The Desert Castle (34 page)

‘
It isn
’
t fair that he should have to cope with everything now!
’
Marion blurted out
‘
Why can
’
t Gaston speak to him next week?
’

‘
We
’
ve been through that before,
’
Lucasta answered.
‘
Don
’
t worry so, Marion dear, Gregory can look after himself.
’

Even so, the men were a long time joining them. Marion made a pretence of doing her usual round of the ikons, but not even they could soothe her ruffled temper. As soon as she could, she vowed, she would make her escape to her own room and beg Zein to bring her her meal there. By morning Gregory might have forgotten Lucasta
’
s ill-considered remarks and she could avoid him anyway by burying herself in her work, but tonight she simply could not face any more —from anyone!

Gaston came into the study first. He went straight over to Lucasta and took her into his arms.

‘
It is all arranged,
mon petit chou.
Your uncle is only too pleased to be rid of you as soon as you are eighteen.
’

‘
But, Gaston, I wanted to speak to him myself! I want to marry you as soon as possible, the moment I
’
m eighteen! I simply can
’
t wait any longer than that!
’

‘
You must do as he tells you,
petite.
He is fond of you, no? And you of him—
’

‘
Nothing will induce me to go back to school!
’
Lucasta declared, a new fear arising in her mind.
‘
You did tell him that, didn
’
t you?
’

Gaston laughed softly in the back of his, throat.
‘
He told me. He thinks school is not a good place for a grown-up betrothed lady to be and he particularly wishes you to be here with him for the next few weeks. So, all is well?
’

‘
Oh
yes,
Gaston! But where is he? I want to see him for myself!
’

Gaston laughed again.
‘
Give the man a chance! He was in the bath when I left
him
—
’

‘
When he knew we were waiting for him here?
’
Lucasta said reproachfully.
‘
I do
think
men are beastly!
’
She turned to Marion, apologetic because she had forgotten all about her.
‘
They arrange everything without us, without the least idea as to whether it will suit us. T
h
ey could at least consult us, couldn
’
t they?
’

Marion stuttered out an answer that meant nothing at all. Happily, it was covered by Gaston
’
s teasing laughter.
‘
Could you have arranged everything to much better?
’
he demanded, pretending to box Lucasta
’
s ears.
‘
I think not! You have a man to look after you now, and that you like very much, isn
’
t it so?
’

Lucasta blushed.
‘
Yes, I do like it,
’
she admitted.
‘
There
’
s never been anyone around before. My parents are away more often than not and, although Gregory would always have me in the holidays, I wasn
’
t absolutely certain he always wanted me. But it
’
s different with you. I come first with you, don
’
t I?
’

Marion almost prayed that the young Frenchman would say the right thing, now of all times, and she could have kissed him when he did.

‘
You will always be first and last with me,
’
he said.

Marion stretched herself and cleared her throat.
‘
You won
’
t want me here any longer,
’
sh
e murmured.
‘
I’
m feeling rather tired, actually—
’

‘
Marion, you have to wait for Gregory!
’
Lucasta rebuked her.

‘
No, no, he won
’
t want to speak to me now.
’
She bit her lip and held out her hand to Gaston.
‘
I hope you have a good trip back to Beirut. We
’ll
see you again next week-end?
’

‘
I
’
m flying up with Denise,
’
Gaston told her.
‘
The weather is clearing, thank goodness, and we should
make good time. I
’
ll bring the Land Cruiser down next time I come.
’
He grinned reflectively.
‘
That was some scene with Denise, wasn
’
t it? But I
think
she might have known that there was no hope for her when Mr
.
Randall reclaimed his Mercedes and w
ent
rushing off into the night. If I owned a Mercedes like that, it would be like my
doppelganger,
my other self, and I should be very careful of
th
e company it kept!
’

‘
But it
’
s only a car
!
’
Lucasta objected.

‘
They cost as much as a house does in France,
’
Gaston told her wryly.
‘
And that one is custom-built, with all sorts of special features. Mr
.
Randall must be a very rich man to afford that. I wonder if he allowed Denise to drive it
.
’

‘
He wouldn
’
t let me,
’
Marion said in a small voice.
‘
Goodnight, everybody, I
’
m going to bed!
’

‘
You can
’
t!
’
Lucasta cried out.

