The perfume of love (rain-bi)

chapter 33

As she turned to him, smiling, such an odd, startled expression crossed his face that she asked, "What's the matter?"

"I..... I hadn't realised how pretty you are. No that's not what I mean," he corrected himself. "you've always been pretty, but somehow today you look more so."

"Thank you," she smiled. "I expect it's because I'm getting browner. By comparison with the rest of you, I looked quite ill when I arrived. It must he nice to live in the sun all the year round."

"Wait till you've spent time in Fiji before you decide about that" said another male voice, again speaking from close behind her.

This time her heart gave a lurch. She swivelled to look up at jihoon.

"is it much hotter in Fiji than in Hawaii?" she asked.

"it's a very hot, humid climate, which is great for lotus-eating but somewhat taxing for other purposes. You may find it saps your energy, mental as well as physical. Or you may thrive on it. How about getting jenna another cup of tea, Knight?".... This with a hint of reproof for his junior officer's failure to notice her cup was empty.

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry, jenna." dong won took her cup and saucer and headed for the tea table.

It was just as well Mrs lee had put her in the picture about jihoon's serious interest in joanne, thought jenna. Otherwise she might have deluded herself that he was warming towards her. First that unexpected public accolade, and now this seeking her out and sending
dong won off on an errand.

It was a delusion which would have been fostered by his next move. He cupped a palm under her elbow and steered her away from the people standing near them.

Out of earshot of the others, he said,

"Thank you for taking the advice I gave you recently."

"I still can't believe there was any danger of what you thought might happen," she said, in a low voice.

"but mulling it over, I realised you must be the best judge of possible complications."

"must the best judge," he agreed.

"and before you accuse me of sexist arrogance and strike a feminist attitude, let me add that I only meant that you underestimate your effect on the male sex. Judging by what I overheard a minute ago, you've got young Knight's head in a whirl. Well, that won't do him any harm. It's a natural state at his age."

He paused, his mouth curving slightly in a way she found deeply disturbing.

"Even youngji, who generally doesn't have much to say in praise of women, tell me you're a very nice girl."

"How kind of him," said jenna, thinking: what a strange thing for him to say unless you were saying something against me.

"I seem to be in everyone's good books at the moment... Even yours," she added.

"You......"

But whatever he had intended to reply remained unspoken. Just then dong won came back with her cup and a plate of the small delicious sandwiches which were served every day at tea-time.

If jihoon had wanted to pursue there chit chat, it would have been very easy for him drain his own tea cup and send dong won away a second time. But only a man in love went to lengths of that sort. Devoutly as she longed for him to love her, she knew it was wishful thinking.

He had his eye on joanne, although jenna wasn't convinced it was a loving eye but rather that of a man who felt it was time to take a wife and, in the elegant American, had found a woman who measured up to his requirements.