Captive Heart Read Online Free PDF Page B

and the jewelry that twinkled on her fingers and wrist gave her an air of family wealth.
    "Permit me to introduce Consuelo Garcia," Del Toro murmured.
    The pale-skinned young woman lowered her eyelashes in apparent embarrassment. The blue veins beneath her delicate complexion throbbed noticeably. Shyness must have kept her tongue immobile, for she said nothing to JoNell. A flush spread over her milkwhite cheeks.
    JoNell felt a chilly draft in the air. An expression of hidden amusement in Del Toro's eyes told her there was something going on here that she did not understand. She felt uncomfortable, and he seemed to sense that and enjoy it.
    No point in getting tangled in Del Toro's little web of a joke, JoNell told herself. Instead, she glanced in the direction of the other guests. She felt out of place here, but it was more than just being in a foreign country with strangers. JoNell didn't fit in; there was a kinship among these people that excluded her.
    Her gaze fell on the huge diamond worn by the man seated next to her. Everywhere she looked, she saw elegant clothes, genuine diamonds and gold. Only she wore costume jewelry. Of course she felt like an outsider in this circle of the super rich.
    Then the sumptuous Peruvian meal was served, and JoNell temporarily forgot about being self-conscious. First there was a fish appetizer,
escabeche
. Then a soup course,
chupe de camerones
, made of potatoes, milk, shrimp, hot chili peppers and eggs. The main course was duck served with steaming rice. And a second meat course were
anticuchos
, the shish kebab of South America which consisted of beef hearts served on a skewer and dipped in piquant sauce. For dessert, there was
arroz con leche
, more rice, which seemed so popular on Peruvian tables, cooked until soft, sweetened and then topped with raisins, orange rind and cinnamon. A large bowl of black-skinned fruit JoNell had never seen before was served with dessert. Several kinds of fine wine added their touch of elegance to the meal.
    At one point, JoNell glanced up into a pair of glacial green eyes. "You're not eating," she said to Del Toro.
    His full mouth twisted into a mocking grin. She saw that amused twinkle in his eyes again.
    "What is so funny?" she demanded hotly.
    "Your Spanish."
    "And just what is wrong with my Spanish?" she demanded. "I speak quite fluently."
    "Yes, that is true. But you talk like a Cuban. You swallow your s's. Do you know how amusing it is to encounter an American who talks Spanish like a Cuban?"
    "Is that what everyone finds so amusing?"
    "Yes, my little Cuban Flower," he said with that infuriatingly superior, mocking note in his voice.
    "I am not your 'little Cuban Flower'!" JoNell felt an angry flush sting her cheeks. "I am not your little anything!"
    "You're my little flight instructor," Del Toro corrected.
    "Why can't you take me seriously?" Anger made a pulse in her temple throb.
    "You want me to take you seriously? All right." With a silver spoon, he tapped a crystal goblet bearing the initials "JDT." A sudden hush fell over the room.
    Del Toro pushed back his chair and arose. "Ladies and gentlemen," he began in Spanish, "I want to introduce to you my special guests for the evening." He repeated his remarks in English, obviously for the benefit of Uncle Edgar. At least he had a modicum of genuine courtesy, thought JoNell.
    He introduced Uncle Edgar to the guests first. JoNell decided that his male macho background had taught him that men were more important than women. Then his gaze fell on JoNell. She felt a shiver from his penetrating stare. "And this is JoNell Carpenter, from the United States. She is going to give me flying lessons."
    JoNell sensed the curiosity in the many eyes looking her over. Were they asking, "Is she, the young
Norte Americano
, to be Del Toro's new romantic conquest?" Why else would he bring a flying instructor, a girl, from the United States? She could imagine the gossip already beginning. She felt even more