'How did you know that?' she interrupted, aghast.
'I know lots of people in the island, they tell me things. And I met a gullible young doctor who was anxious to find a beautiful girl he'd met.'
'Oh,' was all Ros could find to say.
'So do you believe me now? That I love you?'
'I want to, but I can't, not yet, not until I find Tim,' Ros whispered.
*
'Tim? Another boyfriend?'
'No, my brother, half-brother, Tim Preston.'
'Tim – ? The lad who vanished? So that's why you've been asking all those questions about my boat accident! Did you imagine I'd done away with him?'
'Not now. I didn't know what to think. He vanished at the same time! And how did you know I'd been asking questions about him?'
'I have friends on the staff at the Castilla, too,' he said drily. 'But your brother? Don't you know where he is?'
'No, and that's the real reason I came here. I thought I might be able to find some trace of him.'
'Have you?'
'I may have. That's why I went to Mr Goldstein's house. One of the band said they'd seen him, or someone like him on the Golden Gull. That's Mr Goldstein's yacht.'
'So that explains it. But tell me all about him, what do you know?'
She swiftly told him why Tim had been working, how he had until then sent regular letters to her, and his last, odd letter. 'I had to do something,' she said with a sigh, 'but I've discovered almost nothing.'
'Don't fret, my love. I may have a better opportunity of tracing him than you. We'd no idea he hadn't just left on a whim, but from what you say it's more than that. And I understand you don't want to make other decisions at such a time, but I mean what I say, Ros. I want to marry you. I love you and will never change.'
*
After a very pleasant interlude they drove back to the Castilla, and for almost the first time since she'd arrived Ros felt optimistic about Tim. Lorenzo would help her to find him, and he knew people she could not hope to reach. As for the wonderful incredible fact of his love for her, that was a precious new thought she needed to hug to herself while she permitted the joy of it to grow and enclose her in a safe, contented shell.
The next morning there was a short note from Lorenzo. He had to catch an early plane for Madrid, and would be back as soon as he could. He loved her to distraction, and she was not to worry about a thing. She could relax. She'd spend time exploring more of the island. She went about in a glow of happiness which even her concern for Tim could not destroy. She was not even aware of the curious glances Senor Mendez and others of the Spanish staff cast her. And she totally forgot to demand the change of room.
'A little girl's escaped from those dreadful abductors,' Veronica told her at breakfast. 'The family dog attacked them, two men who were trying to carry her off. At least one child's had a lucky escape. And one of them will have a nasty bite on his hand!'
'Good. I hope it turns septic and has to be amputated!'
'The poor kids must be devastated, not just for what they have to face, but losing touch with their families.'
She was too restless to stay in the hotel. so she ordered a picnic lunch and drove away immediately she'd had breakfast. She had no clear idea of where to go, and found herself following the coast road towards the west, past the many new developments. She'd never found the second cove Tim had marked, but knew it was near Paguera. She wanted solitude, time to think, but it was unlikely she'd find it on these crowded beaches. Then she recalled that the road which went across the Portal Vells promontory was quite long. There might be quiet places along there, and that might be where the cove was.
There were some parking places, and Ros soon stopped under the shade of some trees. She took the picnic basket and decided to walk up the slope behind her until she found a spot with a view. Soon she came across a small break in the trees, which gave her a view of the sea. She settled in a sheltered nook, for the wind was strong today, and lay back on the pine needles. It was remarkably comfortable and she was soon fast asleep.
When she woke she was for a moment disoriented. There were seagulls crying above her, their raucous cries borne on the wind. There semed to be another cry, too, like a kitten, or – and suddenly Ros came wide awake – like a child.
She sat up and listened. It must have been a seagull. She stood up to stretch limbs which ached, and looked around. And then she froze in horror. A girl, small and blonde, sobbing breathlessly, no more than eight years old, was racing wildly along the track from where she'd parked the car, pursued by two men in jeans and flapping jackets, their faces concealed by balaclavas.
