Page 74 of In the Heat of the Jungle

The next two days were busy, bloodthirsty, and successful ones for the two couples. Cynthia and Louisa killed zebras. Reid got a leopard and elephant. Chad got his cape buffalo, giving him four of the “big five” trophies he craved. Now he was eager to go after a lion.

Leigh didn’t shoot anything, and that pleased Jace. He was also pleased, and slightly baffled, that no peril endangered his love. He wanted desperately to be with her, but open flaps at night prevented it. Too, Chad was sticking to her like a second skin.

As for Leigh Webster, she was relieved that the incidents had ceased. She missed Jace. He was nearby but so far out of reach for the present. Chad was on his best behavior, as were the others. She was enjoying the scenery, but she was miserable. She wanted Jace; she needed him. She longed for privacy and his touch. Not even a kiss or an embrace had been possible. If only they had a way to be alone, to talk, to hold each other.

~*~

Jace realized how odd it must look to Chad for him not to be pursuing Leigh. Of course, he laughed and joked with her in camp and on the trail, but he hadn’t made any romantic gestures. Perhaps he should. Jace approached and asked, “Leigh, would you care to take a walk? The sunsets here are breathtaking. There’s also a family of hyrax nearby that you might enjoy seeing.”

Leigh looked at her lover. “I’m sorry, but Chad just asked the same thing, Jace. Perhaps later or tomorrow?”

“That’s fine,” he replied, disappointed.

Reid prepared himself to do as Chad had ordered, to keep Jace and Johi in camp so neither could spy during the stroll. He knew what Chad was going to do, and he concurred. It was about time Chad got back to important business, he fumed, and rid them of that blond obstacle. Now that Chad knew he had lost, it would be easy for his friend to get rid of Leigh. Yet, Reid was worried. It was as if the girl lived a charmed life, escaping every snare set for her. After this talk, she would be vulnerable, susceptible, and helpless, because Chad would make her turn against her intrusive hero.

~*~

“Leigh, I have a terrible confession to make,” Chad began when they were a safe distance from camp. He had guided them into an open space where no one could sneak up and listen, in case Reid failed in his task. For days he had been charming her so she wouldn’t realize he intended to crush her. His first and only true love had to be punished for her betrayal. Before he took her life, he had to hurt her as she had hurt him. “I did something awful, and I’m sorry. I believe it’s the reason behind everything that’s happened to you.”

Leigh’s blue gaze focused on her guardian’s. Her pulse quickened. Her heart pounded in dread. Her throat felt tight and dry. She sensed something horrible in the air. “What is it, Chad?”

“I don’t know where to begin, or how to make you understand and believe me. I know you haven’t had any accidents for a while, but I’m still worried. I want to get this safari over with, so we can get out of this dangerous land. As soon as I get a lion, we’ll have a reason to leave without arousing Jace’s suspicions.”

“I don’t understand.” Her heart pounded. Was he suspicious and trying to separate them?

“After I explain, if you think I’m right, I’ll call off the safari today and we’ll go home. I’ll pay Jace his full salary, so he’ll have no reason to object. It’ll cost me a great deal, because I had to double it to coax him into taking this job. But I made a stupid mistake in judgment. He was so reluctant to become our guide that I made a crazy wager with him.” He related their contract terms. “Whichever of us wins you in marriage gets you, the money, to share your holdings, victory, and revenge. That’s why Jace Elliott accepted this job.”

Chad watched the effect of that disclosure on her. “I never intended to play our game for real, but I suspect Jace is doing so. I never believed he could catch your eye, and surely not your hand. The problem is, I love you and want to marry you. But I can’t begin to woo you until I get rid of Louisa, earn your trust and respect, and get you away from Jace’s threat. Those incidents at the fort, with your unloaded gun, with Louisa’s rifle, those spells, and that quicksand. I think Jace is responsible. I also think he wants to turn you against me by hinting I’m to blame so he can win that foolish wager. He sees it as a way to get revenge on me and William and to get his hands on the woman I love and on your inheritance. That isn’t the worst part. He insisted on adding an additional five thousand pounds for every night either of us slept in your tent. You know I haven’t tried to seduce you to win, but I’m afraid he will.”

Despite all he was telling her, one sentence stood out the most. “How do you know about my gun and the fort?” she questioned. “I told Jace not to mention them and worry you. Why did he tattle?”

“Jace told me when we took that walk at our last camp. I asked him face forward if he was trying to harm you or trick you. He denied it, of course. He tried to point the finger at me and Louisa. I’m not saying Louisa didn’t pull any of those tricks, but not all of them. I know she’s jealous and spiteful, and I shouldn’t have brought her along. I knew I was falling in love with you, and that scared me. You’re a tempting treasure, Leigh Webster, but I’m used to freedom. I also knew it would scare yu for me to start acting lovesick. Jace told me what you said about the will. Why did you lie to him?”

“We agreed not to reveal it to him, so I haven’t. When he kept making hints about you being a threat to me, I used it to silence him. Why are you telling me all this? Why should I believe you?”

