"How strange to be in this vast, opulent villa in St Lucia by myself. I wander through the seven double bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. White walls, high ceilings, dark-wood floors, high airy rooms with ocean views - where in
this wilderness of elegance shall I sleep? I settle on an upstairs room with a four-poster bed and a balcony the size of a cricket pitch. Where shall I drink alone? Between the balcony, the veranda, the deck and the gazebo by the swimming pool, there are at least a dozen prime drinking chairs, and every time I sit down with my glass of rum, I feel like sitting somewhere else. The sun is setting over the Caribbean: the landscaped gardens are full of flowers: mangos and limes hang ripe on the trees."

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