It was no game. That was immediately obvious. The child kept throwing terrified glances over her shoulder, and as Ros started towards her, she tripped on a tree root and fell heavily.
'Got her!' one of the men grunted, and swooped to pick up the child before she could move. They set off rapidly in the direction of the road.
Ros raced towards them, intent on impeding them, but as they scrambled into a small van one of the men turned and saw her. He flung a short, stubby branch and it hit her on the side of the head. She missed her footing, slipped on the pine needles, and fell heavily to the ground. Winded, she was unable to move, but as the van drove away she frantically memorised the number.
*
Chapter 10
Ros spent five desperate minutes trying to find the child's parents, but there seemed to be no one else in the area, and she soon decided that her best course of action would be to seek help at the hotel. Hastening as much as the traffic allowed, she drove back to the Castilla. Leaving her car right beside the front entrance she ran swiftly through the foyer and burst unceremoniously into Senor Mendez's office.
'What on earth? Miss Farleigh!' the Manager spluttered, and spilled the glass of brandy which was on his desk.
Rapidly Ros explained. 'You must get the police! Now!'
'I call Senor Carreira first.'
'He's back? Oh, thank heavens!' Ros almost fell into the chair beside the desk as Senor Mendez picked up the internal telephone and spoke rapidly into it.
Lorenzo appeared within a minute, and knelt beside Ros, his arms about her. 'Are you hurt, sweetheart? My God, when I think what might have happened! You shouldn't have tried to tackle them all alone. If they recognised you you'll be in danger. I'm taking you straight to Madrid.'
Ros shook her head. 'No, I'm not leaving! One man 's hand was bandaged heavily. The dog, the other day, he bit one of them.'
When Lorenzo put down the phone he turned to her. 'They will soon trace the van. A child has been reported missing from that area. Now I can tell you something. I've been working with the police, on the mainland, for the past year, trying to discover more.'
'You? But why? And how? Are you a detective?' Ros demanded.
'No. I just want to stop a vile trade. One of my friends lost a daughter, and Mr Goldstein also knew someone who lost a child. That's how I became involved. We didn't know who was abducting the children, but we had our suspicions about the boats being used to take them across to South America.'
'Poor mites! Do you think there are many who suffer this way?'
'I'm afraid so. We know young girls have been snatched from several European countries, and holiday resorts all round the Mediterranean and elsewhere, in North America and Canada. They are always blonde. The vile men who purchase them in South America want exotic concubines.'
'So they're forced into prostitution! At that age?' Ros blinked away a tear. 'It's abominable!'
'But hopefully they can be stopped. One small vice ring smashed, and it looks as though the final link has been established.'
'Where are the police?'
Ros had scarcely asked the question before two senior officers were shown into the room. They listened to Ros, questioned her closely, and then asked Lorenzo to go with them for final briefings.
'We have traced the van and intend to raid the house at once.'
&nbs
p; *
The next few hours seemed endless. Ros, afraid of meeting Veronica or Mandy, remained in her chalet until Lorenzo came back at midnight. He slipped in quietly, and she rose from the chair where she had been trying to distract herself with a book.
'What's happened? Is the child safe?'
'Yes. We arrested them and found the girl and a second one, in the spare bedroom. They was drugged, to keep them quiet, but it was only a mild sedative, they're in no danger. They're in hospital now, with their parents. And once their captors knew the game was up they told us everything they knew, names, methods, everything. In the hope of a lighter sentence, naturally. And now you must go to sleep, my love. You must be exhausted.'
'I'll have dreadful dreams. Please, Lorenzo, stay with me.'
'And now we can return to our own concerns,' Lorenzo said the following evening when he had been closeted with the police for hours. Ros had just had a long soak in the bath and was wrapped in a huge fluffy towel. 'Good, you can dress up in your best frock. I know it's been a long day, but we are going to a celebration party.'
Ros sighed. 'I really don't feel like celebrating,' she confessed. 'All I want to do is go to bed.'
