rest. If you will all follow me, I will take you upstairs to your rooms and allow you time to refresh yourselves.”
They took hold of their luggage and trooped up the stairs behind Señora Castillo, and Ian was delighted with the warmth and spaciousness of the house. As he crested the landing, he saw that it fed into a corridor with several doors. “The boys will be in here,” the widow announced, opening the first door on the left and revealing a good-sized room painted robin’s-egg blue with a twin bed on each side of the window.
Ian and Carl thanked Señora Castillo, who patted them each on the back before leading the rest of the party farther down the hallway.
While the others were being shown to their quarters, Ian made quick business of unpacking his suitcase. It took him no time at all, as he’d brought only two spare pairs of trousers and three extra shirts. He opened one drawer in the bureau, thinking Carl could take the other, but as he turned around to tell Carl this, he discovered his friend curled up on the far bed, snoring softly.
Ian shook his head. All Carl ever seemed to need after a large meal was a nice long nap.
A giggle from behind told him that Theo found it as funny as he did. He turned to face her and held a finger to his lips, although he was smiling too. “I think he’s set a new record,” he whispered. “We only came upstairs a few minutes ago.”
“Are you tired?” Theo asked, coming to sit on Ian’s bed.
“No, not really.”
“Care for a card game?” she suggested. Ian smiled again and sat down opposite her on the bed. They kept their voices to a whisper so as not to disturb anyone taking an afternoon nap, which, judging from the sound of the snores coming to them from the hallway, included the professor and the earl.
Not long into their card game, Ian heard a soft knock on a door somewhere outside the open window. He and Theo both looked curiously first at each other, then at the window to peer outside.
Right below them stood a man at the back door of the house. Ian couldn’t see his face, but there was something familiar about the man’s cap. A moment later the door was opened and Carmina’s voice carried up to them. “Yes?” she demanded.
“Good day,” said the man. “I was here earlier. I delivered your guests from the train station.”
“Oh?” said Carmina. Ian realized that the man below was, in fact, their taxi driver. He wondered the same thing Carmina asked. “Did they leave some baggage behind in your taxi?”
The man removed his hat and began fingering it nervously. “No,” he said, his voice noticeably quieter. “And if I could please ask you to speak somewhere privately? The news I have to share I would not want overheard.”
Ian caught his breath. Whatever this man had to say, Ian was now quite certain he must work to hear it.
To his relief, Carmina didn’t move away with the cab driver but remained standing right under their window. “You may speak freely, sir. My employer is taking her afternoon nap, and she is a woman who sleeps deeply.”
The driver continued to fiddle with his hat nervously. “I am more worried that your guests might overhear.”
Carmina made a derisive sound. “The English travelers?” she asked. “They speak only English and a bit of French, I’m told.”
At this the driver stopped playing with his hat and tucked it under his arm. “Ah,” he said. “That is very good.”
“Now tell me what you want or I will ask you to leave,”Carmina snapped, and Ian was glad she was being so insistent, because he was just as impatient to hear what the driver had to say.
“There is some interest in your guests,” the man confessed, and Ian felt a tickle of fear creep through him. “I have a patron who would very much like to know who it is they are visiting, and why.”
Carmina stepped out onto the back steps and took a package of cigarettes and a lighter from her apron pocket. She offered a cigarette to the
They took hold of their luggage and trooped up the stairs behind Señora Castillo, and Ian was delighted with the warmth and spaciousness of the house. As he crested the landing, he saw that it fed into a corridor with several doors. “The boys will be in here,” the widow announced, opening the first door on the left and revealing a good-sized room painted robin’s-egg blue with a twin bed on each side of the window.
Ian and Carl thanked Señora Castillo, who patted them each on the back before leading the rest of the party farther down the hallway.
While the others were being shown to their quarters, Ian made quick business of unpacking his suitcase. It took him no time at all, as he’d brought only two spare pairs of trousers and three extra shirts. He opened one drawer in the bureau, thinking Carl could take the other, but as he turned around to tell Carl this, he discovered his friend curled up on the far bed, snoring softly.
Ian shook his head. All Carl ever seemed to need after a large meal was a nice long nap.
A giggle from behind told him that Theo found it as funny as he did. He turned to face her and held a finger to his lips, although he was smiling too. “I think he’s set a new record,” he whispered. “We only came upstairs a few minutes ago.”
“Are you tired?” Theo asked, coming to sit on Ian’s bed.
“No, not really.”
“Care for a card game?” she suggested. Ian smiled again and sat down opposite her on the bed. They kept their voices to a whisper so as not to disturb anyone taking an afternoon nap, which, judging from the sound of the snores coming to them from the hallway, included the professor and the earl.
Not long into their card game, Ian heard a soft knock on a door somewhere outside the open window. He and Theo both looked curiously first at each other, then at the window to peer outside.
Right below them stood a man at the back door of the house. Ian couldn’t see his face, but there was something familiar about the man’s cap. A moment later the door was opened and Carmina’s voice carried up to them. “Yes?” she demanded.
“Good day,” said the man. “I was here earlier. I delivered your guests from the train station.”
“Oh?” said Carmina. Ian realized that the man below was, in fact, their taxi driver. He wondered the same thing Carmina asked. “Did they leave some baggage behind in your taxi?”
The man removed his hat and began fingering it nervously. “No,” he said, his voice noticeably quieter. “And if I could please ask you to speak somewhere privately? The news I have to share I would not want overheard.”
Ian caught his breath. Whatever this man had to say, Ian was now quite certain he must work to hear it.
To his relief, Carmina didn’t move away with the cab driver but remained standing right under their window. “You may speak freely, sir. My employer is taking her afternoon nap, and she is a woman who sleeps deeply.”
The driver continued to fiddle with his hat nervously. “I am more worried that your guests might overhear.”
Carmina made a derisive sound. “The English travelers?” she asked. “They speak only English and a bit of French, I’m told.”
At this the driver stopped playing with his hat and tucked it under his arm. “Ah,” he said. “That is very good.”
“Now tell me what you want or I will ask you to leave,”Carmina snapped, and Ian was glad she was being so insistent, because he was just as impatient to hear what the driver had to say.
“There is some interest in your guests,” the man confessed, and Ian felt a tickle of fear creep through him. “I have a patron who would very much like to know who it is they are visiting, and why.”
Carmina stepped out onto the back steps and took a package of cigarettes and a lighter from her apron pocket. She offered a cigarette to the
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