In Petrakis's Power

by Maggie Cox

  Acutely aware that emotions were probably running high in all of them, Ludo returned his gaze to his mother and saw her smile tentatively, as if unsure how he was going to receive her. That uncertain look on her beautiful face twisted his heart. Yet because his father’s expression was so serious he hesitated to throw his arms round her as he longed to.

  He needn’t have worried. Releasing her husband’s arm, Eva Petrakis stepped onto the mosaic tiles where Ludo stood and wholeheartedly embraced him. Her still slender body trembled as he hugged her back without hesitation, his senses awash in a sea of childhood memories of her unstinting love and affection for him and his brother. Oh, how he had missed her!

  With her hands resting lightly but firmly on his arms, as if she was reluctant to let him go, she stood back to scan his features. In Greek, she told him how worried she’d been about him, and that every night when she went to bed she’d prayed he was safe and well and planning on coming home soon … home where he belonged.

  In return, Ludo murmured his sincere apology and regret. She smiled, gently touching his face. Then she told him that she knew far more of how he felt than he’d realised. There was no need for him ever to feel sorry about his actions again. She understood and had never blamed him for them, so neither should he blame himself. As hard as it had been for her and Alekos to accept, they had now reconciled themselves to the fact that it had been Theo’s time. It was their profound belief that he was home with God now …

  Leaning towards him, she planted a warmly affectionate kiss on Ludo’s cheek and, lowering her voice, told him that he should give his father a little more time to realise what a great gift it was for them to have him home again. ‘Be patient,’ she advised sagely.

  Observing his father across her shoulder, Ludo saw that sorrow and time had indeed taken their toll on him. There were deep grooves in the forehead of his handsome face, and his curling dark hair was more liberally sprinkled with salt and pepper strands than it had been three years ago. But without a doubt he still emitted the same formidable energy that Theo had envied so much.

  ‘If I live to be my father’s age and still have the strength and energy to accomplish as much in one day as he can,’ he’d often declared, ‘then I’ll know the Petrakis gene pool hasn’t failed me!’

  Swallowing down the lump that swelled in his throat at the bittersweet memory, Ludo moved away from his mother and determinedly went to stand in front of the man who had been responsible for raising him.

  ‘Hello, Father,’ he greeted him. ‘It has been too long, yes?’

  Even though he was absolutely sincere—because events and the passage of time had rendered the already considerable distance between them a veritable chasm—his words couldn’t help but sound awkward and strained. Instead of embracing the older man, as he might normally have done, he held out his hand. Alekos Petrakis didn’t take it. Ludo’s tentative hopes for a reconciliation splintered like shattered glass.

  ‘So you have deigned to come home at long last?’ his father remarked coldly. ‘I had hoped you would grow into a man to equal your brother Theo in conduct and character, but your absence these past three years has demonstrated to me that I hoped in vain. I do not recognise you, Ludovic, and it grieves me sorely that I do not.’

  Ludo reeled. It felt as though he’d been punched hard. ‘I am sorry you feel like that, Father. But Theo has his path and I have mine.’

  The shame-filled break in his voice catapulted him back to being the small boy who’d longed to have his father regard him as highly as he did his big brother, and he couldn’t help flinching in embarrassment as well as pain. The older man’s admission had all but floored him. Didn’t he see any good in him at all? Were the only people who had any kind of belief in his worth the two women who stood patiently waiting for him to join them?

  ‘Had,’ his father corrected him. ‘You said Theo “has” his path. Your brother is no longer with us, remember?’

  Ludo silently cursed the unfortunate blunder. The accusing look in his father’s brown eyes cut him to the quick. Hardly able to bear it, he turned away, seeing with a jolt of surprise that his mother Eva had moved up close to Natalie and was exchanging a reassuring smile with her. Natalie held out the slim glass vase she had insisted on buying as a gift and his mother graciously accepted it. Remembering that she’d advised him to be patient with regard to his father, he determinedly quashed any further thoughts of failure and remorse and returned to the women.

  ‘He doesn’t want to know me,’ he murmured, glancing ruefully at his mother, then at Natalie.

