She took a gulp of her rum punch, relishing the jolt it gave her. Alcohol wasn’t going to save her from this situation but, just now, she was glad of it.
‘Do you guys know where you’re sleeping?’ asked Delphine.
Cass wanted to faint again. Was Delphine’s innocent-sounding question an indication that she and Ranulph were supposed to be staying together? They had of course shared a room when they were here before, but that had been entirely different.
‘I’m happy to sleep on the veranda, Delphine. You know that,’ said Cass stiffly.
Delphine shook her head. ‘Ranulph is sleeping in one of the new guest cabins my brother has built. Bastian always has so many people wanting to stay here, it’s good to keep them out of the way.’
Cass was grateful that Delphine realised Cass didn’t want to be near Ranulph. It could have been the Sister Code that had picked up her feelings, or it could have been that Delphine had spotted the look of horror on Cass’s face when she saw Ranulph.
At any other time Cass would have laughed at Delphine’s bluntness in telling Ranulph it was good to keep him out of the house and Ranulph obviously saw the funny side of Delphine telling him.
‘Where is Cass sleeping?’ asked Ranulph.
‘She’s in the house. She’s working on Bastian’s new book.’
Bastian appeared. ‘Has Delphine told you guys where you’re sleeping?’
‘We’re sorted,’ said Ranulph. ‘I think Delphine wants to show Cass her room.’
Delphine ushered Cass to a small room usually used as a store but now containing a bed, a small table and a chair; all the rooms in Bastian’s house were multi-purpose.
‘Will you be OK here?’ She looked about the room. ‘It’s small! But we had to put Michael and Sylvie in the guest cabin, which has a big lounge area. It would have been perfect for you to do your drawing in.’
‘I’ll be fine here, thank you, Delphine. I can draw on the veranda if I need to.’
‘So, what’s the problem with you guys? I thought you were in love with each other when you left.’
Cass shook her head. ‘I may have been in love with Ranulph but he’s still in a relationship.’
‘How do you know that?’ demanded Delphine, very sceptical.
‘I’ve seen pictures of them together on Facebook.’ Cass paused, and then hurried on, feeling the need to confess. ‘But I still slept with him when we were in London, even though I knew this.’ It was the guilt this memory produced that was making her feel so terrible.
Delphine rolled her eyes. ‘OK!’
‘I wish I could just turn around and go back home right now,’ said Cass. ‘But I’m here to work on someillustrations for Bastian’s new book and my boss – well, the person who asked me to do the illustrations – paid for my ticket. Business class!’
This made Delphine laugh. ‘He’s bought you, girl! Now wash up and come and have lunch.’
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
When she could put it off no longer, Cass joined the others on the veranda. They were knocking back rum punch as though it were fruit juice. Cass was far more circumspect. She knew just how lethal punch could be. But it took the edge off her anxieties about lunch, at least a bit.
All through the flying fish, fried plantain and salad that Delphine served, Cass felt Ranulph’s eyes boring into her. But when she forced herself to glance up she realised he was talking to Michael about Bastian’s book and not looking at her at all.
As she ate she plotted how she could avoid Ranulph while they were both on the island. She couldn’t think about leaving until she’d got sketches of everything they might need for the book, or at least photographs so she could work them up at home.
It had been arranged that she would travel round with Bastian, Michael and Sylvie so she knew exactly what illustrations were required. This would keep her out of Ranulph’s way during the day. But what was he doing here?
It couldn’t just be a holiday, surely. He must bewriting a piece about the dig – possibly something about how it had revealed that the Kalinago people cooperated with Dutch pirates in pre-Columbian times. That would be it. The fact that they were both here at the same time was just a ghastly coincidence.
It would be fine, she decided. She would tour the island, sketching and taking photographs, while Ranulph would be on the beach with his archaeological version of a bucket and spade. She’d get all the sketches and photos she could possibly need and then she could leave. With luck, Ranulph would stay mostly on the site, taking pictures, making notes and maybe writing back in the guest lodge. Their paths would hardly cross.
Delphine didn’t let her help clear up after lunch. ‘You can help tomorrow, when you’re not working,’ she said. ‘You have a nap now. Get over the jet lag.’
Cass did sleep a bit but most of the time she lay on her bed, listening to the birds and wondering how Ranulph was feeling. Surely he must be feeling even more guilty than she was: he would have known for definite he was with Becca, while she only suspected it.
