I haven't taken part in
the dancing activities has concerned you, then please don't feel sorry for me. I assure
you I'm quite happy just to sit and watch.'
He came to an abrupt halt, turning her almost roughly to face him. 'I don't feel sorry
for you, Janey.'
'Perhaps that's so,' she persisted, pinning her eyes to the pearl buttons on his white
shirt front, 'but for some strange reason you feel you have to entertain me.'
'I've never yet gone out of my way to entertain anyone,' he said with some
impatience, a harshness in his voice that brought inexplicable tears to her eyes.
'Janey, let's get something straight here and now. I never do anything that I don't want
to do, and I never do anything out of pity. Don't give me credit for tender-hearted
feelings which I don't possess.'
Jenny gestured nervously. 'I'm sorry, but I had to make sure.'
'Look at me,' he instructed, taking her face between his hands and forcing her to
meet his grave glance. His eyes appeared to glitter in the moonlight, delving deep
into her soul to find the answer to his queries. It was a shattering experience that left
her weak and trembling, like a small bird with clipped wings, pulsating in the palm
of his hand and completely at his mercy. 'Something happened between us last night,
this morning on the beach, and again this
evening. I can't explain it, but I know you felt something as well.'
'Rudolph, I-'
'Don't deny it, Janey,' he interrupted, his voice like a warm caress enfolding her.
'From the moment our eyes met last night there's been a strange bond between us.
You know this is true, so let's give ourselves time to discover; what it is.'
'I know that what you say is true, but I'm frightened,' she admitted tremulously
after a brief silence that throbbed between them.
'Do I frighten you?*
'No, not entirely, but I've never experienced anything like this before. I'm just an
ordinary girl, and not very attractive. Things like this just don't happen to someone
like me.'
'Don't underestimate your beauty and belittle yourself in this way,' he murmured
softly, slipping his hands into her hair. There was no escaping from this
unexpected force that was sapping her strength and controlling every breath she
took. 'Janey, I'm going to kiss you.'
She stood perfectly still as his lips took possession of hers, her heart pounding
out a rhythm so primitive that the blood leapt through her veins like a wild animal
with the smell of danger in its nostrils. It was an earth-shattering experience to
discover the extent of her own emotions. He was a stranger, and yet his lingering
kiss was so tantalisingly familiar, as though she had waited all her life for just this
moment and had known secretly that it would be like this.
'I knew that it would be like this,' he echoed her thoughts as he raised his head.
'We have something, Janey. Let's treat it gently.'
She could never recall-afterwards that walk back to the hotel beneath die star-
studded sky, but as they reached the
steps leading on to the terrace, he drew her into the shadows of the palm tree.
'Before we go in I must ask you not to take fright and disappear out of my life,' he
said, gripping her hands with an urgency that filled her with the impulsive desire to
fling herself into his arms.
‘I’ll be here tomorrow, and for the next two weeks,' she assured him, surprised at
how calm her voice sounded to her own ears.
Rudolph raised her hand and pressed his lips to the fine network of veins at her
wrist. His touch was like fire spreading along her nerves, and she drew her breath in
sharply.
'Goodnight, Janey.'
He released her and, without a word, she slipped away from him and went up to the
room she shared with Alison. Away from his disturbing influence and in complete
control of her emotions, it seemed as though her experience had been a part of a
dream conjured up by her imagination. Yet she could still feel the touch of his lips
against her own, and on the soft skin at her wrist. It was true, it had happened, but the
message her heart was conveying was too impossible to accept.
'Hello, I was beginning to wonder whether you'd got lost,' Alison remarked, raising
herself in bed on one elbow, and taking in the flush on Janey's cheeks. 'It's past
eleven.'
'I was with Rudolph.'
'Oh, so it's Rudolph, is it?' Her tone was light and teasing.
'Alison, don't,' Janey begged, lowering herself on to the bed and pushing her fingers
through hair already ruffled by Rudolph's strong hands. 'I'm a little confused and out
of my depth.'
Alison was wide awake now, her concern for her friend driving all thought of sleep
from her mind.
'Be careful, Janey,' she warned gently. 'Make very sure before you do something
rash and jeopardise your entire life. I know you're usually the careful sort, ,but
Rudolph Brink has obviously succeeded in sweeping you off your feet, and, when
that happens to a girl, rationalising is dropped by the wayside.'
Alison's concern was not unusual. At times Janey had the impression that her friend
had adopted a protective attitude towards her, while remaining completely uncaring
about her own welfare.
'Don't worry unnecessarily about me,' Janey assured her warmly. 'I don't intend to
rush blindly into whatever situation might arise, and neither does he.'
Alison was tactful enough riot to persist, but Janey was aware of the questions
hovering on her lips; questions which Janey could find no answer for in her own
mind. Was it merely a
physical attraction, or was there something more to this odd
awakening of her soul? Was Rudolph Brink just as confused as she was at that
moment, or did he know the reason for this growing awareness between them
?CHAPTER TWO
AT breakfast the next morning, Rudolph made his way across to their table
to join them for coffee. The eyes of several women had followed that lean,
muscular figure, Janey noticed, her heart leaping wildly as he drew up a
chair and sat down beside her.
'Do I have your permission to take Janey on a sightseeing trip to Durban
for the day?’ he asked Alison's parents without preamble.
'I have no objections if Janey wants to go with you,' Mr Peters agreed,
glancing questioningly at Janey whose cheeks were flaming with
embarrassment.
'Will you come with me, Janey?' Rudolph asked, and, as she raised her
eyes to his, she felt their impact like a swift blow to the heart.
'If you really want me to come with you, then I will. Thank you.'
'I told you last night that I never do anything I don't want to do.' His eyes
mocked her for her hesitant acceptance. 'I shall wait for you on the terrace.
Come down as soon as you're ready.'
During that brief interchange Janey was aware of the worried frown which
had settled on Alison's brow, while her parents were clearly taken aback by
the fact that Rudolph Brink had suddenly decided to discard his aloofness.
'Do you think it's wise of you to accept this invitation of his?' Alison asked
after Rudolph had left the dining-room.
'Alison, my dear,' Mrs Peters intervened swiftly, 'what harm can there be in
Janey spending the day with Mr Brink? He's one of the most respected
patrons of this hotel,
and I’m sure Janey will be perfectly safe with him.* 'Yes, but
'
'Stop worrying, Alison,' Janey interrupted this time, with a certain amount
of amusement. 'I can take care of myself.'
Alison stared hard at her for some time before saying, 'You may be twenty-
one, but you're terribly naive where men are concerned, and that's what
troubles me most. I wouldn't want you to get hurt.'
Janey appreciated her concern, for she had to admit that Alison had spoken
the truth. Her experience of men had been limited to casual friendships that
had meant little or nothing to her.
Was she being terribly naive? she wondered distractedly when she was
