Love's Golden Spell
Page 30
“Most positively so!” one of the men said from his chair. Janet couldn’t remember his name or his impressive title. Of course the Zimbabwe government wasn’t protesting! It had contracted the survey for gold and would have been disappointed when the project fell through. It was delighted that diamonds had come to light as a replacement. Diamonds meant big profits for a poor country like Zimbabwe, profits that certainly weren’t to be passed over at the prospect of losing one wildlife sanctuary that was fading fast anyway.
“However, these gentlemen have agreed to block off eight-thousand hectares of the original reserve for wildlife.”
Eight-thousand hectares weren’t much. They were piddling compared to the nineteen-thousand square kilometers that the Great Zimbabwe Reserve had encompassed at its conception. It was even a shockingly small area compared to the existing, much-diminished reserve. “I take it there was no sign of diamonds along that section of one sideline?” Janet said sarcastically.
“None!” Christopher admitted, ignoring or not recognizing her sarcasm. “While the potential remains for agricultural development, the Zimbabwe government has made it clear it desires this smaller game park to be set aside as a permanent sanctuary for area wildlife.”
It was something; Janet admitted that. If the government wanted the game park left there, it would get its wish. But eight-thousand hectares were something less than a compromise—a token and nothing more. But there wasn’t much she could do about it. She’d put Christopher in control the moment she turned the diamond over to him. But that small parcel of land wasn’t enough to salve her guilty conscience about the animals.
Janet didn’t know whether to reveal her feelings to Christopher now or when they were alone. It was easier now. If they were alone, he could revert to other means of persuasion. He could take her in his arms, kiss her and beg her to see this as the solution to keep them together. He had what he wanted—diamond-bearing rock to be mined and exploited for profit. She had what she wanted—a nice little animal reserve, set up by the government, for a few giraffes, buffalos, zebras and rhinos… except she wanted more. Her love and need for Christopher didn’t blind her to the tragedy happening here. The animals on the land taken over by the Zimbabwe government couldn’t all survive in the eight-thousand hectares they had left. There wasn’t enough room. More animals would be dead and dying for want of grazing land and sanctuary.
“Here is the real pièce de resistance!” Christopher assured them all before she had a chance to protest, flipping the map over to reveal another one beneath it. The new map had a large area outlined in gold. Janet couldn’t place the land mass, but it didn’t include the Great Zimbabwe Reserve, and that was her interest at the moment. “A jointly operated and sizable wildlife reserve!” Christopher proclaimed dramatically. Everyone in the room broke out in warm applause, but Janet was confused by the revelation. “Ten-thousand square kilometers straddling the Limpopo River on both the South African and Zimbabwe sides,” Christopher continued, “and joined by a land corridor to Kruger National Park in the east. Van Hoon Afrikaner Minerals has had extensive mining interests in this area for years—” his finger jabbed spots near the proposed animal sanctuary but not included in it “—copper mines in Messina, copper and phosphates in Phalaborwa. However, nearby is an extensive mass that is unsuitable for mineral development but still suited for wildlife. Since ownership of that land has been in dispute for a long while, it has, therefore, been decided that both the South African and Zimbabwe governments will stock such land with the displaced animals from the Great Zimbahwe Reserve—including those that won’t be able to graze on the smaller game park. A share of both reserves’ future maintenance costs will be offset from profits realized from the Westover-Van Hoon Diamond Mine, which the Zimbabwe government has agreed to allow me to set up under the corporate umbrella of Van Hoon Afrikaner Minerals, as long as a generous portion of the profits are donated to the country of origin.”
“What?” Janet responded automatically. Her head was swimming. Her heart was filled with joy. If only she could believe what she was hearing.
Christopher smiled, very pleased with himself. Janet had noticeably rejected the compromise offered by the salvaged portion of the Great Zimbabwe Reserve alone, but this was another ball game. “Diamonds aren’t found everywhere, Janet, and I have to take advantage of them where and when they’re found. But there’s no reason why non-mineral producing land donated by the two governments—since they will be sharing in V.H.A.M. profits, after all—couldn’t be converted into an animal reserve. And since you picked the diamond up from the stream, it seems only fitting and fair that some of the profits from the mine be devoted to your concern for wildlife. We named the mine after its founder and the man you’re going to marry,” Christopher concluded. “You are still planning to marry me, aren’t you, Janet?”
He had taken the Great Zimbabwe Reserve and shrunk it to a pitiful eight-thousand hectares with the diamond discovery, but he had compensated with a suitable replacement. The man was a true magician! “Yes, I’m marrying you!” she said. How could she not marry the man she loved and who helped to work such miracles? All the walls were finally down!
The men in the room again broke into hearty applause, with resounding cheers of, “Here! Here!” Janet was embarrassed. In her swelling happiness, she’d forgotten she and Christopher weren’t alone.
“If you gentlemen will excuse us,” Christopher announced in dismissal, “my fiancée and I have to take care of some long overdue plans for our wedding.” There was much shuffling of chairs and cheerful best wishes. When the last man was gone, Christopher smiled in well-deserved self-congratulations. “Well, what you think of compromises now?” he asked her.
