She half sat up, glanced around the dimly lit room, then sank back down on top of the bed with a sigh, her eyes sliding across to the form sleeping beside her. Rebecca looked totally at peace in sleep, as most children did. She’d hardly moved since she’d drifted off while Marina read to her, having worn herself out with showing her visitor absolutely everything on the estate. The house, the pool, the tennis court, the horses, the lake and the gazebo, chattering non-stop all the time. When his niece had begun to droop after lunch, James had put his foot down and insisted she have a nap. Marina had lain down next to her on the bed to read her Enid Blyton’s The Magic Faraway Tree, and in no time Rebecca had travelled from Faraway Land to the Land of Nod. James had settled in an armchair across the room while this was going on, listening happily. When Rebecca had dropped off and Marina had tried to stop reading he’d insisted she go on. He’d wanted to hear the end of the story—claimed he’d adored Enid Blyton as a boy and could not get enough.
