Olivia Gates - One Night in... Rio

Isobel was totally unused to this kind of treatment, but evidently Anita Silveira lived in some style, even at her seaside villa. Stepping out, she acknowledged the sense of tiredness that gripped her, half-wishing she was staying at a hotel and therefore was not obliged to greet her hostess tonight.

Then a woman appeared in the arched entrance to the villa, a tall woman of Junoesque proportions whose long, dark hair fell straight about her shoulders. She watched as Manos supervised the unloading of Isobel’s luggage, but she made no move towards them, and Isobel wondered idly who she was.

Manos was at her side again and he gestured for her to go forward. ‘ O senhora is waiting,’ he said urgently, and Isobel realised this must be her hostess. With no choice but to climb the steps, Isobel was obliged to go forward. And as she drew nearer she recognised that the woman was quite beautiful: flaring cheekbones, a prominent nose, and a mouth that was both full and passionate.

There was a moment when Isobel thought she wasn’t going to acknowledge her, that she intended to turn back into the villa and leave Isobel to fend for herself. But then, as if the moment had never been, she came to meet her, holding out her hand with all the regal assurance of a queen.

‘Ms Jameson?’ she enquired, as if there could be any doubt about Isobel’s identity. ‘Welcome to the Villa Mimosa, Ms Jameson. I am Anita Silveira, e claro. Come inside, please. You must be tired after your long journey.’

Isobel breathed a sigh of relief. She’d been half-afraid that Anita might expect her to understand Portuguese. ‘I am, rather,’ she admitted, following the woman across the colonnade and into a square reception-hall. ‘Thank you for allowing me to stay with you.’

Anita gave a careless gesture, clearly not considering that worthy of a response, and Isobel looked about her with interest: Dark-panelled walls, a tessellated floor, and sombre furnishings lit by a central chandelier. What natural light still remained was filtered through windows set high in the walls, illuminating sculpted alcoves and marble statuary.

The effect was rather daunting, but a bowl of white orchids occupying a leather-bound chest at the foot of the curving staircase provided a splash of colour. Arching doorways into adjoining apartments displayed rooms filled with heavy oak and mahogany furniture. There was a certain baroque quality about it all, totally different from Ben Goodman’s home in Rio.

An elderly woman appeared from the back of the hall, clad all in black, her silvery hair confined in a severe knot. The housekeeper, Isobel guessed, noticing her snow-white apron. Another of the senhora’s servants. Isobel wondered how many there were.

After a low-voiced conversation with the old woman, Anita turned again to Isobel. ‘This is Sancha.’ She introduced them casually. ‘Sancha looks after me and my home, wherever I am staying.’ A smile touched her full lips. ‘She is the dona de casa. If you have any questions while you are staying here, please address them to her.’

Isobel half-expected Sancha to shake hands too, but the old woman kept her eyes downcast. ‘Sancha will show you to your apartment,’ Anita added after another exchange with the housekeeper. ‘She will also arrange for some refreshments, nao? The men will follow on with your luggage.’

‘Thank you.’

Isobel was grateful for the respite. It would give her time to assimilate her surroundings and herself.

‘Dinner is at nine o’clock,’ Anita added, just in case Isobel thought she was free for the evening. ‘Just ring for one of the servants when you are ready. They will show you to the terrace.’

‘Thank you,’ Isobel said again, and the other woman raised a hand in acknowledgement before disappearing through the archway to their right. The wooden heels of her sandals clattered across the block floor, before the sound of a door closing cut off any further sound.

At once, Sancha took charge. ‘E por aqui,’ she said, her beckoning finger an indication of what she meant. With Isobel following, they passed beneath the arch of the stairs and out onto the veranda at the back of the villa.

After the coolness of the hall, the heat and humidity were intense, and Isobel wondered where the old woman was taking her. A cottage in the grounds, perhaps? Maybe employees of whatever persuasion didn’t stay in the luxury of the villa. She wilted a little. She hoped, wherever it was, it had air-conditioning. Every garment she was wearing felt as if it was plastered to her skin.

In fact, her rooms opened off the veranda. Double-panelled doors gave onto a pleasant sitting room with a wood-block floor, leather sofas and several colourful landscapes on the walls. There was a marble fireplace—although when that might be needed, Isobel couldn’t imagine—and a round, glass-topped table with four upright chairs. There was even a television, something Isobel hadn’t expected.

The room was done with a much lighter touch than the main part of the villa, and Isobel turned to the housekeeper with a grateful smile. ‘This is beautiful,’ she said. ‘Thank you, Sancha. I’m sure I will be very comfortable here.’

? quarto aqui,’ said Sancha obliquely, crossing the room and opening the door into an adjoining bedroom. Then, with an evident effort, ‘Is good?’

‘Very good. Um, muito bem,’ said Isobel, hoping her schoolgirlish attempt at a response might win her a smile.

But Sancha only nodded as if it was nothing less than she’d expected. She let herself out of the room again as the men arrived with Isobel’s luggage and her briefcase containing the laptop computer she’d brought with her.

She thanked the men, and was considering going for a shower when a maid arrived with a tray of refreshments: iced tea, hot coffee and a jug of fruit juice, as well as tiny sandwiches made from seafood and canapés oozing with caviar and cream-cheese.

Despite being certain that she wasn’t hungry, Isobel found she couldn’t resist tasting the delicious food. Like everything else at the villa, it was rich and sumptuous. She could get used to this, she thought drily. Or maybe not. She was simply too tired to think straight at the moment.

But not too tired to phone her aunt and uncle and let them know she’d arrived safely. She also wanted to hear about Emma. She missed the little girl so much when she had to go away.

‘She’s fine,’ Aunt Olivia said reassuringly. ‘She helped me feed the horses, and then we went for walk with the dogs. She’s sound asleep now, probably dreaming about the puppies in the barn.’ She gave a laugh. ‘Not that she didn’t ask at least a dozen times where you were and when you’re coming back.’

Isobel’s throat tightened. ‘You will give her my love, won’t you?’ she said, a catch in her voice.

‘Of course we will,’ her Uncle Sam called over his wife’s shoulder. ‘Anyway, what’s the hotel like?’

‘Oh, I’m not staying at a hotel,’ said Isobel quickly. ‘The man who met me at the airport told me Senhora Silveira expected me to stay at her villa, so here I am.’

Her aunt was a little concerned that Isobel wasn’t to be staying at a hotel where they could reach her easily, but her uncle wasn’t alarmed. ‘So what is it like at the Villa Mimosa?’ he asked. ‘Have you had a chance to talk to Anita yet?’

‘Well, I’ve met her,’ conceded Isobel, blinking back the tears that talking about her daughter had caused. ‘She seems—very nice.’

‘Do I detect a reservation there?’ Her uncle’s voice was more distinct now, and she guessed he’d taken the phone from his wife.

‘Hardly,’ protested Isobel. ‘I’ll let you know when I’ve had time to get to know her. I’d better go. This phone needs charging and I don’t want to run it right down.’