A Strange Affair (12 page)

‘Mr and Mrs Johnson!’ a loud enthusiastic voice exclaimed. ‘And young Katherine, although not so young now, indeed, a beautiful young woman and it is your Birthday as well as mine. How charming you look. Now let me introduce you to my sister Patience.’

The two virtues stood together, Constance Trevartha, once a Treverrick, overshadowing her shy retiring sister, who I believed was a Miss and had only lately returned to Treverrick. Constance wore a loud emerald green dress full of lace, ribbons and flowers of various colours, just as overpowering as the woman herself. Patience, on the other hand, wore a pale grey dress trimmed delicately at the neck and wrists with cream lace. She nodded her dark head in acknowledgement of us. The sisters were both surprisingly young, although I guessed Patience to be the younger of the two.

‘Now Katherine, come and say hello to my two sons, Daniel and Nicholas, as you’ve not seen them much of late,’ Constance said, leading me towards the two brothers who were standing to one side of the opulent marble fireplace. Everything about the room was full of splendour, from the rich maroon curtains at the windows to the sparkling crystal chandelier, which hung from the white decorated ceiling.

‘Welcome to Treverrick,’ said Daniel, who after the vibrancy of my stranger was insipidly handsome with a soft, silky brown moustache and a goatee beard, which matched his thin mousy hair. Nicholas however, had matured nicely and was more arresting. He had his mother’s dark hair and was clean-shaven. He also possessed the smile of an angel. I smiled back at him, thinking that maybe I would enjoy this evening after all, when there was a commotion behind me. The door burst open and a rich voice I recognised said good humouredly, ‘Forgive me for being late.’

I turned to face the late comer our eyes met across the room. It was none other than my stranger on the beach.

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