She eyed him through lowered lashes, her antennae on the alert in response to Luke Andreadis in charming mode. Why the change of attitude? She raised the glass he’d filled for her. ‘You’re leaving soon, so let’s enjoy the evening in a spirit of friendship.’
Luke raised his own glass. ‘We will enjoy the evening, certainly, but I shall return from Athens before you leave.’
‘Will you? I thought you’d be too busy with your new venture.’
‘I shall be. But I employ clever people more than capable of keeping the engines running when I take time off,’ he assured her, and drank some wine. ‘Even Air Chyros, my new baby, has a specialist department to look after it and can therefore function without me for short periods. So,’ he added, ‘should you have a problem, just ring me and I can arrange for whatever help you need. But if you feel ill in any way tell Spiro to contact Dr Riga immediately.’
‘I’m sure I’ll be fine from now on. But I appreciate the thought.’
‘You value your independence very highly,’ said Luke indulgently. ‘Is there no man at all in your life, Isobel?’
Her eyes shadowed. ‘No.’
He shook his head. ‘Amazing. Why not?’
Isobel shrugged. ‘Because I haven’t met anyone remotely suitable lately.’
Luke’s eyebrows shot into his hair. ‘A cold attitude! A lover must be more than just suitable. Have you never met a man who makes your heart beat faster?’
Yes, but for entirely the wrong reasons. ‘I was in a relationship quite recently,’ she admitted.
He waited, but when Isobel merely drank her wine he stared at her in frustration. ‘So what happened?’
‘We broke up due to irreconcilable differences.’ She shrugged. ‘I wanted his friendship. He was fixated on my appearance. He just couldn’t see past it to the personality—and hopefully brain—behind the hair and eyes.’
Luke frowned. ‘But surely a man can be attracted by both your looks and your brain?’
‘Very few, unfortunately.’
Luke offered her a plate of olives. ‘You must eat well tonight to gain your strength. You are too thin, Isobel.’
‘I’m sure you were glad of that when you were forced to carry me around so much!’
‘Very true. Most ladies of my acquaintance are more generously built,’ he admitted, and smiled into her eyes. ‘In Athens I will think of you when you are eating alone here.’
Isobel shook her head. ‘You’ll be too busy.’
‘Not too busy to think of you, Isobel,’ he assured her, a gleam under the heavy, lazy lids she was getting to know. And suspect.
‘Amazing!’ she said, shaking her head in wonder.
‘What is amazing?’
‘How you’ve changed from the man who was so furious at finding me on his beach.’ She eyed him curiously. ‘If I had been just a sunbathing trespasser, instead of injured and unconscious, what would you have done?’
‘My usual treatment is a harsh lecture, after which I give the trespasser a swift passage back to the harbour.’ He eyed her thoughtfully. ‘I think I would have done the same for you, but that is very hard to imagine. Now.’
‘I’m sure you’d have sent me packing, just like the rest.’
He smiled indulgently. ‘I doubt it.’
Isobel took refuge in her wine. Unless she was mistaken, Luke really was showing signs of fancying her as one of his ‘pillow friends’. And because he’d rescued her from his beach and taken her into his home, he probably thought he had the right to expect it. Which would make for a very difficult situation when she refused. As she would.
‘You’re very quiet,’ he commented.
‘Anticipation of dinner. And here comes Eleni with it right now,’ she added, relieved.
‘Which I trust you will eat. Otherwise, you will be too weak to get back to your cottage before you fly home. Right, Eleni?’
The woman nodded vigorously. ‘Much better stay here.’ She patted Isobel’s shoulder as she left.
‘Eleni’s very sweet,’ said Isobel.
‘I shall tell her you said so. She will be pleased—she has taken a great fancy to you.’ He shrugged. ‘I have never brought a woman here. She is enjoying the experience.’
To Isobel’s irritation, this information pleased her. How silly was that? His social life was nothing to do with her. ‘You keep that side of your life for Athens, I suppose?’
‘That side of my life?’
‘The pillow friends and so on.’
