“No, I’m in this alone,” Katherine broke in, pouring water into the basin. “These things are happening to me not to you!” She washed off her face and arms.
Silence blanketed the chamber. For a while, May-Jewel sat staring into the embers of the fire. She was vexed by Katherine’s distant composure and suspicious glance. “Look, I’m not the one doing these things to you. When was I ever out of your sight? And for what purpose?”
“You and Alex were alone when I came up to retire. You could have set it up then.”
Her logic seemed plausible and May-Jewel couldn’t argue with it. But she retorted, “You can’t believe that. Besides, you’re not the only one experiencing strange things.”
Katherine spun around. “What do you mean?” Then she remembered May-Jewel’s words, ‘shadows in shadows, watching people.’
“How did you know about me being watched?” She eyed at May-Jewel suspiciously. “Either you were the one doing the spying or…”
“I, too, have been watched,” May-Jewel informed her. She parted the drapes from one of the windows and looked for a moment at the pink dawn. “Before going to the dining room, I lingered in the alcove down the corridor to enjoy the last strains of the day. Someone was standing in the gazebo… watching me.”
“Are you sure that the person was watching you? There’re a lot of windows overlooking that garden.”
“Are you sure that you talked to a maid in your room?” May-Jewel retorted.
“All right,” Katherine said, changing into a fresh nightgown. “The person you saw, was it a man or a woman? Tall or short?”
“I’m not sure. Shadows are deceiving, and it’s hard to tell when looking down at something just what size it is. It could have been six feet tall or as short as a child. I just don’t know!”
Katherine sat on the edge of the bed and stifled a yawn. She picked up the glass of medicine. “Odd that you used that expression,” she remarked. “The strange maid that was here is as small as a half-grown child.” She put the glass to her lips and, looking over the rim at May-Jewel, asked, “What’s in this?”
“I’m not trying to poison you. It’s a harmless potion that will help you sleep. If it were my intent to poison you, I could have done it a dozen times. You’ve got to learn to trust me.”
Katherine tilted the glass and drank its contents. “It has nothing to do with trust. I just have to be sure about you.”
“I won’t gratify that with a reply. Sleep well.”
Streams of daylight streaked through the cracks in the drapes and fell across the coverlet as Katherine settled into a deep sleep. May-Jewel extinguished the lamp and retired to her own room.
The tinny hands of the pillar and scrolled clock pointed to 5:45. May-Jewel, exhausted and troubled, stood for a moment at the window looking down at the garden. She pulled her frilly pink robe about her. Putting Katherine out of her mind, she considered Alex, trying to discern his character. One moment he’s kind, concerned, and even seductive, and the next moment he’s cold, insensitive, and impatient. A knock on the door suddenly interrupted her thoughts.
“Katherine?” She unbolted her door. “I thought for sure you would be fast asleep by now.”
A form brushed quickly past her into the room.
“Alex!” Stunned by his bold intrusion, May-Jewel, trying to move him back out the door, pushed against his chest.
“I didn’t think you’d ever come out of her room,” he whispered. “I wanted to see you.” Taking her hands into his, he raised them to his mouth and softly kissed her palms.
“Alex!” she gasped, jerking her hands free from his. “Leave my room at once!” Her voice was edged with scorn. She was tired and didn’t want to play games.
But Alex wasn’t to be put off. He grabbed her, crushing her to him. May-Jewel quivered with the nearness of him. As his broad hands inched up her back, a fire blazed within her. Her desires burst to life, and she was unable to command the strength to pull away. He bared her shoulders and kissed the nape of her neck.
“No!” she cried. “Stop! You must leave!” Somehow between her burning passion and her weakening moral fiber, she found the strength to extricate herself from his hold. She ran to the door and flung it open. “Get out of here, Alex. Now!”
With a cocksure smile, Alex complied. He knew he was a conqueror despite the fact that there wasn’t any apparent territorial gain. As he walked passed her, he touched her cheek. “Would an apology help?”
Slapping his hand from her face, May-Jewel pushed him through the door and quickly slid the bolt in place. Alex’s aggression had more than angered May-Jewel. She was livid with indignation. But it was self-indignation. She reddened with shame at her own near submissiveness when she contemplated what she almost allowed him to do. Shivering, but not from the cold, she retreated to her bed.
* * *
It was almost mid-morning when the heiresses reawakened. The cook had supplied a brunch of cold ham, muffins with marmalade, and tea in the sitting room.
“This is the first normal food offered me since I’ve arrived in this part of the world,” May-Jewel commented, biting happily into the fresh, hot muffin.
A frown filled Katherine’s delicate features. “What do you mean, ‘normal’ food? Our food is normal and, if you gave it a chance, you’d come to like it.”
“So you do like something about your homeland. I was under the impression that you