“Oh, Christopher!” she said, running to him and falling into his hearty embrace that was eagerly awaiting her. “Do you know how happy I am at this moment?”
“I think so,” he admitted, laughing affectionately. “Yes, I do believe I do—but I’ve one last surprise for you,” he added, stepping away from her. She wanted to be back in his arms, but he moved behind his desk.
“I’m not sure I can take any more,” she replied with a tremulous smile.
“But I thought diamonds were a girl’s best friend?” he teased. “Diamond one on your finger, and—” Christopher paused, pulling a long jewelry case out of the top desk drawer “—diamond two, here.” He flipped open the lid, revealing the large golden heart-cut diamond set in a necklace of white gold.
“Oh, Christopher!” Janet exclaimed. “It’s beautiful!”
“It doesn’t hold a candle to your beauty,” he said, lifting the necklace from its black velvet and fastening it around her neck. “But it does look spectacular, doesn’t it? Going for the heart-cut to match your engagement ring gave us the maximum seventy-two carats salvageable from the original stone you picked up from the stream.” He turned her toward a mirror on the wall. It wasn’t the golden diamond hanging around her neck or the one on her finger that held Janet’s attention, but the reflection of the man she loved standing behind her. He slipped his arms around her waist and kissed the top of her head. “I promise I’ll try to be more sensitive to the wildlife issue from now on,” he said on a suddenly serious note.
“And God knows, you’ve conceded enough to me that I can be generous, too. I suppose I should have realized long ago that a certain amount of mining—gold and diamonds—has its place in the South African and Zimbabwe economies. I love you, Christopher Van Hoon,” she added, turning within his embrace and slipping her arms securely around his neck. “Errant ways and all.”
“I love you, Janet Kelley Westover Van Hoon, stubbornness and all,” he replied, pulling her closer, his lips lowering to her inviting mouth with a caressing firmness. After a long breathless moment, he raised his head to murmur, “You never have asked me about the ivory collection at Lionspride, although I’ve known about your suspicions all along.”
“Well, I now know, without your telling me, that y
ou’re not still stockpiling,” Janet replied with confidence.
“Thank God,” Christopher said with a sigh, “but I can go even one better than that. I’m donating that particular Van Hoon treasure to the South African government, a kind of national monument. I can’t do anything about the past, but you’ve managed to bring my dormant guilty conscience to life.”
“Thank you, darling,” Janet replied simply.
Two diamonds flashed golden fire, but that fire was nothing compared to the gold of Christopher’s hair and the gold of his eyes. The legendary hardness of the diamonds was nothing compared to the hardness of his muscled body.
“I want you, Christopher.” Her voice was a whisper against his sweet lips.
“You have me,” he told her, lifting her into his strong arms. “You’ve had me for the past sixteen years, and you’ll have me for a lifetime!” He carried her exultantly out of the library and up the curving staircase.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
WILLIAM MALTESE, an international best-selling author of non-fiction and fiction articles, short stories, and novels, including his popular Wildside Mystery Double, Incident at Aberlene and Incident at Brimzinsky (Spies & Lies #1-#2), has published (under various pseudonyms) over 200 books in genres ranging from straight mainstream, to straight and gay erotica, as well as mystery, romance, western, adventure, espionage, cooking, wine, young adults and children, plus twenty-four science fiction/fantasy/horror novels, beginning with Five Roads to Tlen in 1969 (as “William J. Lambert III”) through Bond-Shattering (2007). He’s anything but a newcomer by way of writing fictionalized autobiographies and biographies, including his Diary of a Hustler (with “Joey”), Slovakian Boy (with “Pavel”), and his shocking Lambda-Award-nominated ARDENNIAN BOY (written with eminent gay scholar Professor Drewey Wayne Gunn) that raised more than a few eyebrows, while gleaning rave reviews, in its graphic portrayal of the scandalous literary and sexual relationship between the French poets Paul Verlaine and Arthur Rimbaud. For a comprehensive list of his literary output, see Draqualian Silk: A Collector’s and Bibliographical Guide to the Books of William Maltese, 1969-2010 (Borgo Press, 2010). Maltese enlisted in the U.S. Army, where he achieved and was honorably discharged with the rank of Sergeant (E-5).
You can email him at: williammaltese@yahoo.com
You can locate him on the internet at:
http://www.williammaltese.com
http://www.facebook.com/williammaltese
http://www.theglutenfreewaymyway.com/
http://www.facebook.com/backoftheboatgourmetcooking
http://www.facebook.com/winetastersdiary
https://www.facebook.com/DinnerWithCecileAndWilliamACookbook?fref=ts
http://www.facebook.com/evengourmandshavetodiet
http://www.facebook.com/flickerwarriors
http://www.facebook.com/draqual
http://www.myspace.com/williammaltese
http://www.myspace.com/draqual
http://www.myspace.com/flickerwarriors
William’s Xocai® chocolate site:
http://www.mxi.myvoffice.com/williammaltese/