by Amy Cross
***
“Idiot!” Kate hissed at herself as she paced the room, trying to decide whether to get into bed or go back down and take Edgar up on his offer of a drink. “Stupid, goddamn idiot!”
The truth was, although she had been startled by how comfortable she felt talking to Edgar, she now realized that she maybe she should have talked to him some more instead of retreating to bed like some startled wallflower. Having spent so long thinking of herself as some kind of anti-social weirdo, she'd been thoroughly freaked out by the ease with which she'd opened up to Edgar, and she'd retreated into her shell. Now that she was alone in the the room that had been prepared for her, however, she felt that she'd made a mistake by letting herself get so scared.
Still, there was always the party on Saturday night. She never thought of herself as a party kind of person, but it would be her last night on Thaxos and she figured she could perhaps find something to wear at short notice.
Then again, a party would hardly be the ideal place to talk about the mysterious stones.
Then again, it would be good to talk to Edgar about them, since he seemed to share her interests.
Then again, she could be talking to him right now.
Then again...
“Idiot,” she hissed again, frustrated by this uncharacteristic indecisiveness.
Making her way to the window, she looked out at the driving rain. After a moment, she headed back across the room and opened the door, leaning out into the corridor and listening to the sound of footsteps in the distance. Her head told her that it was too late to go and take Edgar up on his offer of a drink and a conversation, but somehow she found herself walking along the corridor until she reached the top of the stairs. Taking a deep breath, and reminding herself that she was doing this purely because of their shared interest in the stones, she figured that one drink couldn't hurt.
As soon as she'd crept down the stairs, she followed the sound of movement and made her way first through one room and then another, until she saw the shadow of someone moving in the kitchen.
When she reached the door, however, she saw to her disappointment that it was Ephram, getting a glass of water. Her first instinct was to turn and hurry away before she was spotted, but finally she realized that such a course of action would probably be rude.
“How's your grandmother?” she asked.
Ephram turned to her.
“She's been better,” he said after a moment. “Being here doesn't help. It reminds her of her youth, when she used to come up here and...” His voice trailed off. “It'll be good to get her back down to the town at first light. She needs to be in her own bed, and then I'm certain she'll be back on her feet in no time.”
“Edgar has offered to let us use his van to -”
“No,” Ephram said stubbornly. “I don't approve of the way he brought that damn thing to the island, and I will not use it. I'd rather carry my grandmother than accept any more of his help.”
Realizing that there was little point arguing with him, Kate excused herself and headed back up the stairs. She figured that Edgar must have gone to bed by now, which was probably just as well. The last thing she wanted was to seem desperate, and she told herself that it would be wiser to just go to bed. As she was making her way to her room, however, she heard movement nearby. Instinctively, she walked over to a half-open door, and from the other side she could hear Edgar's voice, speaking a language that she assumed was probably Greek. Peering through the crack in the door, she saw to her surprise that Edgar was sitting on the bed, with the old woman's head in his lap, and he was gently stroking her hair.
Kate paused for a moment, trying to hear his voice properly.
“Sono io,” he seemed to say. “Sono io.”
Suddenly he looked toward the door, and Kate pulled back just in time to avoid being seen. She held her breath for a moment, and to her relief she soon heard Edgar starting to talk to the old woman again.
Realizing that she'd probably intruded too much already, Kate made her way as quietly as possible back to her room.
VII
“Are you sure this is wise?” Ephram asked as he pulled down the shutters to cover his shop windows. “Wouldn't you prefer to spend your last night on Thaxos with a nice meal and a relaxing glass of wine?”
“It's just a small party,” Kate replied, standing by the counter in the black dress she'd bought especially for the occasion, from a small boutique down by the quayside. “I figure it's a chance to experience a different side of life here on Thaxos. To the manor born, and so on.”
“What goes on up at that mansion,” Ephram continued, clearly not happy about the idea, “has nothing to do with life here on Thaxos. That man might as well live in the clouds for all anyone else here cares.” He made his way behind the counter, almost stepping on one of his chickens in the process; the bird squawked and skittered out of the way. “Still, it's none of my business. There were stories about the parties that Edgar Le Compte's grandfather used to throw, but I'm sure you know better than to listen to my warnings. I'm just a foolish old man.”
“This is the twenty-first century,” Kate replied. “It's just a party. It can't even be a very big one, either. I mean, how many people would even go if they were invited?”
“From the island?” Ephram replied. “None, I guarantee it. And I haven't seen hoards of people arriving over the past few days, either. Sounds like it's going to be a very fun evening.” He paused for a moment, with a look of genuine concern in his eyes. “Is there nothing I can say to make you change your mind?”
“It's just a party,” Kate replied for the hundredth time, repeating the mantra she'd been using in her head to justify her decision to accept Edgar's offer. “I'm not even going to drink. The last thing I want is to have to travel tomorrow with a hangover.”
“Then I wish you the best of luck,” Ephram said, evidently accepting that the argument was lost. “Take care up there, though.”
“You could always come with me,” she pointed out. “I'm sure Edgar wouldn't mind.”
Ephram shook his head. “Even if I could stomach the idea, I can't leave my mother alone. She's much better than she was the other day, but she's still a little frail. Even though her body mends, her mind seems trouble by something.”
After telling Ephram that she'd be late back, Kate made her way to the door, before a stray thought caught in her mind and she turned back to him.
“Can I ask you something?” she said after a moment. “I don't really speak any Greek, and I was just wondering about something. I heard a few people say this phrase while I was here, and I wondered what it meant. It sounded like... sono mio? Or maybe sono mia?”
“Sono io?” Ephram suggested.
“That's it,” Kate replied. “What does it mean?”
“Literally? It means 'It's me', that's all. Nothing very interesting. Why?”
Kate paused for a moment, thinking back to the moment when she overheard Edgar talking to Ephram's mother during the storm. There had been such passion and tenderness in his voice as he'd said those two words over and over.
“No reason,” she said finally, smiling faintly before stepping out into the warm evening air and starting the walk up to the mansion.