Dark Heritage [antikvár]

CHAPTER ONE The shady summerhouse in the spacious grounds of St Stephen's Academy for Girls was out of bounds, and Dale Palmer looked up with a guilty start when someone entered it unexpectedly, but she was relieved when she found herself staring up into Sister Teresa's tranquil face. 'When you were neither in your room nor in the library, I knew I would find you here,' the nun smiled, her glancé shifting to the book in Dale's lap. 'What are you reading?' 'The Art and Architecture of the Renaissance,' Dale replied, closing the book so that Sister Teresa could see the cover. 'That's rather heavy reading, isn't it?' 'I find it very interesting.' Sister Teresa surveyed the small, síim girl who sat curled up on the wooden bench, and her brown eyes softened. In her floral cotton frock and white sandals Dale looked like a fifteen-year-old instead of a girl of nineteen who was about to take her matriculation examinations. 'Why don't you study art next year instead of enrolling for a secretarial course?' Sister Teresa questioned Dale, not for the first time, but Dale shook her head firmly. 'Art is my hobby, and I want it to remain that way.' Sister Teresa sighed and clasped her hands together in a gesture of resignation, then a slight frown creased her brow as she looked down on the bowed head before her. 'Mr Crawford, your attorney, is here to see you.'