by observation, except that there were laugh lines at the corners of her eyes.
Alison Booth was not only good and a woman; she was also, at least on first meeting, a very attractive, outgoing person. The term 'professional' kept recurring to McAuliff as they spoke.
'I made Roily promise to omit the fact that I was a woman. Don't hold him responsible.'
'Were you so convinced I was anti-liberation?'
The girl raised her hand and brushed her long, soft hair away from the side of her lovely face. 'No preformed hostility, Dr McAuliff. I just understand the practical obstacles. It's part of my job to convince you I'm qualified.'
And then, as if she were aware of the possible double-entendre, Alison Booth stopped smiling and smoothed her skirt... professionally.
'In field work and the laboratory, I'm sure you are qualified...'
'Any other considerations would be extraneous, I should think,' said the girl, with a slight trace of English aloofness.
'Not necessarily. There are environmental problems, degrees of physical discomfort, if not hardship.'
'I can't conceive of Jamaica being in that league with Iran or Corsica. I've surveyed in those places.'
'I know - '
'Roily told me,' interrupted Alison Booth, 'that you would not accept tour references until you had interviewed us.'
'Group isolation tends to create fallible judgments. Insupportable relationships. I've lost good men in the past because other good men reacted negatively to them for the wrong reasons.'
'What about women?'
'I used the term inclusively, not exclusively.'
'I have very good references, Dr McAuliff. For the right reasons.'
'I'll request them.'
'I have them with me.' Alison unbuckled the large leather purse on her lap, extracted two business envelopes, and placed them on the edge of McAuliff's desk. 'My references, Dr McAuliff.'
Alex laughed as he reached for the envelopes. He looked over at the girl; her eyes locked with his. There was both a good-humoured challenge and a degree of supplication in her expression. 'Why is this survey so important to you, Miss Booth?'
'Because I'm good and I can do the job,' she answered simply.
'You're employed by the university, aren't you?'
'On a part-time basis, lecture and laboratory. I'm not permanent... by choice, incidentally.'
'Then it's not money.' McAuliff made a statement.
'I could use it; I'm not desperate, however.'
'I can't imagine your being desperate anywhere,' he said, with a partial smile. And then Alex saw - or thought he saw - a trace of a cloud across the girl's eyes, an instant of concern that left as rapidly as it had come. He instinctively pressed further. 'But why this tour? With your qualifications, I'm sure there are others. Probably more interesting, certainly more money.'
'The timing is propitious,' she replied softly, with precise hesitation. 'For personal reasons that have absolutely nothing to do with my qualifications.'
'Are there reasons why you want to spend a prolonged period in Jamaica?'
'Jamaica has nothing to do with it. You could be surveying Outer Mongolia for all that it matters.'
'I see.' Alex replaced the two envelopes on the desk. He intentionally conveyed a trace of indifference. The girl reacted.
'Very well, Dr McAuliff. It's no secret among my friends.' The girl held her purse on her lap. She did not grip it; there was no intensity about her whatsoever. When she spoke, her voice was steady, as were her eyes. She was the total professional again. 'You called me "Miss Booth"; that's incorrect. "Booth" is my married name. I regret to say the marriage was not successful; it was terminated recently. The solicitousness of well-meaning people during such times can be boring. I'd prefer to be out of touch.'
McAuliff returned her steady gaze, trying to evoke something beyond her words. There was something, but he would not allow his prying further; her expression told him that... professionally.
'It's not relevant. I apologize. But I appreciate your telling me.'
'Is your... responsibility satisfied?'
'Well, my curiosity, at any rate.' Alex leaned forward, elbows on the desk, his hands folded under his chin. 'Beyond that, and I hope it's not improper, you've made it possible for me to ask you to have dinner with me.'
'I think that would depend on the degree of relevance you ascribed to my acceptance.' Alison's voice was polite but not cold. And there was that lovely humour in her eyes.
'In all honesty, I do make it a point to have dinner or a long lunch... even a fair amount of drinks with those I'm thinking about hiring. But right now, I'm reluctant to admit it.'
'That's a very disarming reply, Dr McAuliff,' said the girl, her lips parted, laughing her half laugh.