She stayed in her room as long as she could before people would begin to think she was hiding in there, which of course she was. Listening for voices as she emerged, she decided the kitchen was safest.
Delphine took one look at her and rolled her eyes. ‘OK, you can stay in here until it’s time to take the afternoon rum punches out.’
As the kitchen bench was covered with limes, nutmeg and a bowl of ice cubes, Cass realised she hadonly minutes before she had to face everyone. By everyone she meant Ranulph. She was really looking forward to catching up properly with Bastian and to finding out as much as possible about the guidebook. Did he want an illustration on every page, for example, or only the odd one of certain chosen beauty spots?
‘I can’t believe it’s rum punch time already,’ she said, glancing at her watch and seeing it was nearly four o’clock.
‘With some guests, it’s always rum punch time,’ said Delphine. She was filling tall glasses with ice and fruit.
‘Where did you get all this ice from?’ asked Cass. ‘Last time I was here there was no electricity.’
Delphine laughed. ‘We bought a lot of ice and put it in the freezer. Bastian likes to keep things low-key when it’s just him but if he has a lot of guests, he turns the deep freeze on.’
‘Luxury!’ Cass sighed.
‘Why the sigh?’ asked Delphine.
‘I liked it as it was. Simple. No frills.’
Delphine was scornful and amused at the same time. ‘You’ll like the rum punches cold, that’s for sure. The simple life is fine if there’s just been a hurricane but otherwise, it’s not so great. You should see the size of the TV I have in my house!’
Now Cass laughed and indicated the tray of drinks. ‘Shall I take these out?’
‘Yes, please. But try not to drink them all!
Having a tray to hide behind did give Cass some protection from the feelings of shyness Ranulph’spresence caused. She handed out the drinks in a very professional way. She did regularly work in a wine bar, after all.
‘Did you have a good sleep, Cass?’ asked Sylvie. ‘I never sleep a wink on planes, so I passed out like the dead after lunch.’
‘I did, yes,’ said Cass.
‘Our little guest lodge is adorable!’ said Sylvie. ‘Simple, but it has everything we want except maybe air conditioning.’
Cass waited to hear Bastian’s response to this.
‘I think you’ll find if you open the jalousies, the breeze will blow through and you won’t need air conditioning,’ he said.
‘Oh, yes, of course,’ said Sylvie, embarrassed. ‘I suppose I’m used to more …’
‘Tourist destinations?’ suggested Ranulph.
‘We want Dominica to be more of a tourist destination,’ said Michael. ‘Hence the illustrated guidebook. It isn’t the same as your typical Caribbean island, but that’s what makes it special.’
‘Of course, darling,’ said Sylvie, obviously concerned in case she’d appeared to be being critical of somewhere everyone else obviously loved.
‘Dominica is basically a huge mountain covered with rain forest with a few bits round the edge,’ said Bastian.
‘I think there’s a bit more to it than that,’ said Cass.
‘Our mountainous terrain is what sets us apart from other Caribbean islands,’ Bastian said, his expression making it clear how he felt about his home.
‘So, what’s the plan for the next couple of days?’ asked Michael.
‘There are a few sights that we must have in the book, I feel,’ said Bastian. ‘Beautiful places that are not in other books. There are a couple more waterfalls visible now, thanks to the hurricanes. I’d like Cass to see them. With my commercial hat on—’
‘Do you have a commercial hat, Bastian?’ asked Ranulph.
Bastian laughed. ‘I do! And I think Cass could create some wonderful pictures for the book that could also become cards, postcards, posters even.’
