Читать книгу Greek Affairs - Кейт Хьюит - Страница 47

SARA watched him approach. She could almost feel the waves of suspicion pouring off him.

She rose and faced him. “I was asked to deliver a letter and I did.”

“Eleani, what is it?” Nikos asked, sitting beside the woman and drawing her into his arms. He rubbed her back, glaring at Sara.

“What was in the letter?”

“I don’t know. It was sealed.”

“Who is it from?”

“My mother.”

Nikos frowned, saying soothing words to Eleani.

“I’m Sara Andropolous, Eleani’s grandchild.”

The statement stopped Nikos cold. He stared for a long moment. Giving way to anger, he bit out an epithet. His gentle hands soothed his grandmother.

“I didn’t know she had a child, much less a grandchild,” he said a minute later.

“My mother ran off to get married when she was eighteen. Her parents cut her off because she chose to find her own husband. I find the entire situation sordid and inexcusable.”

He swung back at that. “You find it inexcusable. What about lying and cheating to gain access to my grandparents’ home? Wreaking who knows what havoc? I find that inexcusable!”

“I never lied to you nor cheated. I was hired to work in the kitchen at the resort. I used my skill and experience, which would be hard to cheat with. You’re the one who allowed me to work on the Cassandra. You’re the one who insisted I stay on board when you came to your family’s island. You are the one who introduced me to them the other day.”

“Stop it, both of you. I can hear your voices from the house.” Spiros rounded the corner and took in the scene. “Eleani, my love, what is wrong?” He immediately went to his wife. In the confusion of Eleani telling her side and Nikos telling what he knew, Sara spun around to leave.

Guessing her intent, Nikos moved swiftly to her side.

“You can’t waltz in here and cause this uproar and think you get to leave without further explanation.”

“What further explanation do you need? I gave her the letter. There’s nothing more,” Sara said, starting to feel again. She wanted to weep, knowing she’d damaged whatever had been building between Nikos and herself. Still, honor had demanded she carry out her mother’s last wish. Which she had—at a personal loss. Now she just wanted to leave. She felt nothing but resignation and regret.

Spiros sat beside his wife. Eleani had stopped crying and leaned against him tiredly. His face was set in anger. His eyes flashed when he looked at Sara. Saying nothing, he reached for a handkerchief to dry Eleani’s eyes.

“I would like an explanation, young lady,” he said sternly.

At that, Eleani looked up and saw Sara and Nikos.

Sara felt a spurt of anger. “Didn’t your wife tell you she had a daughter in England? She was my mother. Before she died Mum asked me to deliver a letter to her mother. I’ve done just that.”

“I know about Damaris,” Spiros said slowly. “It saddens me to learn she is dead. We had hoped at some time she’d return to Greece to see Eleani.”

Sara frowned. This didn’t make sense.

“She couldn’t come home. Her parents had told her if she left she would not be welcome to return,” she said. “How could you? She was a teenager, sheltered and protected. Her one fling ended disastrously, but did her parents come to her aid? Did they forgive a youthful indiscretion and take her back home to help? No! Her father said he would disown her. How true that was.”

“It wasn’t like that,” Eleani said sadly. She struggled to sit up.

“Now you wait until your mother is dead and come to disturb my wife?” Spiros asked.

“My mother asked only that I deliver a letter she wrote to her mother. I never knew the details of the letter. I do know she refused to return home until she was too sick to make the trip. As soon as I can get off this island, I plan to get as far away from here as I can. I’m sorry to have been the cause of such upset.”

Eleani began crying again. “Don’t go,” she said forlornly.

“Where would you go?” Spiros asked.

“London, where I belong. Away from people like all of you.”

Nikos made a sound of surprise. “People like us?”

“Uncaring, unfeeling, sanctimonious rich people who only want things to go their own way and never mind family members who don’t fit in with the path you decide they should take. Like my mother. Like you yourself, Nikos.”

Spiros turned in surprised to look at his grandson. “What has Nikos to do with this?”

“You and his father pressured him to join the family shipping firm. Pressured him for marriage with a ‘suitable’ woman—translated to mean ‘equally wealthy’. What about what he wants?”

Nikos shrugged when his grandfather looked at him.

Sara wasn’t finished. “Instead of following your dictates he made his own way. Do you ever really see what he’s done? Ever give him praise for fighting against the current and still coming out with something marvelous?” she continued, impassioned.