  ‘He just needs a little more time, my son,’ she answered in English. ‘You both do. Time to get to know each other again.’ Carefully setting down the delicate vase on a wrought-iron table behind them, Eva reached for his hand and gently squeezed it. ‘Now, we have all been dreadfully remiss. You have not introduced us to your beautiful fiancée, Ludo, and I’d like you to remedy that. She has just given me the most beautiful vase as a gift and I am taken aback by her generosity.’

  Without hesitation Ludo caught hold of Natalie’s hand and gripped it firmly. An instantaneous bolt of electricity flashed between them and for a long moment his glance cleaved to hers. He wished they were somewhere more private, so he could show her exactly how she made him feel. It was a revelation that he seemed to need her so much. At the same time he knew it was important to make the proper introductions.

  ‘Mother, this is Natalie Carr—and Natalie … this is my mother, Eva Petrakis.’

  ‘Kalos orises, Natalie. Although I’m told that you are half-Greek, I will speak to you in English because my son tells me you do not speak Greek at home with your mother. It is a shame you do not speak it, but I’m sure that will change given time. I cannot tell you how long I have waited for the moment when I would welcome my soon-to-be daughter to our home, and it comes as no surprise to me to find that you are so beautiful. My son has always had the most exquisite taste.’

  Natalie found herself affectionately hugged by the elegant and friendly Eva in a waft of classic Arpège perfume. She smiled because it was the same fragrance that her mother wore, and it made her feel immediately at home.

  ‘Yia sas.’ Using one of the few greetings in Greek she did know, she said hello. ‘It’s so nice to meet you, Mrs Petrakis. Ludo always talks about you with such affection.’

  She stole a glance at the man standing silently by her side, quite aware that he’d become even more uneasy since that short conversation just now with his father. The older man seemed formidably stern to her. She would dearly love to know what had transpired between them, and guessed it wasn’t good.

  His mother, on the other hand, was clearly a different proposition. She seemed much more forgiving and approachable. And even though Natalie wasn’t really the ‘soon-to-be daughter’ she’d longed for, strangely she wasn’t embarrassed that it wasn’t the truth. All she could think right then was that Ludo needed her help. More than that, she’d made a contract with him that she was bound to follow through on. He’d kept his part of the bargain by giving her father a better deal for his business, and now she had to act the part of his fiancée convincingly … at least until the time came for her to return to the UK.

  The thought was a harsh and sobering one.

  ‘Ludo has always been my baby.’ Eva smiled, her gaze lovingly meeting her son’s. ‘He was always such a mischievous little boy, but I loved that he was so playful and liked to have fun. Our friends and neighbours adored him. They called him the golden-haired Petrakis angel.’

  Beneath his lightly tanned chiselled features Ludo reddened a little. The realisation that his mother’s tender little speech had embarrassed him made Natalie warm to him even more, because she guessed how much the fond declaration must secretly please him. After what had happened three years ago he must be all but starving for a demonstration of his parents’ love and affection—along with their forgiveness.

  ‘Come with me, Natalie.’ Firmly grasping her hand
, Eva started to walk Natalie over to the man who stood silently and a little broodingly, observing them all. ‘I want to introduce you to my husband—Ludo’s father—Alekos Petrakis.’

  ‘Yia sas. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr Petrakis.’

  She tried hard to inject some confidence into her tone but it wasn’t easy. Not when she had the distinct feeling that the man with the unflinchingly direct brown eyes was not an easy man to fool. But to Natalie’s surprise he warmly captured her hand between his much larger palms and his pleased smile seemed utterly genuine.

  ‘Kalos orises, Natalie. So you are the woman who is brave enough to take on my son Ludovic?’

  Her heart thumped hard as she started to reply. ‘You never know, Mr Petrakis—maybe Ludo is the brave one? We haven’t known each other for very long. When he gets to know me a little better he might discover that I have a few unappealing traits that can’t help but irritate him.’

  To her surprise, Alekos threw back his leonine head and laughed heartily. But before he could make a comment, Ludo usurped him.

