discover yourself,’ he answered. ‘ Don’t you think you might enjoy that?’
‘At your expense?’ she countered.
His eyes met hers. ‘I can afford it.’
‘That isn’t the point ! ’ she argued.
‘Perhaps not,’ he admitted. ‘It will have to be enough for you, however, that your parents have agreed to your coming and here you will stay until I am ready to let you go home.’
‘As your stepmother’s companion?’ she asked, angry at his light dismissal of any say that she might have in the matter.
‘ As anything I care to make you !’
Megan gasped and then she laughed. ‘You’re too arrogant to be true ! ’ she told him. ‘ What would you do if I decided not to stay?’ she added.
‘You’ll stay !’ he told her ligh tl y.
‘ How do you know?’
He grinned. ‘ It’s a challenge, and I can’t see you running away from that ! ’
Megan could see herself running away only too easily, but she said nothing. ‘I must have something to do !’ she repeated doggedly.
‘All right,’ he agreed. ‘You can fetch your coat and come with me to the farm. There’s always plenty to do over there.’
She eyed him uncertainly, but his attention had already left her. He turned on his heel and walked out of the room, calling over his shoulder: ‘Ten minutes ! I’ll wait for you in the patio.’
She stood there for a long moment, looking after him and then in a sudden mad rush, she whirled out of the room, up the stairs and into her bedroom to get her coat.
It seemed that Carlos had a car of his own wherever he happened to be. Megan stepped into the comfortable Porsche waiting outside the patio, giving a little wriggle of pleasure as she explored the width of the seat and the ample leg room in front of her. Carlos gave her a sardonic look, but he said nothing, only letting in the clutch, moving the car slowly forward down the narrow street.
He found his way easily on to the ring road that went around the centre of Palma, and they were soon on the main highway going out of the city towards the east.
‘Where is your farm?’ Megan asked him.
‘Between Felanitx and Porto Cristo. We’ll turn off this road in a moment and go through Lluchmayor. There’s a map in the compartment in front of you, if you want to see for yourself.’
But Megan was content just to be driven through the countryside, enjoying the beauty of her surroundings as they sped along. The windmills stood in clusters over the plain, most of them stationary despite the light wind. Carlos explained that they were really water-wheels, drawing up the water from the depths of the earth to irrigate the numerous farms and smallholdings. ‘You’ll see them all over the island, but the majority of them are in this area. It looks like an obstacle course for Don Quixote, doesn’t it?’
‘ Perhaps he wasn’t the only one to tilt at windmills,’ Megan said lazily.
‘ Carlos chuckled. ‘Some people do it all their lives,’ he agreed.
Megan tilted her head. ‘Are you getting at me?’ she enquired.
‘If the cap fits— ! ’
‘ It doesn’t. I’m older than you think,’ she told him. ‘ Sometimes it doesn’t do to rate everybody’s age by the number of years they have lived. Experience comes into it too. I haven’t lived the protected existence of a Spanish girl. I’m older than Inez, for example.’
A smile played on his lips. ‘ I wonder,’ he said.
‘In what way is she more experienced than me?’ she demanded.
‘In the ways of pleasing a man,’ he suggested.
Megan was silent. She had a vivid mental picture of Inez flirting with Carlos, in his arms and being kissed by him. It was hard to believe, she granted him, that Inez, with that eminently kissable mouth, had never been kissed. And whom else would she kiss, if not Carlos whom she was destined to marry? Even her parents would not object to that.
‘There are other things ! ’ Megan said at last.
‘Not for the average Spanish girl,’ he observed
‘At your expense?’ she countered.
His eyes met hers. ‘I can afford it.’
‘That isn’t the point ! ’ she argued.
‘Perhaps not,’ he admitted. ‘It will have to be enough for you, however, that your parents have agreed to your coming and here you will stay until I am ready to let you go home.’
‘As your stepmother’s companion?’ she asked, angry at his light dismissal of any say that she might have in the matter.
‘ As anything I care to make you !’
Megan gasped and then she laughed. ‘You’re too arrogant to be true ! ’ she told him. ‘ What would you do if I decided not to stay?’ she added.
‘You’ll stay !’ he told her ligh tl y.
‘ How do you know?’
He grinned. ‘ It’s a challenge, and I can’t see you running away from that ! ’
Megan could see herself running away only too easily, but she said nothing. ‘I must have something to do !’ she repeated doggedly.
‘All right,’ he agreed. ‘You can fetch your coat and come with me to the farm. There’s always plenty to do over there.’
She eyed him uncertainly, but his attention had already left her. He turned on his heel and walked out of the room, calling over his shoulder: ‘Ten minutes ! I’ll wait for you in the patio.’
She stood there for a long moment, looking after him and then in a sudden mad rush, she whirled out of the room, up the stairs and into her bedroom to get her coat.
It seemed that Carlos had a car of his own wherever he happened to be. Megan stepped into the comfortable Porsche waiting outside the patio, giving a little wriggle of pleasure as she explored the width of the seat and the ample leg room in front of her. Carlos gave her a sardonic look, but he said nothing, only letting in the clutch, moving the car slowly forward down the narrow street.
He found his way easily on to the ring road that went around the centre of Palma, and they were soon on the main highway going out of the city towards the east.
‘Where is your farm?’ Megan asked him.
‘Between Felanitx and Porto Cristo. We’ll turn off this road in a moment and go through Lluchmayor. There’s a map in the compartment in front of you, if you want to see for yourself.’
But Megan was content just to be driven through the countryside, enjoying the beauty of her surroundings as they sped along. The windmills stood in clusters over the plain, most of them stationary despite the light wind. Carlos explained that they were really water-wheels, drawing up the water from the depths of the earth to irrigate the numerous farms and smallholdings. ‘You’ll see them all over the island, but the majority of them are in this area. It looks like an obstacle course for Don Quixote, doesn’t it?’
‘ Perhaps he wasn’t the only one to tilt at windmills,’ Megan said lazily.
‘ Carlos chuckled. ‘Some people do it all their lives,’ he agreed.
Megan tilted her head. ‘Are you getting at me?’ she enquired.
‘If the cap fits— ! ’
‘ It doesn’t. I’m older than you think,’ she told him. ‘ Sometimes it doesn’t do to rate everybody’s age by the number of years they have lived. Experience comes into it too. I haven’t lived the protected existence of a Spanish girl. I’m older than Inez, for example.’
A smile played on his lips. ‘ I wonder,’ he said.
‘In what way is she more experienced than me?’ she demanded.
‘In the ways of pleasing a man,’ he suggested.
Megan was silent. She had a vivid mental picture of Inez flirting with Carlos, in his arms and being kissed by him. It was hard to believe, she granted him, that Inez, with that eminently kissable mouth, had never been kissed. And whom else would she kiss, if not Carlos whom she was destined to marry? Even her parents would not object to that.
‘There are other things ! ’ Megan said at last.
‘Not for the average Spanish girl,’ he observed
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