Antigua Kiss by Anne Weale Read Free Book Online Page A

sports car's hooter scattered a herd of goats. They had no one with them and, when Christie expressed surprise at the absence of a herdsman, Bettina shrugged and said it was not at all unusual.
    'I've no idea,' was her answer to the question as to how the goats'
    owner knew where to find them. She gave the impression of taking little interest in the flora and fauna of the island.
    It was about half an hour's drive from the airport to the wide gateway with the name of the Colony incised on a great block of stone, and a tree-lined drive curving away out of sight.
    The car jolted over the bars of a cattle-grid, then swept round the curve to where the branches of a group of tall palms shaded the forecourt of a long, low, single-roofed building. In the centre of this structure a covered walk, open at either end, gave, as the car drew to a halt, an enticing glimpse of a swimming pool.
    'The staff will look after you now. I'll see you later, probably,' said Bettina, as a strongly-built, dark- skinned young man, wearing a pale blue tee-shirt with Turtle Creek printed across the chest, stepped forward to open her door for her.
    With no word of thanks for this service, she disappeared into the building.
    The young man flashed white teeth at Christie and, reaching into the back seat, swung John up and over the side.
    'I'll bring your bags for you, ma'am. You'll find Reception in there'—with a gesture in the direction of the walk-through.

    'Thank you.' After walking round the front of the car and taking her nephew's hand in hers, Christie approached the polished counter where two attractive Antiguan girls broke off a conversation to bid her good afternoon.
    'I'm Mrs Chapman. I believe a room has been reserved for me.'
    'Yes, ma'am.' The taller girl took down a key and handed it over, not to Christie, but to the young baggage porter who was already at her elbow with their cases.
    He put it in the pocket of his white trousers. 'This way, ma'am.' He handled the two large suitcases with an ease which, as he moved ahead, drew her attention, to the splendour of his physique with very wide shoulders tapering to a narrow waist.
    The fine, athletic build of all the island's young men and the loose-limbed grace of their carriage was something she was to notice repeatedly during her first days in Antigua. Each time she did, it reminded her of Ash's remark about the island being a healthier place for John to grow up than London. But whether broad shoulders and strong muscles were something island life could give to every boy, or were a genetic inheritance peculiar to the Antiguans, she could not be sure. Clearly, in the harsh days of slavery, only the most hardy people had survived the gruelling work in the canefields and the epidemics of the period.
    At the inner end of the walk-through, the whole of the large, sparkling free-form pool was revealed to them, with bathers lying stretched out on sun-beds on the paved surround. Instead of skirting the pool, they turned aside and passed through an area of gardens dotted with tall palms where the grass was kept green by sprinklers. Farther on, given privacy from each other by shrubberies, were the holiday cottages, each with its name on a fingerpost where the side path diverged from the main path.

    Theirs was called Frangipani Cottage, and Christie concluded that the golden-centred white flowers growing in profusion beside the front door must be those after which it was named.
    The door gave into a lobby with an inner door open to show a spacious, dimly lit sitting-room. The half-light was caused by vertical louvred blinds at present arranged to shut out the afternoon sun.
    After the young man had left them, Christie made a quick exploration of the rest of the cottage. It consisted of an equally dimly lit bedroom with twin beds, a small but well fitted kitchen and a shower room with a separate lavatory.
    Only then did she look for the cords which controlled the blinds in the sitting-room. When the