Читать книгу Greek Affairs - Кейт Хьюит - Страница 46

SARA loved Patricia. From the first moment she stepped from the dock area onto the old cobblestone streets she was enchanted. White buildings almost touching, red tiled roofs peaked, flowers everywhere, it was a dazzling town. The sidewalks were narrow, scarcely giving room for them to walk side by side. Twice when they met others, Nikos pulled her close with an arm around her shoulders, to allow the others to pass.

“I want to see everything,” she exclaimed.

“Fortunately, that won’t take long. It’s a small town,” Nikos replied.

He steered her to the town square where the old church dominated one side. The other sides were crowded with shops and small cafés. Sara was tempted to stop at one of the tavernas for a drink but didn’t want to spend the time sitting when there was more to see before it got dark.

“Come, I think you’ll like this one,” he said as they rambled around the old square. Entering one of the specialty shops, Sara stood transfixed for a moment. It appeared the shop had all the spices in the world. She drew a deep breath, savoring all the different aromas she could detect.

“Wow, I could spend an entire day here!” She began walking up one aisle and down another, stopping from time to time to sniff a special spice or herb. Gathering small bottles of different spices as she walked, she glanced at Nikos from time to time, worried he’d be bored and anxious to leave.

He patiently walked beside her, looking around with interest.

“This will have to do,” she said, her hands full of small bottles. “I can’t wait to use them in special dishes. Fresh spices and herbs make all the difference.”

Nikos insisted on carrying the shopping bag when they left.

“I called for reservations at seven,” he said. “We don’t want to be too late returning to the island. Another shop or two, then we must head for the restaurant.”

“I’m ready now if you want to head that way,” she said. “Tomorrow maybe I can try a dish or two with the spices. Do you think Dimitri would let me use his kitchen?”

“Yes. As long as you let him assist. He’s always looking for new food to please my grandfather.”

“Then I’ll ask him. I can’t wait.”

They walked along the sidewalk, gazing into the windows, stopping once or twice to discuss something they saw.

As they approached the restaurant, Sara was struck with how ordinary it looked. She’d expected a man like Nikos to go for an upscale place like the restaurants at his resort. This looked homey and friendly—almost like a family place.

Which it proved to be when they entered.

Instead of some elegant, quiet, dignified restaurant, this one was huge, boisterous and loud. Families and couples vied for room at the many trestle-style tables. The food was served family style—huge bowls and platters set in the midst of every table from which customers helped themselves.

They squeezed into a spot near the door and introductions were hastily made, first names only. Two of the men at the table knew Nikos and asked after Spiros. The conversation was lively, the food plain but marvelous. Sara ate her fill in record time. The lamb was tender and flavorful. The vegetables were prepared exactly as she enjoyed. And the crusty Greek bread was delicious. The wine was plentiful, as well, poured from a pitcher.

“Nothing pretentious here,” she murmured at one point.

“No. Do you mind?” Nikos asked, leaning closer to better hear her.

“I’m having the time of my life. This is great.” She almost had to shout to be heard, but she didn’t mind. The lively atmosphere was infectious. She wasn’t sure why his grandfather had urged him to bring her to Patricia, but she was glad they’d come. This was the kind of gathering she and her mother had attended in London whenever there was a celebration. She almost expected to look around and see her mother or one of her friends.

At nine, several musicians filed onto the small raised platform at the back of the large room and began to play. Immediately couples left the tables for the dance floor to join in the traditional Greek dances. Sara was enchanted. “I didn’t expect this,” she said.

“It’s a local place, not for tourists. Do you dance?”

“Some. We had lots of Greek friends in London. Our parents made very sure none of us forgot our heritage. This is a kind of line dance, right?”

“Right. After this comes a ballos, a couples’ dance.”

“Ah.” She looked at him with a challenge. “So you do that one?”

“We do,” he said, holding her gaze.

Sara could feel the anticipation rise as she stared back. The ballos was a romantic dance—definitely for couples. Had he danced it with Gina? Being Italian, she probably did not know the traditional Greek dances. Whereas Sara, on the other hand, had been schooled well.

She tore her gaze away and looked at the dancers on the floor. The music made her blood pound—or was it the proximity of Nikos Konstantinos?

When the next dance began, the crowd greeted the music with a roar of approval. Sara clapped her hands and rose when Nikos did, pleased to show him she knew as much about their heritage as someone raised in Greece.

