She was again shown to the room—Roberto’s room, which she had used when she had first arrived. It was only at that point, catching her reflection in the mirror, that she realized how bedraggled she looked and how filthy she felt. A bath was a definite must, she determined. At the stairs, making her way toward the kitchen in search of Maria, she came upon Roberto who, judging from the clean clothes and towel over his shoulder, had the same idea. He was in an unusually good mood, she noted, wondering off-handedly if he’d had time to pay a visit on his little girl friend yet. His low voice was friendly. “It looks like I didn’t get in there fast enough. You are looking for a bath, aren’t you?” Evidently he had made the same deduction. “I was, although I don’t know where it is. I was just going to ask Maria to show me. But you go ahead. I’ll visit with Maria in the meanwhile. Is she in the kitchen?” Eva found it easy to keep a level head, with Roberto so near, only as long as the conversation remained fairly impersonal.
