Follow a Stranger

responsibilities.

It stung badly. All right, she thought, he’s a million-

aire and I’m just a schoolteacher whose salary wouldn’t

keep him in shoe leather! But I won’t stand for a

situation in which he is King Cophetua and I’m just the

beggarmaid.

She brooded all the way back to the villa, ignoring the

rugged scenery through which they passed, the tangled

glory of yellow furze, the grey rock and tumbling green

slopes. The cool mists rolled away and the sky grew

bright, burning blue.

“Going to be a great day,” Jake said hopefully as they

climb

ed out of the jeep.

Marc ignored him, but Kate gave him a warm smile.

“A lovely morning,” she agreed.

Jake shot a wary glance at Marc’s back, then winked.

Kate followed Marc up the steps on to the verandah.

As he held open the door for her to pass into the house,

she looked up with a deliberately cool expression and

said, “By the way, we never did fix how much we were to

pay you for our holiday. You’ll let us know, won’t you?”

His face looked first amazed, then black with rage.

She felt her nerves leap at the look he gave her. “You

little ...” he began violently, grabbing hold of her

shoulders and shaking her.

“Marc! My son, what are you doing? Have you taken

leave of your senses, to shake a young girl like that?”

Marc’s hands dropped from Kate like stones, and he

turned to confront his mother stiffly.