'Well, naturally, and so do I,' he said softly, kissing her, and she blushed, a smile curving her lips as she remembered being held so protectively in his arms last night, 'but we have other things to sort out first. Principally our engagement.'
Gently he took her hand in his and raised it to his lips. He brushed it with his mouth and the touch sent a tingling through her whole body. Then he drew her slowly into his arms again.
He bent his lips to hers and kissed her. It was totally unlike every other kiss he had given her, soft and sensuous, exploring with tender lips and gentle, though possessive hands every curve, tantalising her into an instinctive response. Slowly his arms closed more tightly about her and Ros clung to him, oblivious of all except the blissful sense of feeling safe and protected, incredibly at peace and yet with a fire running through her veins demanding total surrender.
She raised her arms to slide them around his neck, returning his kisses with fervour and feeling a keen disappointment, almost fear, when he finally lifted his head.
'Will you marry me soon?' he asked softly and she nodded, smiling trustingly at him.
'As soon as you like, Lorenzo.'
'My perfect Rose, deep dark velvety red for passion and smooth clear white for perfection. Darling, I love you so much I'm distracted by the very thought of you. I'm going to marry you at once so there'll be no chance or time for you to think I might desert you and marry someone else. We're going to Madrid together, tomorrow.'
'Madrid? Tomorrow?' Ros asked with a slight laugh.
'I'll explain as we go. But first, I bought you this.' He slipped a long slim jeweller's box out of his pocket. Ros gasped as he opened it and the light caught the miriad gleams of the slender necklace. On a delicate twisted gold chain dangled a sapphire pendant. The central stone was the size of her thumbnail and even to Ros's inexpert eye of magnificent quality. Surrounding it were a dozen diamonds.
'The family betrothal ring is a blue diamond. We have a tradition it is given at a dinner with all the older members of the family present. My grandfather is too old to travel here, which is why I want us to go to Madrid as soon as possible. This is a small private gift.'
'Small? It's fantastic!' Ros breathed.
Lorenzo turned her to face the mirror and fastened the delicate pendant round her neck. It hung provocatively on a level with the rising curve of her breasts, and matched her eyes to perfection. As Lorenzo adjusted it slightly Ros caught his hand in both hers and bent to kiss them, then hugged them close.
'I love you so! But not because of this!' she added swiftly. 'Is it a family heirloom?' she asked in awe. 'I shall be terrified of losing it.'
'I bought it a week ago when I knew I was going to marry you.'
'You were so certain? Even then?'
'From the moment I saw you, although I tried to fight it. I didn't believe in immediate love. It made me abrupt, and autocratic. I didn't want to get married but I wanted to marry you.'
She recalled the odd note in his voice when he'd told her about the dancers and their plans to marry.
'We'd only just met,' she marvelled.
'I've not looked at anyone else since I met you, my love, though I haven't totally ignored girls previously!'
'I rather gathered that impression!' she said, laughing.
'Now get dressed, we'll be late. You're the worst distraction I've ever had to contend with in my life! But I'll protect your modesty and wait for you in the foyer. Put on your best party dress, as quickly as you can, we ought to go soon or we'll be late.'
*
She slipped into the blue dress so far never worn and regarded her reflection critically. She looked young and frivolous, a butterfly rather than a cool sophisticated business woman. But it did suit her remarkably well. And the sapphire pendant glowed and sparkled, reflecting the happiness in her eyes. If only she could have found Tim her happiness would have no flaw. Lorenzo hadn't mentioned him, he couldn't have been any more successful than she had been. But together, they'd search again.
She put on silver sandals and draped a silver scarf round her shoulders. Lorenzo was waiting outside the foyer, and immediately came towards her, taking her arm and guiding her to a sleek Porsche parked nearby. Ros was so bemused she did no more than glance at the car with slightly raised eyebrows.
'Where will you work now?' she asked. 'You don't work for the Company. Not any more, now Miguel's back.'
