Free Island of Darkness by Rebecca Stratton Page A

easily imagine Jason Connor as the ideal husband, but of course a woman like Veronique Tomaso would probably have very different standards from her own. She was very likely prepared to put up with a great deal just to be married to a man as well known and undeniably attractive as Jason Connor was.
    She had mentioned the visitor to the rock only briefly to her uncle, and his raised brows had left no doubt as to his opinion of why she was there. He mistrusted Jason Connor and was much less sympathetically disposed towards him since Leonora’s visits to the villa. It was obvious that he feared the worst for her and he probably saw Veronique Tomaso’s arrival as fortuitous - something to distract Jason Connor’s attention from his niece.
    Leonora had half expected to see Scottie again, but she realised that it was possible he was either busy with the unexpected visitor, if she was still there, or else coping with the backwash of temperament that her arrival had caused. Either way she was left feeling strangely anxious and uncertain about what was going on at the villa.
    She almost wished Maria would oblige with one of her temperaments so that she would have an excuse to go over to the rock on Roberto’s behalf, but Maria refused to be anything but sunny and contented.
    She did see Roberto on the quay one morning, however, and when they exchanged greetings she thought there was something sly about his smile. He had a bright speculative gleam in his dark eyes when he greeted her cheerfully, and he nodded his head, beaming broadly and with such obvious meaning that she eyed him suspiciously.
    “Yesterday I take fish to Isola de Marta,” he informed her in his heavy accent, and after such a meaningful pause that Leonora took care to make her reply as casual as possible.
    Her heart was clamouring at her ribs for no good reason except that she could not help suspecting that whatever it was that Roberto found so pleasing concerned her in some way. “Oh yes?” she said, as if such news could scarcely matter to her.
    But Roberto apparently thought he knew better than to take such calm at its face value. “I see the two signori ,” he informed her with much jiggling of his eyebrows. “Signor McLellano and Signor Connoro.” He paused to make sure his words were having the desired effect and looked rather disappointed when she showed no outward sign of interest. “Both signori aska me to tella you, signorina !”
    “Oh?” She did reveal surprise at that, and she could feel the rapidly increased rate of her pulse as she strove to appear casual. “And what did they ask you to tell me, Roberto?”
    She could imagine that Scottie might have sent her a message via Roberto, but the thought of Jason Connor putting himself to the trouble was much harder to believe, despite what Scottie had said. And yet Roberto seemed very sure of himself, despite his rather garbled delivery.
    He creased his brown face thoughtfully in an apparent effort to repeat the messages word for word. He took a deep breath and in his strong, lyrical accent relayed exactly what had been said to him. “Signor McLellano say — please aska the signorina to come and visit us,” he rendered faithfully, and Leonora smiled.
    “And Signor Connor?” she prompted softly, wondering what made her so anxious.
    Once more Roberto concentrated. “Tella her,” he repeated carefully, “thata she better getta to hell over here anda putta dis man out of his misery, or I willa personally breaka ’er neck!” He looked at her anxious to be understood and Leonora found herself suddenly and unbelievably lighthearted and laughing unrestrainedly.
    “Oh, thank you, Roberto!”
    It was obvious that Roberto was a little uncertain of the reason for her laughter, but there was nothing she could do about it and her eyes danced and sparkled with it. She felt quite alarmingly and deliriously lightheaded. He looked at her for a moment curiously, then frowned. “I makea you laugh at me,