'I see. And you were trying to get to the Mission on Secret Island. You do not look like one of the Sisterhood. Are you a teacher?'
Kara stared. 'I do not know of any Mission. I was hoping to find work there, and a place to live.' For a moment she wondered if the woman would or could set things right. Her heart sank, however, when the Señora raised an eyebrow and spoke again.
'Well, I am afraid that you're stranded here for two weeks, at the very least. There won't be another ship or plane until one arrives bearing my horticulturalist. In the meantime . . . I don't suppose you know anything about horticulture?'
Feeling crushed, used, her gaze dropping, Kara shook her head.
'Well-' the woman began and sighed. 'This is not a resort, Señorita, nor is it the sort of place where a young woman would normally come seeking employment. This is my home, and I expect people to do their fair share of work around here. Have you any skills? What were you doing for a living in England?' When Kara began telling her about her work in the fish market, the Señora shook her head impatiently. 'I'm afraid that your skills, such as they are, will avail you nothing.' She paused for a long moment to take in Kara's bedraggled, defeated visage, and in a quieter, kinder tone, she said, 'So tell me, young traveller, what is it that attracted a young hopeful like yourself to such a place as Secret Island? There is nothing much there, you know; at least nothing worth a journey half way around the world. It is a poor, isolated place, full of poverty-stricken villagers and their malnourished children. There are no amenities or jobs there fit for a young girl like yourself. Didn't you know that?'
Fighting back tears, Kara muttered, 'But . . . the man on the boat to the Americas . . . he told me . . . he even showed me pictures-'
The Señora shook her head and sighed, sympathetically. 'Little fool,' she said gently. 'It seems that you were taken by an enticing-sounding name and a tall story told to you by a man who no doubt had questionable motives- tell me, was he a rather sallow-faced fellow with bad teeth and sly-looking, heavily lidded eyes?'
'You know him?'Kara blurted in surprise.
'I know of him. He is an acquaintance of Ricardo's. Well, well, so Ricardo has found a way to drum up a little extra business.'
Kara turned away, gritting her teeth with the effort of maintaining her composure.