Page 93 of In the Heat of the Jungle

“At Alfred’s party, I thought I was being set up, woman, and you know why I believed it. I was right all along. Chad did have a sly motive: marry you and get rid of me. I confess our wager began as a ruse, one to capture your interest. I was testing you and probing for information about Chad’s motives and your possible involvement. You were doing the same thing with me, so don’t deny it.”

“There was no plot, Jace Elliott. You’re mean, bitter, and devious. How did you pull off this stunt?”

Jace explained the snakebite ruse to her. “Reid only wounded the animal because I tampered with the sight on his gun. Johi kept them out of camp long enough for me to fool the others and steal you. I had men hiding and ready to track whatever Reid wounded to spare me that task and time. Very clever, eh?”

“Very illegal and cruel,” Leigh refuted. “Not only does Chad think I’m dead, but he’ll tell my family and friends. You have to let me contact Aunt Jenna before he does. That news will crush her.”

Jace shrugged and nodded. “Fine. I’ll handle it. I’m sorry I didn’t think to send her a cable before I left Mombasa. Consider it done tomorrow. But we will have to swear her to secrecy about your survival. I don’t want anyone to know you’re alive yet.”

Leigh stared at him. “You’ll let me cable her?”

“I’m not a heartless bastard, Leigh. Though, at times, you tried your best to rip it out of my chest.”

That accusation astonished her. He actually looked and sounded honest. “I tried to hurt you? Are you crazy? You’re the one who had me terrified at the fort, unloaded my gun during a dangerous rhino hunt, put drugs in my canteen, lured me into quicksand, fixed Louisa’s gun to almost kill me, then faked my death. You did all those wicked and dangerous things just to win a stupid bet, and you claim I-”

Jace’s hands moved to her shoulders and shook her gently. “Shut up and listen, woman. The men who attacked you at the fort have been arrested. A woman with red hair hired them to sell you into white slavery. The men who attacked you on the waterfront in London are dead, killed resisting arrest. They worked in Cynthia’s stables. I asked a man there to check out everyone around you. I knew they weren’t sailors, and you told me they smelled of horseflesh. You also caught their names and gave their descriptions. I don’t have to tell you who Cynthia’s best friend is.”

During the past few weeks alone, Leigh had come to realize how much Louisa hated her, and how suspicious she was of the redhead. Mention of the vixen who had flirted with Jace in Mombasa and in camp and who had said such horrible things that last day provoked her to scoff, “The same woman who shared old times with you! The same woman you were playing with in the river in an attempt to anger me.”

“I’m not going to deny that first charge, because we both know it isn’t true. But the second oneistrue.”

Leigh moved from him, causing the hot hands on her bare shoulders to fall to his sides. His clothes were damp from contact with her. She lifted her robe and donned it, also leaving on the drying cloth. “Then why did you tell her about our wager? It was a secret.”

Jace lifted one brow quizzically. “I didn’t.”

“How did Louisa know about it? I certainly didn’t tell her. She confronted me about us and the bet that morning you pulled this stunt.”

Jace surmised, “Perhaps she found your contract. It was hidden in your tent, and she did remain in camp one day.” He didn’t want to suggest Chad had told Louisa about the wager, after Leigh had confided in her guardian. He would solve that mystery later.

Leigh had suspected Chad of revealing that news, but Jace’s guess sounded more logical and probable. “You could be right.”

“I’m sure I am. As for those drugs in your canteen, Chad was responsible. Johi overheard him mention it to Reid after your ‘death.’” Leigh’s eyes narrowed in impending debate. “But he wasn’t trying to poison you,” Jace quickly added, “just make you ill so he could end the safari and get you out of my reach. He was worried that all his lies and deceits wouldn’t keep us apart. You were bait, Leigh, but not mine. The safari was his idea. He plotted it to get revenge on me. You were his tool to pry his way into my life again. Since that frame in London failed, he sought another road to victory. Chad told you about our past in Mombasa just to win your favor and to prevent anything from happening between us. He was playing on your tender heart and suspicions; he figured, by confiding in you, you would be fooled about him. I promised to reveal everything and I will, in time. I didn’t want you to know about our quarrel because it would make me look bad before you could get to know me and judge the truth for yourself.”

