A Spear of Summer Grass - By Deanna Raybourn Page 0,84
the shadow in front of my tent never moved.
I moved to swing my feet over the edge of my cot and the frame gave a tiny squeak of protest. The shadow shifted.
“I’m here, Delilah. Go back to sleep.”
I put my head back down to my pillow, but it was hours before I slept again. And all through that long night he stayed there, watching over me, saying nothing as he peered into the darkness that pressed against us like a living thing.
* * *
The journey back to Fairlight was uneventful. Tusker was nursing a modest hangover and the men were jubilant. They sang songs, filling the savannah sky with their chanting, and sparing the rest of us the burden of conversation. We cut directly across the countryside, saving a day and reaching Tusker’s ranch by teatime. I walked with Gideon and it was companionable, our silence, unlike the prickly thing that had sprung up between Ryder and me. He did not look at me, not until we had left Tusker at Nyama and he had taken me back to Fairlight. He unloaded my gear and stood, arms at his sides.
“I will have to arrange for your fee to be sent from Nairobi,” I began.
“Forget it,” he said, his mouth angry. “This one was on the house.”
“That’s very kind of you.”
“I’m not kind and we both know it. I do what I want for my own reasons.”
“Fine. You’re not kind and I’m not grateful. Is there anything else?”
“Yes.” He pushed his hands through his hair. It was rough and unkempt, but it had felt like raw silk in my fingers. “I’m leaving. I’ll be gone at least a month. I’ve got a short safari to guide for a client coming out of Nairobi.”
“Safe journey, then.”
“Goddammit, Delilah—” He broke off. “Never mind. I’m leaving Gideon behind. He’ll keep an eye on you and on Fairlight.”
“I don’t need a nursemaid, Ryder. Not even yours.”
“No, but you could probably use a friend. He’ll know where to find me if you need me.”
Before I could say a word, he grabbed me by the back of the neck, kissing me hard. It was over as soon as he began, and when he released me he looked angrier still, as if kissing me had been something he had done entirely against his will.
“I know exactly how you feel,” I murmured. He stalked off without another word and I turned and went into Fairlight, now empty and small. But whether I was thinking of the house or myself, I couldn’t say.
* * *
After that, things settled into a routine. I spent my mornings patching up the Kikuyu and Masai at Fairlight while Gates hid his resentment and did what I told him for the most part. While I was away, Dodo had started a complete overhaul of the house from top to bottom. She had the house scrubbed, and hauled the carpets and curtains outside to the garden to be beaten. She set four boys with cricket bats to them, and the cloud of dust and insects they raised nearly choked us all. The floors were waxed and polished and the silver rubbed until it shone. Every window was cleaned with vinegar and sheets of newspaper, and when she was finished the house seemed lighter, shedding its coat of filth and neglect.
The kitchen was overhauled as well, and Pierre found a proper cook, an elegant Somali named Omar. He wouldn’t touch pork, but his skills made up for the lack of bacon at the table. Pierre was delighted with the changes and I presented him with a dashing new red fez to replace his old one. He even went so far as to serve dinner one evening wearing white gloves, but I told him it was a ridiculous affectation in Africa and he took them off. He sulked for a while, only perking up when I promised him a raise. Dora pursed her lips and looked disapproving, but she said nothing. She had worked her fingers to the bone on the house. The entire place shone like a new pin, and I told her so.
“Why, thank you,” she said, looking a little startled. “I have actually rather enjoyed it. Not all of it, mind you. There were days only stout British resolve got me through. But it looks rather lovely now, if I may say.”
“You may. The slipcovers you made for the drawing room were an inspired choice.”
She had ordered yards of a glazed black chintz with a