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Elizabeth told herself the funny hollow feeling in her stoer and selected a sandwich for herself 'No, thank you, I get enough of that at

home'

'You have a large family?'

'No—there's only ht me up but they were never very clever in the kitchen so when I was old enough I was very glad to take over'

'Do you work, as well as keep house for your uncles?'

Elizabeth bit her lip as she realised that she was chat­tering as if she had nothing to hide If she was a good detective she would be wor information out of him, not vice versa

She muttered an affirmative and quickly asked him about the reef which surrounded New Caledonia, at the sa him another sandwich He seely in­forest in the world and that it could be seen froe that divided Ile des Faucons into two distinct halves

'The reef is one of the reasons for the hotel's faood for snorkelling and skin-diving Have you done either before?'

'No Although I like swi'

'You , while you're here'

'Perhaps,' Elizabeth teht she could cope with, but skin-diving was a little too radical

- 'My mother used to say that' His sly half revealed 'What?'

'Perhaps When she wanted to let ht refusal She hoped that if she procrastinated long enough I would forget my desire to do whatever it was she didn’t want me to'

'And did you usually?'

'Never' There was satisfaction in his smile