Flora Kidd by The Cave of the White Rose

Author:The Cave of the White Rose [HR-1663, MB-687] (v0.9) (epub)
Language: eng
Format: epub

CHAPTER FOUR

Lance's voice was a low murmur and his breath fanned her cheek as he bent his head close to hers. Juliet closed her eyes. She hoped that when she opened them she would find herself back in bed at Castle Ross, and all that had happened since she had woken that morning would recede into the depths of her subconscious; a dream, nothing more.

But when she opened her eyes she was still there in the sea-echoing, dimly-lit vault and Lance's fingers were still in the collar of her sweater, warm and rough against the skin of her throat, sending an uncontrollable tingling sensation through her body. She was so close to him that she could see the glint in his eyes as he looked down at her.

'We must get back to-day,' she insisted rather wildly. 'What will they think when we don't return?'

He released her sweater and plunged his hands into his pockets again.

'You should have thought of that earlier,' he said coldly. 'You realised surely that you threw away any possibility of us returning to Castle Ross to-day when you asked if we could come to Dana when there was a storm in the offing. If we'd gone to Oban instead you'd have been able to leave the boat and return to Lochmoyhead by bus. A phone call from there would have brought McVinn out to pick you up in the estate car. As it is, the situation in which you now find yourself is really of your own making.'

Juliet couldn't remember having felt so angry in her life. It seemed to her that he was actually blaming her for the predicament in which they now found themselves.

'How was I to know that?' she exclaimed. 'Oh, you're no better than Maree! You take advantage too. You've taken advantage of my ignorance about sailing, about distances and about storms. You could have refused to bring me here.'

As usual he didn't retaliate to her furiously flung words but took time to consider what she had said, his head bent as he kicked idly at the stony debris on the floor of the cave, and his calmness made her even more cross.

'True,' he admitted at last, 'I could have refused, and what would you have thought of me then? I brought you here against my better judgement in order to grant your wish to see one of the islands while you had the opportunity. Seems to me you're very hard to please, Juliet.'

While she was still gasping he moved away from her into the back of the cave, leaving her to ponder his words. He had granted her wish because it had been in his power to do so and for that she should be grateful instead of accusing him of taking advantage of her. The now familiar tug at her heart made her aware that once again she had been guilty of misjudging him. This time the urge to apologise to him was strong.

But he was nowhere to be seen.

'Lance!' she called tentatively, moving towards the dark wall of rock at the back of the cave.

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