The door opened suddenly and apprehensively Corinne found herself undergoing a swift but thorough scrutiny from the tall man that stood at the

  ISLAND FIESTA 15 door. 'This way, Miss Suter,' he said abruptly. 'Your grandfather is dying. Force of will only has kept him alive until your arrival. I'm afraid he will not be able to have the talk he wanted to have with you. No matter what he says, I want you to agree to abide with his wishes. Is that clear ?' he asked the stunned Corinne, who swallowed hastily and nodded. He was trying to tell her that Clair's grandfather was rambling, she thought, and would probably confuse her with Clair's mother.

  Her heart was thudding against her ribs as she followed the man down a long tiled corridor and into a room at the end. He had not introduced himself, but Corinne was sure that he was the Juan Martel who had written to Clair. Her confused thoughts rambled on as she followed his tall back and was ushered into a dim-lit room. He did not look like a secretary, she thought, and hadn't acted like one either, for she had gained a fleeting impression of disdain in his voice when he had addressed her.

  All this went through her mind as she adjusted her sight to the dim interior of the room and found herself looking at a gaunt man lying in a huge bed at the further end of the room.

  She then felt a touch on her arm and was guided towards the bed. She steeled herself to go forward. She wanted to shout out that she was not who they thought she was and beg forgiveness from the old man who lay dying on the bed. That he was dying, she was in no doubt. His withered skin was stretched taut over his deeply hollowed cheekbones and there were large dark hollows under the beetling brows of his eyes that were closed as if in sleep. As she watched the man who had brought her to

  16 ISLAND FIESTA the room, and who now stood on the other side of the bed, lean over and gently touch Gabriel Mowbray's skeleton-like hand, she knew she would hold her peace. This was no place for such disclosures. The only salve that she could offer her conscience was that the old man would die in peace if he thought that his granddaughter was there.

  'She's here, Gabriel,' said the man in a low clear voice, and Corinne saw the old man's eyes open slowly as if each movement was an effort. His blind gaze rested first on the man who had spoken, then he turned his gaze towards Corinne as if sensing her presence.

  'Is that you, Clair ?' he whispered weakly. 'Speak, child, for I cannot see you.'

  Corinne's nails bit into her closed palms as she forced herself to say, 'Hello, Grandfather. I came as soon as I could.' She could not say any more. Deceiving someone who was dying was bad enough, but ten times worse if they were blind. She wanted to run out of that room, but her legs had turned to wooden stumps, transfixing her where she stood.

  'Bend over towards me,' whispered the weak voice of Gabriel Mowbray.

  Corinne made herself comply with this request, wondering miserably if she was expected to kiss his withered cheek, but he had another intention in mind, and she held her breath as his gnarled old hand and thin matchstick fingers went lightly over her features, and rested for a moment on her long hair that lay beside her cheek as she bent forward. 'Long blonde hair like your mother,' he got out in between a gasp. 'Not your mother's nose, though took after your father, eh ?' There was a fit of coughing after

  ISLAND FIESTA 17 this, and Corinne took the opportunity to straighten up again and met the hard grey eyes of the man opposite her.

  `Juan ?' The name was barely audible, so weak was Gabriel Mowbray's voice. 'You know what I want. I want your word on it.'

  Juan Martel's right hand reached for the hand the old man held out for him to take. 'You have my word,' he replied firmly. 'We marry, and the family will keep an interest in the business.'

  The old man nodded and gave a brief grimace that Corinne took to be a smile. 'You do as Juan says, Clair,' he said weakly. 'Time you settled down and stopped gallivanti ' The word was never finished, for with a deep outward gasp Gabriel Mowbray died.

  With a feeling of utter unreality Corinne watched Juan Martel draw the sheet over the still face now reposed in peace, and as if in a dream that bordered on a nightmare felt herself led to the door and through to the lounge where she had waited earlier for what seemed an eternity ago, but was in fact less than thirty minutes.

