Desert Song (DeWinter's Song 3) by Constance O'Banyon Page B

his glass before answering. "Yes, but you see, I'm not interested in hunting in India."
    "But why not?" Fenton pressed.
    Michael took a sip of brandy, then put the glass on the table and raised cold eyes to the presumptuous man. "What I seek can only be found in Egypt." He stood up to take his leave. "Captain, Mr. Fenton," he said with a nod to each, "if you gentlemen will excuse me, it's been a long day."
    Both men watched him move to the door. "Then what do you hunt?" Mr. Fenton asked insistently, willing to cross the bounds of politeness to have his curiosity satisfied.
    Michael's green eyes flickered. "I hunt not for pleasure but for exigency," he said.
    He walked out of the cabin, leaving his companions staring after him.
    "Lord Michael's a secretive one," Captain Barim said, putting his thoughts into words.
    "I say he's not going to Egypt on a hunting expedition, as he'd have us believe," Mr. Fenton declared. "A man of his station would never go abroad without a valet to attend him. No, he's up to something mysterious—I wonder what."
    The captain rubbed his chin. "Who can say? Whatever his reasons, I wish him well, but I'm afraid Lord Michael will find the Egyptians a suspicious lot with little love or trust for we English."
    Fenton nodded in agreement. "I noticed the three Arabs on board are a brooding lot. They are watchful and silent behind those white kaffiyeh. I tried to engage one of them in conversation, but he merely stared at me with those great dark eyes and pretended he didn't understand English."
    Captain Barim moved toward the door, hoping to put a stop to Mr. Fenton's speculations. "They don't bother me and I don't bother them. They pay like everybody else and are therefore entitled to the same courtesy." He looked pointedly at his guest. "I'm sure Lord Michael won't appreciate anyone meddling in his affairs."
    But the man was not to be deterred. "Don't you find that the aristocrats are a strange lot?"
    The captain halted in his tracks. "In what way, Mr. Fenton?"
    "Take Lord Michael, for instance. I have the feeling he thinks I'm beneath his notice."
    "Well, I'll tell you, Mr. Fenton, if you were surrounded by people whose only task is to see to your comfort, and if your family was one of the oldest and most respected in England, I suspect you'd also appear proud."
    "That may be, but his lordship isn't being honest with us. I know enough about human nature to detect when someone is hiding something."
    Captain Barim opened the cabin door and waited for his guest to precede him. "If you'll excuse me, I have the early watch."
    * * *
    Mallory woke early and quickly dressed so she could take a turn about the ship before the other passengers rose.
    The sun was just rising above a watery horizon when she stepped on deck. The only people about at this hour were two crew members who were swabbing the deck. She stepped around them and moved leisurely along, enjoying the fresh breeze.
    She paused at the railing to watch the waves build and splash against the ship. Continuing her walk, she stopped to inspect the lifeboats that were secured with rope and covered with canvas. By now she had come full circle so she could return to her cabin.
    Suddenly she gasped and sputtered as someone threw saltwater into her face. She almost lost her footing and had to hold onto the railing to keep her balance. Her eyes were stinging from the salt, and she was temporarily blinded.
    The poor sailor hadn't seen Lady Mallory as he dashed water on the deck to wash the suds away. He was just wondering how he'd explain himself when Lord Michael came up behind him and grabbed the bucket from his hand.
    "Fool, why don't you watch what you're doing?" Michael admonished the poor man.
    Mallory rubbed at her eyes and then turned angrily on the man who held the bucket. As her vision cleared, she recognized the same mocking green eyes she'd seen once before. "My lord," she said icily, "is it your lot in life to make my life miserable? Do you