Spiros looked back and forth between Sara and Nikos. “It is true I wished for Nikos to join our shipping firm. But I see now it would have been a mistake. It was hard enough to let go the reins when Andrus took over. Two strong personalities are more than the company can bear. Nikos added to the mixture would have been a mistake. He was wise to go into a field he chose.”

“And to have done so well,” she added.

Spiros’s features softened a fraction. “So you stand up for Nikos?”

“I’m not standing up for anyone but me. I’m stating facts.”

“Then listen to this fact,” Eleani said. “Damaris ran out on her wedding. We were the ones who had to tell Alexis she wasn’t coming. We had to face our friends, business acquaintances, family and say our daughter had shamed us in front of everyone. She ignored all we had done for her and ran off with an irresponsible man who wanted access to our money. Your grandfather was heartsick. It pained him greatly, and he refused to have any more to do with her while she was with your father. But had she left him, we would have welcomed her home—despite the shame she brought to our family. Even now, when I see Alexis, I am embarrassed. He is such a nice young man. She would have done so well to marry him. He says he has no hard feelings, but she had to have hurt his pride if nothing else. He loved her, you know.”

Sara stared first at Eleani then at Spiros. She was taken aback by the revelation. Had her mother lied all these years? Or merely glossed over the details of the truth? Either way, she had painted an entirely different picture in Sara’s mind.

“Come, sit down and tell us about Eleani’s only child,” Spiros said gently.

Sara was very aware that Nikos was standing at her side. She went to a chair and sat gingerly on the edge. He moved to stand farther away, gazing out to the sea.

“You need to stop crying now, Eleani. Listen to what Sara tells us,” he said gently.

Eleani nodded, blotted her eyes again and leaned against Spiros as if for strength.

Sara didn’t know where to begin. She ached for the difficulty of her mother’s life. And from Eleani’s reaction, she had believed her daughter had led an entirely different life.

“I only know the past from what I was told. My mother had hardly been in England six weeks before she knew her parents had been correct about the man she’d run off with. It had been romance, pure and simple, that had persuaded her to leave her family home. She had believed herself to be in love. She railed against the intractable demands her father had made—marrying to ensure the family coffers. She had believed my father to be different from who he truly was. She did not have the wisdom to see reality. She was eighteen for heaven’s sake.”

“She wasn’t forced to wed Alexis. We thought she was captivated by him. He was only six years older, and very much in love with Damaris,” Eleani said. “We were pleased. His family is very respected.”

“So why did your mother not return home once she realized her mistake?” Nikos asked.

“No money. No welcome.” Sara hesitated a moment. “Pride. And she was pregnant with me. She said she wrote to her father asking for help. He refused. She swore over and over she would never ask again.”

Eleani gave a small sound. “Ah, that stubborn pride of the Marcopusoses. Always I had to fight against it. For years I asked him to find our daughter. He finally gave in and said he’d have a private detective locate her. Weeks later he said Damaris was happy with her life and that was the end of it. He must have approached her and been rebuffed and rather than tell me, he concocted such a story.”

Sara shook her head, frowning. “When my father vanished, she was not yet twenty, a single parent with no skills. One of her friends helped by watching me nights after her own day of work so Mum could go and clean offices. That was the best job she could get for a long time.”

Eleani groaned softly. “My precious baby girl,” she whispered.

“Go on,” Nikos said.

Sara turned to look at him. “I’m telling this.”

“Not fast enough.”

“Let her proceed at her own pace,” Spiros said.

“We lived in a section of London with a large group of Greek expats. It was the best thing on one hand—everyone knew everybody else. We shared the language, the food. But it constantly reminded my mother of all she’d lost.”

Slowly, as if viewing the scene for the first time, Sara continued.

“It was only after she was diagnosed with cancer that she began to talk about contacting you. We learned from mutual friends of her father’s death and your remarriage. My mother wrote a letter and mailed it. It was returned. By then she was really ill. She wrote the one I brought today. After her death, I tried contacting you. I ended up here.”

“I thought she was happy,” Eleani repeated. “Stanos told me that.”

Had her mother’s stiff-necked pride kept her from her home? Sara remembered some of the pretending they had done when she was younger—to preserve her mother’s standing with her friends. Excess pride. None of it mattered anymore. She’d fulfilled her promise. “That’s it. May I go now?”

“No. Stay. I want to hear all about Damaris and you,” Eleani said. She lifted the letter. “Damaris asked me to watch out for you.”

“I don’t need watching out for.” She had her own share of the family pride.

