Doctor at Villa Ronda (20 page)

“We’ll see.”

“I could give you a little money today. I’ve none down here, of course. You could go to one of the small hotels in Orsola and wait until I come. I could then ask Dr. Montal for permission to bring you to his house for the time being.”

“No, Nicky, that won’t do.” Lisa spoke coldly. “It seems to me that you’ve gone up in the world and now you’re ashamed of this sister that you’re supposed to have been searching for. I want to start living in the Villa Ronda straightaway.”

“That’s impossible.”

“Why? You can’t give me one good reason, except that you want to keep everything selfishly to yourself. I’ll give you until the doctor comes home this evening, so that you can break the good news to him. I’ll be sitting in a nearby
corner
of the garden and you can then invite me into the house and introduce me.”

When Nicola remained silent, thinking over this extraordinary proposition, Lisa continued, “Of course, there is an alternative. I could just come to the front door of the Villa and announce that I, too, am a Senorita Brettell. Spanish hospitality being what it is, I could certainly be welcomed, even if I were your cousin fourth removed.”

“No, it would be better for me to tell the doctor first,” Nicola decided hurriedly. “I’ll go back to the Villa now. D’you want anything to eat? How did you get on if you’ve been here since yesterday?
”

“Oh, I didn’t mean I’d been sitting here waiting for you to condescend to come down to swim. I roamed around Orsola, found out quite a bit more about the Montals, drank a coffee here, ate a snack there. I’m not absolutely destitute.”

“Have you any luggage? Where is it?” asked Nicola. Lisa pointed to a small overnight bag on the floor near a chair. “A few essentials. The rest I can send for when I have a new permanent address.”

Nicola returned up the long path to the Villa Ronda, her mind in turmoil, her heart heavy with foreboding. Yet she took herself to task for an instinctive lack of the kind of spontaneous and cordial welcome that she had imagined she would give to Lisa when they eventually met.

“What’s wrong with me?” she asked aloud of the tree
-
bordered path. “I ought to be overjoyed to see her again.”

She made excuses that Lisa had changed not only in appearance but character. Yet she knew that Lisa’s nature had not really changed. It was only the circumstances that came into Lisa’s life.
L
isa had always been an opportunist.

In Sebastian’s cool study, Nicola sat at the small desk and turned over the typewritten pages she still had to copy. She both longed for and dreaded Sebastian’s return. How could she be sure that Lisa would stay down at the beach and amuse herself by swimming or sunbathing? It was just as likely that she would walk into the Villa whenever she was tired of being alone.

Sebastian came home fairly early and Nicola plunged straight into her news. She felt that if she put it off even for a single moment she would never have the courage to tell him. Yet she did not know why she should have this curious reluctance.

“But that’s very good news,” Sebastian commented. “You must be immensely relieved. How did you find her?”

In her distress Nicola had forgotten Lisa’s suggestion that Ruben could act as messenger. “I—I think a friend was in touch with her and gave her this address.”

“So she was not in San Fernando after all.”

Nicola let that slip by. There was no point in complicating matters unnecessarily.

“No, apparently not.”

“Then where has she been living all this time?” he asked.

“I’m not sure. I mean I haven’t had time to find out.”

“Where is your sister now?”

“In the garden,” replied Nicola, hoping that Lisa would at least behave in a reasonable manner.

“Then bring her in here. I shall be delighted to welcome her, for your sake, Nicola, as well as her own.”

Nicola was glad of the opportunity to hurry out of the study, taking the opportunity to brush away a few tears from her eyes.

At first Nicola could not find Lisa, and for a moment her disloyal heart lightened. Had Lisa already seen the
impossibility of the situation? But as Nicola turned the curve of a row of oleander bushes she heard Lisa’s voice talking in very bad Spanish.

Lisa reclined on a chaise-longue, a long cool drink at her elbow, while Felipe, one of the gardeners, smiled down at her. Oh, trust Lisa not to waste time sitting alone! Nicola thought uncharitably.

“Ah, there you are!” exclaimed Lisa when she saw Nicola. The gardener bowed and went off to his tasks. “Well, how did the great man take the dramatic news?” she wanted to know.

“Come with me and meet him,” replied Nicola, keeping a tight rein on her self-control.

Sebastian gave Lisa a smile of welcome and said, “I am very glad that you have been found. Your sister has been very anxious about you.”

He placed a chair for Lisa, waited for Nicola also to be seated, then he sat at his desk as though he were in his consulting room. He pulled from a drawer the photograph of Lisa that Nicola had received from England and compared the picture with the original.

“You mustn’t take any notice of the difference,” Lisa pointed out immediately. “I’ve had my hair tinted a different colour and I’m sun-tanned.”

He nodded. “Have you been ill, Miss Brettell?”

F
or a few seconds Lisa did not reply, and Nicola held her breath, fearful of what revelations her sister might make.

Then Lisa said sweetly and patiently, “I think I must have been ill for some time, because I don’t remember whole patches of events. I seemed to wake up and weeks and weeks had gone by.”

So that was to be the tale, Nicola reflected. Loss of memory. Perhaps it was as good as any other.

“Did you have some kind of accident? A blow on the head? A car crash or something of the kind?”

Lisa appeared to ponder. “I don’t remember. It could have been a car crash, I suppose.”

“But you were not in any hospital in this part of the country,” he
s
aid crisply. “Were you nursed privately?”

“I suppose I must have been.”

Sebastian rose. “Then we must look after you, Miss Brettell, and see that there are no bad after-effects. I may be allowed to examine you later on, perhaps? I am a doctor.”

“Naturally. I shall be most relieved to be examined and find out that I’m now all right.”

