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superhuman not to . . . well, let's just say that your fiance must be
crazy. What's his name, by the way? As we're always talking about
him, I might as well know who I'm talking about.'
'I don't want to talk about my private life at all,' she said. 'But his
name is Ross.'
'Surname?'
'No, that's his first name. Ross Ellis, if you insist.'
There was another silence. She looked around, sensing something
odd in the air, and saw his eyes narrowed, hard and black.
'Ellis? The Ellis who runs the big construction company?'
Slowly, she nodded, wondering what he was thinking. The humour
had vanished from his face, no doubt because he had been impressed
by hearing that she was engaged to one of the most important men in
the north-west. Ross had inherited a construction firm which until
that time had been a purely local company in this area. Ross had built
it into a worldwide company in just fifteen years. He was a man of
dynamic energies. Whenever she was upset because she never saw
enough of him, she reminded herself that Ross was in the habit of
giving his entire attention to his firm. He simply hadn't realised yet
that she needed him, too. If he would only stay still long enough to
listen to her, she might make him understand that. He must love her,
or why would he ask her to marry him?
'I'd heard he had got engaged,' Jamie Knox said slowly.
That didn't surprise her. The announcement had caused quite a bit of
local interest. Ross was a big local employer; naturally people took an
interest in everything he did. Melanie had been rather nervous when
she had to be interviewed by reporters, but Ross had been there too
and he had smoothed over fier hesitations and stammered answers.
'Do you want anything to eat? A biscuit? An orange?' Jamie asked
and she shook her head.
'June packed a huge lunch for me oh, they must be worried by now,
wondering where we are!'
'I told them that if I found you, I'd bring you here. With binoculars
they'll be able to see the light in the window and guess that we got
here safely.'
She gave him a daunted look. 'You really do think of everything, don't
you?' There was something very disturbing about that.
'If I can,' he said with an oddly wry smile. 'Sometimes things happen
that you couldn't possibly foresee but that apart, I try to anticipate
what I may meet before I set out. If we haven't started down at first
light, June and Fred will call the mountain rescue people, but they'll
wait until then. Nothing could be done in the dark, anyway, not with
this rain and wind. They couldn't even get a helicopter up here to take
a look around.'
Melanie was beginning to feel very sleepy; the brandy, no doubt. She
lay on her side, the straw was comfortable enough, she was warm and
dry and very tired. Her lids grew heavier and heavier. Through them,
half-closed, she secretly watched Jamie Knox gazing into the fire, as
unblinking as a cat, his knees up, his chin on them, his rakish profile
all that she could see of his face. She wondered about him. He was
rather secretive for a man who asked so many questions. Her lids
drooped. She couldn't keep them open any longer and she slid into
sleep.
She woke when something touched her cheek. Her lids stirred, she
drowsily opened her eyes and looked up straight into Jamie Knox's
face. Still locked in half-sleep, Melanie stared at him as if she had
never seen him before, bewildered by his presence in her dream, but
then her heart began to beat faster and faster, she went cold and then
hot, with shock and memory. In a flash she remembered where she
was and who he was, and then she felt a stab of fear as he bent closer.
'Wake up, Sleeping Beauty,' he murmured, smiling, his mouth inches
away.
She knew he was going to kiss her. For a second her muscles
stiffened; then his lips touched her mouth, warm flesh, softly
persuasive, and Melanie jack-knifed upwards, pushing him away.
He went without resistance and got to his feet. 'Obviously, it works
with a vengeance,' he said, puzzling her. 'I wonder if the original
Sleeping Beauty slapped her prince?' He moved away without
waiting for her reply. 'Time to start down, Miss Nesbitt. It's almost
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