The dance was fast and fun. It followed the age-old romance tradition—flirtatious and sassy. Definitely masculine versus feminine role playing. As they whirled and stamped and came together, then parted, Sara laughed in sheer joy. She had loved going to celebrations in the neighborhood. The expatriate Greek community in London had been closely knit. Engagements, weddings, christenings and funerals had brought the entire community together. Of course, there was no dancing at funerals, but other causes to celebrate were embraced with enthusiasm and traditional music and dance.

When the dance ended, the musicians moved on to another, this one a traditional line dance, with one of the older men from town leading. She and Nikos laughed, danced and shared in the delight of the night.

It was late when Nikos said it was time to leave. Sara was tired but buoyed up by the exuberant dancing and the friendly locals who had included her as if she’d been born there. Being with Nikos had a lot to do with it, she was sure. They still had the boat ride back to the island.

The moon had risen, a silvery crescent high in the sky. Once on the boat and heading away from Patricia into the night, Sara glanced around, not seeing anything but stars, moon and sea. She hoped Nikos knew where they were going. He piloted the craft with confidence. She was content to sit back and remember the evening’s frivolity. She glanced at Nikos. This was a side of him she’d never expected—steeped in tradition, reveling in neighbors and casual dining. And dancing with the best of them.

“I could tell you enjoyed yourself,” he said, once they were on the open sea.

“It was great fun. I hadn’t expected dancing.”

“And I didn’t expect you knew our dances.”

“Why not? I’m as Greek as you. Of course I know them. And more.”

“Usually we learn them as children.”

“As did I,” she said, remembering some of the events she and her mother had attended. Then an old memory flashed into her mind. They’d been at a wedding of a friend of her mother’s. When almost the entire group of guests rose to dance, her mother had looked sad, commenting that no one had danced at her wedding.

Sara gazed across the sea. How much had her mother missed by her impetuous marriage? If her parents had helped her instead of repudiating her, would she have found happiness with another man and married him? She could have had more children, followed a traditional Greek woman’s life. Maybe not lived any longer, but she would have been happier.

“I’ve dated Greek women who don’t know the dances,” Nikos said.

She shrugged. Her happiness had faded as she thought about Nikos seeing other women. Yet what would she expect, that he was celibate? He was too dynamic and involved with life not to date and enjoy the companionship of others. It wasn’t as if she had any special claim.

Nikos guided the boat by rote. He’d traveled from Patricia to the island many times and could probably find his way home blindfolded. He felt wide-awake after the dancing. Sara’s expertise had surprised him. Ariana had not enjoyed dancing—at least not their traditional Greek dances, which were fast and strenuous. She had preferred going to modern nightclubs.

He no longer cared about Ariana. She’d made sure of that when he’d discovered her lies. Any feelings he’d felt for her had shattered. Trust was too fragile to repair once it had been broken. So why did he use her to compare other women to? As a reminder of treachery and betrayal? Or as a barrier against falling for someone else? Love made a man foolish. He was beyond that time of his youth, though seeing his grandparents again had him wishing for more in life than the suitable marriage to someone like Gina Fregulia. Was he in danger of changing his views on marriage?

He glanced at Sara. She seemed pensive.

“What are you thinking?” he asked. He expected tiredness, but at least a happier face as she remembered the evening.

“Sad thoughts,” she said, turning toward him. The faint light from the control panel didn’t illuminate her face at this angle. She was in shadow, with only the light of the moon showing her silhouette.

“After the dancing we did? Impossible.” Unless she regretted the evening coming to an end. He did. He could dance with Sara all night.

“I was thinking of one of the wedding festivities we attended when I was younger. My mother had almost cried when she spoke of no one dancing at her wedding.”

“Didn’t she have a traditional Greek wedding?”

Sara shook her head. Nikos wondered why she hadn’t. Sara didn’t speak much about her family. Only to say that her father had left them when she was very young and her mother had died last year. What had it been like growing up in London? She spoke perfect Greek, knew their dances, the food. Obviously, her mother had wanted to maintain the connection. Yet she had no other relatives. Why had her parents moved to England? Why not stay in Greece and forge ties with neighbors to aid the small family?

Sara had started out intriguing him. The more time they spent together, the more she fascinated him. It wasn’t only the physical attraction, though he enjoyed kissing her, touching her, feeling her warmth against him. He wouldn’t mind a closer connection, but she’d never given any sign she’d be interested.

