THE LAST TEMPTATION OF SUSAN

Chapter Ten: Tempting Susan

Susan was tired after her adventure with Rozalina. She almost decided to forget about the poolside meeting. Instead she took a lovely, refreshing modern shower, and that revived her. When she peeked outside she saw that Benruz Tarkhaan was sitting by the pool already.

The beautiful young Queen of Narnia was determined to face the enigmatic, bearded Tarkhaan head on. She wanted answers. At this very moment the boy she had loved, lost, and found again, Prince Rabadash, was off risking his life in the jungle because the Tarkhaan had foolishly opened up a gate between the worlds. Susan wanted to know why.

She squeezed into her bathing suit – a white two-piece that in her own schooldays in wartime England would have been considered far too revealing. Not even Betty Grable exposed this much flesh in the famous pin-up made for Yank soldiers! Of course Susan realized that her own English curves were quite well suited to the so-called "bikini" swimsuit. She had to give Benruz Tarkhaan credit for generosity and good taste.

Susan sat down at her dressing table, carefully applying just a little grown-up makeup with a subtle touch. It was ridiculous to be angry at the Tarkhaan for bringing her things she had desperately missed in Narnia – things like lipstick, eyeliner, and mascara. She didn't want to sound childish or ungrateful. She did want to know what Benruz Tarkhaan was after. He'd brought her here and now she and Rabadash were back together – so what was in it for him?

"How lovely you look this afternoon, most fashionable queen!" Benruz Tarkhaan looked up from the glossy magazine he was reading, a smile on his dark, bearded face. "You are even more stunning in a plain white bathing suit from your own world than in the jeweled gowns of Narnia. For has not one of the poets said, true beauty is timeless?"

"It was kind of you to bring me back so many wonderful things to wear from my world," Susan replied in a grown-up, queenly voice, ignoring the older man's blatant flattery. She seated herself with dignity in a luxurious reclining lounger. There was a table between her and the Tarkhaan, complete with drinks and the latest magazines. It was all very comfortable and modern, so naturally Susan's mind went back to her earlier questions. "What will you do when the gateway between the worlds is closed, Benruz Tarkhaan? Doesn't all your wealth depend on trade?"

"It is true, my lands here are profitable only so long as the gates remain open," the Tarkhaan replied, handing Susan a tall glass of mint iced tea with a slice of lemon on the side. "But in your world – in our world – I am also quite wealthy. I own a casino and a resort hotel in the Caribbean. You see, Miss Pevensie, like you I have one foot in this world and one in the other. My real name is Benito Ruiz. Ben for short."

"You know my name?" Susan nearly choked on her drink. It was one thing to receive presents from Benruz Tarkhaan, clothing and jewelry and cosmetics. That was harmless enough. But it was different to realize he knew all about her!

"Please, don't be alarmed," said the man called Ben Ruiz. "My knowledge only comes from what Prince Rabadash told me months ago. You mentioned something to him about air raids, London, and a wardrobe?"

"Well . . . perhaps I did." Susan gulped her iced tea, suddenly hot with embarrassment. "Why should my real name and origins mean anything to you?" She knew she sounded rather rude. Her head was still buzzing from shock.

"This is why." Ben handed her the magazine he'd been reading.

"Yes, it's a fashion magazine. I've seen it before. Hot Model, I believe it's called?"

"Read the title backwards."

"Huh?" The Narnian queen peered at the glossy cover. "Hot model, that would be, er, ledom, toh?" Susan frowned, for she hated puzzles and had never been very good at schoolwork. "Oh, Toh Ledom! That's the name of the magic mirror, the one I fell into when I first came here. Why would a magic mirror in this world be named after a cheap, vulgar fashion magazine back home?"

"It's a very good magazine, really. Important people in fashion still read it. But I'm afraid it's been losing money for years." Ben leaned over and poured her another iced tea. "The publisher is a gambler, a regular at my casino. He owes me a lot of money. It would be incredibly easy for me to persuade him that a new cover model is just what he needs. And once you've done a few covers for him, you'll find yourself in demand everywhere."

"A model? Me?" Susan's carefully made up face showed utter astonishment. Her lush and crimson-painted mouth was hanging open. "What could possibly make you think I want to be a model?"

"Well, for one thing you're a very beautiful girl," Ben said reasonably. "You're fond of having the latest clothes and cosmetics. You'd enjoy it, and you'd make pots of money. You have that haughty, fine-boned aristocratic English quality the top designers all adore. And anyway, once you and Rabadash close the doorway between worlds, you'll have to find some way to make a living. It's a good bet the sheer force of the para-dimensional energy blast will kick you both right out of this world. If it doesn't kill you, that is."

"Oh, dear." Susan didn't like the sound of being blown out of this world – not even if it led to a glamorous, exciting career as a model. And then there was Rabadash to think about – would he really want to leave this world behind? After all, he was next in line to the throne of the Tisroc. She gulped down her drink in a daze, feeling totally overwhelmed.

"I know it's a lot to think about," Ben Ruiz said kindly. He took the empty glass from Susan's nerveless fingers and set it on the table. "This world grows on you after a while. I like being Benruz Tarkhaan. And I've gotten awfully attached to my wife Zuleika. But I guess maybe it's time to move on. HOT MODEL could sure use a figure like yours on the cover. And it could be big money for all of us. Think it over, okay?"

"Yes . . . I need to think it over." Susan fumbled for the lever that transformed her upright reclining chair into a proper bed. Modern comforts and luxuries were all very well – but did Aslan really want her to become a fashion model? Or just to close the gates between the two worlds? What if doing the right thing only led to more temptation later on?

"Here, let me help you." Ben Ruiz reached over and cranked back her chair. Susan tried to smile, but thanking the man was just too much for her. Her head fell back and she slept.