From up here in the hills, the vista of Ithos was laid out before him like a painting; this island that he called home was beautiful, and usually the sight of it eased his soul. Today, however, he was too troubled to enjoy it. The thought that he and Shauna had created a baby girl together, a baby he had never held, whose first tentative steps he had missed, and who he might never meet. Conceived in the summer of 1982, she would be nineteen by now. A year older than Ariana. It felt like a punch in the guts. He was a family man, it was everything to him. Whatever Shauna might think, he would have made things right, if he’d known.
He didn’t blame Shauna. This was all Elana’s doing.
His mother had always meddled in his life. In all of their lives. Pulling strings and manipulating them as if they were puppets. Well, it was time she heard a few home truths. It might be too late for him, but he could at least put a stop to her plans for Ariana.
He turned and headed back along the path, all downhill now. His long strides powered through the kilometres.
It was time his mother was put in her place once and for all.
Shauna dipped her toe in the Mediterranean, enjoying the coolness on her painted red toenails as she entered the water up to her waist. The colour of the sea on Ithos was like an ever-changing jewel; today it was turquoise, and so clear she could see tiny fish darting around in the water. She kicked her legs out and swam to the rocks and back again, the coolness of the water and the breeze contrasting with the heat of the sun which was rising high in the sky. Ithos had burrowed its way into her soul again; it would be hard to leave, but she knew they must.
Swimming back to the shore, she waved at Roxy, who was reading a copy of Vogue, and Alex, who was trying to blow up his inflatable dolphin.
She threw herself on the sand next to Roxy and applied another layer of suncream, then slipped her silk parrot-print sarong over her shoulders.
Roxy put down her magazine. ‘Better?’
Shauna nodded. ‘Much … Well, a little.’
‘No regrets?’
‘About telling Demetrios?’ She put her head on one side, thinking. ‘No. It was time that secret came out into the light. He’s as much a part of that child’s story as I am.’
‘Do you believe him, that he tried to find you?’
Shauna considered this. ‘I think that’s what he wants to believe himself. He was under so much pressure from his parents to save the company, to build a dynasty.’ She ran her hand through the sand, enjoying the heat of it through her fingers. ‘I think he could be strong when we were together, but once I was gone …’
‘Maybe it was for the best. You might never have made it to where you are now if you’d stayed together.’
‘We were too young. We’d probably have ended up divorced a few years later.’ She lowered her voice to a whisper. ‘Could giving up a child you love ever be for the best?’
Roxy reached out for her hand. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘I know. But he made his choice, and so did I.’
‘So, when are we leaving?’ Roxy asked her gently. ‘It’s going to be hard saying goodbye to this place, I can tell you.’
‘You’re right, but every holiday must come to an end.’
‘How about we go to Níko’s for an early dinner? We can head over late afternoon. I’d like to say goodbye to Grace. I know Alex is going to miss her.’
‘I still haven’t met her.’
‘Now’s your chance.’
Elana poured herself a cup of Earl Grey tea from the silver teapot. She never thought of herself as an anglophile, but there was something so civilized about afternoon tea. She had heard that the English claimed tea cooled you down on a hot day, which sounded like nonsense to her, but she found a serenity in the ritual of brewing, pouring and drinking that was uniquely pleasurable. She looked out from the terrace, past the pool to the olive grove and beyond that to the sea. How many thousands of times had she looked out at this scene? People liked to assume that the Theodosis villa belonged to her husband, but the opposite was true. This had been her childhood home and her parents had gifted it to them as part of her dowry. She had been born in this place. She would die here, and that thought gave her comfort. Elana took consolation in the simple cycle of life, but today she felt troubled, a nagging unease was sending anxious ripples through her mind, chipping away her composure until even a cup of Earl Grey couldn’t make things better. Something was bothering her, something she couldn’t quite identify.
She tapped her foot fretfully. Where was everyone today? Ariana had not yet shown her face, probably still sleeping off another late night with her friends. She would normally have come looking for something to eat by now. Elana decided to cook her grandaughter’s favourite dish: youvetsi, the perfect comfort food.
As she got to her feet and smoothed out the creases in her printed floor-length dress, she heard footsteps coming through the house in her direction. Seconds later, Demetrios came out onto the terrace, dressed not for leisure but in a pair of smart linen trousers and a crisp white shirt. He did not greet her with his usual kiss.
‘You are going somewhere,’ she observed.
‘Yes, Mother. I have decided that I have lingered here long enough. I am going to my office in Athens to make arrangements. I have decided to move to London and take Ariana with me. She needs someone to provide a positive influence in her life, and who better than her parents. Maybe we should have tried harder to work together when she was younger, instead of fighting each other. But I’m sure we can coexist in the same city for the good of our daughter.’
‘What has got into you, Demi? Where has this come from all of a sudden? Why have you said nothing of these plans before now?’
‘I have always known that you are a scheming, devious woman, Mother, but I had no idea how much your interference had cost me. I cannot stand by and let you wreck my daughter’s life too.’
Elana felt a tremble in her legs. ‘What are you talking about?’
