'Does one have to be a fairy to get to it?'

He grinned. 'Not at all; one takes a boat or you can fly over it. I happen to have a couple of boats,' he added modestly.

'Boats, bikes, airlines,' Davina muttered and sat down suddenly. 'I gather your troublesome female relatives have not yet arrived?'

'No. You have three days of-relative peace.'

'Why did you get me here so early?' she queried.

'Well now, seeing as I was expecting a competent motherly middle-aged type, you can't really accuse me of any nefarious intentions, can you, Mrs Hastings?' His eyes mocked her.

'Then why?' Davina said angrily.

'Simply so you would have a chance to acclimatise before you were expected to deal with them.'

She picked up her drink and sipped it distractedly.

'You have your own quarters, incidentally,' he said after a time. 'Would you like me to show you them before you make your final decision?'

One of the buildings behind the house was a chalet-type edifice which turned out to be a small but luxurious self-contained unit. There was a bedroom with a double bed, furnished in toning shades of smoky blue, a matching blue bathroom and a combined kitchenette and living-area with cane furniture, terracotta tiles on the floor, ivory blinds and soft sage-green walls. Everything, from the Sheridan bed-linen to the bathroom fittings, the quality of paint, enamel and tiling work, the coordination of colours was of an exceptionally high quality and standard. There was even a wall-phone.

Davina looked around with raised eyebrows.

'You're impressed, Mrs Hastings?' S. Warwick remarked.

'Very nice,' she contrived to say equitably. 'Very House & Garden, in fact.'

'Is that a compliment or the opposite?' he enquired.

Davina shrugged her slim shoulders. 'Just a bit of a surprise, perhaps. It looks more like a guest-house than staff quarters.'