Antarctic Affair

by Louise Rose-Innes

  Georgina laid her head back against the headboard. “On deck?” she repeated weakly. “I don’t know if I can make it.”

  “Sure you can. I’ll help you. Let’s just get one of these down your throat.” Amy busied herself in getting a glass of water and handed it to Georgina.

  She took the pill and with Amy’s help struggled out of bed and up on deck. Amy was right. She felt better almost immediately. The fresh sea air revitalised her and after about ten minutes her stomach settled right down.

  “Thank you,” Georgina said gratefully. “I thought I might have to stay in my cabin for the duration.”

  Amy laughed. “No problem.”

  The two women chatted for a while and when Georgina was ready they ventured into the dining room. Dinner was almost finished, but Amy said she’d already eaten and Georgina had no stomach for food just yet. She did however want a word with Taj Andrews. She wondered if Don had had a chance to talk to him yet. She decided to find out.

  Taj was lounging at a table talking to Amy’s husband Claude. He looked up as Georgina and Amy approached. “Joining us, ladies?”

  “I hope we’re not interrupting,” Georgina asked casually.

  “Not at all,” Claude shifted up to let his wife sit next to him.

  Georgina remembered meeting Claude at the welcome reception back in Santiago. He’d been introduced to her as Dr. Flores. He was a prominent marine biologist. He spoke with a very faint French accent, which Georgina found quite appealing. He was quiet and soft spoken, the quintessential intellectual, while his wife Amy was more of a social butterfly. She knew almost everyone on board and had clearly taken Georgina under her wing.

  “You feeling better?” enquired Taj. She nodded. “Yes, thanks to Amy here and her magic pills.”

  “Told you it wouldn’t last long,” Amy smiled at her. She turned to her husband.

  “So what were you boys discussing?”

  “Amphipods” said Taj.

  At Georgina’s blank stare Claude explained, “The Antarctic amphipod is a crustacean endemic to the Antarctic Peninsular. This is the only place in the world where it’s found.”

  “We’re going to get some samples at Deception Island,” Taj told them. “Claude has bought his diving gear.”

  Georgina stared at them as if they were mad. “You’re going diving in this freezing water? Is that safe?”

  “As long as they’re adequately protected, they should be fine,” Amy told her. Georgina looked dubious. “Is that our first landing?” she asked Taj.

  He studied her pale face. “You coming?” he asked her.

  She nodded. “Yes, if no one objects. I thought perhaps it would be better to accompany you on the shoots rather than have formal interviews.”

  Taj paused long enough to stare at her. “I usually work alone,” he said.

  Uh-oh, Don obviously hadn’t had a chance to talk to Taj yet. She soldiered bravely on, “Yes, I know, but I just thought it might be easier this way. You didn’t seem too keen on the interviews.”

  “And you didn’t seem too keen on the excursions,” he countered dryly. She blushed. “I know, but I realised that was a little short sighed of me. After all, how often does one get to go to Antarctica?”

  Amy smiled at her and said encouragingly, “You are quite right. It would be a shame not to come on the excursions, there’s so much to see.”

  Taj scowled and Georgina pretended not to notice. She turned to Claude, “So tell me more about where you find this endemic amphipod?” Claude warmed to his subject and Taj, despite a lot of pointed looks in her direction, didn’t have a chance to talk her out of her suggestion to accompany him on the excursions.

  “Don, I know you’re in there!”

  Don opened the door and gave his friend a grin. “What’s up?”

  “You busy? I need to talk to you.” Taj peered into the room and saw papers scattered all over the bed and the tiny desk.

  “Kind of. I’m planning our itinerary. I wanted to go through it with you guys later.”

  “Sure, no problem. Listen, did you talk to Georgina this evening?” asked Taj, watching Don closely.

  Don avoided his friend’s gaze. “Why, did she say something?”

  “I knew it!” Taj exploded. “I knew it was you who’d put that insane idea into her head about accompanying me on the excursions.”

  “It’s not that insane?” Don said defensively.

