“Then we have an agreement. I’d better enjoy it. I have an idea they’ll come rarely.”
She changed the subject. “What else are you going to teach me?”
“Oh, a few other things. We can discuss it later.”
“Why not now?”
“Because we’ve arrived.” He pulled into the driveway of a small, rustic, one-story chalet. “You don’t have to know everything right away. No curiosity, remember?”
“I didn’t say that. I said maybe.” She jumped out of the car as soon as it stopped. “Is anybody else here?”
“No, we have maid service every three days. Other than that, we’re on our own.”
“For how long?”
“Until you’re ready for me to let you go.” He got out of the car. “Come on. And try to relax. Didn’t you say Dantlow vetted me when you were probing?”
She made a rude sound. “I told you, he’s afraid of you. What happened last year?”
He sighed. “You’re impossible.” He unlocked the front door and entered into a large, high-ceilinged living room dominated by a huge stone fireplace and comfortable, brown leather furniture. “Your room is the second door on the right. Shower and change. Be careful about that wound and don’t get your bandage wet. I’ll make us something to eat.”
She stood gazing at him uncertainly as he headed across the great room toward the open kitchen beyond it. She was suddenly feeling very vulnerable.
He looked back at her. “What’s wrong? Do you need help? Say the word.” He smiled. “I became fairly familiar with that body of yours while I was dealing with that wound. I’ve no problem with taking care of it for another night or two.”
“No.” She felt a flush heat her cheeks. She didn’t know what he was thinking. His smile was slightly sensual though his words held no hint of intimacy. “I’m just catching my breath.” She turned in the direction he’d indicated. “I can take care of myself.”
“Pity.” He turned back and headed for the kitchen again. “I’ll give you forty minutes, then I’ll check to make sure you’re all right.”
“I’ll be fine,” she said firmly. “Forty minutes.”
* * *
“RIGHT ON TIME.” HE TURNED as Allie came toward him across the great room. “You even washed your hair.”
“Very clumsily.” She made a face. “But it was filthy from the woods. I had to do it.”
“And exhausted yourself.” He held her chair for her. “Sit down. Drink some water. I’ll get the potpies out of the oven.”
She picked up the water goblet beside the plate and took a drink as she watched him. It was strange sitting here. She felt awkward and uneasy. He was treating her as if she were grown-up and his equal. All her life she had been the victim, the child, the puppet. Her only importance had been the gift that was more a curse. No one had been interested in talking to her or asking opinions or wanting to be with her. Mandak might not want to be with her, but he was treating her as if she had value. It felt … odd.
“Here we go.” He turned away from the oven and moved toward the table. “It’s hot. Don’t eat it yet.” He slid the potpie onto her plate. He hesitated, looking down at her. “What are you thinking?” he asked softly.
She stiffened. “Why do you want to know?”
“Not to use it against you.” He slid his own pie onto his plate and moved across the room toward the counter. “You just had a peculiar expression, and I wanted to know what was going on in that head of yours. I was simply interested. Unlike you, I admit to curiosity. I find you … extraordinary.” He held up his hand as she opened her lips to speak. “And not in the way you think. That part of you is just something we have to work with. The other aspects of your psychological makeup are fascinating.”
“Why?”
“You’re a complex combination of child and mature woman. I’m wondering which side you’re going to show me next.” He sat down and spread his napkin on his lap. “And firecrackers are always interesting.” He picked up his fork and repeated, “What were you thinking?”
She was silent. “I was thinking that no one but you has ever treated me like this. Everyone else has always had a reason to…” She rushed ahead. “Not that you don’t have a reason, but you’re not looking at me the same way.”
“You mean like a human being? Normal?”
“I don’t know if—” She picked up her fork and started to cut the pastry on her potpie. “You confuse me. I have to figure you out.”
“You bewilder me a bit, too. But I’m looking forward to exploring the unknown.” He smiled. “Tell me, how are you used to having people look at you, Allie? Was I right?”
“I was weird. No one wants to be around people who are weird.”
“On occasion, evidently your father did. What about your mother?”
“What do you want me to say? My mother wasn’t bad to me. She was just busy.”
“Too busy for you?”
“I didn’t need her. I was busy, too.”
“Doing what?”
“Reading, studying. I swam a lot.”
“Yes, you could do all those alone. That would keep you away from everyone.”
“I asked my mother if I could have my bedroom in one of the guest cabins. It’s what I wanted.”
“Was it?”
“Yes.” She glared at him. “Don’t be stupid. Why would you think I’d want to be near anyone? It … hurt. Sometimes it made me sick. If I stayed away, most of the time it would be okay.”
“How far away? How close do you have to be to a person to risk being attacked by their memories?”
“Fifteen, twenty, thirty feet. It depends. Some people are stronger than others. But when I was in my father’s office, it was always close enough to be clear.” She swallowed. “Too clear.”
“I imagine that’s true.” His lips tightened grimly. “He would want to make certain that you were superefficient when he needed you. Being alone might have been a good defensive attack, but loneliness isn’t healthy for a kid. Didn’t you have any friends?”
She shrugged. “When I was little, I used to play with kids at school. But that was before everything changed, and they didn’t like me anymore. At first, they thought it was kind of cool that I knew stuff that only they should know. It was like I was some kind of circus act. But then it began to make them uncomfortable, and they didn’t want to be around me anymore.”
“They just didn’t understand.”
“Same thing.”
“Not at all.”
“Same result.”
“Now I can’t quarrel with you there.”
“Because I’m right. People don’t like what they don’t understand.” She looked up from her plate. “Why are you asking all these questions?”
“I told you, I’m interested. And curious. We’re going to have to interact very closely. I want to be able to gauge your reactions.”
“So you can try to manipulate me.”