Demetrios walked across the terrace, but his mind was not on the view. ‘We get many visitors to this island, Mother, some of them returning ones. This week, an old acquaintance of yours arrived – or should I say an old triumph.’
‘Triumph? Demi, I have no idea what you mean.’
‘Don’t you? Well then, let me help you understand. Twenty years ago, you took it upon yourself to decide my future. When I refused to go along with your plans, you took matters into your own hands.’ His voice was full of vitriol and white-hot anger. ‘You banished the woman I loved as if you were a god on Olympus.’
‘Twenty years … I can’t remember, it’s so long ago …’ Her voice was shaking but, despite her protestations, her mind was as sharp as it had always been and she remembered well the events of that day …
Summer, 1982
‘Let’s drink to the future, yours and the business, to a grand dynasty.’ She had handed Demetrios a glass and tipped her own to him. ‘What do you say? To the future? Stay for dinner this evening and we can talk some more.’
Her son looked at her coldly, ‘Mother, this is not a game of chess and I am not one of your pawns.’
‘Don’t be silly, this is not about games, this is about the future. Surely you want the same as we do?’
‘Do I?’ Demetrios put his glass of champagne down on the table. ‘You know, Mother, a few years ago you might have fooled me with all this talk, but now I can see a different life.’
‘Don’t be ridiculous, this is the only life we have known, it is in our blood.’
Demetrios’s voice was louder now, the passion in his face evident as his eyes flashed and his voice filled with pent-up emotions. ‘Constantis is a conniving bastard, but what the hell does it matter if he takes the company – you’ll still be rich, you can buy another company, try something different.’
‘Now you’re being irrational,’ his father had interjected, lighting another cigar.
‘Are you seriously asking me to marry someone I don’t love, to give
up my dreams, just for the good of the business?’
‘What dreams are these?’ Elana had sneered dismissively. ‘What can a young man know about love.’
‘Oh, I know plenty. I know that love isn’t selfish or greedy, it doesn’t care about money or status. I know this because there is a woman who loves me for myself, who doesn’t care about any of those things.’
Elana let a cruel laugh escape her. ‘Ah, the little chambermaid you’ve been screwing?’
‘Mother … you go too far.’
But Elana didn’t stop. ‘Oh yes, I have heard all about her. But you are a fool if you think that she isn’t a gold-digger just like the rest of them.’
‘You’re wrong.’
‘I am never wrong. You are an immature, lovesick puppy to think that your money is of no interest to her. This grand love affair of yours will last a few more weeks and then the moment she leaves the island, she’ll be selling your story to the tabloids. You’ll look even more like an idiot than you do now.’
Demetrios took a step towards her, and another, until their noses were almost touching. ‘And how do you think you look now, Mother?’ His eyes were cold. ‘You think you are still beautiful. Maybe on the outside, but inside you are ugly and twisted.’
Elana’s heart lurched; she had never before seen her son look at her with such hate in his eyes. Perhaps she had gone too far, but it was that stupid money-grabber who had turned his head.
‘Demi!’ his father had chided, ‘don’t talk to your mother like that. Whoever this girl is, she has gone to your head.’
Elana had composed herself. ‘Relax. Aristotle, tempers are hot, no?’ She patted her son’s arm. ‘We must step back a little and calm down.’ She smiled serenely, determined to exert control over the situation. Things were worse than she had thought if this was how he was feeling.
‘Demetrios, sit and talk with your father for a while, perhaps he can help you to come to the right decision. I will leave the two of you to discuss it in private.’
Elana had jumped into her Jaguar and driven down to the harbour, seeking Jeremy out.
‘What the hell has been going on?’
Jeremy told her everything, about the young woman her son had been so taken with. The pair of them had been spending nearly every waking hour together since the St Helena had docked in Ithos.
‘You stupid man! Why didn’t you tell me about this before? She could ruin everything. We have to get rid of her. I want you to sack her.’
Jeremy had been shocked but when she’d reminded him that she was his employer not Demetrios, he soon did her bidding.
Elana couldn’t resist a look at the girl who had caused her son to take leave of her senses. She was not what she had expected, and Elana couldn’t help admiring the girl’s dignity as she refused to take her money. The girl with the green eyes and the flame-red hair …
Elana gasped: the woman in the olive grove – that was her! She was older, certainly, but she could see now that she had not changed so much, still beautiful, with that inner poise.
‘The woman … she was here …’
‘So you have seen her, too. Well, Mother, she came here to tell me that we had a child, and she gave her up for adoption. A baby girl, a Theododis baby girl.’ He emphasized their family name.
Elana’s legs almost gave way. She sank down in her wicker chair, putting her face in her hands.
‘Oh, Demetrios, how could I have known?’
‘Your dirty secret is now discovered, Mother.’ His voice was icy. ‘You sent her away, and with her the child I never knew, the daughter I will never have a chance to know. Have you any idea how that makes me feel?’
‘Son …’ Elana sobbed. ‘Demi, please, I only did what I thought was right for us.’
‘Yes, for us, not for me. I don’t think I can ever forgive you.’
‘Please, Demi, don’t say that.’ She reached out for him, but he remained impassive.
They were interrupted by Magda, the housekeeper. ‘You have a visitor,’ she told them. ‘Christian, Níko’s boy.’
