Chapter 2

Jane could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she staggered her way back towards the tree house, at least that was where she hoped she was heading, trying not to trip over any roots or other greenery.

She could hear the monkeys shrieking at each other. Birds were singing as they flew past her and she could hear an animal growling from somewhere, but she didn't pay attention to any of this. She wasn't able to concentrate on her surroundings.

A dull throbbing started at her left temple and she was having trouble focusing on anything around her. It was hard enough trying to find her way through the dense jungle without Tarzan by her side, but her body wouldn't allow her to concentrate long enough to attempt to make it back on her own.

The young woman stumbled over something that was in her path and she paused on the grassy floor to catch her breath.

Why did Logan have to show up now? After she had become comfortable in the jungle and was married. Where was he when she was trying to decide whether to stay here or not?

"Tarzan!" Jane exclaimed when the wild man suddenly landed on the ground in front of her. "I was so afraid that you wouldn't come in time. The boat's arrived, the boat that's come to take us home, to England. And daddy and I were wonder – well, I was wondering . . . well, we really hoped that you'll come with us, won't you?"

He considered this for a second. "Go see England today, come home tomorrow."

Her face fell at this. "Oh no, well, you see, it would be very difficult to come back . . . ever."

"Not come back?"

"Oh no, no, no," she said quickly at his downtrodden expression. "I know it sounds awful, but you belong with us, with people."

Tarzan brought out a wilting flower that he had been hiding and held it out to the woman. "Jane must stay with Tarzan!"

"Stay here? No, I can't stay. Look, I've got – I'm with my father and . . ." And Logan. Logan was waiting for her at home.

Tarzan reached out to take her hand and his voice softened. "Jane, stay."

"But . . ." Jane sighed. She had really enjoyed the time she had spent with Tarzan, and for some unknown reason, her heart ached at the thought of having to leave without him.

"Please," he begged, sadness in his eyes.

"But . . ." Logan's face came into Jane's mind again. She had promised Logan that she would marry him. She was engaged. "I . . . I can't."

Not wanting Tarzan to see her cry, she ran.

Jane sat down with her back resting against a tree. Bringing her hands up to her face, she moved her fingers in a circular motion along her temple, hoping to reduce the headache.

She never thought that Logan would come after her – not to Africa. Logan loved the city and being around people. He enjoyed all the comforts of his middle-class life back in London. The idea of him running blindly through the jungle was amusing to consider.

It was even hard to imagine sometimes that she could get along so well out here. Growing up in civilization, she never would have pictured herself living in the jungle.

Closing her eyes, Jane thought back to the day she nearly left Tarzan.

It wasn't until Jane and her father were in the boat, heading out to sea that the man spoke up. "Jane, dear, I can't help feeling that you should stay."

Jane had been staring back at Tarzan, who was watching them leave the shore, but at her father's words she turned to him in shock. "Daddy, please don't! We've been through all of this, I couldn't possibly – I – I belong in England with you . . . and Logan."

He tilted his head to one side, studying her. "Do you want to be with Logan?"

"I – of course I do," she exclaimed.

He gazed back at his daughter. "But you love him." Putting emphasis on 'him', the man gestured towards Tarzan. "I just don't want you to regret anything."

She took some deep breaths, attempting to get herself together. There was no way she would be able to find her way back to her home if she didn't. Her home . . .

If Logan had come all the way out here it could only mean one thing: he still wanted to marry her. Logan, who hated everything that the jungle had to offer, had come all this way to bring her back to London.

And leave Tarzan? This was her home now. Her family, her life . . . everything was here. She didn't want to go back to England. She had never even told her husband about Logan.

Her eyes snapped open at this thought. Tarzan didn't know about Logan . . . and she had left him there, alone with her ex-fiancé. How was Tarzan going to react when he found out that she was supposed to marry Logan?

Tarzan was usually a very soft-spoken man, kind, and always willing to help people . . . unless they attempted to hurt someone he cared about. Surely Tarzan would at least listen to her side of the story before overreacting.

Jane had no intention of leaving her wild man, but how was Logan going to react when he found out that she had married another man without him knowing?

The two men were probably discussing all of this right now, back at the Trading Post. How was she going to fix all of this?

