ask. Instead she said determinedly though a certain nervousness shook her voice, 'You—you haven't told me anything about Warrianda, Mr Gascoyne.'
He glanced at her swiftly, and the qualities she knew were back in his face—the harshness, the worldliness , the cynicism.
`You'd better call me Steve,' he remarked. 'Your cousin did. As for Warrianda, haven't you heard all about it from Jan?'
`I've hardly heard a thing,' she admitted. 'We—we shan't be alone, shall we?'
She flinched at his mocking laughter.
`You don't even know that?'
No, I don't,' she said shortly. She felt a fool and she clenched her fists angrily. 'Who else lives in your house now your aunt's—gone?' she asked as he didn't offer any information. She hoped she wasn't letting herself in for some mammoth task, like feeding a mob of men every day. Though if she had to do it, then she would. She had to resist a sudden inner impulse to say, 'Take
me back—I don't want to come after all ! ' It was hardly something you could say to someone who was piloting a small plane.
`My brother Charles .and his wife,' she heard him telling her briefly, and she felt a new shock of surprise. Why should anyone be needed to do housekeeping if there was already a woman at the homestead? Before she had a chance to ask him that question, he added, `I'll be introducing you as my fiancée, by the way.'
`You certainly won't ! ' she exclaimed indignantly, unable to believe her ears. 'I haven't agreed to that, and you know it. You—you said you were offering me a different proposition—that it would be the way I wanted it.'
`I have offered you a different proposition—and it is the way you wanted it, more or less,' he said infuriatingly. 'The original idea—and I thought it was yours too—seemed to be that you should be my wife and share my bed.' He glanced at her, his dark brows raised. 'I've excused you from marriage, haven't I?'
She met his eyes and her cheeks grew hot. 'And from
`Sharing my bed?' he finished for her. 'Well, there's a spare room at the homestead.'
`You talk about women cheating,' she muttered between her teeth after a long moment when wild thoughts chased each other confusedly through her mind. She had to get out of this—the whole thing was becoming utterly preposterous. 'Your brother will never believe you've got engaged again so soon anyhow,' she told him scornfully.
`Oh, I think he will. It was pretty obvious I had plans to marry when Jan was around,' he said carelessly.
`You're utterly cold-blooded,' Ellis said after a moment.
`Do you really believe that?' He turned and looked fully into her eyes, and she felt her heart come into her throat. She knew very well what he was referring to, and a feeling of shame almost choked her, as she shrank away from a glance that somehow seemed to see her naked. 'Neither of us is exactly cold-blooded,' he said reminiscently. 'We'll have very little trouble convincing anyone of our ardour.'
`You're—odious,' she said in a low voice. 'But you're not getting away with it. I shall flatly contradict you if you say we're engaged.'
He smiled disagreeably. 'You think they're more likely to believe you're the new housekeeper, do you? Well, I don't know exactly how old you are, Ellis, but you look no more than eighteen or so, and in case you're not aware of it, you're a very sexy little thing as well, in your pretty dress, with your pretty legs and those long flirty eyelashes. I'd be deceiving you if I allowed you to believe you could persuade the population of Flinders that you're no more to me than a housekeeper.'
Ellis couldn't think of a thing to say. She didn't think she was at all sexy, but all the same she had the wit to realise there must be something in what he implied people would think about their relationship. For a mad moment she wished she had never allowed Jake to persuade her to go to the hairdresser, or to spend all that money on clothes for her. She wished she looked just the way she had
He glanced at her swiftly, and the qualities she knew were back in his face—the harshness, the worldliness , the cynicism.
`You'd better call me Steve,' he remarked. 'Your cousin did. As for Warrianda, haven't you heard all about it from Jan?'
`I've hardly heard a thing,' she admitted. 'We—we shan't be alone, shall we?'
She flinched at his mocking laughter.
`You don't even know that?'
No, I don't,' she said shortly. She felt a fool and she clenched her fists angrily. 'Who else lives in your house now your aunt's—gone?' she asked as he didn't offer any information. She hoped she wasn't letting herself in for some mammoth task, like feeding a mob of men every day. Though if she had to do it, then she would. She had to resist a sudden inner impulse to say, 'Take
me back—I don't want to come after all ! ' It was hardly something you could say to someone who was piloting a small plane.
`My brother Charles .and his wife,' she heard him telling her briefly, and she felt a new shock of surprise. Why should anyone be needed to do housekeeping if there was already a woman at the homestead? Before she had a chance to ask him that question, he added, `I'll be introducing you as my fiancée, by the way.'
`You certainly won't ! ' she exclaimed indignantly, unable to believe her ears. 'I haven't agreed to that, and you know it. You—you said you were offering me a different proposition—that it would be the way I wanted it.'
`I have offered you a different proposition—and it is the way you wanted it, more or less,' he said infuriatingly. 'The original idea—and I thought it was yours too—seemed to be that you should be my wife and share my bed.' He glanced at her, his dark brows raised. 'I've excused you from marriage, haven't I?'
She met his eyes and her cheeks grew hot. 'And from
`Sharing my bed?' he finished for her. 'Well, there's a spare room at the homestead.'
`You talk about women cheating,' she muttered between her teeth after a long moment when wild thoughts chased each other confusedly through her mind. She had to get out of this—the whole thing was becoming utterly preposterous. 'Your brother will never believe you've got engaged again so soon anyhow,' she told him scornfully.
`Oh, I think he will. It was pretty obvious I had plans to marry when Jan was around,' he said carelessly.
`You're utterly cold-blooded,' Ellis said after a moment.
`Do you really believe that?' He turned and looked fully into her eyes, and she felt her heart come into her throat. She knew very well what he was referring to, and a feeling of shame almost choked her, as she shrank away from a glance that somehow seemed to see her naked. 'Neither of us is exactly cold-blooded,' he said reminiscently. 'We'll have very little trouble convincing anyone of our ardour.'
`You're—odious,' she said in a low voice. 'But you're not getting away with it. I shall flatly contradict you if you say we're engaged.'
He smiled disagreeably. 'You think they're more likely to believe you're the new housekeeper, do you? Well, I don't know exactly how old you are, Ellis, but you look no more than eighteen or so, and in case you're not aware of it, you're a very sexy little thing as well, in your pretty dress, with your pretty legs and those long flirty eyelashes. I'd be deceiving you if I allowed you to believe you could persuade the population of Flinders that you're no more to me than a housekeeper.'
Ellis couldn't think of a thing to say. She didn't think she was at all sexy, but all the same she had the wit to realise there must be something in what he implied people would think about their relationship. For a mad moment she wished she had never allowed Jake to persuade her to go to the hairdresser, or to spend all that money on clothes for her. She wished she looked just the way she had
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