  With legs that threatened to buckle under her she sat down, automatically following Juan Martel's orders, and watched him walk over to a glass cabinet and select a bottle, then with the same assured movement measure out a tot of the amber liquid into two glasses and hand one to her with an abrupt, 'Drink this. We'll talk afterwards.'

  Still with a feeling of unreality, Corinne wondered what they would have to talk about. As Clair's representative she had been present at her grandfather's death, and the old man had known that she was there. She did not see what else could be expected of her. It

  18 ISLAND FIESTA then occurred to her that Clair had inherited something under her grandfather's will, and that, she thought vaguely as she sipped the strong brandy that Juan Martel had given her, should please her.

  She frowned as her bemused senses recalled the old man's last words to her, or as he thought, to Clair, something about it being time that she stopped gallivanting around, or would have said had death not intervened.

  It would appear that Clair's grandfather had kept the same surveillance on his granddaughter as he had had on his daughter, for there was an element of truth in what he had said. Corinne had lost count of the men who had occupied a brief stay in Clair's affections, and some had been a little more than a passing attraction, but if they were serious, it was soon obvious that Clair was not. She was having too good a time being wined and dined by her firm's rich customers to tie herself down for life. The plain and simple fact was that although rich, most of her acquaintances were also married, and as she would have put it, she had not had the luck to meet one who was rich and eligible. Looks and love were apparently secondary considerations. Her looks alone had guaranteed her many admirers, and she had learnt a lot since she had successfully applied for the job she now held. She was clever, and must have been a great asset to the firm, not only in the mind-bending work of the advertising profession, but the subtle socialising that went on before a deal was clinched.

  'Have you finished ?' The deep voice of Juan Martel cut into Corinne's musings, and she stared at the empty glass in her hand, not realising that she had in fact emptied it, and she gave a small nod and put the

  ISLAND FIESTA 19 glass down on a nearby occasional table.

  Juan Martel studied her for a moment or two before he asked, 'Did you understand what your grandfather wanted, and what I gave him my word on ?'

  Corinne frowned hard in concentration trying to recall the exact wording and recalled that it had been something about marriage. He had wanted Juan Martel to marry someone and he had given his word on it. To be honest, Corinne had not taken a great deal of notice of this request since it was a personal matter between Gabriel Mowbray and the man who was now watching her so intently. She had felt bad enough just being there without listening to something that did not concern her.

  She did not know what he expected her to say to this, but had an idea that perhaps he had promised to keep an eye on Gabriel's granddaughter in the future. `I think he wanted Cl ' she coughed quickly in order to cover the slip she had almost made, 'me,' she went on, `to settle down.' She gave him a bright smile much as Clair would have done under the same circumstances. 'He had no need to worry over me, you know. I'm quite happy as I am.' That at least was true, she thought dryly.

  Her poor attempt at levity was unsuccessful, for his strong jaw hardened and his grey eyes took on an icy look. 'I see that you did not understand,' he said brusquely, 'and that I shall have to enlighten you.'

  His eyes narrowed as he stared at his strong well-manicured hands before proceeding, and gave Corinne the chance to study him unobserved.

  His dark hair glinted blue-black in the lighting from the small chandelier overhead, and gave Corinne the distinct impression that he was not English. Spanish

  20 ISLAND FIESTA perhaps, or Italian. Not that one would have known by his accent, which was perfect, and had Corinne closed her eyes and just listened to his voice, she would have been easily persuaded that he was English and very well educated, as he obviously was anyway. His features were strong and rather forbidding, and there was an autocratic look about him that many women would find fascinating. Corinne had to admit that he was what could be termed 'good-looking' in a ruthless way, for there was a hardness about him that warned her against making a confession of her duplicity, as she had so badly wanted to do a few minutes earlier.

  presume that you have no knowledge of your grandfather's business dealings,' Juan Martel began slowly, 'apart from the fact that he was a wealthy man,' he added, giving Corinne a sardonic smile that she did not care for at all. 'As they are rather complicated, I will simply say that he and I were partners in a hotel complex dealing solely with tourism. There were, of course, other business ventures, but as these do not concern you I will not bore you with the details,' he said brusquely. 'The hotel business, however, does concern you in as much as your grandfather wished the family to keep an interest in the business.' He looked up suddenly at Corinne's calm features. 'Surely by now you must have some idea of what was in his mind,' he said meaningly.

