Chapter Twelve
Johi unlaced the tent’s secret flap and tugged on Jace’s leg to warn him to make a hasty flight. Having sensed the man’s presence in the darkness, Jace clamped his hand over Leigh’s mouth to keep her silent.
“Leigh, are you awake?” Cynthia suddenly called out. “Can I sleep here tonight? I can’t disturb Louisa and Chad, but Reid and I are quarreling.”
“Stall a moment and I’ll be out the back,” Jace whispered into Leigh’s ear. He released her and left without a sound.
“Just a minute, Cynthia. Let me find the lantern and light it.” Leigh mussed her hair, clothes, and cot before striking a safety match that filled her tent with a soft glow. She was amazed at how quickly and silently Jace escaped exposure. She unlaced the flaps and lifted one. “What’s wrong?” she asked, yawning as if awakened.
“Reid is furious with me for misbehaving at dinner. We quarreled, and he’s pouting. I had to get out.”
Leigh noticed how the brunette was scanning her tent. “You’re welcome to bunk here, but you’ll need a cot or sleeping roll. Maybe he’ll settle down by morning.”
Jace joined them at the entrance and asked, “Is something wrong, Miss Campbell? I heard voices and saw you two standing here.”
Cynthia’s brown-eyed gaze went from Leigh to Jace, then back again. “This is silly. I shouldn’t have disturbed Leigh, or you, Jace. I’m sorry. I’ll go back to my own tent. Reid will just have to sulk and endure me. Good night.” The woman strolled away from them and returned to her tent, glancing back before entering.
“What was that about?” Leigh murmured, relieved they hadn’t been exposed. If Cynthia had arrived a minute later…
Jace scowled. “I think someone suspects us. We should be careful for a while. We don’t want Louisa and her cohort catching us and telling Chad. He would spoil everything. Go to sleep, love. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
Leigh watched Jace enter his tent. She closed her flap and laced it, shaking her head in frustration. She did not like Louisa and Cynthia spying on her. Apparently the women wanted to cause trouble with Chad. Now that Leigh knew how much power and control her guardian possessed, she did not want to antagonize him. Learning that she was cavorting with his enemy would cause problems for all of them. It would be nice when November came and she was free of restraints. Jace was right, she decided; they had to be careful for a few days.
Leigh looked around her tent as she tried to figure out how Jace had fled. There were no marks on the ground, and nothing looked out of place. Then she noticed an area near one support pole where the right and back sides were laced snugly, from the ground to two feet up. She wondered if all tents had secondary openings in case of trouble out front. Tomorrow she would see. If not, that meant Jace had given her a special tent. Suddenly she fretted over how he had known he would need such a precaution. After all, he had ordered tents and supplies before their love affair began …
~*~
In another tent, Reid asked, “Where have you been?”
“I had to be excused,” Cynthia replied, stripping naked and reclining on her cot. She left the cover aside, but it was dark.
“This late? In a jungle? You aren’t brave or rash.”
The brunette giggled. “Is that jealousy in you, Reid? Do you think I sneaked a visit with our handsome and virile guide because you refuse to sate me?”
Reid folded his arms across his chest and gazed upward into the darkness. “If you did, I’m certain he wasn’t receptive.”
“Why, because you never are anymore?”
“Can I help it if we don’t excite each other these days? Is that what’s the matter with you? Frustration? You were a bitch tonight. Maybe we should seek new partners when we return home.”
“What an excellent idea. We haven’t pleased each other in a long time. Is she already picked out, Reid?”
“Why do you care? You’ve never loved or wanted me or any man as much as you love Louisa.”
Cynthia gasped. “That’s absurd. We’re best friends.”
“That’s why you’re so cold and hateful, because I refuse to give you the information she wants. Chad’s past isn’t her business.”
“If it involves what’s going on here,” the irate female argued, “it most assuredly is her affair. Don’t tell me little Leigh has you enchanted, too. You’re wasting time and energy and emotions, Reid. Chad would never let you take Leigh from him.”
Reid wasn’t provoked. “I don’t want Leigh.”
“If not that blond witch, then who?”
“Just because I no longer find you desirable and pleasing doesn’t mean I’m aching for another woman, like you are.”
Cynthia warned in a cold tone, “Stop it, Reid.”