  Taj stared at him. “Are you trying to ruin this trip for me?”

  “Will you calm down?” ordered Don, “Yes I suggested it to her. But hear me out okay. It might just be the best idea I’ve ever had.”

  Taj calmed down somewhat and glared at his friend. “I doubt it, but go on.”

  “She mentioned to me that you’d been avoiding her.” Taj had the grace to look guilty.

  “I thought as much,” Don remarked wryly. “So I gave her some good advice.”

  “Your good advice was for her to keep me company?” Taj scoffed. “You know I can’t work with other people around, unless they’re part of my crew.”

  “Then let her be part of your crew.”

  “You are not serious?” Taj asked. “She doesn’t know anything about photography. Even she admitted her holiday photos sucked.”

  “She’s a bright girl. She can learn. She can hold the light metre for you.”

  Taj rolled his eyes. “Give me a break.”

  Don said reasonably, “Think about it? How far will she really go? She’ll attempt the first landing which happens to be Deception Island by the way, ruin her designer boots, break a nail and get back on board the Explorer with her tail between her legs.”

  Taj had calmed down and was looking at him with wonder. “Do you really think that’ll work?”

  Don didn’t meet his eyes, “Sure. Give her what she wants and when she can’t handle it, she’ll back off.”

  “I suppose it’s worth a try,” Taj said pensively.

  Don shrugged. “What have you got to lose?”

  “True,” Taj thought for a moment. “And if I push her really hard she’ll never be able to keep up.”

  “What do you mean?” Don looked worried.

  Taj said, “Well, I’m not going to make it easy for her. That would be counter-productive. If she wants to see how I work, then I’ll show her – no holds bars. This will be one excursion she’ll never forget.”

  “Oh dear, I’ve created a monster,” muttered Don uneasily.

  “No, it’s a brilliant idea,” Taj acknowledged. “But its very success relies on me being a total bastard and pushing her to the limit.”

  “Well, she already thinks you’re a bastard, so that won’t be very hard,” joked Don.

  Taj frowned. “Does she really? She told you that?”

  Don shrugged. “Not in so many words, no. But think about it. You said yourself you were rude to her on the plane, you spoke to her briefly at the reception and then ignored her for the rest of it and you’ve done your best to avoid her since we got on the Explorer. How do you think she feels?”

  Taj was scowling now. “You certainly know how to make a guy feel good about himself.”

  Don chuckled. “She’s a nice girl, Taj.”

  Taj was shaking his head. “I know, and I feel bad for ignoring her, but it can’t be helped. I’ve got too much at stake here. This book is the culmination of two years work and I’ve got publishers breathing down my neck. I can’t have an incompetent journalist getting in the way of my deadline.”

  Don grinned at him. “Well if all goes according to plan, you won’t have to.”

  Taj thought of Georgina’s beautifully manicured fingernails and her perfectly styled hair and gave a grim smile. “Hopefully I won’t have to push her at all. I doubt she’s even got a decent pair of hiking boots. You should have seen the look she gave me when I suggested she buy some before we left Chile.”

  Don started picking up his papers and stacking them into a see-through folder. “Perhaps she took y
our advice?”

  “Perhaps, but it won’t do her any good. With new boots she’ll have blisters before we even get half way up the caldera at Deception.”

  Don looked dubious. “Are you going to take her all the way up? It’s a decent hike that.”

  Taj shrugged, “No. You are. It’s where the best views are anyway.”

  “Fair enough, what about inside?”

  “Inside the crater? Definitely. If we’re lucky it’ll be a clear day and the geysers will be steaming.”

  Don nodded, biting his lip. “It’s tough terrain out there. Anyone would find it hard going.”

  “Precisely. And city-girl Georgina will find it excruciating.”

  At Don’s worried look Taj asked, “You’re not going soft on her are you buddy?” When the expedition leader didn’t immediately reply he said, “You are too. I can’t believe it!”

  Don winced, “I can’t help it. I have a thing for beautiful women.”

