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stranger turned his head and directed his steely gaze through the crowd towards Alexandra. For an instant she was transfixed. A sudden surge of inexplicable panic rose inside her. She loweredher glance, squeezed her way through the gathering and hurried towards the gate.
    Arriving level with the young man, his intense scrutiny hit her again like lightning and a swift wave of colour invaded her face. He whispered something she could not hear and his companion’s voluptuous laughter erupted once more, filling the space about her.
    As though pursued by a pack of hounds, Alexandra darted through the gate and began to run towards the station. She had to get away, catch the bus and leave town as quickly as she could. But she arrived at the station in time to witness the seven o’clock bus leaving. Her blouse was half-hanging out of her suit, her hair coming down, cheeks burning, and she was quite out of breath. She clenched her fists furiously, and then, with her hands planted on her hips like a fishwife, she watched the bus drive off in the direction of Jerez.

C HAPTER 2
    N ow she was stranded. Exasperated, Alexandra was on the point of making her way back to the ticket office when a young man came up to her, smiling.
    ‘Alexandra?’ he asked, eyeing her quizzically. She raised her eyebrows in surprise. He bowed and introduced himself, ‘Your cousin, Ramón de Falla, at your service.’
    Scarcely recovered from her surprise, Alexandra regarded the newcomer. He was not much taller than she and wore white belted slacks and a crimson open-neck shirt with the sleeves rolled up, highlighting his suntanned skin. His looks were similar to those of a gypsy, she imagined, with a wiry body and the thick black curling hair of the people of his country, worn loose, although it wasn’t in the oily ringlets that, according to the paintings she had seen, the gypsies sometimes affected. Under this unruly mop of dark curls was one of those lively angular faces; all points — ears, nose, chin — and the most sparkling eyes. In build, he was a curious mixture of strength and almost feminine gracefulness, which Alexandra put down to the genetic influence of his trapeze artist mother. His entire healthy being smacked of the warm South and his open expression put her immediately at ease.
    ‘Very pleased to meet you, Ramón.’ She smiled and extended a friendly hand. ‘I was just about to book in at a hotel but I’m so glad that I’ll be able to sleep at El Pavón tonight after all.’
    Suddenly aware of the unladylike sight she must be offering, Alexandra’s hands went to her hair. She pushed away the rebellioustendrils that had gone astray and tucked her blouse into her skirt. The lovely suit she had bought at great expense at Harrods was now stained with dust and torn at the hem. They looked at each other and burst out laughing.
    With his hazel eyes Ramón regarded her warmly and a good-natured smile lit up his face. ‘I’m sorry I missed your train this afternoon. My car broke down and I had to walk miles to find a mechanic. Your father had to leave Jerez for the day and, as he won’t return until this evening, I was only too pleased to meet your train and be the first to welcome you. Though, as you can see, I’ve bungled it and I’m sorry about that,’ he ended somewhat sheepishly.
    Alexandra warmed to her cousin at once. There was nothing underhand about him; on the contrary, he seemed reassuringly straightforward.
    ‘Please don’t apologize, these things happen. In fact, I’ve spent an enjoyable afternoon exploring the port.’ The encounter with the stranger in the church had been an unnerving end to it, she thought, but now that Ramón was here, she began to feel more relaxed.
    Together they went through the barrier and up to the counter to collect Alexandra’s luggage. The station master was still there.
    ‘Ah, there you are,’ he said as they approached. ‘I wondered where you were. You’ve missed the bus again,