'Would you mind if I said I did? I always have done, as it happens, but those at the Castilla who know, like Pablo, are sworn to secrecy when I help out by playing the guitar for a few weeks. I didn't want things to be awkward, you see, and I could do the rest of my job just as well from here as from anywhere.' He rested his hand for a moment on her knee and sent shivers of delight coursing through her body.
'Where are we going?' she asked a few moments later. They'd left the lights of Palma behind.
'Remember when I met you trespassing on Mr Goldstein's land? I was just leaving my own house which is further along the same drive.'
'Yours? You live in Majorca?'
'One of my houses. I have apartments in Paris and London and a house in Spain. My grandfather owns the Company, but since he's grown old he prefers his books and paintings and I run it for him.'
'You run – you are his – you must be rich!' Ros said accusingly.
He laughed. 'Do you object terribly? I've a yacht and a plane as well. In fact we'll be going on the plane tomorrow. To take you to my grandfather. He's been urging me to find a wife for years, but I was never tempted until I met my fiery Rose. You changed my mind almost against my will. The rest of my family will be there – just a couple of aunts and a few cousins. My parents died years ago. You'll be able to buy clothes and send for your relatives and any friends you wish to come to the wedding. A week should be ample time to arrange everything.'
'Lorenzo, stop! I'm nobody, I'm not rich, so how can I marry you? Your family would object!'
'Grandfather is the only one whose opinion I care about, and I know he'll love you. I took him that snapshot and he's impatient to meet you, he wants to know why I'm being so slow! The others will have to accept it.'
'So that was how you contrived to get me into the chalet! And why Senor Mendez ran round like a lapdog when you snapped your fingers! Why do you play the guitar and pretend to be just an entertainer?'
'I was filling in for Miguel, but as it happens I enjoy playing the guitar!' he protested indignantly.
'And the adulation of starstruck teenagers!' Ros chuckled. 'Do you travel a lot?'
'I visit all our hotels at least twice a year. Only a few of the top employees know who I am, so I can test the reactions of the staff and the guests and discover problems. Will you mind coming with me? Can you design Internet web pages in hotel rooms? I imagine you'll want to
keep some independence!'
'You won't order me to come with you?' Ros asked, deceptively mild. Lorenzo grinned.
'I've been too autocratic but it was the only way of capturing you! Will you come?'
'If you think I'm going to let you go alone you're very much mistaken! There are hundreds of beautiful predatory women out there!'
'And some like Juanita. Her family worked at the castle, that's how I knew her,' he began to explain.
*
'Castle?' Ros demanded, her mind reeling. 'You have a castle as well?'
'When I was threatening to carry you off to my mountain lair that was what I had in mind. Or this one, we're almost there,' he said as he swung the car between the eagle gateposts.
The house he stopped in front of was quite small compared with Mr Goldstein's, Ros was thankful to see. The front door stood open and light spilled out onto a short flight of stone steps.
Lorenzo took her arm as they walked up. There was no one about but the sound of music drifted from a room to the right of the central hall, and she suddenly felt shy. How had he arranged it? They hadn't spoken about this celebration, there had been so much else to say. She didn't know if anyone else would be here, and if so who.
Instead of turning towards the music Lorenzo opened a door on the other side of the hall and ushered her in. A tall, slim, dark young man rose to his feet and took a step towards her. Ros, with a cry of joy, ran forward and seized his arms.
'Tim! What on earth are you doing here? Oh, Tim, I'm so thankful to see you! I've been so worried! Where have you been? Why didn't you write?'
Half crying, half laughing, she hugged her brother to her. Tim hugged her back, and then Lorenzo was offering them both glasses of champagne.
'Let's toast your safe return,' he suggested, and gently led Ros to sit on a wide settee, Tim beside her. 'It has finally convinced your sister I didn't drown you.'
'What? Ros, what on earth – ?'
Blushing, she explained her suspicions.
'You disappeared the same day Lorenzo's boat was involved in a sailing accident. You left your drums behind, and immediately afterwards Lorenzo got Jorge, the boatman who might have seen you going out with him, sent back to Spain.'
Island Quest Page 11