The woman dismissed the maid with a gesture of her head, went to Kara, led her to a bench and seated both of them. 'What's this, then? You look positively ill, child! Are you unwell?' She smiled sardonically. 'Running away from a bad relationship, perhaps?'

Stung, Kara blurted, without meaning to, 'I have never had a relationship, Señora! I've spent too much time trying to get away . . .'

The woman's gaze narrowed. 'Get away? Get away from what? Are you in some sort of trouble? Not with the law, I hope.'

At this, Kara gave a miserable little laugh and shook her head. 'No, it's just that . . . first, my parents tried to force me to marry this disgusting old man . . . and then, when I wouldn't give in, they put me in a convent, thinking the worst of me. Then I ran away to England and got a job . . . but the people were strange there, and no one would leave me alone, and the young men, they weren't to be trusted . . . and then some men came, sent by my father-'

Seemingly oblivious to this last remark, the Señora chuckled. 'I see. You don't like the lecherous sort, young or old, eh? Well, perhaps we have a few things in common.'

'You mentioned a boat,' Kara said doubtfully. 'The man in the plane told me that no boats come to this island-'

'No doubt the wily Ricardo approached the island from the northwest,' Señora Castellan told her. 'If you had approached from the other direction then you would have seen Port Haven in all its glory. And, yes, you heard me correctly. It is a port, full of sea-going vessels of all descriptions, including two or three small passenger-freighters.'

Kara took a deep shuddering breath and let it out slowly. 'What am I to do? What will happen to me in the meantime?'

Señora Castellan shrugged. 'I suppose that I shall have to tell Maria that you are to be our guest, and for your part you will have to find some way to amuse yourself until I decide what to do with you.' She smiled thoughtfully. 'I daresay you've come to the right place if you were seeking isolation! But I think you'll find this a place of . . . various solitudes . . . and that solitude is the furthest thing from that soul-sickness called loneliness. You may even learn about shared solitude here. But there- compose yourself and go and find Maria, and tell her that you are to be placed in a guest room.' The woman regarded Kara wryly. 'You should bathe yourself and change into a light dress more suited to our climate. You must be very hot in that heavy dress. When you are done it will be time for our mid-day meal. We generally take breakfast, lunch and in-between meals in what in this household is referred to as the glass room, that glassed-in structure you may have noticed on what for you would have been the far left side of the Casa. It is cool and pleasant there, shaded by great trees and with a wonderful view of the lake and the valley. Now go, child. I am a busy woman and have work to do.'




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