“Bad choice of words. How about having close contact with your grandmother,” Nikos said.

Sara flashed him a look and then returned her gaze to Eleani. “What do you want to know about Mum?”

“Nikos has raved about your cooking. How did you choose that profession? Did Damaris ever learn to cook? We had a chef at home so she never learned as a child,” Eleani said.

Sara smiled in memory. “Mum was okay as a cook, at least by the time I noticed such things. But nothing special. She loved the big gatherings best when everyone brought something. Authentic Greek food was what she craved, but we also ate English. I think some of my reasons for going into food preparation was to explore new dishes in self-defense against Mum’s limited choices.”

Talking helped show Sara she no longer felt the burning ache of loss after all the months. She could remember her mother with pride and happiness, not overwhelming grief.

“I’ll have Marsa bring you some refreshments. Talk as long as you wish,” Spiros said gently, standing and motioning to Nikos.

Nikos watched for a moment. Sara was like a stranger to him. For days he’d been intrigued by her—now he knew the reason she behaved so differently from others. She genuinely did not want anything from him but transportation to the island. Now that she’d achieved that, what?

Would she try to worm her way into her grandmother’s affections—become her only heir? Eleani was wealthy enough Sara could quit her job and live the life her mother should have enjoyed.

“Do you know more?” he asked his grandfather when they left the women behind and were alone.

“No. Eleani told me long ago that she had a daughter she hadn’t seen in years. I only knew Stanos by reputation. He was a hardliner—had his own rules and stiff-necked pride. I think I can see him in a temper, cutting off his only child.”

“He had a private detective look into her life. He would have reported that Damaris was a single parent, that there was a little girl.”

Spiros nodded, studying his grandson. “What of you, Nikos?”

“What about me?”

“Sara isn’t the person we thought her to be. She’s more than a crew member of the Cassandra. I will welcome her into our family as I would any relative of Eleani’s.”

“It’s your home, do as you wish. I’m returning to the resort as soon as the captain can get the Cassandra under way,” Nikos said. He’d return to work and forget about the pretty chef. There’d no longer be a need for Sara to continue to work. He’d instruct his human resources office to begin a search to fill her position.

The sooner he was consumed with business, the better.

“Don’t leave before Monday. That’s when you originally planned, right? Stay and visit with your grandfather a little longer. Give her a few days to visit with Eleani.”

Nikos hesitated, then nodded once. He’d stay for his grandfather’s sake.

“Sara’s right, you know. I never told you how proud of your accomplishments I am. You have made a major contribution with the resort. I am proud of you and so is your father.”

Nikos smiled slightly. “That’s stretching it, don’t you think?”

Spiros shrugged. “I’m sure if he thought about it, he’d be proud of you.”

“You seem to be taking Sara’s revelation in your stride,” Nikos said.

“I was shocked when Eleani first told me she had a daughter. Hard as it is to hear the truth, it is best to find out. Too many lies have gone by in that family. Maybe Eleani will gain some peace knowing Sara. And I hope neither makes the same mistake Damaris and her father made.”

“Not likely,” Nikos said, looking back out the window. “Sara is no naive eighteen-year-old. She’s almost thirty, has worked her way up in a grueling profession. Been on her own for a while. And definitely wasn’t born with a silver spoon in her mouth.”

“You’re angry with her. I know. It’s understandable.”

“She used me to get to Eleani. I don’t like being used.”

“That’s not all,” his grandfather said.

“That’s all I’m focused on now,” Nikos said. “I’ll tell the captain we leave at first light on Monday.” He left before his grandfather could say any more.

Nikos went to the room he used as an office. He sat and turned on his computer. But when the screen came on, he didn’t see it. He heard Sara telling him she had no family. She’d lied.

Or did she truly believe that? Eleani seemed more than willing to accept Sara.

She’d used him. Had all their time together been with the sole aim of getting to the island? The mutual interests? The kisses? What was truth, what false?

Thank God he’d never pushed for more.

So he’d wait for Monday. Escort Sara back to the mainland and wash his hands of her. Blast it!

By lunchtime, Sara’s nerves were stretched tight. She’d spent the morning talking with her grandmother. She’d finally come to believe the woman had had no inkling of the dire straits they had sometimes lived through. She began to soften the stories, glossing over the hardships Damaris had faced, trying to put a happier note on everything. She didn’t want to cause Eleani any more distress than she already felt. Again and again she looked at the letter and then at Sara.

