Misplaced (82 page)

“Anothe
r
excellent
,
i
f
no
t
slightl
y
confusing
,
obser
v
ation,”
mused Celeste.
“
T
el
l
me,
”
Khar
a
began
,
a
s
thoug
h
i
t
w
er
e
a
grea
t
secret,
“ha
v
e there been women rulers to ri
v
al Napoleon?”

Celest
e
mo
v
e
d
s
o
he
r
fac
e
w
a
s
quit
e
clos
e
t
o
Khara’s
.
She
smelled
of
the
flo
w
ers
in
her
garden.
“Do
not
take
that
lesson
back
with
you.
Y
ou
need
look
no
further
for
a
strong
woman,”
sh
e
con
f
id
e
d
,
p
oi
nti
n
g
i
nt
o
th
e
k
i
t
c
h
e
n
.
“
Ou
r
h
a
nds,
”
sh
e
pronounce
d
a
s
sh
e
too
k
Khara’
s
han
d
an
d
place
d
i
t
o
v
e
r
her
ow
n
hear
t
s
o
Khar
a
understoo
d
sh
e
mean
t
th
e
hand
s
o
f
all
women, “must not be the hands of violence.”

Her
words
made
Khara
w
ant
to
fall
to
her
knees.
This
w
as
no
t
Nando
r
’
s
messag
e
o
f
w
a
r
t
o
whic
h
sh
e
ha
d
becom
e
so
accustomed
,
o
r
he
r
fathe
r
’
s
unremittin
g
wisdom
,
whic
h
seemed
s
o
fa
r
fro
m
he
r
grasp
.
Thes
e
w
er
e
word
s
sh
e
understoo
d
instincti
v
ely;
as
soon
as
she
heard
them,
they
became
her
own.
Whe
n
Celest
e
sa
w
tear
s
w
elling
,
sh
e
brushe
d
Khara’
s
cheek
.
“Too many re
v
elations for one day?” she asked quietly.

Khara
n
odd
ed
and
laid
her
head
o
n
the
c
hai
r
’
s
pa
dd
ed
ar
m
.
Cool fingers
traced a soothing path across her forehead.

P
art
of
her
couldn’t
w
ait
to
tell
V
ictoria
about
the
Jornada
del
Muerto
,
and
y
et
she
w
anted
time
with
Oli
v
er,
whom
her
heart
had
re
co
gnized
in
s
tantly.
L
ike
her,
he
s
ee
m
ed
trapped
bet
w
een
two
worlds.
And
what
would
be
the
harm
of
a
few
more
lazy
afternoons for
V
ictoria to stir her troubles a
w
ay in the kitchen?

Tha
t
e
v
ening
,
Lil
a
an
d
Chri
s
w
en
t
int
o
tow
n
fo
r
dinner,
somethin
g
the
y
rarel
y
did
.
Afte
r
a
heart
y
mea
l
o
f
chil
i
and
cornbread,
V
ictoria
casually
said
that
she
and
Khara
had
surely
worn out their
w
elcome and should be on their
w
ay.

Celeste
held
up
her
hand.
“Nonsense.
Besides,
I’
v
e
ordered
a
tele
sco
pe;
Khara
’
s
g
o
ing
to
s
ee
the
co
n
s
tellati
o
ns
up
c
l
os
e
and
personal
.
An
d
o
n
Friday
,
w
e
’
r
e
gettin
g
satellit
e
T
V
.
”
Celeste
winke
d
a
t
V
ictoria
.
“
Y
o
u
didn’
t
thin
k
I
’
d
d
o
a
half-asse
d
job,
did you?”

W
ith
full
bellies
and
contented
hearts,
the
decision
to
stay
w
as no decision at all. They would return to El
P
aso and make tra
v
el plans for Egypt soon enough. In the meantime,
V
ictoria
woul
d
continu
e
t
o
us
e
th
e
librar
y
t
o
chec
k
o
n
he
r
work
,
and
Khara would spend tomorrow morning with Oli
v
er.

Just
as
they
had
at
the
apartment,
she
and
V
ictoria
fell
into a schedule that suited e
v
eryone. Each morning, after a cup of coffee
s
w
eetened
by
her
shameless
eagerness
to
get
to
the
barn, they
w
ent
their
separate
w
ays.
Nestled
among
the
bales
of
hay,
Khar
a
share
d
Celeste’
s
lesson
s
wit
h
Oli
v
er
.
Sh
e
struggle
d
to
kee
p
he
r
terribl
e
secret
,
thoug
h
ther
e
w
er
e
time
s
whe
n
wrapped
i
n
eac
h
othe
r
’
s
arms
,
thei
r
nose
s
touching
,
sh
e
coul
d
easil
y
ha
v
e
confide
d
ho
w
Menefr
a
ha
d
murdere
d
thei
r
father
.
Wha
t
she
ne
v
er
considered
admitting
w
as
her
tra
v
el
through
time
or
her true identity. On this,
V
ictoria’s cautionary
w
arning could not be
faulted.
Besides,
she
had
gi
v
en
her
word.
P
erhaps
her
desire
t
o
re
v
ea
l
e
v
erythin
g
t
o
hi
m
w
a
s a
substitut
e
fo
r
he
r
growing
desire to lie with him.
W
anting him so badly
w
as to blame for her loose tongue.