Except for her kisses. Maybe he should push the issue and see where they went.

She was unlike most of the women he associated with. She reminded him a little of Eleani—Sara was warm and friendly and kind. Maybe that was what set her apart. She was kinder than Ariana had been, that was certain. Gina last week had been catty in some of her remarks. He never remembered Sara saying anything unkind.

They arrived at the dock with no problem. He tied the lines to the cleats and helped Sara from the boat. They walked silently to the gangway for the yacht. He escorted her up and stopped on the forward deck.

“I’ll say good-night.”

“Thank you for dinner and the evening. I had a wonderful time,” she said politely.

“Everyone is probably asleep, but I feel as if we are on display. Who knows who can be watching,” he said, leaning over and brushing his lips against hers.

He turned her around and gave her a gentle push. “Go to bed, Sara. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He turned and left the yacht, wishing the evening could have ended with Sara in his bed. The thought surprised him. He wasn’t thinking just tonight, either. What would it be like to wake up with her each morning? Spend time together when he wasn’t working? She liked to dive, to swim. She was a terrific dancer. And she cooked like a dream. What was not to like about Sara Andropolous?

As he walked up to the house, he idly considered a life with a woman like Sara. He knew love existed. Spiros had loved his first wife and was devoted to his second. A man could learn a lot about marriage studying his grandfather.

Intellectually Nikos understood people could fall in love and share their lives happily and with true contentment. He’d asked Ariana to marry him thinking they’d have the perfect modern marriage—similar interests and friends that would enable them to have the kind of life both enjoyed. He had loved her only to be disillusioned with her betrayal.

She had wanted more than his love—more men and more money. Would things have been different had he already achieved the success he now enjoyed? No—love would overlook finances. She had not loved him, not the way he wanted.

Reaching the house, Nikos turned and looked at the yacht, almost invisible against the dark sea. For a moment he debated returning, going to her cabin, asking her to stay a while longer. Common sense took over. If she was amenable, she would be as keen tomorrow as tonight. And if she shot down the idea, he’d rather it be later.

The next morning Nikos rose early and went for a morning swim at the beach. The sand was being raked by one of the groundskeepers. The yacht showed no activity. He dropped his towel, pulled off his shirt and plunged into the sea. The water felt cool and invigorating.

He swam some distance out and then floated for a little while. Hearing splashing, he looked at the shore. Sara was swimming out toward him, still some distance away.

Treading water as she approached, he ignored the feeling of satisfaction that blossomed. Her coming out this morning had to mean she enjoyed the early-morning swims as much as he did.

“Hi,” she said a moment later. She shook her head and water drops splayed all around.

“I thought you’d sleep in,” he commented. She was beautiful in the soft morning light, even with her hair wet and hanging around her face. Her eyes sparkled with enjoyment.

“Couldn’t sleep in. Not in the habit. With no meals to plan or prepare, I have a lot of time on my hands. Maybe I should return to the resort. I’m sure not earning my salary here.”

“Aren’t you enjoying being here?”

“Too much. I’ll get spoiled,” she said with a grin.

He wanted to spoil her, give her jewels and dresses and make sure she never lacked for anything.

“Except before I do return, I want a couple of recipes from Dimitri. That salad the other day was delicious. I figured out all the ingredients except one. Which is the one that makes it so special. Do you think he’ll share?”

“I expect so. If not, tell him I said he should.”

She laughed. “If he does not wish to share, I certainly wouldn’t threaten him with you.”

“Why not?” The more he knew her, the more she puzzled him. Wasn’t that the way of the world? Get what you want no matter how it’s accomplished?

Ariana would have used every bit of power she had to obtain her own ends. He looked away. He must stop comparing Ariana to every other woman he met. Sara was nothing like her. End of comparison.

“You’re up as early as I,” she said, lazily dog-paddling around. “Why not take advantage of this brief holiday and sleep in?”

“Feels too much like I’m sleeping the day away.”

“What do you have to do today?” she asked.

“Work, what else.”

She splashed water on him. “Play is what else,” she said before diving beneath the water before he could retaliate by splashing her.

The chase was on. Nikos knew he was the stronger swimmer, but he let her get ahead before giving chase. When he tagged her, she came to the surface and laughed.