‘By that particular term I mean those ladies who are happy to wine and dine and stay the night occasionally. I make my intentions clear from the start,’ he added deliberately, ‘so that no one is misled—or hurt.’
She seriously doubted that. Probably they all hoped that wining and dining—and a sleepover—would just be the opening bout for the main event of something permanent with a man like Lukas Andreadis, who possessed physical appeal, success and wealth as the triple layer of icing on the cake. A combination far too overpowering for Isobel.
After the meal Luke suggested she might like to sit in one of the reclining chairs beside the pool.
‘I would, indeed—’
Before the words were out of her mouth, Luke picked her up and carried her along the terrace to lay her carefully in one of the chairs. ‘Are you comfortable?’ he asked as he straightened.
‘Yes—thank you,’ she said through clenched teeth, irritated to find that, while her brain repudiated physical intimacy with Luke as total disaster, the fleeting physical contact with him had sent her hormones running riot, damn them.
‘What is wrong, Isobel?’ he asked, taking the chair beside her.
‘Nothing. How could anything be wrong?’ she said, getting a grip. ‘It’s so beautiful here.’
‘True—’ He groaned as his phone rang. ‘Forgive me for a moment?’ he asked, identifying the caller. ‘I must answer this.’
‘Of course.’ Isobel watched him stride into the house, talking to his caller in tones which made it obvious, even though she couldn’t understand a word of it, that the news he was being given was bad. She sat back in her chair, giving her hormones a stringent lecture as she watched the play of lights on the pool.
Luke looked grim when he rejoined her. ‘I must leave for Athens at daybreak.’
‘Trouble?’
‘Of a kind, yes. During the airline takeover there was one solitary dissenter when the board voted for my acquisition.’
‘And he’s making difficulties for you?’
‘She,’ he corrected, with a harsh note in his voice that won him a sharp look. ‘The woman previously in charge of the airline. When she found there was no way to stop the merger going through, the lady was so enraged she eventually suffered a stroke. I have just been informed that she died of it today.’
‘Do you feel you’re to blame?’ asked Isobel soberly.
Luke looked at her in surprise. ‘No. If the gods struck her down it was her fate.’
‘That’s very—Greek of you.’
He shrugged. ‘Even if I am to blame for her stroke and her death, I am merely the instrument fate chose for this.’
Her eyes widened. ‘You obviously didn’t like her much.’
‘Like her?’ Luke gave a mirthless bark of laughter. ‘It may shock you to hear this, but I hated her so much I rejoice in her death.’
His brutal honesty sent shivers down Isobel’s spine. ‘Will you go to her funeral?’
‘Of course. It will be expected. Funerals take place here as soon as possible after death, so tonight there will be the Trisagion, or vigil, with prayers for the departed. I would not have attended that even if I were there, but I shall put in the necessary appearance at the church tomorrow, complete with black arm band. Unless her husband turns me away at the door,’ he added grimly.
‘But if his wife had a stroke, it’s hardly reasonable to blame you for her death!’
‘He has never been a reasonable man.’
‘
You know him well?’
‘I know of him well enough!’
‘Was he involved in the takeover negotiations?’
Luke smiled coldly. ‘For some reason he chose to stay behind the scenes and let his wife Melina do the talking, which was his big mistake. If he had conducted the negotiations himself, things might not have gone so well for me. But from the day he gave her nominal control of the airline, his wife made enemies of every man on the board. The result was unanimous acceptance of my offer.’
‘Not a nice lady.’
Luke smiled grimly. ‘Not nice at all, Isobel.’
‘But her husband must be grieving for her, just the same.’
‘Possibly. But he has many business interests to console him. I doubt he will grieve for long.’
‘That’s cold! You obviously don’t like him, either.’
Luke’s teeth showed white in the semi-darkness. ‘Like is too lukewarm a word, Isobel.’
‘You know him well, then?’
‘No. If I meet him tomorrow it will be for the first time. Yet Theodore Andreadis is my grandfather.’
CHAPTER FIVE
ISOBEL’S eyes widened in astonishment. ‘Your grandfather? And you’ve never met him?’
