Nicholas sat up, his coat sliding off. Wherewas Alexandra?
He shielded his eyes from the sun’sbrilliant rays and scanned the horizon. Perched like an ancientwarrior princess, her knife cleaved to a long stick with twine, shestood poised atop a rock with teeth-gritting determination. Shepulled back and threw. Her spear whooshed through the water.
Alexandra squealed, pinning her spear to thesandy bottom. “Nicholas, I have caught a fish.”
He splashed into the water, grabbing hold ofher silvery prize before it slipped away. “You are worth yourweight in guineas, Alexandra.”
He hauled the flapping treasure ashore inhis arms, whistling a jaunty tune while gutting the fish. Realfood. Alexandra laid the fish’s body over hot coals and it steamedits fragrance. Nicholas washed his hands in the surf. He scannedthe beach and did a double-take. An indentation in the sand wasgrooved next to where he had slept. His whistling dropped in arapid decrescendo. Had she lay beside him?
“You were cold and I-I”
The air grew thick. Errant strands of goldhair clung to the perspiration that glistened on her pinkenedcheeks. Did her bottom lip tremble? Nice and full.
Tight and controlled, his breath eased outin a low delay. “Kept me warm. We’ve stared into the face of death,Alexandra. Conforming to conventional standards departed with theoutgoing tide. Your kindness speaks volumes. Please know, I am agentleman and honorable.”
After a short breakfast, they set out toexplore the earth on which they inhabited. The air, redolent ofwildflowers and the sweet scent of sea breezes caressed the highvalleys, rolling up over the green covered peaks, and then risingto touch the bluest sky.
As they walked, the jungle came to life.Birds twittered, a coconut plopped on the ground, triggering smallanimals to scamper under Casuarinas. He spotted an occasional,curly-tailed lizard sunning itself upon a slab of limestone and aherd of goats strike a path up the mountain. Beasts of prey seemednonexistent. No tracks in the soft earth to mark their presenceother than the hooves of swine and goats.
The going was not easy, having to stop everyfew minutes to regain his breath. Despite the fish, his stomachgnawed with hunger. To mark a trail, he broke limbs and slashedtrees with Alexandra’s knife. The sun heated the skin on his backand arms. Alexandra pulled up beside him, her breathing coming inshort spurts, fracturing the quiet.
How did she evoke such innocence? As athief, she had seen more of the world than he had. Had more skillsapparently.
He exhaled on a note of regret. “Kidnapped,stripped of everything, dealing with Portuguese slavers and nowcast upon this infernal earth, I realize how ill-equipped I am tosurvive. I have no knowledge, tools or weapons other than the knifeyou possess. I am useless.”
“You are hungry and it’s hot,” she said,resting her hand on one hip and wiping her brow with the other.“Are you so woeful because you are used to an army of servantswaiting on you?”
Is that what she thought of him? A macaroniwho could not fend for himself? His nerves tensed. “I will die hereand no one will know where I’ve been cast-a-way.”
She laughed at him, and then fingered a tallorange and blue flower. “I’m selfish, Nicholas. You need to buildme a shelter before you die. I need protection from wind and rain.”She smiled, the kind of smile that could melt his old Jesuit tutorand make him forget his vows.
“Bird of Paradise.”
“I have never seen such majestic colors. Ican breathe the colors.”
Breathing?He stopped breathing for amoment, mesmerized by the color of her eyes, dark-ringed withgolden lights in pools of turquoise. He shook his head and stoopedto pick up a coconut from the many that spread across the ground.Anything to remove himself from her enchantment. He cracked openthe coconut, drank and pressed the vessel into her hands todrink.
“We must find a water source.” He chewed apiece of coconut and pushed on. “To capture one of those fat swineI saw herding through the forests, consumes me. If only I had a bowand arrow, or better, I could try your spear. If we are to survive,I will have to hunt for food to supplement our diet. The coconutand fish have revitalized me, but I will get sick of theredundancy.”
“Do you hear it?” She turned west, cuttingthrough thick vegetation. He followed. She leapt over stranglervines and roots, fast and independent as the caprices of the wind.A stitch grew in his side. Drawing closer, the thunder grewlouder.
She drove through head-high elephant leaves,halted, her mouth dropping open. He came up beside her, and he,too, stood in awe, his world full of magic things.
The most desirable spot in the world withbeauty beyond his wildest imagination lay before him. Cascadingplumes of sweet water tumbled down a fern softened cliff, dancingwith multi-colored hues, and then blending into a cobalt melting ofsilver mist before plunging into a deep jungle pool. Lime bursts ofparrots chattered in the tree tops. Beneath a cerulean sky, acarpet of scarlet, yellow and orange flowers sparkled withdroplets. He filled his lungs with the fragrance and warm tropicalair.
She laughed and dove in, splashing the waterup over her with the gleeful state of a child. He dove in afterher, taking great gulps of fresh water. He back-floated for awhile, watching her out of the corner of his eye. Likely owed toher sea captain father, she swam with elegant ease, wild andnatural as the gulls that soared above the sea. She dove under thefall, surfacing and lifting her head to the flowing water. Nicholasfollowed, her innocent enthusiasm contagious, the water rushingover him, cleaning away sweat and salt and grime.
She crawled up on a flat moss-covered rock,her chest heaving with exertion and lay in the sun. He hitchedhimself up on the same rock, sitting next to her. The treesmurmured to one another, swaying in a gentle breeze, smelling ofallspice and flowers. A half rainbow descended from the mists overthe glade.
But it was her dazzling beauty that arrestedhis attention. Her hand lay over her heart, concealing one breast.A dark nipple puckered and protruded through the fabric of herother breast. Golden hair fanned out from beneath her and there wascolor to her face, a flush that lent her skin a radiant glow.
Sister?Had he really called her asister? It was all he could do not to crawl on top of her and…heraked his fingers through his damp hair.
“Nicholas, you will not die here. You mustagree we have been blessed with this boon.” She waved a hand to thetrees that bordered the lagoon. “I have never seen a place solovely. Bright colored orchids and fruit hang everywhere.”
He wasn’t thinking about orchids and fruit.The garment she wore was completely diaphanous. He tried not tolook at how her chemise stuck to her like a second skin, tried notto look at the curls of the deep vee between her legs. His handsfisted with the criminality of a woman to appear like that. But whowas present to enforce the law?
A hummingbird flew suspended over the pool.Beneath, the current swelled and elongated. Nicholas shifted. Theease in which she displayed herself cemented his theory on herprofession. He remembered her request aboard theSantanas,and that request lingered, evoking all kinds of depravedimaginings. She had wanted him to