By the time Marsa announced lunch, all Sara wanted to do was flee to the yacht and see if the captain would take her to the next island.

But she rose when Eleani did, used the proffered powder room to freshen up and went bravely to the terrace where lunch was being served.

Today she was escorted to the family table. She saw the crew’s table on the lower terrace and wished she was going there instead.

Spiros joined them a moment later.

“Nikos has work to do. He’s eating inside,” he explained to Eleani.

Sara knew the truth. He couldn’t even stand to be around her for the length of a meal. She was surprised at how much that hurt. For a few magical days she’d enjoyed herself. It was time to pay the piper. She was not some glamorous socialite like the ones Nikos was used to. She’d used him to get to Eleani. But she’d lost a lot along the way.

After an awkward lunch, Sara excused herself and headed for the boat. The first person she saw was Stefano who asked her if the rumors were true—was she Eleani Konstantinos’s granddaughter?

“Stefano, do not listen to rumors,” she said, brushing past him and going to her cabin. She pulled on her swimsuit, covered it with shorts and a top and grabbed a towel. She wanted to be alone, to think and to swim and to find some peace.

She approached the captain about taking the runabout.

“Where are you going?” he asked, not saying no. He’d also probably heard the rumor.

“Around to the cove Nikos took me to. I’ll stick close to the island and anchor on the beach.”

“Do you know how to run the boat?”

She nodded. She’d watched Nikos. It didn’t look hard.

The captain inclined his head. “Take drinking water and don’t swim deeper than where you can stand.”

Sara smiled, warmed he was concerned enough to lecture her on swimming safety. And smart enough to know she needed to be alone.

“I’ll be careful,” she promised.

She banged the dock twice trying to get the runabout away, but once she had it pointed in the direction she wished to go, she was set. In only moments Sara felt as alone as anyone could. There was only sky and sea and a bit of an island. And heartache.

When she reached the cove, she nosed the boat to the beach. Holding the anchor and line, she jumped out and dragged it up on the shore. Satisfied the boat wasn’t going anywhere, she waded back for her towel. She swam first, staying close to the shore, back and forth as if swimming laps. When she was almost too tired to lift her arms again, she waded ashore and moved her towel to a spot of shade where she lay down and tried to keep her mind empty.

But scenes from the day replayed. Nikos’s anger. His aloof stance by the window. His hard eyes. She couldn’t get any of them to vanish and wondered if she’d be doomed to repeat those scenes over and over all her life.

Finally the soothing warmth of the breeze and the gentle lap of the sea lulled her into the welcomed oblivion of sleep.

When Sara awoke, she was not alone. Nikos sat not five feet away. She sat up slowly, glancing around. There was no other boat.

“You came by the path?” she asked.

“You took the boat.”

“I thought you had work to do.”

“I finished and thought I’d take a swim.”

She gestured to the water. “Have at it.”

“You should not have gone swimming alone. It can be dangerous.”

“As if you care,” she replied petulantly. She wished she could recapture the feelings she’d had when they’d been here before. Blinking her eyes to keep tears at bay, she stared across the sea. Why had doing the right thing for her mother ended so badly for her?

“I do not wish an accident to befall anyone,” Nikos said. After a moment he spoke again, “Why didn’t you tell me? We talked about family. Why not say you were estranged from your grandmother?”

“I was afraid you’d know instantly I was trying to reach Eleani and stop me.”

“Things might have been better if left as they were.”

“I promised my mother I would do my best to see her letter reached her mother. Would you have me renege?”

“Your mother is dead. She would not have known.”

“But I would have known I hadn’t kept a promise. Would you have broken a promise, Nikos?”

He was silent for a moment. Then reluctantly he said, “No, I would have honored my promise as you did. I think there might have been a better way to handle things.”

“I tried the normal means. I could not make contact. It seemed like an act of fate when I got the job at the resort. I was so close. And when I was chosen to work on the Cassandra, I knew it was right. I’m sorry you feel I used you. In a way I guess I did, but I never lied to you about anything.”

He didn’t say anything, just stood and walked to the water. Sara watched as he dove in and swam away. He turned when he was some yards off shore and began to swim parallel to the beach. The cove was not wide. He swam laps. Sara watched every stroke, wishing he’d asked her to join him.