‘He does not acknowledge the relationship.’ The words sounded like pebbles dropped in a dish. Luke shrugged. ‘Not that I wish him to, nor do I trade on the fact that I am his grandson. To me, he is just a tyrannical old man I cannot forgive for his treatment of my mother. If I tell you what he did it may help you understand.’ He turned to look at her. ‘Though normally this is not a subject I discuss.’
‘Your confidence is safe with me, I promise.’
‘I do not doubt it. So, let me explain the rift. My grandmother, the first wife of Theo Andreadis, left him for a lover when their daughter was a baby, but died soon afterwards. To avoid history repeating itself, Theo brought Olympia up very strictly, educated at home instead of sent to school, and allowed contact with only one friend he considered suitable. In time he remarried and presented her with Melina, the archetypal wicked stepmother. She,’ he added harshly, ‘made life a living hell for the young Olympia.’
‘So that’s why you hated her!’
‘There was worse to come. Coaxed by her friend to break out and go to a party, Olympia met a man there. Afterwards, having tasted freedom, Olympia stole out of the house at night to meet him as often as she could. Her absences went unnoticed, due to the discretion of loyal servants who adored Olympia. But I was the inevitable result of these secret meetings. When Melina found out about the pregnancy, she urged Theodore Andreadis to throw his daughter out of the house for disgracing his name, as her mother had done before her. So he did,’ Luke added harshly.
Isobel eyed him in horror. ‘How did your mother survive?’
‘With the help of her faithful friend Chloe, she managed to get to her old nurse, here on Chyros, and begged a job from Basil Nikolaides in the kitchen of his taverna. After I was born she kept her job, saved everything she could for my education, and after school hours and at weekends I worked, too, usually as deck hand on one of the fishing boats. The jewels left to her by my erring grandmother were all my mother took with her from her home in Athens, and sales of these saw me through college and financed my MBA. But, to my great sorrow, my mother died before I began making money with my freighters.’ Luke’s mouth tightened. ‘So you see why I have no love for Theo Andreadis; even less for his harpy of a wife.’
Isobel was silent for a while. ‘When did you start thinking about revenge?’
His lips tightened. ‘From the day I heard what happened to my mother.’
‘It must have been hard for her to tell you.’
Luke shook his head. ‘She did not. I had it all from old Sofia, who would have murdered Theo Andreadis with her own bare hands if she could, and Melina with him. I swore I would one day take my revenge. But not with murder, as Sofia thirsted for. I had something more subtle and painful in mind. Taking over the airline was the perfect revenge on Melina because it was the ultimate humiliation for her. She was so incandescent with fury it is no surprise that she had a stroke afterwards. Nor am I hypocrite enough to pretend regret that she is dead.’
Isobel was silent as she stared out into the starlit night, feeling chilled to the bone.
‘You are shocked?’ he asked.
‘Stunned, rather. It’s like a Sophocles tragedy.’ She turned to him. ‘You’ve had your revenge on Melina, but what about your grandfather? Is his wife’s death enough revenge for you, or do you have something different planned for him?’
‘I did not plan Melina’s death—fate did that for me. And no doubt it will do the same for Theo Andreadis one day without my help. Even though I have no love for him, I will not seek revenge on someone of my own blood,’ Luke assured her and smiled faintly. ‘Isobel, you have not asked me the all important question.’
‘I wouldn’t dream of asking you any questions at all,’ she assured him. ‘I’m gratified that you told a stranger like me even this much.’
‘It is not normal dinner table conversation,’ he agreed. ‘But you must surely be curious about the identity of my natural father.’
‘I’m only human, so of course I am,’ she said frankly. ‘But only if you want to tell me.’
To his surprise, Luke found that he did. ‘Chloe, the friend who took Olympia to the party, had a brother who excelled at athletics. He introduced the shy Olympia to the gold medallist swimmer he brought home from college for the party. It was love at first sight for both of them. After a series of brief stolen meetings, arranged with help from the faithful Chloe, the secret lover left to train for his next championship, promising to return to marry Olympia straight afterwards.’
