Read Online Circles of Fate by Anne Saunders - Free Book Online Page B

other hand or put it in your handbag. But keep it. It’s your ring. It could belong to no other woman. There’s a story attached to that ring, which some day I’ll tell you.”
    â€œSome day?” She put her hand up to push her hair off her forehead.
    â€œDon’t you start spinning intrigues. I can do enough of that on my own. I envy Cathy. She lives slap bang in the middle of today. I vacillate between yesterday and today.”
    â€œWhat about tomorrow?”
    â€œTomorrow too.” She giggled. “Just a dizzy blonde, that’s me.”
    He gave her his stern Edwardian look. “And that, young lady, is your last Bacardi and Coke.”
    â€œHave I missed something?” said Cathy, who chose that moment to return.
    â€œWe were just wondering what to do tomorrow,” said Edward. He sounded so smooth and bland that Anita blinked.
    â€œTomorrow’s no problem,” said Cathy, sitting down and resting her pixie chin in her hands. “It is fiesta. You’re lucky to be here at this time. It’s the island’s big day. It starts at half-past four with the bullfight, then there’s the procession, dancing in the streets and, of course, fireworks. No fiesta is truly complete without fireworks.”
    â€œIt sounds wonderful,” said Anita. She shuddered. “All except the bullfight.”
    â€œYou must come to the bullfight,” said Cathy. “It’s the highlight of the year. People come from all over, they charter boats and planes especially to see the corrida de toros. The other celebrations are just incidental.”
    â€œI couldn’t. It’s too strong within me, this revulsion. I abhor killing in any form and I think the bullfight is the most vile, the most sadistic method I know. How men, and women for that matter, can condone it never mind applaud –”
    â€œAll right,” said Cathy, dryly but sympathetically, “you’ve made your point. I’m not going to argue with you. I never argue about politics, religion and bullfights and I keep my friends. At least you’ll enjoy the procession. Everyone, from the smallest son of the shoemaker to the parish priest, wears fancy dress. Well, perhaps not the parish priest. But anyone who can afford a length of cloth and can sew straight, attends in costume.”
    â€œWhat’s your costume?”
    â€œWell, I shouldn’t tell you, but since you’ll both be coming with me anyway, I’m going as the Empress Josephine. You must borrow my last year’s costume,” she told Anita. “I went as an Arab girl. I wasn’t as clever with a needle then, so I wore a simple ankle-length dress, put masses of koh’l on my eyes and covered my arms and ankles with slave bangles. Sorry I can’t accommodate you,” she said, smiling over Edward’s great height. “But you’re not my size. I fancy you as Hercules.” It seemed to Anita that she put a slight stress on the first three words of that sentence.
    Before they parted they arranged to meet again the next day.
    â€œAfter the bullfight, then?” said Cathy, looking persuasively at Anita. All to no avail, because Anita nodded firmly and said: “Definitely after.”
    â€œNot after for me,” said Edward. “I don’t share Anita’s squeamishness. I don’t intend to miss the event of the year. I’ll pick you up from home, if you tell me where home is, and then after the bullfight we can both collect Anita from the hotel. You two girls can squabble it out where you are going to change.”
    â€œNo squabble,” said Cathy. “We’ll go back to my place to change. That will save transporting the costumes.” Then she went on to tell them about the family with whom she lived, who wouldn’t mind the intrusion at fiesta, or any other time.
    That night Anita lay in bed waiting for sleep to overtake her. Although her bones were relaxed,