  Corinne continued to gaze at him, but there was now puzzlement in her blue eyes. Did Gabriel Mowbray have other relations ? Perhaps a sister whose daughter he wanted Juan Martel to marry ? She voiced her thoughts on the matter. thought that C1 I was his only relative,' she said, cross with herself for

  ISLAND FIESTA 21 once again almost giving herself away. This observation was made in a calm almost detached way. It was beginning to look as if there was another contender in the inheritance stakes and this would certainly not please Clair, but it did please Corinne; Clair didn't deserve to scoop up everything.

  `You are,' he said flatly, and fixed a hard stare on the unsuspecting Corinne who felt that she had missed out somewhere along the line and rather wanted another rehearsal. It was then that a warning bell started clanging somewhere at the back of her mind, pealing out a message that left her speechless for several seconds. 'You mean ' she swallowed, and began again. 'You mean it was C ' Her astonishment came to her aid here, and she stared wide-eyed at the man seated opposite her who now appeared to be deriving some caustic amusement from her reaction.

  `Precisely !' he said curtly, and got up from his chair and walked to the cabinet again. 'Can I get you another brandy ?' he asked her dryly. 'You appear to be in need of some stimulant.'

  Corinne shook her head with an emphatic movement. She needed a clear head, but more .than that she desperately needed Clair's presence, but Clair was oceans away.

  Her stunned gaze watched Juan pour himself out another drink and take it back with him to his chair. As before, his movements were very assured and somehow frightening. 'He couldn't expect ' be gan Corinne lamely, then realising that the less she said, the better it would be for her and Clair. It was Clair's problem, not hers, and broken ankle or no, she would have to take over from here on.

  22 ISLAND FIESTA

  'Oh, yes, he could,' replied Juan, in what sounded a smug voice to Corinne, who was beginning to take a healthy dislike to him, and the way he had coldly accepted Gabriel Mowbray's dictates. It was quite obvious, she thought scathingly, that it was Clair's grandfather who really owned the business, and that this smooth character had seen a way of manipulating a few strings to gain control of the business. What a despicable man he must be, she thought hotly agreeing to marry a girl he had not set eyes on, purely for gain. It did occur to her that he and Clair were well matched and she did wonder if this thought had occurred to the wily Gabriel Mowbray.

  Her unspoken thoughts were uncannily echoed by Juan Martel as he went on smoothly, 'Gabriel had done a little homework, you see.' His cold grey eyes flicked over Corinne in a way that she highly resented. 'He was well aware of your shall we say, somewhat disdainful attitude towards your many admirers.' He gave a twisted smile. 'We have a lot in common there, we both seek pleasure purely for pleasure's sake, but have no intention of being beholden to anyone.'

  What he meant was that neither of them cared for anyone but themselves, Corinne thought scathingly, but at least he had admitted it, she conceded grudgingly. Clair had shed her boy-friends as casually as she would shed a coat, without any regard for their feelings. This man would behave in exactly the same way the moment he had lost interest in whatever poor girl he had been momentarily interested in. Oh, yes, she thought grimly, they were well matched and really deserved each other ! She had to bite back the words, hope you'll be very happy with each other,'

  ISLAND FIESTA 23 and wait until she had heard the rest of it. It was obvious that he had not finished yet. She had to smother a smile at the thought of Clair's reaction to this highly enlightening interview.

  Now that we have got that part of it out of the way,' he said in a calm detached manner, 'we can discuss the marriage plans. There is quite a lot of money at stake, and there are reasons why there must be no delay in carrying out Gabriel's wishes.'

  Corinne's thoughts at this juncture were not complimentary ones. Monetary reasons, she thought ironically.

