Jack looked at her with another quick smile, and a curious glance of dark recognition in his eyes, almost like a caress. Strangely apart, too, as if he and she were in an inner dark circle, and Somers was away outside.
“Don’t you want to go, Mrs Somers?” he asked.
“Of course I don’t. I love Australia,” she protested.
“Then don’t you go,” said Jack. “You stop behind.”
When he lowered his voice it took on a faint, indescribable huskiness. It made Harriet a little uneasy. She watched Lovat. She did not like Jack’s new turn of husky intimacy. She wanted Richard to rescue her.
“Ha!” she said. “He’d never be able to get through the world without me.”
“Does it matter?” said Jack, grinning faintly at her and keeping the husky note in his voice. “He knows his own mind—or his fate. You stop here. We’ll look after you.”
But she watched Richard. He was hardly listening. He was thinking again that Jack was feeling malevolent towards him, wanting to destroy him, as in those early days when they used to play chess together.
“No,” said Harriet, watching Lovat’s face. “I suppose I shall have to trail myself along, poor woman, till I see the end of him.”
“He’ll lead you many a dance before that happens,” grinned Richard. He rather enjoyed Jack’s malevolence this time.