Sebastian ordered a guest room to be prepared for Lisa, who came along to Nicola’s room some time before dinner.

“I came to see what I could borrow to wear for dinner,” Lisa explained. “I haven’t a rag, as you know.”

“I’ve one or two outfits in the wardrobe,” Nicola offered.

Lisa inspected the contents and sniffed. “H’m. Not much here, is there? Everything’s too long, anyway. You’re taller than I and no one would ever call you an up-to
-
date fashion-follower.”

“There’s a pink skirt there that you could hitch up a bit by turning the waist over and wearing this little brocade jacket on top.”

“It’ll do for one evening,” observed Lisa grudgingly. “Tomorrow you must come with me to Barcelona and help me do some shopping. I must have a few rags to stand up in.”

Nicola’s first impulse was to say that she couldn’t possibly spare the time, but second thoughts warned her that it might be desirable to watch Lisa actually spending the money and paying cash for the articles. Nicola would have to provide the money anyway.

L
isa was glancing round the room. “Not bad,” she said. “I really wanted to see if mine was as good as yours, as I don’t see why I should be fobbed off with anything less.”

“And are you satisfied with your accommodation?” asked Nicola coolly.

“
For the time being, yes. I think, Nicky, that I’m going to enjoy myself in the Villa Ronda. Good girl, you chose a nice place. I’ll say that for you.”

N
icola realised at dinner that those delightful tete-a
-
tete meals with Sebastian were at an end. Lisa made a lively but intrusive third, and Nicola was nervously on edge lest her sister should drop some hint of unpaid bills or visits to San Fernando or any other perilous subject. Sebastian was courtesy itself, conversing with Lisa in a way that both flattered and challenged her to sparkle. Eventually Nicola excused herself on the pretext that she wanted to finish some typing, but he rose quickly instead.

“
No, Nicola, not tonight. You must stay and talk to your sister. You must have so much to say to each other after this long silence.”

W
hen the two girls were alone on the lamp-lit patio, Lisa helped herself to a little more wine.

“
Utterly charming,” she said softly. “I’d no idea. D’you think you’ve any chance of marrying him?”

“
No chance at all, I imagine,” Nicola replied smoothly, grateful for the darkness that dimmed her face. “He’s otherwise reserved for someone else.”

“
Pity,” commented Lisa. “You’d be in clover here. So might I.”

“A
fter a pause, Lisa continued, “I wonder ... I wonder if I could—”

“
Could what?”

“
Manage to oust this other woman who has put a reserved label on him.”

N
icola managed a chuckle that was half amusement, but half desperation. “It’s rather early to make plans yet, Lisa. You don’t really know what he’s like.”

“
And do you?”

“
To a small extent, yes,” replied Nicola.

“
Tell me about him.”

N
icola stood up. “Some other time, Lisa. It’s late and I’m going to bed. Coming?”

“
This place isn’t exactly a centre of evening entertainment, is it?” grumbled Lisa. “Everyone off to bed before midnight.”

“
It’s not Barcelona, if that’s what you mean. It’s not even San Fernando.”

“
Oh, well, maybe there’ll be more excitement when the others return from the yachting trip.” Lisa stretched and yawned.

“
All right, Nicky. I’ll count my blessings, as you so often used to command me, and we’ll see what tomorrow brings.”

Long after Lisa had gone to her room after a final chat, Nicola lay awake, apprehensive and disquieted not only at the sudden reappearance of her sister, but bitterly ashamed at her own reactions. She would have been more content to know definitely that Lisa was safe and well and prosperous, but at some distance from the Villa Ronda. She did not want Lisa here in Sebastian’s house and knew that her reasons were selfish and unworthy.

CHAPTER VIII

On
the shopping expedition next day to buy clothes for Lisa, Nicola decided to be as generous as possible with money, if only to salve her conscience and cancel those distrustful feelings that Lisa’s sudden reappearance had caused. For her part Nicola was pleasantly surprised to find Lisa’s demands so moderate. “A couple of inexpensive dresses, two pairs of shoes, some underwear—those will probably do for the time being,” she said as she walked with Nicola along one of the shopping streets.

Sebastian had considerately given Nicola the entire day off, so the two girls were able to lunch leisurely at a restaurant in the Paseo de Gracia.

“We ought to telephone Patrick,” Lisa suggested. “You don’t want him to go on searching for me, do you?”

Nicola smiled. “I thought you said he knew all about your movements. If that’s so, then he’ll know that you’re now staying at the Villa Ronda.”

Lisa made a grimace. “Still, there’s no harm in talking to him.”

“I never like telephoning men at their office in business hours,” Nicola objected.

“Have it your own way.” Lisa shrugged. “I can see why David didn’t come rushing back to marry you. You’re too diffident, Nicola. You’ve simply got to be more positive in this world.”

Nicola looked down at the tablecloth. “There was no need to remind me of David. That’s all over and finished.”

“Well then, why don’t you learn from experience? We all make mistakes. I made one over Tony, but I’m not going to forget those hard lessons.”

In the end Lisa telephoned Patrick, who agreed to meet the two girls when he had finished work.

“He’s another like you,” gibed
L
isa. “‘When I’ve finished work ...
”
Any man worth his salt would just walk out of his office, take a taxi and arrive here in ten minutes.”

Nicola laughed. “Perhaps he doesn’t think either of us is worth getting into trouble with his boss.” After a moment, she asked, “Wasn’t he surprised to hear from you?”

“Well, yes, in a way, I suppose he was, but you heard me explain to him,” Lisa answered vaguely.

Nicola had also heard Patrick’s sharp exclamations of surprise at the other end. “Lisa!” he had shouted.
“Lisa!
I can’t believe it. Nicola will be pleased. Oh, she’s there with you.”