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personalities into it?
    “You forget I know Pieter,” said Ashley. “He’s a business tycoon, always dashing from one country to another. He’d want to take you with him. You wouldn’t like that, I know.” He leaned back in his chair, regarding her gravely. “You’ll like Verva, but I can’t see him keeping you there long. Can’t understand why he ever bought the island. I suppose he goes there to unwind. It’s like being in another world where time stands still. I love it myself.”
    “You’ve been?” Lorna was surprised by Ashley’s uncanny knowledge of her likes and dislikes, but didn’t dwell on it now as she wanted to hear about the island which was to be her sister’s home. She knew that if Ashley was right and Pieter did want to hop from one place to another Margo would accompany him gladly. It would suit her sister’s flamboyant tastes much more than it would her own somewhat quieter needs.
    “Many times. We were quite good pals a few years ago. He lived near me in Durban before he moved to Verva.” He pushed back his chair. “If you’ve finished I’ll get these plates removed, then we can sit and talk in comfort.”
    Lorna gathered the dishes together while he rang for the steward, glad that the tension had been relieved by the mention of Pieter.
    “Now,” he said, when they were alone again, “a drink first and then I’ll tell you about Verva. I can see you’re dying to know. What will it be—sherry? or shall we finish the champagne?”
    “Champagne, I think.” Lorna sat on the velvet settee watching as he poured her drink. He was incredibly attractive and she found it hard to believe that he was the type of man to treat a woman with careless abandon. If she had not known differently how easily she would have accepted him. As it was ... She took a deep breath; what was the use in pondering about what might have been? He was a wolf in sheep’s clothing and that was all there was to it.
    He passed her drink and sat beside her. “Why so serious? Are you worried about something?”
    Lorna thought it would have been obvious what was worrying her, but forced a smile and shook her head. She did not realise how attractive she looked at that moment, her golden hair framing her face, her cheeks glowing warmly with the after-effects of the drink and her eyes reflecting the soft light from the lamps. “Tell me about Verva. Is it very tiny? I couldn’t find it on the map.”
    Ashley leaned back easily in his corner. “It’s three miles long and one mile wide. Compared with Mahe’s seventeen by five and Praslin’s seven by two I suppose it is small, but when you think that some of the islands are only a few square yards of sand with a single coconut palm, it doesn’t sound so little.”
    “Nor big.”
    “You’ll be surprised. Quite a township has developed there in recent years. It has all mod cons, so you have nothing to worry about so far as hygiene is concerned—it’s not that primitive, even if it is no bigger than an English village. I wouldn’t like it so much myself otherwise. I’m all for an easy life.”
    “It sounds fascinating.” Lorna forgot her distrust and turned eagerly towards him. “What’s Pieter’s house like?”
    “You mean he hasn’t told you? What sort of a boy-friend is he?” He quirked an eyebrow until it almost disappeared into the lock of hair which fell across his forehead in its customary disorder.
    “I suppose he wanted to surprise me.” It had seemed so simple to let Ashley presume Pieter was her boy-friend. She had not foreseen the pitfalls. Now she must be careful.
    “Maybe I shouldn’t tell you, then?” But his eyes gleamed goodhumouredly. “It’s quite a place—an impressive white house built into rocks overlooking the sea. You can’t miss it as you approach the island. It’s like a gigantic landmark—as flamboyant as Pieter himself—not at all in keeping with the other more humble dwellings. But don’t get me wrong. The