She rose and picked up her towel, shaking off the sand. She waded to the boat and tossed in her towel, then plunged into the silken water. Keeping out of Nikos’s way, she swam hard, trying to tire herself out so she could sleep tonight. If he didn’t arrange transportation for her soon, she’d have to stay through the weekend. How awkward that would be. She’d have to explain things to the crew—not that it was any of their business, but they had befriended her when she joined on and it was the right thing to do. If it fed gossip, so be it. Better than rampant speculation.

Sara lost track of time. She plowed through the water, growing tired but pushing on. Zoning out while swimming helped her forget everything. There was only the water and the sky. Finally almost too tired to move, she stopped to tread water for a moment. Looking around, she spotted Nikos in the boat. For a second her heart skipped a beat. Would he leave her here? She’d never find the pathway back.

Unlikely. He sat in the boat, watching her. She began to swim slowly back. Her arms and legs felt like limp spaghetti. Her breathing was still hard. But she also felt at peace for the first time since she walked up to the house that morning.

“Need a hand?” he asked when she reached the boat.

She shook her head, standing in the shallow water.

“Then push the boat off and get in. It’s time to go back.”

She went to get the anchor. Nikos coiled the line as she brought the anchor to the boat. She pushed the bow away from the beach, facing it seaward. Then she scrambled aboard. Taking her towel, she dried her face and arms. Tying it around her, sarong fashion, she sat in the copilot’s chair. Nikos had started the engine as soon as she boarded, and once she was seated he opened the throttle until Sara felt as if they were flying.

Before long they were tied up behind the looming back of the Cassandra.

He turned off the engine and looked at her.

“Now what?” she asked.

“My grandfather would like you to join us for dinner,” he said evenly.

She thought about it for a moment. “Okay, I guess.”

“I thought you’d say that,” he replied.

She looked at him. “What do you mean by that?”

“It seems likely that having made your presence known to Eleani, you’d expect to enjoy the benefits of being her granddaughter.”

“You think that’s why I told her? I don’t know her at all. I don’t consider I’m due any benefits of being her granddaughter. She owes me nothing. I owe her nothing.”

“You’re wrong. If what she says is true, and I believe it is, she didn’t know about you.”

“She should have taken the time to find out,” Sara grumbled.

“Women of her generation usually bend to their husband’s dictates. Her husband told her Damaris was fine. What was Eleani to think—that he lied?”

“He did lie.”

“But she would not have thought that. If anyone is at fault or to blame about anything, it’s Stanos. He’s dead, so can’t be held accountable. She should have known, and maybe she should have tried herself to find Damaris—especially after he died. But she didn’t. She thought everything was the way it was to be. Now she knows the truth. Give her a chance.”

“So which side are you on? You practically accuse me of kissing up to her for the so-called benefits—which you don’t think I’m entitled to. Then you defend her actions and suggest I get to know her better.”

“The relationship between you and your grandmother is not my business. You two have to find your own way.”

“And the relationship between us?” she asked challengingly.

“There is no relationship between us.” Nikos stood and stepped to the open part of the boat.

“There is. Or was. Even though you don’t want to call it that, we had the beginning of a relationship,” she said, standing and balancing herself against the rocking.

“You may think so.”

“Come off it, Nikos. I know you don’t want to be burned again like with Ariana. But every woman on the planet isn’t after your money. I liked being with you. Except for dinner last night, I haven’t cost you anything but your time. Admit it, we were becoming friends. And it sure seemed like you were pushing for more with those hot kisses.”

“Hot kisses,” he repeated.

She felt herself grow warm as she glared at him. He knew they were hot. And as much as he denied it now, she knew there had been a spark of something between them.

She also knew that spark would never have a chance to become a full-blown conflagration. She had put paid to that notion with her actions.

“What time is dinner?” she asked.

“Seven.”

“I only brought my uniforms and the one dress I wore last night.”

“I’ll take care of that.”

By the time Sara reached her cabin a few moments later she longed for a hot shower. She’d really love to soak in a tub, but that kind of luxury wasn’t available aboard the Cassandra—at least not in the crew quarters.

The shower did a lot to refresh. Drained after this morning’s confrontation and the swimming she’d done, Sara lay down for a nap.

At six-thirty there was a knock on her door. Opening it, Sara was surprised to find one of the maids from the house. She held a box out for Sara.

“For you. A dress for tonight,” she said. Smiling briefly, she turned and fled as soon as Sara took the box.

