by Amy Cross
***
The conservatory turned out to be a long room with huge glass windows, offering a stunning view across the south side of the island. Fern trees were growing in pots set all over the floor and the overall feeling was one of wealth and luxury, but as Kate stood looking down at the lights of the port town below, she couldn't help but wonder whether perhaps she should have stayed at Ephram's instead of accepting Edgar's offer of a room at the mansion. At that particular moment, she was worried that she was being swallowed up entirely by such a dark and angry atmosphere.
“Here,” Edgar said.
Turning, Kate realized that he had once again arrived next to her without making a sound.
She took the drink that he offered and, after a sip, was surprised to find that it tasted good.
“I'm not much of a mixologist,” Edgar continued, keeping his voice low, almost as if he didn't want to be overheard by Didi as the younger girl sat sulking in a chair at the other end of the conservatory. “However, I like to keep my hand in, and I believe that a man should prepare at least some of his guests' refreshments himself. Obviously you must feel free to ask one of the kitchen staff to make you any drink you desire. I want you to feel at home here, Kate. If there's anything you want, anything at all, you must simply ask.”
Kate smiled politely, but even though Edgar seemed now to be a little calmer and more relaxed, she still couldn't ignore the tension that seemed to pervade the house.
“I'm glad you were able to accept my offer,” he continued. “I must admit that I made a cursory attempt to begin work on the archive myself, but I quickly realized that passion alone is not enough to get the job done. It requires a professional approach, and that's when I decided to get in touch with you.”
“You can rely on me,” Kate told him. “I've done this kind of work before.”
“I'm aware. I did some research, and it seems that you have quite a reputation in the London art and history worlds. I feel honored that you were willing to leave all of that behind and come back to Thaxos.” He paused for a moment. “If you don't mind the question, might I inquire as to what part of the project appealed to you?”
“You're not the only one who did some research,” she replied. “I took some more time to look into the history of your family, and of the island in general.”
“And?”
“And there was very little information about the island,” she continued, “and absolutely none about your family.”
“We have tended to remain in the shadows.”
“That's quite a skill in the twenty-first century.”
“A number of historians have come to Thaxos over the years,” Edgar explained. “As you already know, some cursory studies of the stones on the northern side have been undertaken, as well as some geological studies and some explorations of the flora and fauna. Some of them turned up quite a few very interesting discoveries.”
“I read all of those,” Kate told him, “but it seems to me that every study of the island is missing one crucial element.” She paused, watched his face for clues as to his feelings. “None of them mentioned your family at all,” she added finally, “and that struck me as kind of odd. I can't help thinking that any study of Thaxos has to include the Le Compte family at its heart. In fact, I find it strange that this hasn't happened before. What did you do, pay them all off?”
“Nothing so mundane,” Edgar replied calmly.
“I can't deny that the stones also interest me,” she continued, feeling as if she was finally seeing the old Edgar she remembered from her previous visit. “On my days off, I want to go out there and conduct the first truly in-depth study. Don't worry, it won't distract from my work in your archive at all, but I think I have a shot at explaining the history of the stones and their original purpose. They might even be the key to uncovering something even more important about early European cultures.”
“You're ambitious.”
“I want to make a name for myself.”
Edgar paused, as if he was on the verge of saying something that he felt he should perhaps hold back. He looked over his shoulder for a moment, checking that Didi was still out of earshot, before turning back to Kate.
“I...” he said eventually, clearly a little hesitant. “I wanted to ask you about Anna Kazakos. I believe you're acquainted with her grandson, and I have heard a few rumors that after the night she spent here at my home, Anna has taken to her bed. Obviously it's difficult for me to get much information up here, but my understanding is that the local doctor has seen her and that he is not confident of her making a full recovery.”
Kate nodded, realizing that the matter seemed to concern Edgar a great deal.
“Is she...” He paused again. “Is she in pain?”
“I don't know.”
“But she'd dying, is she not?”
“I spoke to Ephram today,” Kate replied. “His grandmother has taken to her bed, and I don't think she's expected to recover.”
“How long does she have?”
“I think it's just a few weeks.” She paused. “Do you mind if I ask why you're so interested?”
“I...” Now it was Edgar's turn to pause, the words remaining on his lips as he seemed genuinely troubled.”It's just, she... I...”
“What are you two talking about?” Didi called out, with clear irritation in her shrill voice. “You look very cosy over there. By the way, my glass is empty!”
“Then fill it!” Edgar called back to her, making no effort to try to hide his short temper. “Do I look like a goddamn waiter?”
“What are you two talking about?” she asked again.
“Nothing that you could possibly understand,” he replied, before wincing as he and Kate both heard Didi getting up from her chair and heading toward them, her stiletto high-heels clattering and scraping with every step.
“You're being rude, Eddie,” Didi continued as she thrust her glass into Edgar's hand. “How do you expect me to get to know the new arrival if you take up all her time, huh? Go make me a drink, sweetie, and give us girls some time to talk. You know how it is. Two women can't get to know each other if there's a guy standing right next to them.” She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “Look at you. You don't understand women at all, do you?”
Although he seemed reluctant, Edgar nevertheless turned and made his way over to the bar, where various bottles were already laid out.
“So how are you doing?” Kate asked, figuring that she should try to make some small-talk. “Are you -”
“I'm good,” Didi replied firmly, with a note of irritation in her voice. “I just thought I should get in early and make sure that you understand the situation.” She paused, fixing Kate with a stare that seemed to be designed to show that she meant business. “Edgar's my fiance,” she added eventually, “so you need to make sure that you keep your mind on your work. Got it?”
