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Now her tone was distinctly patronising.
‘At least we are being honest with each other,’ Annalisa returned dryly.
The older woman’s shoulders eased into an elegant shrug.
‘Would you care for a drink?’ Annalisa suggested, more out of politeness than any real desire to prolong the encounter.
‘No. I don’t think so. There’s hardly time, is there?’ Claudia Montoya rose gracefully to her feet. ‘But there is just one more thing.’
‘Yes?’
‘Do I take it that the rumours are true? The finca is back on the market?’
‘That is correct,’ Annalisa said, noting the gleam of triumph that even thickly applied mascara couldn’t hope to conceal.
‘Then it only remains for me to wish you, bon voyage, my dear. And as for the future…well, every—’
‘Success?’
‘Yes. Yes, of course,’ Señora Montoya agreed. That’s exactly what I mean. I wish you every success, my dear. Oh, and I’m sure you have already received an offer for the finca from Ramon Perez,’ she said casually, as if it was just an afterthought, ‘but, whatever he offers, I would like to think we could offer more.’
Annalisa frowned. ‘We?’
She fluttered her hand. ‘What I’m trying to say is that I will better any offer he might make…whatever that offer might be. You do understand?’
‘I think we understand each other,’ Annalisa replied pleasantly. ‘Though I have to say I had no idea that orange groves in such a state as mine could provoke such widespread interest.’
‘Oh, it’s not the orange groves, dear. It’s the shoreline we want.’ Her voice was now openly patronising, as if Annalisa could not be expected to know about such things.
‘The shoreline?’
‘I’ll have my lawyer get in touch with you,’ she said, brushing off the detail. ‘And just remember: whatever Ramon Perez offers, we’ll do something a little better for you.’
‘Oh, I’ll remember,’ Annalisa said coolly. ‘Goodnight, Señora Fuego Montoya.’
There was not a jot of warmth coming from the woman, in spite of all her fine words, Annalisa thought as she ushered her stepmother out of the house. Her first impressions had been spot on. Señora Montoya was no friend. She didn’t give so much as a backward glance before climbing into her expensive little red sports car. Mission accomplished, Annalisa guessed, closing the door and leaning back against it with a sigh of relief. The woman probably couldn’t believe her luck now she had established that the finca was definitely back on the market.
Smoothing her hands down the front of the simple sun-bleached two-piece she had chosen to travel in, Annalisa gave a thin smile.
Compared with Señora Fuego Montoya’s designer outfit, her clothes felt shabby. Since her disaster with the white dress she hadn’t had a chance to go shopping. Señora Montoya clearly didn’t have her marked down as a challenge. Neither did Ramon. No wonder he thought he could use her for target practice whenever he was bored.
Curiosity drew her to the window and she watched for a few moments until Claudia Montoya’s car disappeared down the lane. Then, turning away, she shot a wry glance at her canine defender. ‘You can stop growling now, Fudge. She’s gone.’
The airport at Mahon was clean and modern, and lacked the hectic confusion of many a larger facility. Annalisa was on her way to the check-in desk when, seeing the woman who lay in her path, she suddenly drew up short. Then pulling herself together, she marched forward determinedly. She would just have to make a wide curving detour around the attractive woman shifting from foot to elegantly clad foot.
‘Annalisa?’
Annalisa stopped dead in her tracks. Her back tingled with the knowledge that Margarita was right behind her. She turned around slowly and they stared at each other.
Margarita was even more beautiful than she had guessed from seeing her at a distance. Her thick glossy black hair was gathered back loosely and held in place by a wisp of chiffon. She wore a loose-fitting jade silk two-piece with a natural flair that owed nothing to the artifice employed by Claudia Montoya. Her make-up consisted of nothing more than a slick of ruby gloss to accentuate the curve of her lips and a suggestion of grey shadow on her doe-brown eyes.
Her expression showed natural curiosity, as well as relief that her wait was over—nothing more. It flashed into Annalisa’s mind that Margarita didn’t have a clue about Ramon’s extra-marital activities… But if that was the case what was she doing here?
Margarita broke the silence first. ‘Have you time for coffee?’ she asked in a lightly accented voice.
