‘Yes, but I’m not a hundred per cent certain.’
‘What makes you think he’s not single? He doesn’t sound like the sort of man who’d cheat.’
Cass sighed. ‘We did kiss, earlier, when we first met again and he pulled back from the kiss. I didn’t know why at the time, but now I think perhaps he was feeling guilty?’
‘Honey! You’re overthinking this.’
‘I’d hate to think I’d slept with another woman’s man. Becca is a really nice person and it’s against the Code.’
Rosa laughed. ‘The Code!’ It was something they’d decided on as twelve-year-olds. ‘I’m not sure I can remember everything that was on it now.’
‘I do remember it was OK to get the same item of clothing as someone else, but not OK to wear it if the other person had said they were going to wear it first. And it was definitely wrong to snog someone else’s boyfriend,’ said Cass. She sighed. ‘And we did far more than just snog.’
‘I never liked that expression,’ said Rosa. ‘But anyway, you may be imagining things. Maybe he’s not in a relationship.’
‘I still feel awful. I thought I’d be having a lovely time, doing something I’d remember forever, no matter who I end up with, but I just feel horrible.’
‘Would you feel horrible if he wasn’t going away and you could see him, say, next week?’
Cass considered. ‘I don’t think I’d have snuck off like that if he wasn’t going away.’
‘So really, you’re feeling bad because he’s going away for a long, unspecified time and you’re going to miss him.’
Cass exhaled. ‘I suppose it’s that too. But I’m just not totally sure he was a free agent when I went to bed with him.’
‘I still say that’s for him to worry about, not you,’ said Rosa firmly.
Cass was feeling a lot better when Rosa dropped her home a little later although she knew she was in for a long bout of missing Ranulph. She couldn’t decide if itwould have been better not to have slept with him, if she would miss him less. But then, to think she might never have had the opportunity seemed so desolate.
‘Morning, darling!’ said her mother. ‘You’re back earlier than I expected you. Did it all go all right? Did you get Howard’s camera back?’
‘Hi, Mum. Yes, I got an early train.’ No need to tell her how much it had cost her. ‘I did get the camera and I gave it to Ranulph, who’s going to give it to Dad.’
‘That all seems very satisfactory. And did you visit the publishers?’
Cass had given her mother a much-expurgated version of her plans. She had left out any hint that what she was doing might be dangerous in any way. ‘I did. They were great. They complimented me on my drawings and said how they’d helped Bastian.’
‘You are good at drawing. And now you’re home, I can pick the flowers for our next assignment. It’s a leaving present for the president of the WI, so quite prestigious. Have you got time to paint them?’
Cass sighed. She had all the time in the world now. She had no interest in socialising with people she didn’t already know, or looking for a boyfriend. If she couldn’t have Ranulph, she didn’t want anyone.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
The summer faded into autumn and soon Cass had a range of Christmas cards for sale at the art shop. Her mother bought a lot of them too. When she thought back to the spring, when she had first set off to Dominica with Ranulph, she realised her life had been so exciting, so full of possibility. Now she seemed to have the life and career of a recently retired teacher – her position at the art shop had become permanent – who had a couple of jobs to keep themselves busy and a flower-painting hobby. While she had now applied to go to a couple of art schools, she wasn’t expecting to hear back from them immediately.
But at the end of October, when she was at her busiest (she’d developed a good line in poinsettias which she touched with the slightest hint of gold pen) she had an email from Bastian’s publishers.
Dear Cass
We all enjoyed meeting you very much back in the summer and, as you know, we greatly admire your talent as an artist and illustrator.
So much so, in fact, we are wondering if you would consider being the illustrator for Bastian’s new project, which is to be an illustrated guide to Dominica and could possibly become a series?
If you think this might interest you, would you care to come and see us in London to talk about it?
Very best wishes
Michael Masters
