Chapter 2: A secret exposed

After a week the explorers were finally back at the treehouse. During the trip, Marguerite hadn't spoken a word and Roxton had looked every five minutes concerned at the woman walking beside him. When they had returned, Marguerite immediately retired to her room. Roxton wanted to go after her, but Summerlee hold him back.

"Perhaps it's a better idea to leave her alone for a while. I'm quite certain that these five months must have been pretty awful for her."

"I think it's indeed better to let her gather her thoughts." Challenger added.

"I guess you're both right." Roxton replied softly. He desperately wanted to be with her at this moment. To hold her, tell her everything would work out just fine, tell her she was safe now. Though Marguerite never had wanted his comforting words or so it appeared to be. He wasn't sure, so he thought it was for the better to leave her alone. She would come to him on her own accord when she was ready for it.

°°°°°

Marguerite walked towards her bed and sat down on it, hugging a pillow to comfort her. She was back now, finally after five months. Five horrible, outrageous months. The things Altor had done to her, with her. «Better to put those memories away. It will be nothing but trouble.» Marguerite thought. But that wasn't as easy as it sounded. She stood up, walked out onto the balcony and sat down in a chair that stood there. Sitting in the open air, away from the rest, she started to cry. Tears were rolling down her face. Never had she felt so ashamed, so disgusted with herself. What would the rest think of her when they found out? Probably as bad as they had thought of her in the very beginning of the expedition.

"Marguerite?" A voice pulled her away from her thoughts. She looked up to see Lord Roxton standing in front of her. She stood up and walked inside the treehouse, back to her room. Roxton's eyes were filled with hurt. He had hoped that she would have trusted him and told him what had happened in the five months she had been there. He knew it must have been awful, if she only had the courage to share it with them, with him. Roxton stood on the balcony for quite some time. Veronica came, saying that she, as well as Malone, Challenger and Summerlee, were going to bed. Roxton nodded. He just simply stood there, watching the sun set behind the horizon. When the sun was gone, he too, went to his room. Trying to sleep.

°°°°°

Altor had been thinking the whole week about the man, who had complained about one of his women. The blond woman he had with him was stunning, though he couldn't remember ever selling her.

"Altor? What are you thinking of?" one of his men asked.

"That man that came here a week ago, you know, with the blonde. Something doesn't quite fit in."

"I think you're right. Every woman that we capture for sail, is handed over to you. I couldn't remember the blonde one. They couldn't have been friends of the fury, could they? Man, she was hard to get rid of"

"That's it! Remind me to let you have some fun with the first woman we capture."

"What are we going to do now?"

"What do you think?" Altor said. "We are getting her back of course!"

°°°°°

The next morning everyone in the treehouse was up early, except for Marguerite. Though the others didn't bother to wake her up. Just after noon Marguerite walked in, grabbed her gun and walked to the elevator. Roxton, hearing the sound of the elevator, looked over the balcony, to see Marguerite heading for the pond. Quickly he grabbed his gun and hat and followed the heiress to the pond. Just half way, the distance between him and Marguerite was not that big anymore, he heard a scream from up ahead. Immediately he ran to the place it had came from. When he got there he saw Marguerite fighting with Altor. Quickly he lifted his gun.

"You better let go of her!"

Altor looked up, still holding Marguerite. Using her as a shield to protect himself. Roxton walked towards them. His eyes darkening with every step.

"I will only say this one more time: Let her go!"

Altor still didn't moved, though his grip on Marguerite loosened a bit. Marguerite was able to turn away from Altor, who immediately went after her. A shot cleared the air. Altor felled on the ground. His men ran away, leaving him behind.

Roxton ran towards Marguerite, who was as pale as a human could be. "Are you alright?" he asked softly. Hearing those words broke Marguerite apart. The events that had just happened had taken their toll. She collapsed in his arms, crying, like she had never done before. Roxton looked confounded at the woman in his arms. It tore him apart to see this woman so lost. He softly stroke her hair, hushing her, telling her everything was fine. Then he scooped her up in his arms and carried her back to the treehouse. There stood the cavalry, ready to go after the shooting they had heard.

