Free Indiscretion by Hannah Fielding Page B

are.’
    ‘Has she asked about me much then? She must be curious.’
    ‘Of course, of course.’ He smiled and waved his hand nonchalantly. ‘Our dear Mercedes is curious about everything and everyone. Such spirit! It’s difficult to keep up with her half the time. The two of you will get on
espléndidmente
.’
    Alexandra had learned a little of Mercedes from her father’s letters but had never even seen a photograph of her Spanish half-sister. She would have loved to have had a sibling for company when she was growing up, instead of rattling around on her own for hours in the house in Chelsea or at her aunt and uncle’s country seat in Kent, though she wondered what kind of welcome she would receive from the child who had been used to her parents’ undivided attention. She still hoped that they could form some kind of sisterly bond, given time.
    ‘Does she look like me?’
    Don Alonso looked surprised. ‘Do you know, I’ve never even thought about it. You have the beauty of your mother, particularly your eyes. Mercedes is a pretty girl, there’s no doubt about it, but she’s more like Eugenia and the apple of her mother’s eye, of course. She has no shortage of admirers already but, between you and me, Eugenia and I have high hopes that she and Salvador will make a good match when she’s a little older. He’s a fine young man and it would strengthen the family to have such a marriage.’
    Don Alonso had just started to enquire about her journey, apologizing for not having been there to greet her, when a girl in her late teens strode across the lawn towards them. Alexandra took in every last detail of the girl, who, she guessed, must be Mercedes. Petite and well proportioned, she had two bunches of black corkscrew curls held up with blue ribbons that swung gracefully at each side of her heart-shaped face. Her overly elaborate blue-and-white organza dress seemed somewhat out of place in the country and at this time of day. Like the woman she had seen at the little Santa María church the day before, Mercedes seemed to evoke another era. Alexandra was reminded again that the modern world had not yet reached this quaint and wild country, which seemed to have been frozen in time.
    ‘Good morning,
Papá
,’ the young girl said, giving Don Alonso a peck on the cheek while casting a sidelong glance at Alexandra through long lashes.
    ‘Ah, Mercedes, there you are,’ he exclaimed in a tone that forced cheerfulness.Alexandra could sense that he wasn’t entirely comfortable. After taking a breath, he added, ‘This is your sister, Alexandra. I’m sure you’ll get on very well. You’ll have plenty to talk about.’
    Mercedes pouted but did not answer; her almond-shaped black eyes surveyed the newcomer without a hint of warmth. Looping an arm through her father’s, she cast a wan smile towards Alexandra, who was disappointed though not entirely surprised by the cool reception.
    During the awkward silence that followed, Alexandra inspected her younger sibling. So this was the adored child of her father’s second marriage to Doña Eugenia de Juni. Everything about her was small and dainty, like a china doll.
    ‘Shall we go into breakfast? I’m famished,’ suggested Don Alonso with feigned enthusiasm. ‘Mother is expecting us and you know how she hates to be kept waiting.’

C HAPTER 3
    A lexandra followed her father and Mercedes into the dining room through the French doors that led from the terrace. She found it even grander than she’d expected. Research for her book had involved hours spent looking at photographs of Spanish architecture and furniture within the pages of collectors’ magazines such as
Connaissance des Arts
and
Apollo
, but the articles she’d read did not do justice to the distinctive style of the real thing. Impressive though the interior was, and beautiful in its own way, Alexandra did not warm to it and felt like she’d stepped into a daunting theatre set.
    It was a huge,