defiantly.
His dark green eyes watched her closely, but not, she thought, with any pleasure. ‘I don’t like changes,’ he said.
Her mouth twitched with amusement. ‘It was you who said the Vallori ghosts should be laid to rest,’ she reminded him.
‘ So I did. Well, Miss Impertinence, how much more money do you need to finish off this room?’
Megan shook her head slowly. ‘No money. I was just thinking that the walls look bare. May I—may I look round the other rooms and hang some of the pictures in here?’
‘Which pictures?’ he demanded.
Megan hesitated. She would have liked to have hung his mother’s portrait over the fireplace in the place of honour, but she knew that he would never allow her to move it from the gallery. There were other pictures in the house though that she liked: modern, colourful paintings that appealed to her imagination even while she knew very little about them.
‘There’s one in the dining-room—’ she began.
He laughed sardonically. ‘ Move it if you like ,’ he said.
‘May I really?’ She was inordinately pleased. ‘ Can we move it now and see what it looks like? I love the colours in it! The rugs will pick up some of them too as they have the same red in them.’ She grinned at him, delighted. ‘It’s just the touch I needed!’
‘ Indeed?’ he said dryly.
She looked at him uncertainly. ‘ You don’t mind do you?’ she pleaded.
‘I don’t mind.’ He gave her an amused glance. ‘ I think your taste impeccable, peque n a, but I don’t want you to be disappointed when my stepmother wishes to banish the picture back to the dining-room again.’
‘Oh!’ Megan exclaimed. ‘Perhaps she won’t notice?’ she suggested.
‘Original paintings by Paul Klee are usually noticed ! ’
‘Oh ,’ she said again. ‘I didn’t know it was valuable !’
He smiled. ‘Does it make you love it any more?’
She shook her head. ‘I don’t know much about art ,’ she admitted. ‘But if I did, I hope I shouldn’t be mercenary about it !’
He laughed out loud. ‘ You know what you like !’ he accused her.
‘I suppose so ,’ she murmured. ‘ But I may still move it, mayn’t I?’
‘If you like ,’ he said indifferently. ‘If Margot doesn’t object.’
His stepmother made no comment at all about the picture when Megan called her to have a look at the finished room. She sat in one of the chairs and approved the warmth from the new fire.
‘I think it is more comfortable,’ she said in her cool voice. ‘ It will take some getting used to, of course—this house has always been so unwelcoming and cold somehow. I don’t like red myself, but I suppose I shall have to put up with it.’
Carlos straightened the picture over the fireplace with a careless finger. ‘ As there is only a touch of red in the carpets, I take it you like the whole effect?’ he pressed her.
Senora Vallori shrugged. ‘ I’m not particularly interested. You know I’m only living here because you say I must! It doesn’t matter to me what you do to the house ! ’
‘Not even if we have the new bathroom installed? ’ he asked in frighteningly polite tones.
‘I prefer to be reasonably civilised ,’ Margot answered him. ‘ Your father liked me to be comfortable.
Carlos’ eyes met hers in a long, level look. ‘ I’m not prepared to discuss your living in England again, he said abrup tl y. ‘If you don’t like it here, Margot, you can live in any one of my other houses, but not in England.’
Senora Vallori got to her feet in a single sinuous movement. ‘You always were a selfish person,’ she said smoothly. ‘I don’t think you’ve ever considered anyone but yourself in your whole life !’
Carlos shrugged easily. ‘Probably not,’ he said. Megan stood very still, hoping not to call attention to herself, for she couldn’t help but be embarrassed by this exchange between the two Valloris. But her very silence made Margot angrier than ever.
‘As for
His dark green eyes watched her closely, but not, she thought, with any pleasure. ‘I don’t like changes,’ he said.
Her mouth twitched with amusement. ‘It was you who said the Vallori ghosts should be laid to rest,’ she reminded him.
‘ So I did. Well, Miss Impertinence, how much more money do you need to finish off this room?’
Megan shook her head slowly. ‘No money. I was just thinking that the walls look bare. May I—may I look round the other rooms and hang some of the pictures in here?’
‘Which pictures?’ he demanded.
Megan hesitated. She would have liked to have hung his mother’s portrait over the fireplace in the place of honour, but she knew that he would never allow her to move it from the gallery. There were other pictures in the house though that she liked: modern, colourful paintings that appealed to her imagination even while she knew very little about them.
‘There’s one in the dining-room—’ she began.
He laughed sardonically. ‘ Move it if you like ,’ he said.
‘May I really?’ She was inordinately pleased. ‘ Can we move it now and see what it looks like? I love the colours in it! The rugs will pick up some of them too as they have the same red in them.’ She grinned at him, delighted. ‘It’s just the touch I needed!’
‘ Indeed?’ he said dryly.
She looked at him uncertainly. ‘ You don’t mind do you?’ she pleaded.
‘I don’t mind.’ He gave her an amused glance. ‘ I think your taste impeccable, peque n a, but I don’t want you to be disappointed when my stepmother wishes to banish the picture back to the dining-room again.’
‘Oh!’ Megan exclaimed. ‘Perhaps she won’t notice?’ she suggested.
‘Original paintings by Paul Klee are usually noticed ! ’
‘Oh ,’ she said again. ‘I didn’t know it was valuable !’
He smiled. ‘Does it make you love it any more?’
She shook her head. ‘I don’t know much about art ,’ she admitted. ‘But if I did, I hope I shouldn’t be mercenary about it !’
He laughed out loud. ‘ You know what you like !’ he accused her.
‘I suppose so ,’ she murmured. ‘ But I may still move it, mayn’t I?’
‘If you like ,’ he said indifferently. ‘If Margot doesn’t object.’
His stepmother made no comment at all about the picture when Megan called her to have a look at the finished room. She sat in one of the chairs and approved the warmth from the new fire.
‘I think it is more comfortable,’ she said in her cool voice. ‘ It will take some getting used to, of course—this house has always been so unwelcoming and cold somehow. I don’t like red myself, but I suppose I shall have to put up with it.’
Carlos straightened the picture over the fireplace with a careless finger. ‘ As there is only a touch of red in the carpets, I take it you like the whole effect?’ he pressed her.
Senora Vallori shrugged. ‘ I’m not particularly interested. You know I’m only living here because you say I must! It doesn’t matter to me what you do to the house ! ’
‘Not even if we have the new bathroom installed? ’ he asked in frighteningly polite tones.
‘I prefer to be reasonably civilised ,’ Margot answered him. ‘ Your father liked me to be comfortable.
Carlos’ eyes met hers in a long, level look. ‘ I’m not prepared to discuss your living in England again, he said abrup tl y. ‘If you don’t like it here, Margot, you can live in any one of my other houses, but not in England.’
Senora Vallori got to her feet in a single sinuous movement. ‘You always were a selfish person,’ she said smoothly. ‘I don’t think you’ve ever considered anyone but yourself in your whole life !’
Carlos shrugged easily. ‘Probably not,’ he said. Megan stood very still, hoping not to call attention to herself, for she couldn’t help but be embarrassed by this exchange between the two Valloris. But her very silence made Margot angrier than ever.
‘As for
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