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Stonor swore under his breath and she looked back at hie you have to watch your blood pressure'

'Vixen!' he muttered

'Goodnight, Stonor'

'Come back tomorrow,' he said quickly as she opened the door, but she did not answer

CHAPTER EIGHT

EACH time she visited Stonor, Marie afterwards took tea with Princess Aissa, either in her private apart mascu­line eyes on the wo, Marie soon realised, was far more elabor­ately decorated, far more beautifully furnished than the public roos of Jedhpur, in past years, had created a scented, silk-draped paradise for their queens Marie gazed around these es and wondered what it had felt like to be the bird of paradise imprisoned here She remembered that Stonor had once threatened her with hare when he played kidnapper for his own amusement He had said that she was already, in fact, the prisoner of luxury; indulged, petted and spoilt but shut away from ordinary life In a sense she kneas true Her father had protected her fro her had walled her up away from the free winds of the world Now she knew just how much she had missed

She had looked at her hands with dis the softness and whiteness of her unscathed palh fronity Marie envied She longed to have Lispa's deft agility, her quick graceful skill in household tasks She longed to have Jess's artistic skills, too, or to use her brain in the challenge of industry, or learn even any basic industrial skills

Anything, in fact, but be useless

The job Jess had given her was really only a space in which to find her trueabout the future What could she learn to do? What could she train for? Nursing? That had an appeal You did not need to be brilliant in order to take up nursing, and her education had been a sound one Or should she go to a teacher training college? She rejected that idea after soht as it did not appeal to her She re­jected a business training, too One by one she considered various jobs and always ca prospect, but she wanted to do so really useful, and it seemed the best way to do that

She discussed the proble their tea parties Somehow Aziz always contrived to be on hand for these occasions He would knock on the door, look surprised and say cheerfully, 'Well, well, Miss Brinton… may I come in?'

Aissa would turn her sleek black head on the long column of her swanlike neck and the almond eyes would smile at him, the corners of the pale pink mouth turn up

Now and then, as she passed hiers would brush his hand Once, as Marie was gazing with enchanted eyes at the intense blue of the afternoon sky, she turned back suddenly and caught Aziz kissing Aissa's fingertips, his adoring eyes on the Princess's shy, averted face Marie felt her own heart quiver at the look on their faces There was soesture

In their formal world Aziz's delicate kiss took on the quality of an explosion of passion

When shethe palace with Aziz beside her, talking lightly as they walked, she felt herself tense with alarlance she received from the Priether, in that graceful gesture of subive hilance

Once it occurred to her that Lord Hathni suspected Aziz of having an interest in her She gently suggested this idea to Aziz, who grinned shamelessly