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Vivien sat upright, eager to see everything. But as they reached the town she found that the car was attracting considerable attention, and embarrassed by the battery of cu ri ous dark eyes peering in at her, she shrank back in one corner . Chen was obliged to drive slowly, for pedestrians wandered across the street with complete disregard for oncoming traffic. At one point they pulled up to allow a line of Chinese schoolchildren to cross, and Vivien noticed two English women coming along the pavement. As they drew level with the Rolls they caught sight of its occupant and stopped dead, staring at her as if she were an apparition . They were still standing there, their mouths open with astonishment, when she glanced back as the car turned a corner .
    Once through the town Chen increased his speed. Presently they turned off the main road and took a narrower one that was bordered on one side by tree-covered slopes and on the other by a sluggish-looking river.
    The drive was lasting much longer than she had anticipated, and she began to feel slightly uneasy. Then the car slowed down and passed under an arched gateway.
    At the sight of the steep unkempt driveway she was seized with real panic. Surely this could not be the approach to a luxurious mansion? Dense undergrowth bordered the stony rutted ascent, and as the car jolted slowly upward wild creepers rasped against the paintwork. With mounting fear, Vivien realized that Chen must be an impostor. Gripping the edge of the seat, she wondered if she dared jump out and race back to the road in the hope that a passing motorist would pick her up before the Chinese discovered her escape. If only she had accepted Julian’s offer to come with her!
    But as she reached out her hand to unfasten the door, the car lurched around a sudden bend and with a gasp of relief she sank back against the leather upholstery.
    The transformation was incredible! A moment ago they had seemed to be entering a wilderness, but now the drive was smoothly graveled, with trim grass verges flanked by well-kept shrubberies. Almost immediately they turned another corner and for the first time Vivien saw her inheritance—the House of Seven Fountains.
    The car drew drew to a halt, and before Chen had switched off the ignition Vivien scrambled out and stood gazing in wordless delight at the scene before her.
    The house was long and low, with curling Chinese eaves and green shutters fastened back against the white walls. A broad veranda stretched the full length of the facade and flowering vines twined around the slim columns supporting the roof.
    In that moment Vivien knew with unshakable certainty that she had been right to come.
    “This way, please.”
    She was roused from her rapt inspection by Chen’s polite murmur. Without a word she followed him onto the veranda, through a massive teak doorway and into a dim entrance hall cooled by the whirring blades of overhead fans.
    Six pairs of dark brown eyes met hers.
    “These are your servants, Miss Connell,” Chen said.
    Six sleek black heads inclined respectfully.
    Like a commanding officer presenting his troops for inspection, Chen reeled off six Asian names. The last member of the household to be presented was a doll-like Chinese girl in a starched cotton tunic and wide-legged trousers. Her name was Ah Kim.
    “Tuan Cunningham did not have women here, but hearing of your coming I took the liberty of engaging an amah,” Chen said in his faultless English.
    “Thank you, Chen. That was very thoughtful of you.” Vivien smiled at Ah Kim and received a shy beam in return.
    “Is it your wish that she should show you your room?” Chen asked.
    “Yes, please. I was very hot on the plane. I should like to freshen up.”
    “ Very good. I will order tea. When you have eaten and rested I will show you the house.”
    He clapped his hands, and with the exception of Ah Kim, the servants disappeared. Chen spoke to the amah in Chinese and then, turning to Vivien, said,