Free Shilo's Secret by Judith Stephan

okay?”
     
    “Look,” Stratt said suddenly changing the subject, “there’s a cheetah. You hardly ever see cheetahs. They are terribly shy animals.”
     
       The majestic creature slunk stealthily towards the water’s edge to drink its fill. Once or twice it would lift its head and analyse the surroundings, before it dipped its head to drink again.
     
       Then the dazzling sun slowly rose out of the hills to the east, illuminating the morning in a million shades of peach and orange. Shilo felt completely at peace. She sat in the crook of Stratt’s arm as he explained in depth each animal that visited the waterhole, and she was in awe at the wealth of information that was being revealed to her. They sipped the steaming, aromatic hot chocolate he had brought with them from the same cup. They were both ignoring the fact that they were enjoying each other’s company, the closeness of the other’s body … and how so like a couple they might have appeared to any hidden   watcher.
     
    “How come you know so much about these animals?” she asked.
     
    “Well, I’ve grown up with them. But I also have several degrees, a masters and a doctorate. I’m a qualified zoologist, you know? My title, although I never use it because it makes me seem like a pompous ass, is Doctor Stratt Ogilvy.”
     
    “Oh, really? I’m impressed … I always thought you were …” she broke off, realising that she was about to be inadvertently offensive, aware of the insulting words that would exude from her lips.
     
    “You thought what?” he said abruptly, retracting his arm from around her shoulders.
     
    “Nothing.”
     
    “What?” he insisted.
     
    “Well…. sort of … I don’t know … unqualified… just a park ranger,” but she knew she had made a mistake even before the deluge that followed.
     
    “Listen to me,” he said sternly, “You know nothing about me at all… And yet you have judged me. I know what you think I am… I’ve heard it in your pompous, arrogant tone of voice, your ‘I don’t fraternise with the help’ shit. But I’m more than that. I’m much greater, much more educated than you could ever be. You have got no right to be so prejudiced even if you think you are the Queen of England. Just because you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth does not make you any better than any other human being on this planet. You are a rich bitch. A snob… And I really don’t appreciate your insinuations. If that is the way you are continually going to behave, then I really don’t want anything more to do with you.”
     
       With that, the engine roared to life, sending animals scattering in all directions: a troupe of baboons were stirred to a frenzy and bounded into the undergrowth screeching loudly, and a flock of frightened flamingoes rushed up into the dawn sky in a cloud of beating wings as the Jeep roared off in a swirl of dust.
     
       Shilo felt deeply hurt and ashamed. What had she done? Again her supercilious attitude had got her into trouble. She was just warming to this enigmatic man, this man who had calmed her after a nightmare, had comforted her when she was sick, had treated her sunburn, when she had spoiled it all. Even if he was a commoner, like she thought – so what? Not everyone was fortunate to lay claim to an aristocratic birthright. Why did it make such a difference to her?
     
       The drive back to the lodge was hell. Stratt stared blankly and silently ahead of him, completely ignoring Shilo’s presence and pleas to let her explain, and drove extremely fast so that the Jeep flew over bumps and jolted and jerked. She held on for dear life, and her head was thrown around so that she feared she might get whiplash. He screeched to a halt outside the main building, got out and slammed the door, leaving her sitting forlornly in the front seat.
     
    “I’m sorry,” she called after him, but he pretended not to hear.
     
    The magical aura of darkness had completely