  `Quite apart from anything else there is a time limit, that is that we must marry within twenty-four hours of his death,' he went on smoothly. 'I gave my word on this, and do not intend to break it.'

  Corinne no longer found the situation amusing. Her mind was frantically trying to find a way out for her. She must tell him the truth. It was the only thing to do. Twenty-four hours ! Could Clair get there in that time ? She swallowed. Yes, she could, she told herself, it was only four hours' flying time away from home. She must come if she wanted to claim her inheritance. She could hire a wheelchair, couldn't she ? There had been someone on Corinne's flight who had been in the same predicament, but she had been an old lady who couldn't walk far, and they had been able to manoeuvre the chair down the narrow passageway of the plane to her seat, but Clair wouldn't have to have that done, she could hobble well enough just that short distance, so there would be no problem.

  Her thoughts ran hectically on, aware the whole time of Juan Martel's close scrutiny. Just suppose she

  24 ISLAND FIESTA couldn't get a flight in time ? 'What happens if the marriage doesn't take place ?' she asked in a weak voice, as the full implication of the mess she was in hit her.

  He gave an elegant shrug. 'No inheritance,' he said curtly. `Gabriel's share of the business goes on to the open market, and there are reasons why I do not want that to happen. Our business is a competitive one and there'll be no shortage of buyers. No doubt our rivals would not be slow in moving in.' He gave her a hard stare, and as a thought occurred to him he raised his brows. 'You are not already married, are you ?' he demanded.

  Corinne shook her head, and he gave a satisfied nod at this. 'I didn't think Gabriel would slip up on that one,' he commented blithely, then continued in the same conversational way. 'I suggest we get it over with tomorrow morning. I would have suggested this evening, only I really think we've both had enough for one day.'

  Tell him ! screamed Corinne's senses, get it over with ! She closed her eyes in a vain effort to compose herself, but it was useless. Her throat had gone dry, and her courage completely failed her as she realised that not only Clair would lose out on what seemed to be a substantial gain, but this hard man who had set his sights on taking over Gabriel Mowbray's business. He would very probably strangle her ! She had to give Clair a chance to claim that inheritance, and somehow stall for time until she arrived. 'Can one get married, just like that ?' she queried, in what she hoped was a casual voice. 'There are preparations to be made, surely ?' she added on a desperate-sounding note.

  JSLAND FIESTA 25

  Juan gave her a thin smile. Not in this case,' he replied slowly, studying her through narrowed eyes. `Gabriel has had a registrar standing by. He'd got it all arranged from the moment your telegram arrived giving us your arrival date. The only thing he didn't have was time. He meant to witness our marriage before he died.'

  Even in the haze of her dilemma Corinne could acknowledge this, it was typical of all that she had heard of Gabriel Mowbray. This time he was making sure that his family returned home, not only returned but stayed. He had judged Clair's character well enough to know that the golden carrot he was holding out to her would be accepted. Time, it appeared, was not the only thing Gabriel Mowbray had not had on his side; fate too, it seemed, was now putting in a strong bid to defeat him.

  CHAPTER TWO

  CORINNE gazed down at her feet, absently taking in the mosaic pattern of the floor that told her that she was in a foreign country, where the essential ingredient for comfort was coolness during the heat of the day.

  She knew that Juan Martel was awaiting her answer, and she was desperately groping for inspiration as to how she could stall for time until she could contact Clair. The same light that had brought out the blue-black lights in Juan's dark hair now gleamed on her own brown locks, and highlighted golden

  26 ISLAND FIESTA strands usually only visible under the rays of the sun. Her wide smooth forehead now held a frown as she searched for the answer to her problem.

  She had to ring Clair; she couldn't possibly put what she had to tell her in a cablegram, and she could do nothing until she had contacted her. Was there a telephone in the house ? Her worried gaze swept round the room, but as her eyes met the impatient eyes of the man still waiting for her reply she swiftly abandoned the idea. It was going to be difficult enough explaining the situation, without having him beside her or within hearing distance.