  “She’s not that beautiful,” Taj pointed out. “She wears way too much make-up.”

  “I can’t believe you of all people are saying this. She’s gorgeous!”

  “She’s a pampered princess,” Taj scoffed. “Her father left her a ton of money, not to mention a Swiss chalet and her fiancé probably owns half of London. You saw that rock on her finger. I’m amazed she works at all. A bit of ‘roughing it’ won’t do her any harm. It may even help to bring her down to reality - let her see how the little people live.”

  Don stared at his friend, “Why does she bother you so much? It’s not like you to kick up such a fuss about a waif of a girl and a couple of interviews.”

  “It isn’t just the interviews. A girl like that has no right to be out here. She couldn’t be more ill-suited to this kind of assignment.”

  “Mm…” Don looked sceptical. “Methinks thou dost protest too much.”

  “She should stick to ski resorts and lunching at the country club.”

  “Even so, that doesn’t explain why she’s got you so worked up,” mused Don.

  “Forget it, you wouldn’t understand,” Taj told him.

  Don studied his friend thoughtfully, but didn’t reply.

  They discussed the itinerary for the next nine days and then Taj announced he was going to bed. As an afterthought he turned back to Don. “I hope this is not some hair-brained attempt at matchmaking on your part,” he said sceptically. “I already told you I’m not interested.”

  “Would I do that to you?” Don said feigning a hurt expression.

  “You would too, you bastard,” Taj said dryly. “I don’t know why I didn’t see it before.”

  Don smiled at his friend’s tone. “You’re imagining things buddy. She’s engaged. Get over it.”

  Taj laughed, “You’re impossible. I don’t know how Maria puts up with you.”

  “Neither do I,” said Don only half seriously, “but I count my blessings every day.”

  “And so you should,” Taj told his friend as he left the room.

  Taj knew what Don was trying to do, but it wouldn’t work. His motive wasn’t to scare Georgina off, but rather to throw them together in the hopes they would be attracted to each other. He had to give his friend credit for trying. He very nearly fell for it. But all was not lost, he still planned to make their first excursion as difficult and as dangerous as possible. The well-heeled Miss Georgina McKellar would not endure another minute in the frigid wilderness once he was finished with her. Don’s plan with all his good intentions might be the only hope he had of getting her off his back.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  The first morning on board the Explorer dawned bright and chilly. Georgina had slept with the heater on low all night, despite specific instructions not to, because the one time she had turned it off she’d woken up and hadn’t been able to feel a single one of her toes. She longed for her electric blanket, or at the very least, decent central heating.

  Teeth chattering she was horrified to find the shower didn’t believe in working overtime and because she had already overslept there was now no more hot water. She debated skipping the shower but then decided against it. Her hair was dirty and desperately needed a wash. Yelping like a puppy she darted under the frigid jets and washed as fast as humanly possible. She emerged bright pink and shivering compulsively, so she dived under the covers again to warm up. It was incredible more people didn’t suffer from hyperthermia on board polar vessels.

  When her circulation had returned to normal she dressed quickly and with far less care than usual, her main priority to stay warm. Ignoring the thermal vests she reached for a pastel pink lamb’s wool jersey and dived into its luxurious softness, sighing in relief. Now that was more like it.

  She hauled out her super powered hairdryer and plugged it in. Scratching around in her mammoth case she found her hair mousse and styling brush. She flicked the switch and screamed as the rear end of the hairdryer hissed and fizzled and then with a loud, smoky pop, died. Great, she fumed. No heating. No hot water and now no hair dryer. What else could possibly go wrong?

  When she finally made it to the dining room for breakfast about half an hour later, Georgina was not in a good mood. She sat down next to Amy, who had been about to leave and in ecstasy, wrapped her frozen hands around a cup of steaming coffee. Her pleasure was short lived, as no sooner had she taken a sip, Taj and Don arrived looking relaxed and in good spirits.

  “Electrical problems?” asked Taj politely, eyeing her wet hair.

  She glared at him in no mood for his dry humour and turned her attention to Amy. “What’s good on the breakfast buffet?” she asked brightly.

