And at the end, when someone asked him where he got his inspiration from, as they always do, he said he got most of the inspiration for the purple passages from beautiful ladies of his acquaintance and then he winked at me and tossed me the pink carnation from his buttonhole.

I can think of several words to describe Hereward, but ‘irrepressible’ is the only one you could repeat in polite company.

Thirty-One

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NOVELTINA LITERARY AND CRITICAL AGENCY

Mudlark Cottage, The Harbour, Shrimphaven

Dear Ms Mendosa,

Thank you for your new manuscript, Tears of the Mangrove, a sequel to your first. And thank you also for the bundle of East Caribbean currency. I am sure you are quite right about the exchange rate.

I do admire your perseverance in continuing to write in English instead of exploring the Spanish markets for your interesting works, despite your lack of success in placing Voice of the Mangrove to date. And it is always a bit of a gamble writing a sequel to something that hasn’t yet been published.

Actually, your grasp of English has improved in this one, making it much easier to read, though I have pointed out in the margins where you have gone somewhat astray with the grammar.

The major problem I can see is that the plot is more or less the same as the first: the beautiful, recently widowed, very young Cuban heroine finds that she is not quite so well-provided for by her late husband as she expected and so travels to Grand Cayman in search of husband number two. Like her first, her new husband is old, American, overweight, and very, very rich (she checks that out thoroughly this time, which readers might find just a little cold-blooded). Then he dies in that freak boating accident while they are sailing together on his yacht, leaving her adrift alone in the vast Caribbean sea until she is rescued by attractive tourist-boat-boy Dessie.

Mind you, I’m not saying that this one won’t sell, though readers may find it hard to empathize with a heroine who, however young and beautiful, is so clearly on the make.

Anyway, you will find my full critique enclosed, and I will send it addressed to your friend on St Lucia as you requested. I am sorry to hear that the trouble you were having with the authorities on Grand Cayman (although you didn’t say exactly what) caused you to have to leave the island so suddenly, and without most of your treasured possessions. But how fortunate that your new boyfriend has his own boat!

Hope everything has been resolved by the time you get this.

With best wishes,

Tina Devino

I spent many happy hours rearranging and nurturing the plants in Sergei’s conservatory while Linny did much the same for the room she was transforming into a nursery, both sets of activities probably being facets of the same innate urge.