“You need to watch that laughter,” he warned, coming closer. “You’re going to drown one day if you’re not careful.”

She laughed again and nodded. “I’ll try not to laugh underwater. Now I’m it.” And she surged toward him. He’d been expecting it and swam to one side, diving deep and moving parallel to the shore.

They played until both were breathless. Then Nikos took her hand and drew her closer.

“I didn’t get a proper good-night kiss last night.”

“No one was awake on the yacht,” she said, entwining her legs with his, encircling his neck with her arms, pressing against the length of him.

“It felt like prying eyes were watching from every porthole.”

He felt her laughter as she kissed his jaw.

“So?”

“So I don’t want to put a burden on you by being seen with me.”

“Everyone on board knows your grandparents asked to meet me. What’s to know? It’s not as if we have a torrid affair going.”

“It’s not as if I don’t want one,” he said.

Her start of surprise showed him she’d never considered it. Damn. Surely she didn’t think he kissed every woman he knew like he kissed her.

Maybe he should show her what they could have together.

He pulled her close and kissed her with all the pent-up desire that consumed him. She kissed him back, her mouth sweet and hot, her arms holding him closer as the kiss went on until he forgot where they were. The water closing over their heads was unexpected. Breaking the kiss, he kicked up and when they bobbed to the surface, he released her.

“You’re too dangerous in the water,” he said. He released her and began swimming toward the shore.

Sara swam beside him.

“So?” he asked when their feet touched bottom and they walked the short distance to shore. He saw her towel beside his on the pristine beach. The groundskeeper had left. They were alone.

“So what? Breakfast? I’m starving, how about you? I’ll whip something up in the galley just for you,” she said.

He ignored her attempt to change the subject. When she picked up her towel, he followed suit, drying his chest as he watched her watch him. “I meant an affair and you know it.”

She shook her head sadly. “Sorry, Nikos, I’m not into affairs. Tempting though this would be, I want something special when I marry.”

“What if you don’t marry?” he asked, annoyed at her statement.

“Don’t say that. I want to marry for love and be loved forever. I want kids and ties and a feeling of belonging. If I don’t get them, I’ll feel life has cheated me. I’m holding out for what I want.”

“Until then, we could have fun.”

“Sure. What happens if I fall in love with you?”

He stepped back involuntarily. “I told you I’m not looking for love.”

“Just a suitable marriage, allying two business families.”

“There is something wrong with that?” he asked stiffly.

“Not if that’s what you want. But what about love? Don’t you think that would make a marriage so much better? Look at your grandparents—they obviously adore each other.”

“My parents made a suitable marriage.”

“Oh, and from what you’ve said, that’s been a success for the two of them—but not the kind of family I want.”

“It works.”

“Don’t you want more for yourself and your children if you have any?”

He hesitated a moment.

Her comment bothered him—especially in light of his thoughts from yesterday about who he had to leave his life’s work to, who was there to share the cove with. Who could he teach to dance the traditional dances?

What would it be like to have children with Sara? She’d spoil them to death. But she’d love them to pieces. And her husband—would she also love him to pieces?

“You have to be the world’s biggest idiot,” Sara told her reflection after her shower ten minutes later. She still had wet hair, was wrapped in a clean towel and had wiped off the small mirror in the minuscule bathroom adjacent to her cabin. “Looking the way you do, he asked you to have an affair, and you go all high-and-mighty and say no.”

She sighed and turned. She could never have taken Nikos up on his suggestion knowing he would find out soon enough who she really was and her reasons for wanting to visit his island. She couldn’t add further betrayal to that by becoming intimate with him if she wasn’t being totally honest.

She knew he wasn’t in love with her, but obviously the attraction she felt was met by his own desire. How fabulous it would be to make love with Nikos. They could find seclusion at the cove, enjoy each other’s bodies, then go swimming. She loved to swim, and her newly acquired basic skill in diving. Would she ever get another chance?

Taking a determined breath, she donned her clothes. Not likely after today. She was going to find Eleani and give her the letter. After that, the entire Konstantinos family would likely expect her to swim to the next island to get off this one as soon as possible.

It couldn’t be helped. Long before she met Nikos she’d made her mother a promise. She was honor-bound to keep it, no matter what it did to her tentative relationship with Nikos Konstantinos.