Roxton didn't say a word. He brought Marguerite to her room and then went back to the living room, so that she had some time for herself. The others were waiting anxiously for Roxton to explain what had happened. All he said was that they had run into some trouble and then went to his own room.

None of the explorers had an appetite. Roxton and Marguerite hadn't come out of their rooms for the rest of the day. Both dealt with the things what had happened. The rest just couldn't believe that Marguerite had to deal with some sort of an attack again and went to bed early.

°°°°°

"Altor?"

"Bunch of cowards!"

Altor's men had returned after Roxton had carried Marguerite back to the treehouse. Altor had lost consciousness, so his men had carried him back. Now he slowly woke up. Remembering quite well what had happened and how cowardly his men had left him there. But most of all he wanted revenge, revenge at the man who had taken his precious, but really difficult to handle, woman with him. Actually he didn't care if Marguerite was gone from his group, but he couldn't cope with the thought he had been so humiliated in front of his men.

«You can count on it, that I'll get my revenge!»

°°°°°

Marguerite lay awake in bed. Memories of the past five months kept hunting her, Not to mention memories of the years before she had come to the Plateau. She kept tossing in bed, unable to find sleep. Finally she stood up and walked to the kitchen. She lit a candle and gave a startled cry.

"Roxton ... what ... what ... why aren't you sleeping?"

The hunter shrugged his shoulders. "I couldn't sleep. Looks like you couldn't either."

Marguerite didn't know what to say, so she simply said nothing. Roxton didn't push further, he stood up and filled a glass with water. Meanwhile Marguerite had taken a seat at the dining table. Roxton put the glass in front of her and she eagerly drank from it.

"Thanks, that was just what I needed."

"No thanks." Roxton replied softly. Marguerite heard the tone in his voice. It sounded that he cared for her. She had never heard it. «Or maybe I never wanted to hear it» She thought. When the glass was empty she stood up, wanting to return to her room. Though Roxton hold her back.

"Marguerite ..." he swallowed. It was hard to begin about it, but he wanted to now what had happened during those five months she had been in the slavers camp. "Marguerite ... I think we need to talk."

Marguerite paled. It was quiet for a long time. Marguerite knew she had to tell them what had happened, though she wasn't ready for it. It hurt to much to even think about it. "Roxton ..." she pleaded.

"Marguerite, you can't hide it forever. We can't help you when we don't now what happened. I can't help you ..."

"Roxton, don't do this. I can't ... I can't tell you. I'm sorry." Marguerite turned around and ran back to her room. Tears were streaming down her face. Roxton simply stood there. Than he walked to Marguerite's room. «She can't keep this a secret forever.» He thought. He stormed into Marguerite's room. Marguerite looked up, seeing some anger in Roxton's eyes.

"And now you are telling me the truth. I think we all of us have the right to know that." Roxton said with a raised voice.

Marguerite got angry as well. "You want to know the truth? Well, you can get the truth!" she yelled, not bothering the fact that the others probably would wake up.

"What is this al about?" A sleepy Malone said. "You two are waking up the whole jungle."

"Well, good, that means that Challenger and Veronica are awake also." Marguerite huffed. She turned on her heel and walked towards the living room. Seeing Challenger and Veronica standing there. "Ahh, just in time to hear the whole truth about me."

Challenger and Veronica looked both with questioning eyes at Malone and Roxton. They knew immediately that Roxton and Marguerite were having an argument again.

"The truth, Marguerite?" Veronica asked, not knowing where this conversation was heading too.

"The truth yes. Like you already know the truth about the reason why I funded this damn expedition and what happened in Shanghai. You all really didn't believe that was the only secret I kept was it?"

Roxton tried to reason with Marguerite, saying she would certainly regret telling them all of her past like this.

"I'm sure I will not. You know, the only thing I regret is that I met you!" Marguerite replied, not looking at Roxton. "Now where was I? I remember. It all happened after Shanghai ………"