Read Online The Sun and Catriona by Rosemary Pollock - Free Book Online

eyes when she leant over an iron parapet and gazed down on the famous harbour itself. It was an enormous inlet, divided, as far as she could see, into at least three bays, and it was surrounded by ancient honey-coloured fortifications. There seemed to be a number of docks, all of them busy, and the vast expanse of water was dotted with shipping of every size and description. A little white liner was just coming in, passing between twin forts that looked towards the open sea, and a line of tankers lay at anchor below the gardens. But though the life of the port was absorbing, Catriona’s attention was held by the splendour of the colours spread out in front of her, the azure sea, the golden walls bathed in evening light.
    She felt, an immediate urge to capture it all on canvas, .to hold it in such a way that it could never be lost. Smiling, she turned to Toni, who was watching her expectantly.
    ‘It’s fantastic,’ she said. ‘Do you think we could stay here for an hour? You were absolutely right, I must do something about this.’
    Toni was gratified. ‘Of course, that’s why I brought you here.’ She looked at her watch. ‘You have plenty of time. It’s only six o’clock.’
    Hardly able to take her eyes off the view, Catriona unfolded her easel. ‘Yes, but what will you do with yourself? You can’t just stand and watch me.’
    ‘The shops are open now, and I want to buy a new bikini. I forgot, when we were shopping this morning, and there’s a place just two minutes from here. I won’t be long.’ Before turning away, she hesitated. ‘You don’t mind being alone, do you?’
    ‘Of course not.’ Already seated on the folding stool ' which was a vital part of her painting equipment, Catriona began squeezing colours on to the worn palette she had acquired when she was still at school. ‘Run along and pick your bikini. Don’t get anything too daring, though. Your brother might not approve.’
    Toni laughed. ‘I won’t!’
    When she was gone, Catriona started work. She might not be able to do much, not tonight, but there would be other evenings. First of all she sketched out a rough impression of the scene in front of her, then she started to apply colour. She wanted to capture the light—the luminous glow that meant the sun was beginning to sink towards the west—and she worked as quickly as she could, her brush moving def t ly over the canvas. The gardens lay in shadow now, behind their curtain of trees, and the air was pleasantly cool. A few people wandered past, and occasionally a couple stopped to glance-over her shoulder before moving on again, but no one disturbed her. She realised that , as a people, the Maltese were both too sensitive and too reserved to obtrude upon anyone’s privacy.
    She had been working for some time, and was making good progress when a shadow fell across her painting. She looked up, expecting to see another curious stroller—and gasped. The Count was standing beside her, and he seemed very tall. He seemed very threatening, too. She started, putting a hand to her face, and a streak of chrome yellow appeared on her nose.
    Somehow she blurted out, ‘I didn’t know you were there.’
    ‘I am quite sure, you did not.’ His voice was dangerously calm. ‘You have been here long?’ he asked.
    ‘I ... ’ She glanced at her watch, and realised with a guilty shock that, while she was working, an hour had passed. ‘It’s later than I thought,’ she said, a little annoyed with herself. ‘Toni suggested I might like to paint this view, and she had some shopping to do. I’m waiting for her to come back.’
    ‘And when are you expecting her ? ’
    ‘She should have been here by now,’ Catriona admitted. She felt rather conscience-stricken because it hadn’t occurred to her before that Toni had been a long time. Though, after all, the girl wasn’t a baby. There really was no earthly reason why she shouldn’t take her time over a visit to the shops. For that matter, there