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âI COULDNâT possibly pretend to be youâ¦â Lucyâs shaken voice trailed away, her incredulity unhidden.
âWhy not?â Cindy demanded sharply. âGuatemala is half a world away and Fidelio Paez has never met me. He doesnât even know I have a sister, never mind an identical twin!â
âBut why canât you just write back and explain that youâre not in a position to visit right now?â Lucy asked uneasily, struggling to understand why her sister should have suggested such an outrageous masquerade in response to a mere invitation, and why on earth she was getting so worked up about the matter.
âI wish it was that simple!â
âYouâre getting married in a month,â Lucy reminded her soothingly. âAs I see it, that makes a tactful refusal very simple.â
âYou donât understand. It wasnât even Fidelio who wrote to me. It was some neighbour of his, some wretched interfering man called Del Castillo!â Cindyâs beautifully manicured hands knotted together in a strained gesture, her full mouth tightening. âHeâs demanding that I come over and stay for a whileââ
âWhat business is it of his to demand anything?â
Cindy gave her an almost hunted look. âHe thinks that as Fidelioâs daughter-in-law, his only surviving relativeâ¦well, that I owe the old boy a visit.â
âWhy?â In other circumstances Lucy would have understood the demand, but it seemed rather excessive when seen in the light of her twinâs short-lived first marriage five years earlier.
While working in Los Angeles, Cindy had enjoyed a whirlwind romance with the son of a wealthy Guatemalan rancher. However, her sister had been widowed within days of becoming a bride. Although a young and apparently healthy man, Mario Paez had died of a sudden heart attack. At the time, Guatemala had been suffering severe floods. The whole country had been in uproar, with the communications system seriously disrupted. With what little she had known about her late husbandâs background, Cindy had found it impossible to get in touch with Marioâs father in time for the funeral, so it had gone ahead without the older man and afterwards Cindy had flown straight back home to London.
âYou know, you never even mentioned that you still kept in touch with Marioâs father,â Lucy admitted, her violet-blue eyes warm with approval.
High spots of colour lit Cindyâs taut cheekbones. âI thought keeping in touch was the least I could do, and now that Fidelioâs sickââ
âThe old manâs ill?â Lucy interrupted in dismay. âIs it serious?â
âYes. So how can I write back and say that I canât visit a dying man because Iâm getting married again?â
Lucy winced. That would indeed be a most unfeeling response. In fact, from Fidelioâs point of view it would only serve as a horribly cruel reminder of the tragically premature death of his only son.
âThat man, that neighbour of his, has actually sent me plane tickets! But even if I wasnât getting married to Roger I wouldnât want to go,â Cindy confessed in a sudden raw rush of resentment. âI hate sick people! I canât bear to be around them. I would be totally useless at being sympathetic and all that sort of stuff!â
Lowering her gaze, Lucy suppressed a sigh, unhappily aware that her twin was telling the truth. When their mother had become an invalid, Cindy had been hopeless. On the other hand, her sisterâs financial help had eased the more practical problems of those long difficult months when she herself had been forced to give up work to nurse their mother. Cindy had bought them a small apartment close to the hospital where their parent had been receiving treatment. Right now that apartment was back on the market; Lucy was keen to repay her sisterâs generosity.
âBut you could easily cope with Fidelio,â Cindy pointed out, her eagerness to persuade her twin to take her place unhidden. âYou were absolutely marvellous with Mum. Florence Nightingale to the life!â