“Naturally,” Zilah echoed, shaking her head in wonder.
“Are you going to tell Philip?” Pandora asked tensely. She raised her chin. “Not that he’d care. He likes me better than he does you.”
“That wouldn’t be difficult,” Zilah said dryly. “And I haven’t decided yet what I’m going to do. Suppose we take a look at your friend Androcles and see just how much of a danger he is.” She wouldn’t be surprised to see a full-grown tiger in the bathroom. Or, for that matter, to see nothing at all. It could be an elaborate joke. She was beginning to believe anything could be possible with Pandora Madchen.
It wasn’t a joke.
The tiger cub was curled up fast asleep on a bath towel in the center of the pink and ivory sunken tub. When Zilah flipped on the light, he opened one sleepy eye and then rolled over on his side.
“Isn’t he cute?” Pandora asked. “Just like a big pussy cat.”
“Adorable.” At least he wasn’t full-grown as Zilah had half feared. He was rather sweet. “However, he doesn’t seem to have a very developed sense of self-preservation. I think he’s gone back to sleep already.”
“Animals sense things. He knows we wouldn’t hurt him. Can we keep him?”
“Pandora, this isn’t like those doves you let out of their cages,” Zilah said. “This charming little pussy cat is going to grow up to be a dangerous animal. How could you-” Her glance moved from the tiger cub to the face of the girl beside her. “Good heavens, you’re gorgeous! I thought you said you weren’t pretty.”
“I’m not pretty.” Pandora said fiercely. “I’m straight as a stick and I have horrible hair. And,” she added triumphantly, “I have freckles.”
She did have freckles. A golden dusting across the bridge of a small, perfect nose in a face with the most beautifully classic bone structure Zilah had ever seen. Huge midnight-dark eyes were surrounded by lashes of equal darkness. The “horrible hair” was chopped rather than cut into a boyish style that looked like it had been caught in an eggbeater. Still, the color and texture were magnificent. It was a shade of blond that was close to silver and it caught and reflected all the light in the room. She did lack curves, but she was as fine-boned and athletically graceful as the tiger cub in the bathtub. Good heavens, if she was this beautiful at fifteen, she would be unbelievable at twenty. Yet her denial of that beauty held a puzzling element of desperation. Then the light dawned. Philip El Kabbar didn’t like or trust beautiful women, according to Pandora. Therefore Pandora refused to be beautiful.
“My mistake,” Zilah said solemnly. “I didn’t notice the freckles.”
“Well, the light is pretty bad in here,” Pandora conceded. She pointed to the tiger cub. “I know I can’t keep him indefinitely. He’ll have to be sent to a wildlife reserve, but I thought it wouldn’t hurt to keep him for a little while.” Her expression took on a poignant wistfulness. “I’ve never had a pet before. We always moved around too much before we came here. I thought just for a little while…”
Zilah felt a melting helplessness that boded no good for her common sense. “Well, perhaps for a day or so it wouldn’t do any harm,” she said reluctantly. “I probably wouldn’t be using the tub anyway. I usually prefer to take a shower.” She suddenly ran her hand distractedly through her hair. “Oh, Lord, what am I saying? I think I’ve just accepted a tiger as a roommate.”
“I think so too.” Pandora’s grin lit her face with breathless beauty. “You can’t back out now. It will be fine. I’ll make sure he doesn’t get in your way and I’ll do all the cleaning myself. I’ll keep all the servants out of your room and get a couple of blankets and bunk in here with him during the night. Philip assigned me a guest room next door but it doesn’t have a tub like this or I would have kept Androcles in there. He won’t be any trouble at all.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it.” Zilah made a face. “Now, let me look at your arm and see what your harmless little pussy cat has done to you.”
Pandora silently held her right arm out. There was a hand towel tied around her forearm in a make-shift bandage. When Zilah removed it she inhaled sharply. There were several deep claw marks on the girl’s thin arm, three of which were still bleeding. Zilah shook her head. “Just a little scratch,” she murmured caustically as she slid back the mirror above the vanity to reveal a medicine chest. “You should have disinfected those claw marks right away. For a doctor’s daughter you’re very ignorant of primary first aid.”
“My father and I don’t get along very well. He never got around to teaching me much about anything,” Pandora said with a shrug. “He’s never liked me.”
“Sometimes it’s difficult to tell if someone likes you or not,” Zilah said gently as she took a roll of gauze and a bottle of antiseptic from the shelf and closed the sliding mirrored doors. “People aren’t always easy to read.”
“I can tell,” Pandora said fiercely. Her eyes lowered to watch Zilah carefully wash the scratches. “It doesn’t matter. I don’t care anyway.”
Zilah opened the antiseptic. “This will sting.”
Pandora inhaled sharply but made no other indication of pain as Zilah applied the antiseptic to the raw wound. Her dark eyes were narrowed intently on Zilah’s face. “You like me. I can tell that too.”
“Yes, I like you.” Zilah looked up from winding the gauze about Pandora’s thin, wiry arm. “Which only goes to prove I have temporary attacks of insanity. I have an idea you’re going to bring me nothing but trouble.”
“I like you too,” Pandora said awkwardly. “At first, I thought you were pretty flighty. But you’re not afraid of tiger cubs, or blood, or even Philip. The only thing you’re afraid of are those nightmares.”
“I imagine you could dredge up a few more things that I’m nervous about.” Zilah stepped back after taping the gauze bandage firmly in place. “If those wounds start to fester, we’ll have to go to your father for antibiotics.”
“We’ll see,” Pandora said noncommittally. “It will probably heal all right. I’m pretty tough.”
With a streak of vulnerability a mile wide, Zilah thought. “I’ll change the dressing every day until we see how it’s doing,” she said firmly as she opened the mirrored panel and replaced the first aid materials on the shelf. “I’m pretty tough too.” Then, as if to belie the statement, she suddenly swayed and had to grab the counter of the vanity to keep from falling. “Oh, damn!”
Pandora’s arm was swiftly around her waist, steadying her. “What’s wrong?” Her brow was creased in a troubled frown. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Zilah said, taking a deep breath. “I guess I’ve been on my feet too long. I forgot all about being a convalescent for a little while.” She made a face. “Unfortunately, nature has a way of reminding you. I was stung by a scorpion yesterday morning and I can’t seem to get my strength back.”
“I didn’t know you’d been ill.” Pandora’s face was stricken. “Come on, I’ll help you get back to bed.” Pandora’s grip was surprisingly strong for so slight a girl and she was almost lifting instead of supporting Zilah as she whisked her across the room. “You should have told me. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you. Is that why Philip wanted me to act as your maid?”
“I imagine you were right the first time. I doubt if he was really concerned about me.”
“Probably not.” Pandora pushed her gently down on the bed and leaned forward to switch on the bedside lamp. “You just rest here and I’ll go get you something to eat.”
“You don’t need to bother. Daniel said he would bring me something after my nap. He should be here anytime now.”
“Then I’ll go find him and tell him not to bother. You can see him in the morning. You’re too weak to have to deal with visitors tonight.”