Chad withdrew the altered contract from his pocket. “Can you recognize my handwriting and Jace’s?”

She had seen both during the safari, when notes were made or licenses marked. “Yes.”

“Read this, and don’t judge me too harshly. I swear I never meant for it to go this far. I’ll even pay Jace the fifty thousand to get you out of here safely. I was trying to make peace with him, and I thought for a while I was succeeding. I was wrong, Leigh. He still doesn’t trust me or forgive me. He hates me and wants revenge, through you. I told him I was in love with you and wanted to marry you. He charged it was because of the firm, as I was afraid you’d believe if I started after you too soon. If you’ll marry me, I’ll sign a legal document that will deny me any right to the company should anything happen to you. It’s the only way you’ll know you can trust me completely. Even if you don’t love me, I can’t allow you to get entangled in this mess between me and Jace.”

After Leigh read the contract, Chad burned it. “Now, when you leave with me, I have no legal proof of his wager, nothing to gain. The bet isn’t and never was important to me, Leigh. I only made it to get Jace to work for us. To prevent trouble, I’ll pay whichever amount he demands. You can hate me, disrespect me, and reject me, but let me help you get away from him before he makes another attempt to beguile you. When we return to London, you can fire me and avoid me. You can sell the firm and return to America, if you desire. I won’t try to stop you, even though I have the power to do so. I love you, and I only want you to be safe and well. I swear it.”

As Leigh stared at him, Chad said, “I honestly don’t know if Jace is trying to harm you or trick you, or if he’s fallen in love with you, as I have. These incidents make me nervous and wary. I thought you should know the truth so you can watch yourself.”

Leigh decided to test this man with her own stunning revelation, if Chad didn’t already know about it. She needed it to appear as if she trusted and liked him enough to confide in him. Upon return to camp, she would destroy her contract, too. “You aren’t the only one who made a foolish wager with him. Jace and I have a bet you don’t know about.” She revealed the terms of her secret wager and she watched Chad’s blue eyes enlarge. “That’s right, Chad, me against his plantation. Of course, like you, I wasn’t serious, and never believed I’d lose. If it weren’t for all those curious incidents, I would be safe from him. No matter, for I would not take his plantation and I wouldn’t spend a single night with that greedy criminal. As with you, Jace insisted on a valuable wager before he would take the job. The thousand pounds weren’t enough to entice him, and I knew how eager everyone was to go on the safari. He was so damn cocky I was provoked into signing an agreement. Besides, I wanted to study him, see what I could learn about that codicil. At the time, it seemed harmless and amusing. As Jace is a wanted criminal, after I return to London or America, what can he do to collect? Nothing. He’s so proud that I figured he wouldn’t tell anyone I had outsmarted him, so my reputation seemed safe.”

“Heavens, Leigh! He’s a clever and dangerous man, a vengeful one. I know from experience. You shouldn’t have been so reckless.”

“Neither should you, Chad. It appears he outwitted both of us. When I realized he was playing seriously and I was losing to him, I knew I had been a fool. That’s why I couldn’t cancel the safari when I became ill. I didn’t want Jace telling everyone about our deal and humiliating me. If I lost, I planned to escape him before he realized I had sailed. Currently, we’re even in points. I promise you, it’ll be a draw, or he’ll be left fuming after my deceit and departure.”

“You mean you won’t honor the agreement?”

Leigh sent him an insulted look. “I wouldn’t sully myself for any man or reason. You’re right about him being suspicious of you and Grandfather, but I told him he was crazy. I told him you don’t inherit if I die, so you have no reason to harm me. He didn’t believe me. There’s something else you should know.”

Leigh seized his full attention with that hint. “I saw Jace twice in London, but he never revealed his identity, and we both know why. That night at Lord Salisbury’s, I slipped outside for fresh air. Jace sneaked up on me and returned my locket. I told him you were my guardian and you wouldn’t like a stranger chasing me. He said he wanted to get to know me; it’s clear now it was because of my connection to you. To discourage him, I mentioned we were leaving on safari. That’s why he was in Mombasa; he was lying in wait for us. I think he paid Mr. Hanes to fake an injury so you’d have to hire him. I didn’t know who he was until he confronted me at the party here. That’s also when he learned who I am and got these crazy wager ideas.”

When Chad frowned, Leigh said, “I didn’t tell you about our second meeting because I didn’t want to worry or anger you. That’s the same reason I didn’t tell you about my rash wager. There’s something I don’t understand. Jace didn’t tell me his name, but he was very romantic at the wharf, until he learned I was meeting Lord Hamilton for dinner. When I told him in the garden I was your ward, he became romantic again. But after he discovered I was a Webster, he backed off. Considering his wager with you, why did he halt his romantic pursuit? A man can’t catch a woman if he doesn’t chase her. True, he’s been flirty and attentive, but nothing more. That’s odd, unless those wagers were tricks to get this job to spy on us. I made my bet to test his motives and knowledge, but he refused money, property, or marriage to me. I suppose he needed me to think he didn’t want those things from me.”

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