‘Send him through,’ Demetrios told her.
Elana was still dabbing at her eyes, composing herself, when Christian came out on to the terrace, but he seemed too preoccupied to notice anything amiss.
‘Is Ari here?’
Demetrios flicked an irritated glance at his mother. ‘Why?’
‘I’m worried about her.’ Christian pushed his hand through his hair. ‘Your boat is missing from the harbour. I saw Ari driving it yesterday afternoon – she came by the boathouse, but she hasn’t returned it to the harbour.’
‘But she is here, no?’ Demetrios turned to Elana.
Elana shook her head, a look of panic in her eyes. ‘I haven’t seen her today. I assumed she was sleeping in after a late night.’
Demetrios called Magda and asked her if Ariana was in her room.
She shook her head. ‘I have not seen her today, and her bed had not been slept in when I cleaned her room.’
‘Shit …’ Christian said, looking more worried. ‘It’s late afternoon.’
‘There is no need to panic, surely,’ Demetrios said. ‘She could have spent the night at a friend’s house. She knows she will be in trouble with me for borrowing the boat, so she is staying out of my way.’
Elana was shaking her head, she felt a blast of cold dread run through her veins.
‘The thing is,’ said Christian, ‘we had a quarrel. She was upset and before I could stop her she took off in the boat. This morning, when I saw the boat was missing, I asked around. A couple of the fishermen said that Ariana had brought it back last night, but then someone else said they’d seen her return after midnight and take it out again.’
The colour drained from Demetrios’s face. ‘This quarrel, what happened?’ he demanded, his eyes blazing. ‘Tell me.’
‘She came to the boathouse and … this is embarrassing …’ He blushed. ‘She tried to seduce me.’
Demetrios leapt forward and grabbed Christian by his T-shirt, ‘If you have harmed her—’
Christian held his hands up, ‘No, boss, of course not. I told her I wasn’t interested, that I thought of her like a little sister. That was when she stormed off.’
Elana moaned. ‘That is worse – don’t you see, Demi, she feels shamed and humiliated.’
Demetrios rounded on his mother. ‘This is your fault, you stupid old woman, filling her head with ideas, always trying to manipulate, to make “alliances”—’
Elana wrung her hands, sobbing. ‘Demi, please, hate me later. Just find Ariana …’
Chapter 33
‘Cheers!’ Shauna clinked her cold glass of retsina against Roxy’s. When they had arrived at the restaurant, Níko had embraced them both like long-lost daughters and insisted on giving them a bottle of his finest wine on the house and serving them himself. He had drawn attention to the table and, for the first time in weeks, Shauna had been asked for her autograph. The fans, a German couple who’d been sitting at a nearby table, chatted politely to her while she signed her name, and then left with big grins on their faces. Luckily, she didn’t think anyone else had noticed.
Alex had been exhausted when they had got back from the beach and had fallen into a deep snooze by the time Shauna had come to get him ready for dinner.
‘You two go, I will look after him for you,’ Delphine, the housekeeper, had told them.
‘He’ll be sad to have missed seeing Grace,’ Roxy said.
‘We’ll make time before we leave tomorrow,’ Shauna promised.
They were now enjoying their first course, a delicious meze of dolmades, pitta bread, olives, tomatoes and peppers stuffed with feta cheese. It was all delicious.
Roxy licked her lips. ‘I think I’m going to miss this the most of all. But everything about Ithos is wonderful.’
‘It is a magical place, but—’
‘Hey, no regrets, remember?’
‘I don’t believe people who say they have no
regrets. I will always hold this place in my heart, and Demetrios too.’
Roxy was shaking her head. ‘This was supposed to be a life cleanse.’
‘Oh, don’t get me wrong, I know coming here and facing Demetrios was the right thing to do. I’m ready to focus on the next stage of my life.’
‘Oscars!’
‘Shh, don’t tempt fate,’ she warned, putting on a mock-stern face. ‘My only regret is that Demetrios and I left things on such a sad note.’
Roxy tilted her head, waiting to see if she’d go on. When she’d arrived back at the villa yesterday she’d been reluctant to go into details about her meeting with Demetrios, and Roxy hadn’t wanted to push her.
‘I told him that I’d keep in touch, but … There were so many things jumbled up in my head, and he was so shaken by the news that we have a daughter out there somewhere … Maybe we didn’t say what was really in our hearts. It was good to see him, though.’ Shauna’s eyes were misting with tears as she spoke.
‘Oh, honey.’ Roxy reached out and squeezed Shauna’s hand.
Almost as if her words had conjured him up, Shauna saw a red Ferrari pull up outside the taverna and Demetrios got out. He strode across the terrace, followed by Christian, and passed by without even noticing her.
‘It seems like fate,’ Roxy observed. ‘Why don’t you ask him if he wants to have a drink with us – or rather, you. I know when three is a crowd.’
Shauna laughed. ‘Don’t be silly, I’d love you to meet him at long last, so I can prove he really is as handsome as I said he was.’
Maybe it was the retsina going to her head, but Shauna had a sudden feeling that she wasn’t ready to say goodbye to him just yet.
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