  ‘I doubt that very much, my angel. You have too many traits that please me to counteract my being irritated by any less appealing ones. Plus, you are very easy on the eye … do you not agree, Father?’

  Natalie hardly dared to breathe. What was clear to her was that Ludo was holding out an olive branch to his stern parent … trying to disperse some of the tension between them with light humour. She prayed his father would recognise that was what he intended. The older man gave a slight downward nod of his head to indicate yes, and the dark eyes flicked appreciatively over Natalie’s face.

  ‘Your wife-to-be is certainly bewitching.’ He smiled, and Eva Petrakis’ coral-painted mouth curved with a delighted smile of her own. Linking her arm with her husband’s, she looked searchingly at Natalie and frowned. ‘Why are you not wearing an engagement ring? Has my charming son not purchased one for you yet?’

  Touching his hand to Natalie’s back, Ludo let it slide downwards so that he could encircle her waist. His fingers firmed against her ribcage beneath her dress, and she couldn’t deny that his warm touch helped her feel more secure.

  ‘We were waiting until we arrived in Greece to select one.’

  His dazzling blue eyes emitted a silent signal for her to agree with him.

  ‘In fact I intend to call a jeweller friend of mine in Lindos about it tomorrow.’

  ‘And I presume you have asked Natalie’s father for her hand in marriage?’ Alekos challenged with a frown. ‘You know it is the custom.’

  Ludo pulled her closer into his side. Had he sensed her tremble just then? Suddenly their pretence at being engaged was presenting more problems than she’d anticipated. Out of the blue, Natalie recalled her mother’s stories of her childhood in Crete. An engaged couple’s parents also had to have a period of getting to know one another before their children were wed. Why hadn’t she remembered that when she’d agreed with Ludo to masquerade as his fiancée? More importantly, why hadn’t he?

  ‘It all happened so suddenly … what we feel for each other, I mean.’

  Incredibly, Ludo was gazing into her eyes as though he meant every word he was saying. Her heart galloped as hard as a racehorse out of the starting gates and her mouth turned dry as sand. It was as though she’d suddenly been plunged into some fantastical dream.

  ‘We have barely had time to think about anything other than the fact we want to be together,’ he explained. ‘When we return to the UK I will be formally asking Natalie’s father for her hand, just as soon as we can arrange a meeting.’

  ‘And afterwards you must come back to us, so that we may have an engagement party for you. If Natalie’s parents would like to be there—as I am sure they will—you must ring me straight away so that we can organise things, my son.’ His mother’s voice was both happy and eager. Her beaming glance fell on Natalie. ‘I know it has all been rather sudden for you, my dear, but do you have any idea at all about a date for the wedding?’

  ‘We were thinking that later on in the year might be better. Perhaps autumn,’ Ludo interjected smoothly, robbing her of the chance to reply.

  It was just as well, Natalie thought. She was far too stunned that he should be anywhere near mentioning a date when in reality they both knew that the event wasn’t even going to take place. Just as soon as they were alone again they were going to have to have a very serious talk, because right now events were taking on all the urgency and speed of an ambulance crew racing hell for leather to an emergency, and she wasn’t confident she could halt them.

  The deceit was making her feel intensely uncomfortable … not to mention guilty. Yet despite her unease, Natalie felt a sense of heartfelt disappointment that she wasn’t engaged to Ludo, wasn’t going to marry him. The undeniable revelation that she was head over heels in love with him made it hard to project even the most temporary appearance of composure.

  ‘So you are going to adhere to the traditional time for a marriage, when the olive harvest is gathered in?’ Ludo’s father was nodding his approval of the idea. ‘I think that is a very wise choice. It will help people see that you are a man of principle, Ludovic … a man to whom family values are still important.’

  He might almost have added after all to that statement, Natalie thought, tensing anxiously. The immediate sight of a muscle jerking in the side of Ludo’s sculpted cheekbone told her he had read his father’s declaration in the same way and vehemently resented it. In the next instant he confirmed it.

  ‘So you do not believe I was a man who had principles and family values before, Father?’ he ground out tersely.

  Natalie’s stomach plunged at the sudden potential for familial disaster.