  Amy, who despite her petite frame, had a healthy appetite. “Everything, go and have a look. The cheese croissants are particularly tasty.”

  Georgina pointedly ignored Taj while she ate her breakfast, chatting to Amy who said she’d try and arrange another hairdryer from somewhere. Today was a free day as the Explorer powered its way south to Antarctic waters. The passengers were grateful for the opportunity to explore the ship and get to know each other. Most were scientists of differing disciplines, and consequently had much in common. It was only Taj and herself who weren’t on the Explorer for academic reasons.

  After her second cup of coffee, and feeling much more human, she decided she really had to pin Taj Andrews down for an initial interview. It was already day two of the trip and she still knew nothing about him, apart from the fact he hated interviews and could be extremely difficult. Neither of which was particularly useful. Amy left to prepare her make-shift lab for some samples they would collect on the various excursions, so Georgina decided it was now or never. She approached the table where Don, Taj and a few others were laughing and joking. She was surprised to see him throw back his head with laughter, for she’d never seen him this relaxed before. At the airport he’d been decidedly uptight and when she’d met him on the plane he’d come across as arrogant and annoyingly superior. He met her eyes and still smiling asked if she needed anything. She was still so thrown by how easy-going he looked, that all the aggression drained out of her body. Those gleaming eyes held her captivated. She cleared her throat and pushed her glasses up onto her nose. “Um, can we get together this morning to talk about a few things?” she asked, suddenly feeling like a high school student talking to her teacher. She held her breath, half expecting him to refuse, or make some other excuse.

  “Sure,” he said congenially, “I’ll meet you in the lounge after breakfast.” At her look of disbelief, he grinned and bit into a slice of toast.

  She glanced at Don who gave her a conspiratorial wink. Thank you, Mr. Expedition Leader, she thought to herself as she smiled at him gratefully. Don was so lovely, it was a pity she wasn’t interviewing him.

  The lounge was deserted since it was only eleven o’clock in the morning. Georgina chose a table in the corner so they could sit at right angles, which she felt was far less formal than sitting opposite each other. She had her pencil and notepad ready.

/>   “Am I late?”

  She turned to see a smiling Taj enter the lounge. His casual sweatshirt and jeans was so different to the bad-boy biker style of the previous day that she it was hard to believe he was the same person.

  He sat down and looked at her expectantly.

  Georgina stared at him in amazement. “I can’t believe you actually came. I was beginning to think I’d have to suck this article out of my thumb.”

  He grimaced, “I know, sorry about that. I haven’t been making your job very easy for you, have I?”

  Would wonders never cease? “You could say that.”

  “I’ve never been good at this type of thing,” he muttered, looking contrite.

  “Is that why you never give interviews?” asked Georgina.

  He nodded curtly. “I didn’t get into this for the fame. I prefer to remain anonymous and let the photographs speak for themselves.”

  She studied him speculatively. “When the art speaks loud enough, ultimately people start asking about the artist. It’s hard to separate the two.”

  He rolled his eyes, “So I’ve discovered.” He looked at her in a way that made her wonder if she had croissant crumbs on her face.

  “That’s very insightful,” remarked Taj.

  She shrugged. “I interview a lot of artists. Temperamental bunch,” she commented dryly.

  He grinned. “So it would seem. Look, I’ve been thinking. Perhaps we can come to some sort of arrangement with regards to this whole interview thing.”

  She gave him a sceptical look. “I’m listening.” Here come the excuses, she thought.

  Taj leaned back in his seat and his legs, because they were so long, nudged her feet under the table. She immediately rammed hers against the back of the seat.

  He looked amused.

  “What is it you were thinking?” asked Georgina curtly, willing herself not to flush.

  “You mentioned you wanted to come ashore with us on the excursions, well, I was thinking that might not be such a bad idea.”

  “Really?” Georgina couldn’t believe her ears.

  He nodded, “Yeah. You know how I feel about schedules and all that, well I’ll make a deal with you.”