Sweet Revenge by Anne Mather Read Free Book Online

head.
    'Bournemouth?' Toni supplied.
    'Yes, Bournemouth. It is a nice place, but the water is cold.'
    'We do not get the sun in England as you do here,' Toni reminded her. 'And the waters of the English Channel are not the warm waters of the Portuguese Atlantic.'
    'That I found, to my cost.' Francesca shivered. 'But my father likes England, so I suppose one day we will go again. He visits London often in the course of his business, but I am not allowed to accompany him.' She sounded dejected, and for a moment Toni felt sorry for her.
    'Did you see Buckingham Palace, when you were in London?'
    Francesca was at last enthusiastic. 'Oh, yes, and the Tower of London, and Hampton Court. We were just ordinary tourists. It was wonderful!'
    Toni smiled in agreement, and then Francesca, as though becoming aware that she was being too expansive, became silent again, and Toni gave up trying to talk to her. It was obvious that Francesca was not going to be an easy person to get to know, but it was possible to break the shell if one tried hard enough, and with the right ammunition.
    The rest of the evening passed pleasantly enough. Francesca was excused later, and after Toni had given up trying to speak to Paul for a moment alone, she too excused herself and retired to her bedroom. Whether Paul was aware of her desire to speak with him or not she was uncertain, but one thing was certain, and that was Paul's less than accurate invitation to join him in pleasing his grandmother. Paul's reasons for producing a fiancee so promptly were all monetary ones, Toni was sure, and she resented being used in this way. She was beginning to wish she had never come.
     

CHAPTER THREE
    T HE next morning Toni was awakened by a young maidservant entering her room with a tray containing a glass of fresh orange juice and a small jug of coffee.
    'Bom dia, senhorita,' she said, smiling, and placing the tray on the table beside the bed.
    'Bom dia.' Toni struggled into a sitting position, brushing back the swathe of heavy hair that fell forward as she did so. 'What time is it?'
    'Desculpe-me, senhorita ?' The girl looked puzzled, and Toni gave a smiling shake of her head indicating that it was not important, and with a brief bob the maid left the room. Obviously she did not understand English, and Toni thought she would have to get a Portuguese phrase book if she wanted to make herself understood.
    The fruit juice and coffee were delicious. Toni sipped her coffee as she crossed the room barefooted to swing wide her windows and gaze out disbelievingly at the fantastic view that awaited her. The sea was breaking in iridescent foam on the greenish-grey rocks, while a pale sun was filtering through a faint cloud formation. The sand looked almost white, and Toni longed to put on her bathing suit and go for a swim. But until she knew a little more about the habits of the household she did not like to presume too much.
    However, as she watched, she saw a figure appear from a small door set in the stone wall of the castle. Recognizing it as Francesca Toni watched as the girl found a pathway round the rim of the moat until she came to a small footbridge. She was carrying a string bag, and Toni saw her cross the grass to the side of the castle that swept down to the cliffs above the beach. She disappeared down a path near the cliffs and Toni thought she must have gone swimming. Her suspicions were confirmed a few minutes later when Francesca reappeared on the beach, and began shedding a loose robe she was wearing over her bathing suit. Toni sighed. She wished Francesca had mentioned swimming last evening. After all, the child must be lonely doing everything by herself.
    Eventually she withdrew, ran herself a bath, and after bathing dressed in slim-fitting green pants, and a sleeveless green overblouse made of broderie anglaise. She looked cool and attractive, her long hair gathered into two bunches with elastic bands.
    She descended the staircase she and the Condessa had