Read Online Across the Lagoon by Roumelia Lane - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Roumelia Lane
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heard describing the experience, when a faint sound came to her ears.
She listened. It was coming from the other bed, the muffled sound of weeping.
Raising herself quickly on her elbows, she asked in the darkness, 'Stephanie, is anything the matter?'
'No, nothing,' came the sniffling reply, and impatiently, 'For goodness' sake go to sleep!'
Carol dropped back on to the pillow again. Her heart ached as she listened to the stifled gulps beneath the bedclothes. She felt ashamed now of her own high spirits. The sniffs in the darkness sobered her into seeing the other side of the picture. For her the trip tomorrow was something new and exciting, whereas for Stephanie it was just another dreary round of filling in the time until school started again.
Feelingly, Carol resolved to do all she could to make the young girl's summer in Italy a happy one.
The alarm of the little travelling clock on the bedside table went off at precisely seven-thirty. The two girls rose promptly. They had nothing to do but wash and dress and slip their nightwear and toilet things into their cases. Carol wished she could have borrowed some of Stephanie's calm. Her stomach had a funny butterfly ache in it, and she felt weak from nervous tension.
The younger girl, showing no signs of the tears of last night, was wearing a plain day dress in bottle green, so Carol decided to make do with her check suit again and a slightly less fussy blouse.
They went downstairs a few minutes after eight. Gray Barrett was pacing the foyer as though they were hours late. Carol irritated him further by stopping to drop her postcards in the box beside the reception desk.
The atmosphere in the restaurant was vastly different from that of last night. Most of the tables were empty. The ones that weren't were occupied by grumpy tired- looking individuals, and the only sound to break the cold silence of the early morning was the waiters' whispered footsteps over the carpet and the muted clatter from the kitchens in the distance.
Carol found it difficult to get any breakfast down. She was grateful most for the big cup of milky coffee which soothed her churning insides.
There was no lingering about this morning. After breakfast there was barely time for the girls to go up to their room for a final tidy up, before the porter was knocking on the door to carry their luggage down.
They hurried down to the foyer, only to find themselves hanging about beside the cases. Carol gazed with knotted-up insides across the space. It was just typical of Gray Barrett, she thought, to have them scurrying around upstairs and then take his time at the reception desk.
She watched him passing the time of day with one or two other departing guests as he went through the business of paying the bill. She noticed that he was never short of something to say when he was in masculine company. She supposed he was what her father would call 'a man's man'.
She moved her gaze away and, like Stephanie, whiled away the moments watching the early morning movement in the foyer. She saw the woman of the Indian couple disappear through an archway in a brilliant pink sari and head shawl.
The click of a firm heel across the tiles heralded Gray Barrett's approach at last. With a snap of his fingers he had the cases carried out to the door. A taxi was hailed and drew in almost at once. All the luggage went into the space beside the driver.
Carol climbed in with Stephanie. She found it a bit disconcerting having Gray Barrett in the back with them. Of course he didn't sit with them. He used one of the pull-down seats facing theirs, and as the taxi started off he turned his preoccupied gaze out of the window.
He was seated opposite Stephanie, so at least Carol had breathing space. She felt she needed it. She wouldn't have known where to put herself if he had sat facing her. She fidgeted, trying to keep her gaze out of the window, but somehow it kept finding its way back into the car and skimming over his
She listened. It was coming from the other bed, the muffled sound of weeping.
Raising herself quickly on her elbows, she asked in the darkness, 'Stephanie, is anything the matter?'
'No, nothing,' came the sniffling reply, and impatiently, 'For goodness' sake go to sleep!'
Carol dropped back on to the pillow again. Her heart ached as she listened to the stifled gulps beneath the bedclothes. She felt ashamed now of her own high spirits. The sniffs in the darkness sobered her into seeing the other side of the picture. For her the trip tomorrow was something new and exciting, whereas for Stephanie it was just another dreary round of filling in the time until school started again.
Feelingly, Carol resolved to do all she could to make the young girl's summer in Italy a happy one.
The alarm of the little travelling clock on the bedside table went off at precisely seven-thirty. The two girls rose promptly. They had nothing to do but wash and dress and slip their nightwear and toilet things into their cases. Carol wished she could have borrowed some of Stephanie's calm. Her stomach had a funny butterfly ache in it, and she felt weak from nervous tension.
The younger girl, showing no signs of the tears of last night, was wearing a plain day dress in bottle green, so Carol decided to make do with her check suit again and a slightly less fussy blouse.
They went downstairs a few minutes after eight. Gray Barrett was pacing the foyer as though they were hours late. Carol irritated him further by stopping to drop her postcards in the box beside the reception desk.
The atmosphere in the restaurant was vastly different from that of last night. Most of the tables were empty. The ones that weren't were occupied by grumpy tired- looking individuals, and the only sound to break the cold silence of the early morning was the waiters' whispered footsteps over the carpet and the muted clatter from the kitchens in the distance.
Carol found it difficult to get any breakfast down. She was grateful most for the big cup of milky coffee which soothed her churning insides.
There was no lingering about this morning. After breakfast there was barely time for the girls to go up to their room for a final tidy up, before the porter was knocking on the door to carry their luggage down.
They hurried down to the foyer, only to find themselves hanging about beside the cases. Carol gazed with knotted-up insides across the space. It was just typical of Gray Barrett, she thought, to have them scurrying around upstairs and then take his time at the reception desk.
She watched him passing the time of day with one or two other departing guests as he went through the business of paying the bill. She noticed that he was never short of something to say when he was in masculine company. She supposed he was what her father would call 'a man's man'.
She moved her gaze away and, like Stephanie, whiled away the moments watching the early morning movement in the foyer. She saw the woman of the Indian couple disappear through an archway in a brilliant pink sari and head shawl.
The click of a firm heel across the tiles heralded Gray Barrett's approach at last. With a snap of his fingers he had the cases carried out to the door. A taxi was hailed and drew in almost at once. All the luggage went into the space beside the driver.
Carol climbed in with Stephanie. She found it a bit disconcerting having Gray Barrett in the back with them. Of course he didn't sit with them. He used one of the pull-down seats facing theirs, and as the taxi started off he turned his preoccupied gaze out of the window.
He was seated opposite Stephanie, so at least Carol had breathing space. She felt she needed it. She wouldn't have known where to put herself if he had sat facing her. She fidgeted, trying to keep her gaze out of the window, but somehow it kept finding its way back into the car and skimming over his