Yesterday's Promise by Linda Lee Chaikin Page A

Rhodes’s British South Africa Company. But she knew Rogan and Julien had been at odds for years, and she desperately feared Rogan would refuse.
    What can I do to convince Rogan to join Peter in the Company? There must be a way!
She needed Rogan on that expedition north. She couldn’t bear the thought of having to suffer such a long and difficult expedition without the comfort of having Rogan along. Desperately, she wrung her Holland lace handkerchief, trying to think of a way to convince him to accompany them.
    She saw him nearing her carriage and opened her arms to welcomeher favorite brother. “Rogan! This is absolutely too grand to have you here.” She broke into a tinkling laugh as he climbed in beside her, grinning.
    She hugged him, and he planted a kiss on her cheek.
    â€œWhat’s this, little sister, drenching yourself in diamonds already?” His dark brow lifted with amusement as her bracelet flashed and her earrings sparkled.
    â€œThey must weigh a ton. Is it safe?”
    â€œPeter gave me these diamonds”—she flashed them deliberately—“for my birthday last month.”
    â€œWhere’s old Peter?”
    â€œKimberly.” She laughed. “But it’s safe here. Don’t worry.” She thought of Captain Retford and blinked the memory away. No good to bring him up now. “My two Bantu boys are both loyal. They’d fight to protect me. But that’s not needed in Capetown. It’s that horrid trek north that frightens me, fraught with dangers and beasts and wild savages. Spiders, they say, as big as your fist. And snakes, black mambas and cobras…ugh.”
    He laughed at her. “My sister, always the little coward except when it comes to the real dangers. So how is my prestigious brother-in-law doing in the BSA?”
    She shrugged. “Nothing ails him ever. His work for Uncle Julien and Mr. Rhodes proceeds nonstop. And you, you naughty boy. You didn’t even send me a letter.”
    â€œAboard that stuffy ship?” he grimaced. “It was all I could do to keep sanely occupied. How did you know I was arriving today, or need I ask? Elosia, I suppose.”
    â€œYes, Auntie wired Julien a week ago telling him you’d arrive on the
King George
. He wasn’t there to receive the message, so I rallied to the cause. I’m glad Julien was away when the wire came, but he’s back now.” She glanced at him. “I didn’t think you’d wish to meet him here when you first set foot in Capetown.”
    â€œBrilliant, my little sister, as always. But he’s at Cape House now?”
    She nodded, and he looked concerned. “Don’t worry. No one saw me leave. I needed time alone to discuss things with you, just the two of us.” She saw his quick glance, searching.
    â€œEverything going well with you and Peter?”
    â€œIt’s dreadful.”
    â€œAs I suspected. How do you find his work?”
    â€œTotally boring. Oh, Rogan, I’m so glad you’ve arrived. I couldn’t be in a more horrendous situation than I’m in right now.”
    â€œCome, it can’t be as bad as all that. Any man who weighs his wife down with diamonds is bent on keeping her happy.”
    â€œOh, you are joking.”
    â€œAll right, what is it you’ve done? Stole the Governor General’s heart so every decent woman in town is after your scalp?”
    â€œHow did you know—” She stopped as the corner of his mouth tipped downward. “But not the Governor General, silly. I’ve never met him. Well, I did meet him once at a ball, but he’s very old with arthritis in his knees, so he couldn’t dance. No, it’s that frightfully impossible dowager, Lady Jane Willowby.”
    â€œOne of those…”
    â€œYes! And she knows Auntie too.”
    â€œWorse luck.”
    â€œAnd she’s gone to Uncle Julien and accused me of absolutely outrageous