  ‘I speak as I find,’ Alekos answered stiffly. ‘If you ever indeed had both those qualities, then you clearly lost them when your brother died.’

  With a furious curse Ludo spun away from Natalie to stand in front of his father. She flinched. His pain at being so cruelly judged by his own flesh and blood was agonisingly tangible.

  ‘Why?’ he demanded, glaring. ‘Because you conclude I left without reason? Did you never ask yourself why I needed to put so much distance between us? Did you not guess how much I was hurting, too? When Theo died I would have given anything for the accident to have happened to me, not him! He was the one everyone regarded as a good man—a son to be proud of—and he was! He was amazing, and the work that he did was of benefit to hundreds … maybe thousands of families. Whereas I—’

  Suddenly he was staring down at the ground, shaking his head in bewilderment and rage. ‘I directed my talents to making money … a lot of money. It’s almost like a dirty word to you, Father, isn’t it? I’m not worthy enough to be thought of as good, even if I can help people by creating jobs. And you know what? I learned how to become rich from you. It takes blood, sweat and tears to make it in this world—you taught me that. Work hard and the world will be your oyster—then you can have anything you want. That was your mantra all through our childhood. But when Theo became a doctor you decided to make a distinction between what was good and what was bad. And you did it because you liked the kudos and admiration you got from your friends due to your son being a renowned doctor.’

  Breathing hard, Ludo scraped his fingers through his hair. ‘Well, I am what I am, and it hardly matters what you think of me now. But you should know that Theo was the best friend I could ever have wished for. He was my ally, too. I’ll always remember him not just for being my brother but for the love and support he gave me throughout our time together. He was the wise man who told me it would only cause me more pain if I fought against your prejudice when you always made it clear that you preferred him to me. “Just be yourself,” he told me. “Follow your heart wherever that may lead you. You need no one’s approval … not even Father’s.” I only came back here to see my mother. I truly regret that I added to her suffering after Theo went, and if there is anything I can do to make it up to her it is my solemn promise tha
t I will.’

  ‘I never sought compensation from you, Ludo. But you have already lifted my heart and my spirits by coming back to me and bringing me a soon-to-be beloved daughter.’

  Eva Petrakis pulled him into her arms and hugged him fiercely. Then she moved across to Natalie and gently touched coral-painted fingertips to her cheek. Her pretty blue eyes were moist with tears.

  ‘Not only has my dear son returned to me, but he has brought me the daughter that I have long prayed for. One day I hope she will grant my dearest wish and present me with my first grandchild.’

  The sound of birdsong, and in the distance of the waves crashing onto the seashore, faded out to be replaced by an almost dizzying white noise in Natalie’s head. She didn’t seem to have the ability to feel anything but shock and distress after Ludo’s poignant outburst. And now, after what his mother had just said, she hardly trusted herself to string a coherent sentence together. All she knew was that the woman standing in front of her with such hope and trust in her eyes didn’t deserve any more heartache or pain. But then neither did her son …

  ‘I think we have stood out here in the midday sun for long enough.’ Eva smiled. ‘We should all go inside for a while, and I will see to some refreshments for us. I assume you are staying for lunch? But of course you are! We have so much to celebrate. This is turning out to be a very good day indeed.’ Frowning at her husband, who hadn’t moved so much as an inch since his son had publically berated him, she said, ‘Come with me, Alekos. I think we should have a little talk before we join the children.’

  As they moved towards the open patio doors that led inside the house Ludo gripped Natalie’s hand hard—as though it were a lifeline in the choppiest of stormy seas. He made a point of deliberately ignoring his father’s gaze completely.

  CHAPTER TEN

  LUDO HAD STAYED ominously quiet so far on the return journey to his villa, and Natalie knew why. Although his mother had tried hard to get the two men to make peace with each other during a delicious prolonged lunch they had both stubbornly resisted her efforts. Ludo was angry with his father for not understanding or forgiving his need to escape after his brother’s funeral, and in Natalie’s opinion Alekos was holding on to an old perception of his son that he either couldn’t or wouldn’t change.