A new black face joined the establishment, a round female face that looked on Natalie with pity, capable hands that changed her sheets and nightie. Apart from a few minutes each afternoon and evening she saw nothing of Kip and she guessed that whatever he did for a living he was off out and doing it.
On the third day, Natalie got up. She felt very weak and decidedly groggy but she got up all the same, dismissing the outraged duckings of Josh and the newly acquired Mina who turned out to be Josh's wife. She made it to the cool veranda at the front of the house and sat in her thin robe on the rattan chair, drinking in the sight of a quite beautiful garden.
It stretched to the road as she had realised the night she had arrived, the tall hedge around it guarding the whole property from prying eyes. There were thick bushes of bougainvillaea, the bright red and purple blossoms spilling to the ground. Tall trees were dotted around, some with fruit that she assumed were mangoes, and the garden itself was alive with orange lilies and white daisies.
She sat with the tray of tea that Josh brought to her and listened to the song of the birds. Everything was lush, heavy with moist air, but it was beautiful and peaceful. Further down the lawn, the gardener was cutting the grass, his strong arm swinging rhythmically as he wielded a quite ferocious-looking scythe.
Peace was shattered as a Land Rover, well covered with dust, pulled into the drive and roared up to the front of the house. There was something angry about the sound of it and she almost cringed as Kip got out, rounding the bonnet in long swinging strides, his frown quite alarming.
'What the devil are you doing up?' He glared down at her and Natalie gathered her courage to look back at him fearlessly. He looked quite furious, not the softly taunting man she had become used to. He was in khaki shirt and trousers, the shirt sleeves rolled up over brown forearms, the crisp, tough khaki making him look quite alien to her as if he was a stranger all over again. His hair was incredibly fair against the khaki and she couldn't seem to take her eyes off him.
'I felt better. I can't go on hanging around in bed.'
'It's only been two days, for heaven's sake!' he snapped, glaring at her more. He raised his voice and bellowed for Josh, who came at a run. 'Get me a cold beer, Josh. Lunch in fifteen minutes,' he ordered. He dropped down to a seat facing Natalie.
'You are to get completely better,' he grated. 'That's not a suggestion. It's an order.'
'From the minister of culture?' she asked quietly. It made him look surprised.
'Why the hell should it be?' he bit out. 'Gabriel Basoni is a friend of mine, not my boss.'
'I see. You help him to collect butterflies. I understand.' For a second he just looked right at her, seeing the growing irritation in the jewelled green eyes, and then he smiled tauntingly.
'Of course, you listen in to other people's telephone calls. Naturally you trained for that. I expect it's part of your job.'
'It's no such thing!' Natalie blazed at him. She had tried the taunting herself and failed. Kip was the expert and now he only looked more taunting than ever.
'A personal preference; well, I never! You're so sweet and delicate-looking that I would never have believed it!'
She glared into the mocking darkness of his eyes, her face beginning to turn from a pale olive to a fiery red.
'I'll leave today, Mr Forsythe,' she informed him stiffly. 'You've been very kind to me in spite of your annoyance and I'm grateful. I can go to my hotel now, though, and I'll leave after lunch.'
He stood and towered over her, holding her embarrassed gaze with great ease.
'Oh, no, you won't, butterfly,' he assured her. 'You'll leave when I say so. I'm not having all my good work ruined because you've got more spirit than sense. I'd only have to bring you back here again and put you to bed. I have other things to do.'
He left her open-mouthed. He couldn't order her about! Josh came in to announce lunch and Kip nodded to him, never taking his eyes off Natalie.
'You can sit at the table and eat lunch with me if you're very good later,' he offered sardonically, as if she was a child who needed coaxing.
She was just going to tell him what he could do when he bent and swept her up into his arms, walking along the veranda and into the house.
'Put me down!' she muttered, filled with shame as both Josh and Mina stood grinning widely.
'But why? I really enjoy this. It's worth the trip home at lunchtime just to hold you. It could make a good hobby.' He sat her at the table and sank to the opposite chair, smiling tauntingly into her outraged eyes. 'Slacken
off, Natalie,' he said quietly. 'You know I'm teasing. You're not in any way ready to face work, or a hotel. Give it a few more days.'
She looked away, feeling shaky, strangely stirred by his hold over her.
'Taunting and teasing are two different things. You taunt!'
'I'll try not to. I wouldn't want to hurt a little black kitten.'
'Perhaps you'd better make up your mind just what sort of creature I am,' Natalie snapped, back to normal at the slightly patronising tone.
He looked at her steadily. 'A fascinating creature,' he answered, getting on with his soup and ignoring her completely from then on, his mind obviously on other things.
After that, Natalie was up every day, although sometimes she was forced to take an afternoon nap.