His puzzled disappointment sounded genuine. But, then again, so had all his compliments, and Cassie knew now how much they were worth. For a few seconds Richard hovered, as if expecting her to change her mind, then he wandered away.
She breathed out a relieved sigh, and turned. Damn. She hadn’t thought Ranjit would still be there. He glanced over in her direction, and their eyes met for a split-second, before the unsmiling Indian turned away.
Crossly, Cassie got to her feet and walked swiftly in the opposite direction. There were two hours to kill: surely she could find something paintable, since Poldino obviously expected good work from her again. The gardens were not vast, but she had to avoid Ranjit. And Richard. And Jake, who was in a surly mood. And preferably Keiko too … Lordy, her room for manoeuvre was limited.
When she was certain that she was far enough away from everybody else, Cassie sat down on a low wall and began to draw desultory figures in her sketchbook. It was more fun and a lot more involving than she’d expected, but just as her fascination with the tourists was wearing thin, and the crowds were dwindling, she spotted a little girl in a yellow raincoat holding a bright-blue balloon. That was better.
The child noticed the attention, made a face. Cassie made one back. A small tongue came out, and so did Cassie’s. Hurriedly sketching the balloon clutched in one fist, Cassie found herself in a face-pulling contest. They were both giggling by the time a parent seized the child’s hand and swept her off towards the gallery.
Drat. She hadn’t got the collar right: it looked like an Elizabethan ruff. Frustrated, she stared at the gap where the girl had been, and let her eyes wander for the first time in over an hour. They ached from concentrating, so she rubbed them. As her vision cleared, she made out two familiar figures, barely twenty feet away.
Ranjit and Jake.
Ranjit had been sitting on a bench, but he had half-risen to confront Jake, who was standing over him. Jake’s posture was aggressive, his expression was twisted with rage, and he was giving Ranjit an earful. Ranjit seemed stunned, as if he’d been caught off guard, and as Jake raised his voice, so did he.
‘Jake, would you listen to me, for God’s sake—’
Cassie stood up, took a few steps towards them. Both their heads snapped round simultaneously. Without a word, Jake turned and stormed off, his feet crunching on the gravel path. Ranjit sat down heavily.
Cassie hesitated, but something in Ranjit’s expression was so miserable she couldn’t help herself. She sauntered up to him, trying to look casual.
‘What was all that about? Artistic differences?’
With a low groan, he put his face in his hands. Cassie waited, happy to study him. His sleeves were rolled up, revealing golden arms. His hands were beautiful too, and strong, but right now they were white-knuckled and tense.
‘Don’t want to talk about it, eh?’
‘That’s right.’ He took his hands away from his face and stared after Jake. ‘Just like you, Cassandra.’
She shrugged, allowing herself a smile, since he wouldn’t see it. His sketchbook was half-open beside him, so she took another sly peek at his face. He still wasn’t looking. Leaning down, she flipped the cover back.
If she hadn’t gasped, she might have had longer to examine the picture. As it was, he whipped round as fast as a cobra and snatched it away, his dark cheekbones flushed. ‘It isn’t finished!’
She chewed the corner of her mouth, not quite able to look at him. ‘Can I see it when it is?’
‘If I ever finish it,’ he said curtly as he got to his feet. ‘We’d better get back.’
He didn’t say another word to her, even though she walked at his side all the way to the Orangerie. They were the last to arrive and Cassie felt several pairs of eyes on them as they arrived. Keiko’s glare was ferocious: no doubt it wouldn’t be long before Katerina heard how Cassie and Ranjit had emerged from the shrubbery together. Richard’s smile was a little less assured than usual; Jake didn’t look at anyone or anything.
At least Signor Poldino was delighted to see them. He clapped his chubby hands. ‘Wonderful. Now we must return to school, but Cassie, Ranjit! I am looking forward to seeing your finished work.’
I hope Ranjit does finish his, Cassie thought wistfully. And she really hoped he’d let her see it. He’d drawn two simple figures who were watching one another with open delight and amusement: a small girl in a yellow raincoat holding a balloon, and a laughing teenager cross-legged on a low wall, sketching her. The older girl looked so carefree, it would have been easy not to recognise herself.
She did, though.
*
‘Ooh, pretty woman,’ sang an American voice.
Cassie snapped her head up, expecting to see Jake’s familiar features.
But it was Richard. He dumped his books on Jake’s desk, pulled out his chair and slumped down, linking his hands behind his head in a fair imitation of the American’s cocky attitude.
Cassie scrutinised him. ‘You’re good at that.’
‘What?’
‘Mimicking. You sounded just like him.’
‘Why, thank you.’ He batted his long lashes at her.
‘Pretty good actor all round, really.’
‘Hm?’ His body tensed, very slightly.
It put her in mind of a snake, somehow. Like the way a snake’s whole length tightened like a spring, just before it struck out. Be careful, Jake had said in the restaurant. Falling out with Richard could be really, really stupid, for more than one reason.