Cass took her sketchbook and pencils to a sheltered spot outside. She was very private about her drawing. Her siblings would mock her, her mother would praise her to the skies, which would make Cass feel patronised and her father … who knew how he would react? Cass had no idea if she was any good although she knew she could get a likeness of almost anything. She was sure there was more to it than that though.
As she drew the delicate leaves of a plant she had yet to identify, she realised how happy she was, drawing simple things from nature. She would have to look up what she’d drawn when she got back later, but at this moment she didn’t need to know what things were called. It was all to do with her eye and her hand, mostly her eye.
Cass was so absorbed by what she was doing it was only when she realised she’d reached the end of her sketchbook that she thought about going back.
Eleanor was in the kitchen. ‘Cass! Are you OK? We were about to send out a search party. By that I mean we were going to ask Ran to keep a lookout for you on his way over. He’s coming to dinner.’
‘Great!’ said Cass. ‘Has Dad had tea? Shall I take some into him?’
‘The sun is over the yardarm,’ said Eleanor. ‘He’s on to whisky. Which would you like?’
‘Tea, if it includes some of your wonderful shortbread. I didn’t have lunch. No wonder I’m starving.’
Eleanor smiled. ‘I’ll bring you in a tray. You talk to your dad. He’s been wanting to have a chat with you.’
‘Hi, love!’ said Howard as Cass came in and kissed him. ‘What have you been up to?’
‘This and that,’ said Cass. ‘But while I’ve got you alone, I have got something to tell you.’
‘Oh? Nothing wrong, I hope.’
‘Not wrong, exactly. But I don’t want to be a teacher. I want to give up my place at university.’
Howard looked rather taken aback, but said, ‘Then don’t be a teacher. You must follow your heart, darling. What does your heart tell you to do?’
In spite of Howard’s very relaxed reaction to her confession about training to be a teacher, Cass didn’t quite feel ready to talk about doing art instead. Not yet.
‘Just at the moment it’s telling me I need to eat. I forgot to take lunch with me.’
‘Where have you been?’
‘Just exploring, roaming around. It’s so beautiful here, isn’t it? I know it’s because the weather is so amazing, but I just love it!’ Cass hoped this would explain the length of time that she’d been gone.
‘I’ve made you some sandwiches,’ said Eleanor, coming in with a tray which she set down on the table.‘And of course there’s shortbread. And tea. Ranulph is coming to dinner so we may not eat until about eight.’
Cass bit into homemade bread, butter, ham and salad and Howard cleared his throat. ‘Right, now, Eleanor has told me off for not telling you about her and me, so I’m going to tell you why I asked you here.’
‘It can’t be anything that bad, can it, Dad?’ said Cass when she was free to speak.
‘It is a very big thing, that’s for sure. I want you to go to Dominica for me.’
Cass swallowed, then took a sip of tea. ‘Sorry?’
‘I want you to go to Dominica for me. I want you to take something I’ve had for years and years, something I should have sent to Dominica ages ago.’
‘What is it?’
‘A map. It shows how to get to a petroglyph.’
‘I’m sorry, I have no idea what that is.’ Cass was used to her half-siblings making her feel stupid, but not her father.
Howard chuckled. ‘It is fairly obscure. Basically it’s where faces or figures have been scored on to rocks. They’re usually prehistoric – in this case pre-Columbian.’ He paused. ‘I think I’d better start at the beginning.’ He refilled his glass, presumably to fortify himself for the task.
Cass took a piece of shortbread and emptied the teapot into her mug.
‘I had an email about a fortnight ago. It was from the son of an old friend. Bastian, that’s the son, had tracked me down after seeing my name in his father’s papers. He’s hoping I can help him.’ He took another sip ofwhisky. ‘Edward, Bastian’s father, and I went searching for the petroglyph years ago, before you and I went to Dominica together. We didn’t find it. I knew Edward badly wanted a picture of it and I always meant to go back, find it and take a photo. But I never did. Finding the thing is hard enough. I hoped that Edward would have found someone else to record it for him. Apparently not.’
‘That’s sad,’ said Cass.
