A Secret Rebellion

by Anne Mather

  ‘Oh, Mr Thiarchos!’ Abandoning Beth, Linda crossed the stretch of gravel between her and her father-in-law, and gazed at him as if he were a life-saver. The antipathy she had exhibited towards him in England seemed totally absent as she let him take her hand before kissing her on both cheeks. ‘Thank goodness you’re here,’ she added. ‘I—is Tony’s grandfather waiting for us?’

  ‘Regrettably, my father has had to return to Athens,’ Alex told her smoothly, his eyes flicking to Beth’s flushed face, over the younger girl’s head. ‘He’ll be back this evening, and until then I’ll do my best to entertain you.’ He paused. ‘Good afternoon, Miss Haley. I trust you had a pleasant journey?’

  Considering they had travelled in the first-class compartment of the plane, and a chauffeur-driven limousine had been waiting to bring them to their destination, Beth didn’t see how they could have had a pleasanter one. Which did not apply to reaching their destination, she thought tensely. Dear God, how long was Alex Thiarchos staying here?

  But, unable to voice her feelings in Linda’s presence, Beth strove for a detached courtesy. ‘It was very pleasant, thank you, Mr Thiarchos. Er—we were just admiring the view. Is—is that Vouliari over there?’

  Leaving his daughter-in-law to point out which suitcases were hers, Alex strolled across to where Beth was standing. ‘Vouliari,’ he agreed, in a normal tone, ‘and that’s Cape Iannis, in the background.’ Then, barely audibly, ‘You’re looking well. You’ve got colour in your cheeks. Dare I say that my country seems to agree with you?’

  ‘I’m hot, that’s all,’ said Beth, rather shortly, and then, realising Linda might hear her and misinterpret her reaction, she added in an undertone, ‘What are you doing here? This wasn’t part of our bargain!’

  ‘Wasn’t it?’ Alex’s eyes were narrowed and intent, and the fingers that closed so inexorably around her arm were infuriatingly familiar. ‘I don’t remember saying I wouldn’t be here,’ he informed her huskily, and when his eyes moved to her mouth Beth sucked in an anxious breath. ‘Did you really think I’d let you get away from me without sleeping with you again? Beth, I want you. Surely you didn’t really think I couldn’t handle Linda on my own?’

  * * *

  The sun sank in a blaze of apricot and gold. And, almost before the crimson orb had disappeared behind the mountains, stars were winking in a sky as soft as velvet. It was all incredibly beautiful, but Beth, watching the display from her bedroom window, was in no mood to be impressed.

  Instead, she felt incredibly angry, and incredibly stupid. She had felt that way since Alex’s mocking greeting, and she had spent the time it took to take a shower and dry her hair trying to find some way to get out of her predicament.

  But, for the moment, there seemed no easy solution. And, no matter what Alex had said, she doubted he would have found Linda such an easy target. The girl was still protesting her unwillingness to be here, despite Alex’s presence, and, should Beth make some excuse to leave, she suspected Linda would go with her.

  Which should have been a relief, but wasn’t. After all, she hadn’t persuaded Linda to come here for Alex’s benefit. His appearance was purely incidental. No, they were here because Tony’s grandfather wanted to meet Linda. That hadn’t changed, and wouldn’t, until the old man returned.

  Beth sighed. All the same, it wasn’t very comfortable for her, knowing that Alex saw this as an opportunity to deal with her on his own terms. It might be his father’s house, but it was his home, too. And, so long as she remained here, she was at his mercy.

  At his mercy?

  She shook her head impatiently. That was definitely over-dramatising the situation. She wasn’t at his mercy. She wasn’t at any man’s mercy, and never would be. If, when she had planned to have a baby, she hadn’t considered all the pitfalls, that was her fault. But it wasn’t an irredeemable mistake.

  And she defied anyone to have anticipated the chain of events that had brought her to this present impasse. Even in her wildest dreams, she could never have foreseen that her innocent interception of Tony Thiarchos’s conversation could have had such an effect on her life. She had thought getting pregnant would the hard part. How wrong she had been!

  And now Alex Thiarchos was doing his best to sabotage all she had achieved. Totally without conscience, he was planning to take advantage of her weakness, and there was nothing she could do about it.

  Except tell him the truth, a small voice taunted, but that was one alternative she couldn’t consider. If he found out she was carrying his baby, there would be no place she could hide. And, even if her own conscience balked at the thought, she had to keep her secret.

  A knock at her door alerted her to the fact that she was still not dressed. The silky black teddy she was wearing was hardly decent, and she had no way of knowing who was waiting beyond the panels.

  Snatching up the robe she had worn immediately after her shower, she hurriedly thrust her arms into the sleeves. Then, wrapping it closely about her, she tied the cord, before calling, ‘Who is it?’

  ‘Me,’ came Linda’s flat tone. ‘Can I come in?’

  Beth glanced down at herself. In a towelling bathrobe, with bare feet, and no make-up, she hardly looked like the conventional image of a university tutor. But then, these were not conventional circumstances. In any case, Linda had taken her exams, and to all intents and purposes she had ceased to be her student. When the results were published in a week or two’s time, she expected to be a graduate herself.

