Lure Of Eagles. Anne Mather
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friend? Her adviser? Or was he hinting that he had power of attorney to act on her behalf?
She became aware that his fingers were numbing her wrist, but she had no desire for him to relax them. On the contrary, she liked him touching her, and there was the growing realisation that she was arousing him to show emotion. Until that moment he had displayed a singular lack of any kind of feeling, except perhaps contempt, and there was a curious satisfaction in knowing she had succeeded where Mark, even at his most objectionable, had not.
As if he was aware of what she was thinking, his hand was immediately withdrawn, and she looked down at the livid marks his fingers had left on her skin. She did not bruise easily, but she would be surprised if she had nothing to show for this afternoon’s violence, and his warring expression revealed his consciousness of that fact. No doubt he was regretting his behaviour bitterly, and the opportunity it had given her to expose his lack of self-control.
‘I am sorry,’ he said now, not looking at her, but hunching his shoulders over his glass, staring concentratedly at the row of coloured bottles which highlighted the back of the bar. ‘I did not mean to hurt you. I simply wanted—time to explain why I had brought you here.’
‘Yes?’
She refused to help him, and he went on more slowly: ‘My intention was to ask whether you would be agreeable to visiting your cousin. I would like you to come to Puerto Limas, to stay near your cousin, to befriend her. To prepare her, if you can, for the way of life she will be expected to contend with if she comes to England.’
He looked at her then, but now Domine was so shocked she found it impossible to sustain the advantage she had gained. ‘You—want me to—to come to Peru?’ she gasped, and when a movement of his head implied his consent: ‘You can’t be serious!’
‘Why not?’ The dark features were a mask hiding his true feelings. ‘She is your cousin, after all, a blood relation. Surely that must mean something to you.’
‘We probably don’t put as much emphasis on blood relationships as you do,’ replied Domine dazedly, trying to come to terms with his new disclosure. He was asking her to visit Peru, she kept telling herself incredulously, he was actually suggesting she should travel more than six thousand miles to stay with a cousin she had not even met!
Shaking her head, she looked at him doubtfully, trying to understand his reasoning. ‘But you don’t even like me,’ she protested, incredulity giving way to practicality. ‘Do you?’
His hesitation was scarcely flattering. ‘I would rather not discuss personalities, Miss Temple,’ he declared at length. ‘I am prepared to concede that the women of my acquaintance do not behave as you do, but I am equally disposed to admit that Englishmen do not treat their women with the same—respect. Therefore no analogy can be made.’
Domine’s indignation was superseded by her curiosity. ‘Are you married?’ she asked, unable to use the formal señor as she asked the unpalatable question, and his dark brows ascended with evident impatience.
‘I suggest we go and have lunch,’ he essayed firmly, making no attempt to satisfy her inquisitiveness. ‘I took the liberty of ordering for us both when you were delayed, and the waiter has just signalled that all is now prepared.’
The dining room of the Crillon was all ornate carving and fine lace curtains. The tablecloths were lace, too, and their table was set against the wall, partially concealed by a huge rubber plant. The head waiter himself saw them seated, and after the smoked salmon had been served Domine spent some little time looking about her.
‘It’s very—Victorian, isn’t it?’ she remarked absently, not really thinking to whom she was speaking, and then grimaced when she realised she had his undivided attention. ‘I mean …’ she shrugged awkwardly, ‘all lace curtains and potted palms. Or in this case, a potted rubber plant.’
‘You don’t like it?’ he queried, watching her with an intentness that was unnerving, and she hastened to correct his impression.
‘It’s not that. It’s just—well, different, that’s all.’
‘From reinforced steel and plate glass?’ he suggested drily. ‘Yes, I thought so, too. Although the plant looks out of place to me. I am used to seeing them in the wild. I regret this is a puny thing at best.’
‘You have rubber plants in Peru?’ Domine was interested.
‘Trees, mostly,’ he amended. ‘They grow wild in all parts of South America, most particularly in the rain forests of the Amazon basin.’
‘That’s in Brazil, isn’t it?’ Domine’s geography was not brilliant, but she knew a few elemental facts. ‘Have you been to Brazil?’
A faint smile touched the corners of his mouth, increasing the disturbing activity of Domine’s nervous system. ‘Oh, yes,’ he replied tolerantly. ‘I have been to Brazil. And to the Amazon basin.’
Domine was fascinated. ‘Have you seen the Angel Falls?’ she asked, resting her elbows on the table and cupping her chin in her hands. ‘It’s the highest waterfall in the world, isn’t it? I saw a programme about it on television. It looked beautiful!’
‘It is,’ he agreed quietly. ‘But the falls are not in Brazil. It’s Venezuela you’re thinking of. Not the Amazon at all, but the Churun river.’
‘Is it?’ Domine pulled a wry face. ‘I’m sorry, I’m afraid geography was not my strong point.’
He shook his head. ‘South America is a long way from Manchester. I doubt, for instance, if I could tell you the source of the river Thames.’
‘I doubt if I could either!’ confessed Domine, with a gurgle of laughter, and for a moment their eyes met without either hostility or antagonism. He smiled, and it was miraculous how much younger he looked, the deeply-etched lines ironed away, his mouth mobile and sensitive. She wanted to go on looking at him, and a crazy impulse made her say: ‘You’re not disliking me so much now, are you, Luis?’ but as soon as the words were uttered she knew she had gone too far.
‘Whether or not I like you, Miss Temple, is not in question,’ he told her severely. ‘I suggest we return to the real reason for this meeting. Have you considered the suggestion I made to you?’
Domine pressed her lips together, irritated by his apparent ability to switch off any human feelings. For a second time she had had a brief glimpse of another side to his character, but he seemed determined not to allow any emotion to colour his judgment.
‘You didn’t answer my question,’ she said now, refusing to be coerced. ‘And my name is Domine, as you know very well. You don’t call Lisel Miss Temple, and yet that’s her name as well.’
He gave her an impatient look, but the arrival of the waiter to clear their plates created a diversion. By the time their chicken casserole had been served, Domine had had time to wish she hadn’t brought Lisel’s name into their conversation, and she applied herself to the meal without expecting any response.
‘I have known—Lisel for a number of years,’ he surprised her by remarking, after the waiter had departed. Filling her glass with the mildly sweet hock he had chosen to go with the meal, he added: ‘I knew her father and her mother, and when they were killed, naturally I did what I could for the child.’
Domine’s eyes were wide. ‘You knew Uncle Edward, then?’
His mouth twisted. ‘As Edward Temple was Lisel’s father, that seems an unnecessary question.’
Domine flushed. ‘I was surprised, that’s all. I shouldn’t have thought Uncle Edward was your type.’ She paused. ‘Mark’s supposed to be very like him.’
‘Really?’ He raised his wine glass to his lips. ‘I find that hard to believe. When I knew Edward Temple, he was not at all like your brother. For one thing, he had abandoned the material world. Money meant nothing to him. He wrote poetry—and he painted; I have two of his water-colours myself. He