“Excuse me?” Kate asked, taken aback by the implication.
“He's a hot guy,” Didi continued, “and I wouldn't blame you for getting your panties in a twist over him. You wouldn't be the first and you won't be the last. But you might as well tie a knot in 'em, understand? Just make sure you remember why you're here. He's hired you to sort through his stinking pile of old papers, and that's all you're gonna do. No social stuff, no fun and games, no hanging out like you're a friend. Edgar and I are your employers, and you're not here for a holiday. Sure, tonight's fun and all, but tomorrow you get to work and you don't come up for air until you're done. Got it? 'Cause trust me, if I want you gone, you'll be gone.”
Before Kate could even begin to work out how to reply, Edgar returned with fresh drinks for them all.
“Is anything wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing,” Didi said with a bright, theatrical smile. “I was just welcoming Kate to the island and telling her how I'm sure we're all gonna get along just fine. As long as we each remember why we're here, anyway.” She put her arm around Edgar, conspicuously making a show of gettin
g close to him. “I also wanted to make sure that she understands how the employer-employee situation works around here. I know that kinda thing can be tricky. Sometimes an employee can feel left out and ignored, or maybe it works the other way and they feel like they're closer than they really are to the people who are paying their wages.”
“Perhaps you should go to bed,” Edgar said tersely, easing himself away from her.
“Totally,” she replied, grabbing his hand while keeping her eyes fixed on Kate. “Let's go to bed, sweetie.”
“I'll be up shortly,” he replied, pulling his hand free.
“Well then I'll just wait right here for you.”
“I would like you to retire for the night,” he continued. “I wish to speak to Miss Langley about a few other matters.”
“Then let's all talk,” Didi continued, forcing a grin. “Come on, I can join in with whatever you're chatting about. I'm not some dumb little whore!”
“This way,” Edgar replied, grabbing her by the wrist and leading her over to the door. “I'll be up shortly. Please retire to bed and wait for me.”
“I want to stay up!” Didi shouted, trying to pull free.
“The matter is not up for discussion.”
Kate watched as they headed out into the hallway. Although she felt extremely uncomfortable, she was worried that if she insisted on going to bed right now, she'd only make the situation even more awkward. Besides, she liked talking to Edgar, particularly about his family history and the history of the island, so she hoped that he would win the argument and that Didi would leave them for the evening. She could hear them still arguing out in the hallway, so she turned to look out the window again. The lights of the port town were so enticing, and she found herself longing for the days when she stayed at Ephram's, even if it meant dodging chickens during the night. Lost in thought for a moment, she was almost able to drown out the sound of Edgar and Didi's raised voices, and -
Suddenly she heard a loud slap, and the voices fell quiet.
She turned to look back at the door, waiting for someone to say something, but all she heard was silence and then, finally, the sound of Didi running up the stairs in her heels. It wasn't clear who had slapped who, but either way, the argument seemed to have come to an abrupt halt.
Moments later, Edgar came back into the room, with a troubled look in his eyes.
“I hope everything's okay,” Kate said. “If you -”
“It's fine,” Edgar said as he reached her. He took his glass and sipped from the cocktail, and for a moment his mind seemed to be elsewhere. “I'm sorry that your first evening here had to be tainted in such a way,” he continued. “I'm afraid that Didi is a very passionate young woman, and she tends to speak her mind without filtering anything out. This can be endearing at times, but it can also come across as being rather abrasive and rude. I'm sure she'll calm down by the morning and the two of you will be able to get along just fine.”
Kate smiled politely, even though she felt that there was no way she and Didi could ever be friends. There just seemed to be a gulf between them, and besides, Didi had apparently got it into her head that Kate was some kind of threat to her relationship with Edgar. The idea was ridiculous, Kate told herself, but there was no doubt that jealousy had taken root in Didi's heart.
“When you go out to the stones,” Edgar said after a moment, “I would be very interested in coming with you. So long as I wouldn't get in the way, that is.”
“Of course,” Kate replied, even though she worried about the repercussions with Didi. “That'd be fine. I should warn you, though, that it might be pretty boring. Lots of note-taking and staring at a bunch of rocks. It's not exactly Indiana Jones.”
“That sounds like fun to me,” Edgar said with a faint smile. “And now, if you'll excuse me, I think I should retire for the evening. I know it's still early, and I hope you won't think me rude, but today has been long and I think it would be better to sacrifice a few hours tonight in order to feel more refreshed in the morning.” He paused for a moment. “I truly am sorry if you felt uncomfortable this evening. Perhaps you will join us for dinner again tomorrow night, and we can put things back on track? Start again, so to speak.”
“Sure,” Kate said, even though the idea didn't appeal to her at all. “Sounds great.”
“And I shall endeavor to drop into the archive tomorrow and see how you're doing,” he added. “I don't wish to disturb you, but I'm keen to keep up-to-date with whatever you discover.”
As Edgar left the room, Kate remained by the window. She figured that she might as well finish her drink, and the nighttime view across the island brought her some peace. The day might not have gone quite according to plan, but she was still glad to be back on Thaxos, and she figured that she'd just arrived at an inopportune moment. There was no way that Edgar and Didi could argue like this all the time, she told herself, and Edgar wouldn't be with someone who had no redeeming features whatsoever. Taking another sip of her drink, she forced herself to retain some hope that her second visit to Thaxos would be enjoyable. For now, she figured, she just had to focus on the archive.