  ‘Yes, come in,’ Beth called now, albeit somewhat unwillingly. She hadn’t spoken to Linda alone since their arrival a couple of hours ago, and she suspected the girl would want to know what Alex had been saying to her so confidentially.

  Linda was dressed for the evening, her wide-legged cotton trousers and tie-waisted blouse revealing her uncertainty as to the correct attire for dining at the Villa Vouliari. Her eyes widened when she saw Beth was still wearing her bathrobe, and, closing the door, she regarded her apprehensively.

  ‘You are joining—them—for dinner, aren’t you?’ she exclaimed, rather anxiously. ‘You don’t expect me to go on my own.’

  ‘Oh—no. No.’ Beth shook her head reassuringly, wishing she had someone to reassure her. ‘I’ve just got to put a dress on, that’s all.’ She managed a smile. ‘And some shoes, of course.’

  ‘Mmm.’ Linda nodded, her relief palpable. Then, ‘You look—different.’

  ‘Different?’ Beth kept her tone even with an effort.

  ‘Yes.’ Linda regarded her half enviously. ‘Younger. More feminine, somehow.’ She made a rueful grimace. ‘I guess I’m used to seeing you in formal suits and blouses. Sort of like a corporate image, if you know what I mean. Even at the—even at the funeral, you didn’t seem as—as approachable as you do now.’

  ‘Oh.’ Beth relaxed a little. ‘You worried me there for minute.’

  ‘Why?’ Linda made a face. ‘I don’t think anything I could say would upset you. You’re quite at home here.’

  ‘I wouldn’t say that.’

  ‘I would.’ Linda sauntered to the wide bed, and seated herself on the edge of the satin coverlet. ‘This place doesn’t intimidate you the way it does me. I could tell that. I mean—the way you spoke to Tony’s dad, for instance. What did he say to you, anyway? You looked ever so annoyed when you came into the house.’

  ‘Um—’ Beth looped a silvery strand of hair behind her ear, and struggled to think of an answer. ‘I can’t remember now. I—don’t think I was annoyed.’ Liar! ‘He—he was just pointing out the view, that’s all.’

  ‘Was he?’ Linda didn’t sound totally convinced. ‘So what’s he like? Really like, I mean. You’ve talked to him more than I have. Does he blame me for what happened? Is he angry because Tony and I got married?’

  ‘I—think you’ll have to ask him yourself, Linda.’ Beth turned away, ostensibly to lift a small jar of eyeshadow from her make-up case. Unscrewing the top, she concentrated on the dusty brown substance it co
ntained. ‘He—he seems very approachable. It’s up to you to convince him that you and Tony were happy.’

  Linda snorted at this, a bitter, scornful sound, and Beth looked up. ‘Well,’ the younger girl said, scuffing her canvas-booted toe against the cream rug that lay on the shining blocks beside the bed, ‘do you really think he’s likely to believe me? Why didn’t Tony tell his father and his grandfather about us? That’s what I’d like to know. If he really loved me, if he really wanted our marriage to last, why did I never meet any of the members of his family?’

  Beth frowned. ‘But I thought you said—’

  ‘That Tony was afraid of his grandfather? He was. And I know he said he hadn’t told anyone about us because his family would force him to go back to Greece. But what if it wasn’t true? What if Tony was lying?’ She sniffed. ‘Oh, Beth, I don’t know what to believe any more. I just wish I hadn’t had to come.’

  Beth took a breath. ‘Look,’ she said gently, ‘I shouldn’t worry about it, if I were you.’ And wasn’t she a fine one to make a statement like that? ‘We’ve had a long journey, and you’re tired. It’s natural that you should have some doubts. Why don’t you just play the whole thing by ear? At least until you’ve had a chance to judge these people for yourself.’

  ‘I suppose you’re right.’ Linda lifted the hem of the dress Beth had laid on the bed earlier. ‘Is this what you’re wearing?’ She admired its scooped neckline, elbow-length sleeves, and short flaring hemline. ‘Black silk. How gorgeous! I wish I’d brought something like that.’

  ‘It’s polyester, actually,’ said Beth, and, realising she was not going to persuade Linda to leave without her, she took a pair of wispy black stockings out of her case, and began to draw them over her legs. It was less easy to discard the towelling bathrobe, and expose her scantily clothed figure to Linda’s appraising eyes. Even without the consciousness of her thickening waistline, she was not used to dressing or undressing in front of anyone, and she saw the girl’s eyes widen when she saw the teddy. Well, what did students think their tutors wore in terms of underwear? she asked herself impatiently, glad when the silky fabric of the dress slithered over her hips. Cotton bras and pants probably, she reflected, remembering her own youth with a pang. It wasn’t that long since she had thought that anyone approaching thirty was well over the hill.

  She was relieved to see that the weight she had lost while she was suffering from morning sickness more than compensated for what she had gained. It hadn’t occurred to her to try on the dress before putting it in her suitcase, and she wondered what she would have said if the midriff had been uncomfortably tight.

