Silver Linings, стр. 88
That meant her only hope for escape was to finagle a way into the master bath. Mattie's heart sank as she realized that was probably going to be a lot easier to do than she might have wished. She had seen the look in Rainbird's eyes and knew what he intended. Before the night was over, he was going to drag her into the bedroom suite, if only for the pleasure of raping Hugh Abbott's woman.
Mattie opened her suitcase slowly and examined the contents. Too bad she had not had a chance to go shopping with Evangeline before leaving Seattle. It looked like the blue and white striped silk camp shirt and prim little navy-blue skirt were going to have to serve as her seduction outfit.
She stood in front of the mirror for a minute before leaving the room and unbuttoned the silk shirt a little lower than she normally would have. Then she took her hair down and brushed it out so that it danced around her shoulders. It made a lot of difference, she realized. She reached for her makeup kit, wishing Evangeline were there to give advice.
Dinner was served by Howard, who looked exactly the same as he had when he'd greeted Mattie at the door, except that he'd draped a white linen napkin over his arm. It didn't quite go with the gun on his hip, Mattie thought.
She was seated at the end of a long, thick glass table supported on four legs fashioned of carved white stone. Rainbird was seated at the opposite end. He was wearing a white dinner jacket and a black bow tie. Paul Cormier's beautiful crystal, silver, and china glittered on the table, reflecting the candlelight.
“No need to look uneasy, Miss Sharpe.” Rainbird sounded amused. “I assure you, I am not planning to poison you. Enjoy your meal. Howard is an excellent chef. Cooking is one of his many areas of expertise. He is a very versatile young man.”
Howard glowed under the praise and watched anxiously as Mattie sampled her rice pilaf. She looked up and saw him watching her.
“It's wonderful,” she said honestly.
“Thank you, ma'am.” Howard inclined his head.
Rainbird's mouth lifted slightly at the corner. “I'm sure you've made his day, Miss Sharpe. You may leave us now, Howard. I'll call you if we need anything.”
“Yes, sir.” Howard vanished into the kitchen.
Mattie looked down the table at Rainbird. His elegantly carved cheekbones were highlighted by the soft glow of candlelight, and he looked even more handsome than he had in daylight. “Are all your men as young as Howard and the others?”
“Now, yes. I learned the hard way some years ago that young males work out better in this sort of service. Not only are young men more attracted to the life of adventure I offer, they are more amenable to taking orders. The older we get, the more cynical we become, and the less inclined we are to put our trust in others.”
“I see.”
Rainbird chuckled indulgently. “Don't look at me like that. Young men are much easier to train and mold. It's a fact of life, Miss Sharpe. Why do you think that the draft age is always set as low as possible? The military has always preferred eighteen- and nineteen-year-olds.”
“Because they're more impressionable.”
“Exactly.”
“Are you always so calculating, Colonel Rainbird?”
“Always.” He forked up a bite of vegetable curry and chewed meditatively. “It is the primary reason I've lived this long.”
“Is there a secondary reason?”
His charming grin came and went. “I have been blessed with excellent reflexes. They have come in handy on occasion. And not just when I'm fighting with someone.”
Mattie blushed and quickly changed the subject. “Do you mind if I ask why you are here on Purgatory?”
He smiled, pouring more wine. “Purgatory, my dear Miss Sharpe, is the perfect home for one such as myself. The government, what there is of it, is most accommodating.”
“Because it takes orders from you?”
“Let's just say we all get along very well together here. A live-and-let-live philosophy.”
“That didn't apply to Paul Cormier, did it?” Mattie asked softly.
“You may not believe this, but I am truly sorry about Paul.”
Mattie held his clear blue gaze. “Did you kill him, Colonel Rainbird?”
A trace of sorrow flickered in the depths of the beautiful sky-blue eyes. “No. I give you my word of honor as an officer and a gentleman, Miss Sharpe. I did not kill Paul. He and I had gone our separate ways over the years, but we were former comrades in arms and I had nothing but the utmost respect for him. I still considered him a friend. I intended for us to be neighbors here on Purgatory.”
“Then who killed him?” Mattie blurted out, confused and frustrated by Rainbird's obvious sincerity and undeniable charm.
“I assure you, I made it my immediate business to find out. The culprit was a house servant who decided to kill and rob his employer under cover of the military activity that was taking place on the island. He is presently in the village jail awaiting trial. Justice will be done, Miss Sharpe. Have no fear. I am a man who believes in justice.”
She looked straight into his eyes and knew with terrifying clarity that he was lying. “Is that right? Then why did you lead a coup on a perfectly peaceful island?”
“All was not as it seemed on the surface here on Purgatory, Miss Sharpe. May I call you Mattie?” Rainbird did not pause for a response. “The small local government had no military arm, and it found itself threatened by a group of local renegades—hoodlums, really—who had obtained a cache of automatic weapons. I came ashore with