Danger in the Desert by Barbara Cartland

Author:Barbara Cartland
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-78213-466-4
Publisher: Barbara Cartland .com
Published: 2014-01-14T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIVE

The sun was shining and the sea was glittering with its rays.

As they proceeded slowly down the coast of Africa, Royden insisted that they should stop at small bays where they could swim.

“I love the sea,” he said. “But, of course, you need not join me unless you really want to.”

Malva smiled at him.

“I enjoy the sea too,” she asserted. “I will race you the first time we find a place to do so.”

Royden thought that she was boasting.

He was most surprised when they had anchored and she began diving straight off the yacht into the sea.

He had been astonished when Malva appeared in a rather pretty bathing suit, but with nothing on her feet or her head.

He had never met a woman who was not fussing about her hair when she was at sea.

But Malva dived deeply into the water and came up brushing the curls from her eyes.

Fortunately her hair was cut short and when she dried it, it looked as pretty as it had been when they left London.

They then raced each other in the sea.

But Malva insisted that Royden should give her a good start.

“It’s only fair,” she said, “because I am not only a woman but also smaller than you and so have to take more strokes than you do.”

Royden could not argue about that.

But while he expected to beat her easily, he found that he had to exert himself to keep up with her and then to win at the last moment.

She laughed when he did so and observed,

“You would be very annoyed with yourself if you lost to a woman and you will never be quite certain if I had allowed you to be the victor or if you really were one.”

“That is the most crooked way of putting things I have ever heard,” he replied. “I will be very annoyed if you did not acknowledge that I am a superior swimmer at the end of this voyage.”

“I will only do that if it is true,” Malva answered. “You must remember that, while you have been practising in the sea, I have only had the lake at home to swim in which I admit is very different from the swell that we are enjoying here.”

She looked at the sea as she spoke and added,

“I want to pat the waves and tell them that they are making us happy just by moving up against us or carrying us forward with them.”

Royden chuckled.

“I have never heard of anyone being affectionate with waves before,” he said.

“Then you must know a lot of very silly people,” Malva retorted. “The waves are one of the most beautiful sights in the world and I have always thought that we were particularly lucky because we live on an island and the sea, as you know so well, has protected us English from many enemies throughout the centuries.”

“I have never thought of it that way,” he replied, “but, of course, you are right. It would be a great mistake for us to ever join up with the Continent of Europe and then cease to be an independent nation.

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