Sara prepared a light breakfast. Her nerves were growing taut with the concern about meeting Eleani. Sipping hot tea, she remembered all her mother had told her about her life before running away to marry Sara’s father. Nothing could hurt her mother now. Sara could fulfill her last wish and move on.

At ten o’clock, Sara left the yacht and walked up to the gardens surrounding the house. She felt much the way she thought a condemned prisoner must feel. It was fate, nothing more, but she wished she could predict the outcome.

Stepping onto one of the flagstone pathways, she wandered around the gardens. Normally their beauty and tranquillity would prove soothing. Today she only saw opulent luxury that had been denied her mother. The pots of flowers they had sometimes been able to afford for their windowsill had been all her mother had. She’d talked often of the lovely gardens at her childhood home. She would have loved the gardens here on the island.

Turning a corner, she stopped. Eleani Konstantinos sat on a wooden bench in a clearing, gazing at a basket of cut flowers. She looked up and smiled.

“Sara. What a pleasant surprise. Come sit by me. Where is Nikos?”

“Working.” She stepped closer, her eyes never leaving Eleani’s.

“He works too hard. He gets that from his grandfather and father, I expect. Will you two be going diving later?” She patted the bench beside her in invitation. Slowly Sara walked over and sat on the edge.

“No, I don’t believe we’ll go diving again,” she said slowly. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the letter and handed it to the older woman.

“What’s this?” Eleani asked, reading her name on the envelope.

“A letter I was asked to deliver,” Sara said, watching, noting the faint lines around her grandmother’s eyes, the soft tones of her skin, the silver in her hair.

Eleani studied the handwriting for a long moment, then slid her finger beneath the flap and tore open the envelope. She withdrew the two pages. Catching her breath, she began to read.

Sara watched her. She felt the hot sun beating down on her head, but didn’t seek shade. The play of emotions across Eleani’s face had her wondering exactly what her mother had written. All she’d told Sara was that she had a letter for her mother, for Sara to promise she’d get it to her.

She’d fulfilled her mother’s last wish. Sara rose and turned away. She could go home now.

“Wait!” Eleani said. “Sit back down.”

Sara turned and looked at her. “I’ve done what I came to do.”

Tears spilled from Eleani’s eyes. “My daughter is dead,” she said brokenly.

Sara nodded. “She died more than a year ago.”

Eleani shook her head, crushing the letter against her breasts. “My baby, my poor, poor baby. How could she die? She was too young to die. Ah, my beautiful Damaris. My precious baby girl,” she said, leaning over and sobbing.

Sara was totally taken aback. This was not the reaction she had expected.

Sara looked away. “I’m sorry this is unexpected news.”

“Unexpected? I never thought to hear from her again. But at least I had the consolation of knowing she was happy in England. I have missed her every day since she left.”

Sara whipped around and stared at her. “She was not happy. My father deserted us weeks after I was born. Mum had no skills for work, she’d been raised as a pampered daughter of a wealthy family. Do you know she scrubbed floors because that was a skill she could quickly acquire? We had the help of friends, handouts, Mum used to call them. They seared her soul. She hated that.” But not as much as she hated the thought of returning to her parents’ home and admitting she’d been wrong.

“I didn’t know,” Eleani whispered, “The one time we tried to contact her, she refused. Her father said to leave her to her life. We did the best we could. Now she’s gone. I’ll never see her again.”

Eleani covered her face and cried.

Sara frowned. This was not going the way she thought it would. It distressed her to see anyone so distraught. Awkwardly she patted her shoulder, wishing now that she’d just left the letter on a table to be discovered.

She didn’t know how long she sat there, staring across the garden toward the sea, seeing in her mind the small, old apartment she and her mother had shared until Sara had begun earning enough money to help pay for a better place. She saw her mother’s looks fade as poor nutrition and the stress of her life wore away her youth and health.

She glanced around the beautifully landscaped setting. The money used for just one season of gardening would have changed her mother’s life drastically. She felt numb. She missed her mother. She wasn’t sure bringing the letter had been wise, now that the deed was done.

What had her mother written? To take care of Sara? She had said she wanted to make sure her daughter was taken care of.

Sara was a grown woman with an excellent career ahead of her. She didn’t need someone to take her in at this stage of her life.

She heard the steps and turned to watch as Nikos stormed toward her.

“What the hell have you done to my grandmother?” he asked in a low growl.