Redemption of a Fallen Woman Page 0,32

de Dios, this is good. I have dreamed of bathing for days now.'

'I also. Dust and horse sweat are not ideal perfumes.'

'Better than the reek of incense though.'

Elena laughed. 'When you put it like that all objection begins to fade.'

They scrubbed themselves vigorously and took the opportunity to wash their hair as well. Then, at length, they climbed out and sat on a sun-warmed rock to dry off.

Elena smiled to herself, imagining her aunts' expressions if they could see her now. Their disapproval was an irrelevance, of course. It was as though they belonged to a past life. She could well imagine their reactions on learning of her marriage. From now on she would be persona non grata. Dolores was the only family she had left. That was a reunion to look forward to. In the meantime, there was Harry. Even though they spent so much time together she still knew little about him. Just occasionally there would be a tantalising detail but they were few and far between and, more than ever, she found herself wanting to know.

By the time she and Concha had dressed and returned to camp, the fire was made and tea brewing. Then Jack broke out their rations.

'Simple fare again, but it'll take t'edge off hunger for a while.'

'Here.' Harry handed Elena a mug of tea. 'Something to wash it down with.'

As she reached for the mug his fingers brushed hers, an apparently inadvertent touch that caused her pulse to quicken. Assuming what she hoped would look like a casual smile she met his gaze.

'Thank you. It is most welcome.'

'I promise you a better supper when we reach the next town.'

'I look forward to it. In the meantime I have no objection to simple fare.'

He smiled wryly. 'That's just as well since there will be a lot more of it.'

Hawkes nodded. 'We've had far worse, mind. Army specialised in it. Flour full o' weevils and salt pork so rancid it climbed out o' t'barrel on its own.'

'Flour and pork?' said Concha. 'You were fortunate. Often we had to make do with cat or dog.'

'Nowt wrong wi' that. Quite tasty if it's cooked right.'

'Oh, we didn't have a fire to cook it.'

'A bit o' raw food never hurt anyone.'

'No, but a half-starved cat is not much between a hundred people.'

Hawkes raised an eyebrow. 'At least it were meat. Our men were reduced to boiling their boots to make soup.'

'Our men had no boots. When times were really hard they were forced to eat grass.'

'Grass! We'd have given anything for grass where we out in t'desert. It were a cause for celebration in t'company if someone found a scorpion to roast. There were no water either so we were forced to suck on rocks just to keep t'saliva flowing.'

'We did the same,' said Concha, 'after we'd scraped off the lichen with our teeth, of course.'

Harry grinned. A stifled choking sound to his right caused him to glance round. As he did so he caught his breath. Elena's face was alight with laughter. It suited her very well, he thought. Very well indeed. She needed to laugh more often. Leaning closer he murmured confidentially in her ear.

'I think those two are well-matched.'

'You're right, they are.'

'I also think Jack enjoys this.'

'So does she.'

'He likes a worthy sparring partner,' he replied.

His closeness set her tingling but not with fear. Rather the earlier sensation of suppressed excitement returned. If he leaned a little closer their lips would touch. It shocked her to realise that she wouldn't have minded if they had.

However, it seemed that such an idea had never crossed his mind because then he drew away again and resumed a companionable manner. Immediately she upbraided herself for refining too much on what was no more than a little light-heartedness.

In fact, Harry was annoyed with himself: he had not expected to feel such a power of attraction and had no idea how it had happened. Things were complicated enough without him making them worse. He would need to be more careful in future.

When they had eaten and the hour drew on, Elena excused herself from the company to take the first watch. From her earlier survey of the terrain she had mentally selected a rocky promontory for her vantage point. It offered concealment but, at the same time, would allow a clear view of the surrounding countryside and the shoreline of the lake. It was unlikely that anyone would get close without being seen or heard. However, the night was quiet.