rooms, a sauna and a snack bar. The rockery below was a profusion of colourful spring plants and led down to the tennis courts, and beyond lay lush tropical flower gardens.
They seated themselves on a cushioned hammock beside the pool, alone except for a pretty girl in a very brief bikini, lounging at the far end. A waiter appeared instantly, and they ordered soft drinks before Caroline, who was wearing a swimsuit under her dress, decided to have a swim. It did not take much encouragement to persuade Tom to join her, even though he had to trudge back up to his room to change.
He dived in from the highest board, executing a perfect somersault, which Caroline knew was not for her benefit but for the young girl.
'She's a smasher,' he remarked as he churned water next to her. 'Just what I need. All work and no play would make an exceedingly dull boy!'
'As you're in such an athletic mood,' she teased, 'I'll race you to the far end. The loser pays for the drinks.'
'Thanks for the treat!' he grinned. 'You'll have a fit when you see the prices!' With a parting splash he set off at a terrific pace for the shallow end.
They fooled around for a while, then climbed out and relaxed on the poolside mattresses, drying off in the late sun.
'Are you coming up?' Caroline asked as she finished her iced Coca-Cola and beckoned to the waiter for the bill. 'I'm going to have a pest before I change. I didn't get much sleep last night.'
'And Matt will see you don't get much tonight. Thank goodness you're in love with him—it helps salve my conscience.' Tom's eyes narrowed. 'Although I get nightmares worrying what we'll do if you don't manage to get him to propose.'
'The one thing we won't be able to do is repay Mark,' Caroline sighed. 'I hate all this deceit. If only I could think of some other way ... Perhaps if I told Matt the truth ...'
'You mustn't—not at this stage. Waft till you've got him hooked.'
'Next time I'll let you do your own dirty work. I mean it,' she added, as she saw his slight smile. 'If I hadn't wanted to repay Uncle Bill, I'd have let you stew in your own juice.'
'There'll be no more stewing,' her brother assured her. 'I'm a reformed character.'
With a grunt Caroline stood up. 'Coming?'
'I'll stay down a little longer,' said Tom, throwing a quick glance at the girl at the far end of the pool.
'I'm so glad you've found something to take your mind off my pressing problem!' she commented dryly, and walked off to her room.
After a shower she lay down to rest, but was far too tense to relax, and she wandered round the room.
Of course Tom was right. She dared not tell Matt the truth yet. His trust in her was far too delicately balanced, and it would not take much to tip the scales back again and convince him she was only interested in him for his money. She sometimes wondered if she would ever be able to tell him the truth. But once again she put that unpleasant thought aside. The thing to do was to get over this first hurdle. Once past the winning post it should be easy to convince him he had picked himself a winner in the love stakes.: Or would it? With his strong feeling for honesty would he forgive her for her initial deception? That was the crux of the matter.
When the time came for her to dress, she changed three times, flinging each garment on the floor without care, in her anxiety to find something suitable.
Finally she chose one of her most simple dresses, a deep blue chiffon whose bare top enhanced the fine bones of her shoulders and turned her fair hair to silver. Excitement added colour to her high cheekbones, and she knew that Matt would not see her as a sleeping beauty tonight, but as a girl on the brink of awakening.
When Tom called for her he was formally attired in a white dinner jacket. He grinned at her expression as he came into her room.
'Aren't you rather overdressed?' she asked.
'I'm not planning to go with you. I've got a date with that smasher who was down at the pool. I'm taking her to
They seated themselves on a cushioned hammock beside the pool, alone except for a pretty girl in a very brief bikini, lounging at the far end. A waiter appeared instantly, and they ordered soft drinks before Caroline, who was wearing a swimsuit under her dress, decided to have a swim. It did not take much encouragement to persuade Tom to join her, even though he had to trudge back up to his room to change.
He dived in from the highest board, executing a perfect somersault, which Caroline knew was not for her benefit but for the young girl.
'She's a smasher,' he remarked as he churned water next to her. 'Just what I need. All work and no play would make an exceedingly dull boy!'
'As you're in such an athletic mood,' she teased, 'I'll race you to the far end. The loser pays for the drinks.'
'Thanks for the treat!' he grinned. 'You'll have a fit when you see the prices!' With a parting splash he set off at a terrific pace for the shallow end.
They fooled around for a while, then climbed out and relaxed on the poolside mattresses, drying off in the late sun.
'Are you coming up?' Caroline asked as she finished her iced Coca-Cola and beckoned to the waiter for the bill. 'I'm going to have a pest before I change. I didn't get much sleep last night.'
'And Matt will see you don't get much tonight. Thank goodness you're in love with him—it helps salve my conscience.' Tom's eyes narrowed. 'Although I get nightmares worrying what we'll do if you don't manage to get him to propose.'
'The one thing we won't be able to do is repay Mark,' Caroline sighed. 'I hate all this deceit. If only I could think of some other way ... Perhaps if I told Matt the truth ...'
'You mustn't—not at this stage. Waft till you've got him hooked.'
'Next time I'll let you do your own dirty work. I mean it,' she added, as she saw his slight smile. 'If I hadn't wanted to repay Uncle Bill, I'd have let you stew in your own juice.'
'There'll be no more stewing,' her brother assured her. 'I'm a reformed character.'
With a grunt Caroline stood up. 'Coming?'
'I'll stay down a little longer,' said Tom, throwing a quick glance at the girl at the far end of the pool.
'I'm so glad you've found something to take your mind off my pressing problem!' she commented dryly, and walked off to her room.
After a shower she lay down to rest, but was far too tense to relax, and she wandered round the room.
Of course Tom was right. She dared not tell Matt the truth yet. His trust in her was far too delicately balanced, and it would not take much to tip the scales back again and convince him she was only interested in him for his money. She sometimes wondered if she would ever be able to tell him the truth. But once again she put that unpleasant thought aside. The thing to do was to get over this first hurdle. Once past the winning post it should be easy to convince him he had picked himself a winner in the love stakes.: Or would it? With his strong feeling for honesty would he forgive her for her initial deception? That was the crux of the matter.
When the time came for her to dress, she changed three times, flinging each garment on the floor without care, in her anxiety to find something suitable.
Finally she chose one of her most simple dresses, a deep blue chiffon whose bare top enhanced the fine bones of her shoulders and turned her fair hair to silver. Excitement added colour to her high cheekbones, and she knew that Matt would not see her as a sleeping beauty tonight, but as a girl on the brink of awakening.
When Tom called for her he was formally attired in a white dinner jacket. He grinned at her expression as he came into her room.
'Aren't you rather overdressed?' she asked.
'I'm not planning to go with you. I've got a date with that smasher who was down at the pool. I'm taking her to
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