Looking around at the wildlife in front of her, she suddenly picked up on a landmark that she recognized. She wasn't that far from the tree house after all.

Putting a hand on the tree, Jane pushed herself up onto her shaky legs. She waited until she felt steady before continuing along the path. She had to figure out how she was going to explain all of this to her husband. Jane just hoped that he wouldn't be mad at her for keeping such a secret.

Jane was sitting on the couch inside the tree house, trying to focus on the words in the book she had in her hands when Tarzan suddenly appeared.

The look on the man's face wasn't hard for Jane to read. He tilted his head to the side and stared at her, squinting his eyes. She used to see that look all the time those first weeks after they met. She had worked with Tarzan to teach him English, how to read, and so much more. The look her husband had now was the same expression he had whenever he was confused or trying to work something out by himself.

As Tarzan slowly approached, Jane placed the book she had next to her.

"Who is Logan?" the man asked, still crouching on his hands and feet in front of his wife.

She stared back at the man for a couple seconds before sighing. "He was my fiancé. If I had gone back to England, like I was supposed to, I would be married to him right now."

The wild man moved to sit on the couch next to Jane, confusion clouded his face. "If you were engaged to another man . . . why did you stay here? Why did you marry me?"

Jane looked down at her lap, examining her hands. Remembering the day that she had first left England, she tried to think of the right words to explain the choices she had made.

Jane stood at the edge of the harbor, gazing up at the massive ship that was to take her and her father to their destination. It was only a month ago when her father had burst into their small townhouse, and greeted her with the news that he had been granted the money needed in order to go to Africa to study the gorillas. This had been a dream of his for years, and he had promised Jane that if the opportunity presented itself, she would be allowed to travel with him.

Her heart was pounding in excitement. She couldn't wait to see the creatures up close, with her own eyes, and the best part was that she would be working right beside her father in his studies.

"Jane!"

Turning around to find the source of the voice, Jane's eyes came in contact with a man that had become quite familiar to her over the past couple of months. "Mr. Eddington!" she cried, smiling up at him as he approached. "I was starting to think you weren't going to make it in time to say goodbye."

He gave a soft chuckle as he came to a stop in front of the woman. "Mr. Eddington? Still? We are going to be married in a couple of months, Jane. Please, call me Logan," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She flinched slightly at the reminder. It wasn't that she didn't want to marry Mr. Eddington. He was friendly enough.

They had first met several years ago when he was assigned to aid Jane's father with a couple of projects, some of which she had also helped with. This had given her and Logan time to get to know each other, and she didn't have anything against the man in general. Her only concern was how strict his views were on the roles of the woman when it came to marriage.

In England, women were permitted to work outside of their family homes until they were married. Once wedded, the custom was for the wife to commit to a life at the house and focus on raising the children. Logan had already made it clear that once they were married, Jane wasn't going to be allowed to work with her father anymore or help either of them with their projects.

The wedding was planned to take place just a couple days after Jane and her father returned from Africa. If Logan had his way, this would be her last chance to make her mark in the field of science. She still wasn't sure if she could live with that.

She took a deep breath to help steady herself before beginning. "Back in England, women are treated more like property than anything else. They have to listen and obey their husband's every command. I was never comfortable with that tradition back in London. I never wanted to be treated like that by the person I married." Jane paused in her rant to look up at her husband, placing a hand on the man's cheek before continuing. "But then I came here and fell in love with you. I like it here. You don't treat me like how men treat their wife's back in London. You don't order me around." Jane shook her head with a soft sigh. "I don't want to go back . . ."

Tarzan reached up to grab the hand that was touching his face and held it in his own. "Then you will stay here. He can't make you go back."

"But – even as my fiancé he's allowed to . . ."

"Jane, you are not in England anymore so you don't have to listen to their customs, and you're not engaged to Logan, you are my wife!" he stated, putting emphasis on 'my'. "If you want to be here, then this is where you are staying."

She shook her head back and forth. "You don't know Logan. He's going to insist on it."

Tarzan gave her a small smile. "We will handle this like we have done everything else," he replied, placing a hand gently on his wife's cheek. "Together."