The shelters of stone - Jean M. Auel [55]
After drying with the soft skins, they spread them out and sat on them, sunning themselves. Ayla picked up the comb with four long teeth that had been carved out of mammoth ivory, which was a gift from her Mamutoi friend, Deegie, but when she started combing her hair, Jondalar stopped her.
“Let me do that for you,” he said, taking the comb. He had developed a fondness for combing her hair after she washed it, taking pleasurable delight in feeling the thick mass of wet hair dry into soft, springy tresses. And it made her feel unaccustomedly pampered.
“I like your mother and your sister,” Ayla said, sitting with her back to him while he combed, “and Willamar, too.”
“They like you, too.”
“And Joharran seems like a good leader. Do you know you and your brother have the same frown lines?” she asked. “I had to like him, he looks so familiar.”
“He was smitten by that beautiful smile of yours,” Jondalar said. “Just as I am.”
Ayla was quiet for a time, then showed the direction her thoughts had taken with her next comment. “You didn’t tell me there were so many people in your Cave. It’s like a whole Clan Gathering lives here,” she said. “And you seem to know them all. I’m not sure if I ever will.”
“Don’t worry. You will. It won’t take you long,” he said, trying to work out a particularly irksome tangle. “Oh, sorry, did I pull too hard?”
“No, it’s fine. I’m glad I finally met your Zelandoni. She knows medicine; it will be wonderful to have someone to talk with about it.”
“She’s a powerful woman, Ayla.”
“That’s obvious. How long has she been Zelandoni?”
“Let me think,” he answered. “Not long after I left to live with Dalanar, I think. I still thought of her as Zolena then. She was beautiful. Voluptuous. I don’t think she was ever thin, but she is growing to look more and more like the Great Mother. I think she likes you.” He stopped combing for a moment, paused, then started to laugh.
“What’s so funny?” Ayla asked.
“I was listening to you tell her how you found me, and about Baby and all. She’ll be asking you more questions, you can be sure. I was watching her expression. Every time you answered a question, she probably wanted to ask you three more. You just made her more curious. You do it every time. You are a mystery, even to me. Do you know just how remarkable you are, woman?”
She had turned around, and he was looking at her with loving eyes.
“Give me a little time and I’ll show you how remarkable you can be,” she answered, a lazy, sensuous smile spreading across her face. Jondalar reached over to kiss her.
They heard a laugh and they both jerked around.
“Oh, did we interrupt anything?” said a woman. It was the attractive light-haired, dark-eyed woman who had listened to Folara tell her friends about the newly arrived travelers. Two other women were with her.
“Marona!” Jondalar said, frowning slightly. “No, you are not interrupting anything. I’m just surprised to see you.”
“Why should you be surprised to see me? Did you think I had left on an unexpected Journey?” Marona said.
Jondalar squirmed and glanced at Ayla, who was looking at the women. “No. Of course not. I guess I’m just surprised.”
“We were just out taking a walk when we happened to see you there, and I admit, Jondalar, I couldn’t resist wanting to make you feel a little uncomfortable. After all, we were Promised.”
They hadn’t been formally Promised, but he didn’t argue with her. He knew he had certainly given her the impression that they were.
“I didn’t know that you would still be living here. I thought you might have mated someone from another Cave,” Jondalar said.
“I did,” she said. “It didn’t last, so I came back.” She had been