Leigh knew he hadn’t talked about the wager, but she didn’t broach that topic yet. “Even if that’s true, none of it changes what you planned and did to me, Jace Elliott. You had my clothes and things sent here as soon as we left Mombasa. You prepared a tent you could sneak into and out of at your pleasure. Then, all those curious incidents happened. After we got close, you should have trusted me and confided in me. You had plenty of time to expose the truth, and you owed it to me. That last night, I tried to coax the truth from you, so we could be honest with each other. You responded by kidnapping me! What am I supposed to think and feel, except you were duping me from the start?”

Jace grasped what she was thinking. “I had your clothes sent here because I was planning to find a way to keep you safe until November. I suspected Chad would either slay you or ensnare you in marriage to get his hands on Webster’s estate. I couldn’t allow either to happen. I wanted you to have your things to use during your stay. I knew there was no way to get them here after the safari. As for that secret exit, that tent is mine. Sometimes I need to slip out of camp at night, so it allows me to do so without being seen. After we … got close, I let you have it to conceal our relationship. Chad must have located it and gotten suspicious. That’s why Louisa and Cynthia kept sleeping there with you. That’s why he wanted to do us harm.”

“After this imprisonment, I’m supposed to believe you and trust you?” she reasoned. “I’m supposed to accept your charges against nearly everyone on the safari? What did Chad do after my death?”

Jace walked to the door. “It’s been a long journey to and from Mombasa. We’re both on edge. Why don’t you dress while I get something to wet my throat? We have matters to discuss, don’t we?”

Leigh’s gaze met his troubled one. “Yes, we do.”

After he left, she wrapped the colorful sarong around her and secured it. Abena had given her several. It was hot most days, and the garment was cool and comfortable. She brushed her hair. The honey tresses were almost dry, again due to the African heat. She was nervous, wary, and a little frightened. She was baffled by Jace’s words. She wondered if this ruse was for her protection and if it had been necessary. She quivered, thinking of the long night ahead.

Leigh joined Jace in the kitchen. He turned and smiled, looking her over with pleasure. His pulse quickened and his heart raced at the provocative sight. His loins burned and ached, aflame with desire and hungry with need. “Would you like juice? Abena makes it fresh every day from tropical fruits. Or would you prefer something stronger?”

Leigh noticed his reaction to her, and she felt the same. “Juice is fine. I’d like to keep my head clear.”

Jace chuckled as he poured the tasty liquid. “Me, too,” he said, handing her a filled glass. He lightly clicked his glass to hers and said, “To our time together and all the surprises it will bring.”

“Why are you hurting me to get back at Chad? Which one of us will suffer the deepest and longest?Me,not Chad. For a time, I really believed you and I had something special. Suddenly you changed. You became mean, snide, and mysterious. Everything was good between us, then you backed off and spoiled it. Why, Jace? Are you going to force me to…”

Chapter Nineteen

Jace stared at the woman he loved and wanted to trust more than anything in the world. She looked vulnerable and afraid. She looked beautiful and innocent. “No, Leigh; I won’t force you to honor any of the terms of our wager, but I won’t allow you to leave my plantation until I learn the truth and know you’re safe. If you want to make it hard on us, I can’t stop you. But I’m hoping you’ll relent and tell the truth so we can clear the air. You don’t have to worry about me assaulting you. I’ve never forced myself on any woman, and I certainly wouldn’t do so with you because you’re much too important to me.”

“Why?” Her mind longed for an understanding. Her heart ached for a reunion of spirits. Her body yearned for closeness with him again.

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