But Marion was determined. She said goodnight all over again and made a rush towards the door, coming up short against Gregory
’
s large, hard body as he came in. He was dressed in casual clothes that accentuated his tan and he smelt of a mixture of
s
oap and hot water and his after-shave lotion. He put out his hands to cushion the collision and drew her close against his chest.

‘
You
’
re in a great hurry,
’
he said.

‘
I want to go to bed!
’

He looked down at his watch and raised his eyebrows. His mouth was not so much disapproving as masterful.
‘
At this hour? Not even you can choose to go to bed at five o
’
clock, my ridiculous love.
’

If she wanted to, she didn
’
t see why she shouldn
’
t. She made an ineffectual attempt to loose his clasp round her waist.
‘
Lucasta will want you to herself
!
’
she told him.

‘
Then Lucasta will have to wait,
’
he retorted.
‘
If anyone goes to bed early, it had better be her!
’

‘
Don
’
t be silly!
’

‘
Really, Marion,
’
he reproved her,
‘
I refuse to be called silly! We have to see our guests off and, even if you are not, I am extremely hungry after all our adventures. And then—
’
He smiled straight into her eyes, depriving her of all breath. Worse still, he knew it. She could tell by the knowing gleam of amusement in his eyes and the tightening of his hands round her waist. A more formal mode of dress would have been more suitable after all, she thought, for his touch disturbed her badly, sending her heart rocketing off into a new rhythm that he had to be able to feel for himself.
‘
And then, little Marion, you and I are going to have a talk with nothing and no one to disturb us!
’

She stared up at him, unable to wrest her gaze from his.
‘
They
’
re not my guests—
’

He flicked her nose with his fingers, taking a firm grasp of her hand in his.
‘
I have no other hostess.
’
She would have reminded
him
that he had Lucasta, but he turned away from her, putting her hand with his in his pocket without so much as a by your leave, and threw some car keys across the room to Gaston.

‘
If there
’
s any trouble speak to Monsieur Dain himself,
’
he instructed him.
‘
He has less taste for dramatics than his daughter.
’

‘
I feel sorry for Denise,
’
Marion put in in a high,
cl
ear voice.

‘
You need not,
’
he replied.
‘
Denise has always had several strings to her bow.
’

‘
She was upset,
’
Marion contradicted him, wondering a little at her obvious attempt to annoy him. Why on earth should she want to make him angry
?
‘
Should
s
he be flying that plane of hers in the circumstances?
’
She felt Lucasta
’
s look of surprise like a body-blow and blushed.
‘
I only meant—
’

‘
Shut up, Marion,
’
Gregory advised her, smiling.
‘
Denise is the last person to want your sympathy. She doesn
’
t really want to marry me.
’

‘
That
’
s what you say!
’
she exploded.
‘
You
’
ll be
telling me next that what she really wanted was your Mercedes like—like Gaston seems to
think
! Well, I don
’
t believe it! Who
wants
a Mercedes?
’

H
is smile grew broader.
‘
Well, Papa Dam did refuse to buy her me. He said her aeroplane and her Renault would have to do her.
’

W
as it possible that his Mercedes was as expensive as Gaston
h
ad said it was? Marion studied
him
covertly, noting that while his clothes were casual they were undoubtedly expensive. His collection of ikons too would be way beyond the average man
’
s pocket. Yet nobody ever talked about his money, not as they did about Denise
’
s father, or the Hartleys, or—Her hand trembled in his and he gave
it a friendly squeeze. If
he were rich, it was even less likely that he would want to marry someone as ordinary and as penniless as herself. Perhaps that was what he wanted to talk about
.
Perhaps he was going to offer her something quite other than marriage. Marion had always thought of herself as a high-principled person who would never settle for less than a
r
ing and a man
’
s name, but quite suddenly she wasn
’
t sure about herself at all. It was rather a lowering feeling to think that there was very little she wouldn
’
t do if Gregory were to ask it of her. That against him she had no defences at all, and didn
’
t particularly want to build any. It was almost as though she had never known herself at all—any more than she had known her mother would have liked living in the country surrounded by
animals
and keeping house for a virtual stranger.