Sara closed the door and placed the box on the narrow bunk. Opening it, she stared for a long moment. The dark burgundy color was rich and perfect for her coloring. Lifting it, she stared. It was formal enough for dinner and beautiful enough to make anyone wearing it feel like a princess. Slipping it on a few moments later, Sara wished she had a full-length mirror. She studied as much of herself as she could. The dress fit like a dream. She liked the way it brought out her coloring. Her dark hair gleamed. Her cheeks were pink with anticipation. She felt very special. How nice of her grandmother to send her the dress to wear with dinner.

Or had it been Nikos? His words echoed. Heat washed through her. Had he bought the dress? Where? Unless he’d gone to Patricia. Not a short hop in a car, but at least two hours of his time.

Not likely. But what was the likelihood of such a beautiful dress just lying around the house waiting for someone her size and coloring to show up to wear it?

At five minutes to seven Sara walked up to the house. She could see the lower terrace was already set for the staff’s dinner. The table on the upper terrace was bare. Going to the front of the house, she knocked on the door. A moment later Nikos opened it. He was wearing a dark suit, white shirt and maroon tie—almost the color of her dress.

“You are family, Sara, no need to knock. Come in. My grandfather thought it best if we eat inside tonight. Not so many distractions.”

Like the crew watching their every move, Sara thought. “Fine.” She stepped inside, looking around with interest. The high ceiling and white walls gave the illusion of coolness even in the warmth of the evening. Wide windows in the salon were open to catch the breeze. The furnishings were a bit heavy for her tastes, but obviously old and much loved if the patina was any indication.

“You look lovely,” he said.

She looked at him. “Did you buy this dress?”

He looked thoughtful for a long moment, then inclined his head. “I thought it was the perfect dress for you.”

“It is. Thank you.” She didn’t want to tell him how special it made her feel. Now, knowing he’d bought it for her alone made it even more special.

“Sara, you are here. Welcome,” Eleani said. “We are ready to go in to dinner.” She seemed nervous. Nikos offered an arm to each and escorted them into the lavishly appointed dining room. Eleani smiled when she saw Spiros. The connection was obvious—she relied on him.

Sara felt a touch of envy. With her mother dead, she had no one to rely on. She so longed for a close connection with someone—a person she could trust with anything and know he would always be there for her.

Involuntarily her gaze flicked to Nikos. He had seated her and was talking with his grandfather. His manners had been exquisite. His demeanor all that anyone could expect. But the ease between them was gone.

“Welcome, Sara,” Spiros said.

Nikos’s dark eyes were unreadable.

Dinner was awkward. Eleani tried to carry on a normal conversation, but kept looking nervously at Sara. Nikos said little, eating and watching Sara. She felt as nervous as Eleani obviously was, with his gaze constantly on her. At one point she almost told him to look away.

As soon as dinner was finished, Sara hoped she could escape. Despite the lovely dress and all the discussion she and Eleani had shared that morning, she was out of place. She did not belong.

“Shall we move to the salon? It’s more comfortable there,” Eleani said.

“Perhaps I’m needed on the ship.” She looked at Nikos. “Will I be taken back to the resort in the morning?”

“No, we sail as scheduled on Monday.”

“Very well.” So he didn’t wish to get rid of her instantly. She wanted to bring up the situation about her job. So far at least he hadn’t told her there was no job waiting at the resort. Yet, it would be too awkward for her to stay. She wanted the comfort of familiar things and friends. She’d return to London as soon as she could.

“I’ll escort you back to the ship, if you wish to leave now,” he said, rising.

“I can manage.”

He didn’t reply, just came around to pull her chair back and gently take her arm.

“Dinner was delicious, Eleani,” he said.

“I’ll tell Dimitri you said so.” Her smile was wobbly. “Good night, Sara. Perhaps you’d like to have breakfast with me in the morning—just the two of us on my balcony.”

Sara was surprised at the invitation. “Thank you. What time should I be here?”

“Around eight,” Eleani said, her smile growing warmer.

Once Sara and Nikos left the house, she said, “I’m surprised you didn’t have me shipped off already. Why wait until Monday?”

“It’s only a couple of days. Time for you to get to know Eleani.”

“Your idea or your grandfather’s?”

“It was his idea but I agree with him. You may think I’m without feelings, but Eleani has always been very kind toward me. I think she deserves a chance.”

Sara mulled that over.

“And I think you do, too,” he said after a moment.

“A chance for what?”

“To build family ties.”

“Oh.” Sara tried to see his expression, but it was too dark.

“So we call a temporary truce?” she asked.

“We are not at war,” he replied.

“You’re angry.”

He walked along for a few seconds, then said slowly, “Would you expect me not to be?”