‘I’m not going to like the next bit,’ said Isobel with foreboding. ‘He didn’t come back, obviously.’
‘No. His plane crashed.’
‘Oh, Luke, that’s so sad!’
He nodded sombrely. ‘All she had of him were his gold medals and the son he gave her. Apparently, I resemble him very closely. And,’ he added with a smile, ‘I have always been a powerful swimmer.’
‘I saw you in the pool.’
‘I know, Isobel.’ He chuckled softly. ‘Were you impressed?’
‘Yes,’ she said honestly. ‘Though very embarrassed when you caught me watching.’ She gave a sudden yawn, more from nerves than weariness. ‘Sorry.’
‘You are tired. It is time you went to bed.’ Deaf to her protests, he picked her up and carried her along the terrace to her room, finding that his senses were stirred by emotions he normally kept under rigid control—the direct result of sharing such personal information with Isobel. Combined with the scent and warmth of the slender body in his arms, they filled him with a sudden urgent need for the kind of solace only a woman could provide and, instead of setting her down on her feet he sat down in the armchair with her in his lap. ‘When a man rescues a damsel in distress he deserves a reward, ne?’
She stiffened, pulling away in alarm. ‘What kind of reward do you have in mind?’
‘Just a goodnight kiss.’
Isobel shook her head vehemently, pushing him away in such frenzied rejection Luke got up, grim-faced, and laid her down against the pillows on the bed.
‘Do not look at me like that,’ he said harshly, staring down into her ashen face. ‘I am not a rapist.’
‘Maybe not.’ She hugged her arms across her chest, unable to meet his eyes. ‘But neither am I applying for the post of pillow friend.’
Luke stood utterly still for a moment. ‘A word of advice, Isobel,’ he said after a pause. ‘Wait until asked to apply for such a post before you refuse.’
She burrowed into the pillows, burning with mortification as he strode through the open doors. Thank God he was leaving tomorrow. Before he came back—if he did come back while she was here—she would be at the cottage. With a gasp, she shot upright again as he reappeared from the terrace with her crutch.
‘I will send Eleni with tea,’ he said curtly.
‘No! Please tell her I don’t need anything tonight.’
‘As you wish.’ Luke gave her a formal nod. ‘I leave early in the morning. I shall say goodbye now.’
‘Goodbye.’ Isobel pulled herself together. ‘Thank you again for all your help.’
He shrugged negligently as he made for the door. ‘It was nothing.’
Isobel slumped against the pillows, fighting the urge to cry her eyes out. But if she gave in to tears the headache would come back and, threat of blood clots or not, tomorrow she was determined to leave the Villa Medusa. She looked at her watch and groaned. It was still quite early and she was no longer tired. Quite the reverse. The brief episode had sent her into such a spin she would take some calming down if she was to get to sleep any time before morning.
Later, propped up against pillows ready for the night, Isobel felt better, grateful to her head for letting her read. At least she wouldn’t have to lie awake all night, mulling over the mortifying episode with Luke. But she couldn’t explain why she’d shied off like a frightened virgin. Although he’d surprised her with details about his background, her own experience was too new and raw to talk about to a man who was virtually a stranger. So if Luke had harboured any idea about a holiday fling it was better to nip it in the bud right now. She sighed heavily. The physical contact of carrying her about so much had been to blame, creating intimacy from the word go.
Isobel steeled herself to concentrate on her book. Then looked up in surprise as someone knocked on her door.
‘Come in,’ she called, expecting Eleni, her body instantly rigid as Luke came in and closed the door behind him.
‘I saw your light.’ He approached the bed, something in his eyes pressing her panic button again. ‘I knew you were awake, Isobel. I brought your phone.’
‘Thank you,’ she said stiffly. ‘I’d forgotten all about it. I was reading.’
‘The phone was just an excuse.’ He sat on the edge of the bed, frowning as she backed away. ‘Isobel, did you really believe that I would force you? You are a guest in my house, and still recovering from an accident. Do you think I am such a monster?’
The Power of the Legendary Greek Page 6