SILK WICKEDNESS 27

I looked everywhere I could think of. The coffee-shop, the pool ... I even looked on the beach, although it’s pitch-dark and still as windy as hell. Eventually I came back to her room, to see whether she’d come back while I was gone.

‘And she hadn’t.’

‘No.’ He paused. ‘I went down to Reception to see whether her key was there. She went out about three o’clock.’

‘What ? How can they know?*

‘The guy on the desk remembered her because she looked pleased and excited. He asked her if she was going somewhere nice, and she said, “You bet I am.” ’

Claudia suddenly felt sick. She turned away, ostensibly picking up a pair of shoes from the floor.

You have to tell him , she thought, putting them in the cupboard. You can’t not tell him. It’s probably nothing to worry about anyway.

‘Where the hell can she have gone with no money?’ he demanded.

Unsteadily she sat on the bed. ‘Guy, I think she might have gone off with someone.’

‘ What ?’ He started, his hands coming sharply out of his pockets. ‘Who?