  But such thoughts were pointless, and after using some of the dusty brown eyeshadow and a tawny pink lipgloss she pronounced herself ready. She ran a final brush through her hair, which hung straight and smooth to her shoulders, and then turned to Linda with what she hoped was a confident smile. ‘Shall we go?’

  Linda stood up somewhat reluctantly. ‘Do I look all right?’

  ‘Of course.’ Beth viewed the younger girl’s appearance with genuine approval. ‘You look very nice, and very pretty.’

  ‘Do you think so?’

  Linda was pathetically anxious, and Beth paused to give her a swift hug. ‘Of course,’ she said, gently urging her towards the door. ‘Stop worrying. They can’t hurt you.’

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  ‘SO, SHE’S here!’ Constantine Thiarchos regarded his younger son across the leather-topped slab of mahogany he called his desk, and ran a bony finger around the rim of his glass. ‘Have you spoken to her?’

  ‘Briefly.’

  Alex was non-committal, watching his father’s neutrality of expression with guarded eyes. He knew better than to think he could read anything from those swarthily cast features. Constantine was a past master at disguising his real thoughts.

  ‘And?’

  The old man expected Alex to tell him everything, while he was being less than forthright. Exactly what did he know about Tony’s death that he wasn’t saying?

  ‘And nothing,’ Alex answered now, unwillingly remembering that his reaction to Beth’s arrival had superseded everything else. ‘We hardly had a conversation. They were tired after the journey, and they were shown straight to their rooms and offered refreshments. That’s about it.’

  ‘They?’ His father frowned. ‘Oh, yes. This woman she’s brought with her. I’d forgotten about that. What is her name? Miss Harvey?’

  ‘Haley,’ said Alex smoothly, knowing full well that his father never forgot anything, least of all the name of a woman who in his opinion had accompanied Linda for less than selfless motives. ‘Her name’s Elizabeth Haley. Beth, to her friends.’

  Constantine’s lips twisted. ‘And my grandson’s wife regards her as a friend? I understood she was her professor, or some such.’

  ‘She is—was.’

  ‘And now she is a friend. Most convenient, don’t you think? Particularly when it affords her an expenses-paid trip to Greece, eh?’

  ‘She’s not like that.’ Alex was brusque.

  ‘How do you know?’

  ‘I—just know.’ Alex was annoyed to hear the irritation in his voice. If he wasn’t careful, his father would begin to suspect he had something to hide. ‘I invited her myself. Linda might not have come otherwise.’

  Constantine snorted. ‘If you believe that, you’ll believe anything. Didn’t you tell her about the legacy?’

  Alex’s eyes were hard. ‘Of course I told her.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘She doesn’t want to know.’

  Constantine sneered. ‘I don’t believe it.’

  ‘That’s your prerogative.’

  His father frowned, evidently not as convinced as he had pretended. ‘All right,’ he said. ‘Suppose what you say is true. What does she want? What are her ambitions?’

  Alex shrugged. ‘To get her degree.’

  ‘And after?’

  ‘A job.’ Alex swallowed the remains of the cloudy substance in his own glass, and went to pour himself another ouzo and water. ‘What does it matter? She says she wants to remain independent.’

  ‘Hmm.’ The old man watched his son with narrowed eyes. ‘But everyone has a price, Alexander. You should know that. Better than most.’

  Alex’s nostrils flared, but he didn’t rise to the bait. Not this time. His father’s reference to Alex’s own marriage, and the ease with which he had extricated him from it, when Lucia’s infidelities had begun to threaten the family’s honour, no longer stung him as it had once done. Besides, he had never loved Lucia. He had never loved any woman, except his mother. And perhaps Lucia had known that, and that was why she had sought love in other relationships, he reflected, feeling unexpectedly benevolent towards his ex-wife. She seemed happy enough now with the polo player who had replaced him, and he didn’t begrudge her her escape from his father’s domination. Hadn’t he spent all his adult life doing the same?

  ‘So, why did you ask to meet her?’ he asked now, contemplating the liquid in his glass. ‘If you have such a low opinion of her morals.’ His dark brows arched. ‘What are you afraid of?’

  His father scowled. ‘Guard your tongue,’ he snapped. And then, as if afraid he had been indiscreet, he added, ‘Have you forgotten your grandmother had shares in the corporation? Do you think I want them to fall into the wrong hands?’

  Alex shrugged. ‘Your lawyers could have handled it.’

  His father shifted in his chair. ‘I chose to handle it myself. Besides, she was Tony’s wife. I have—responsibilities.’

  ‘Agreed.’ Alex was bitter. ‘I just wonder how you live with them.’

  ‘And what is that supposed to mean?’ Constantine’s face was taut with resentment.

  ‘You tell me.’ Alex set his drink down on a nearby cabinet, as if the smell had suddenly repulsed him. ‘Did you know about Tony’s drug habit? Was that why you threatened to disown him?’

  ‘Why I—’ Constantine’s jaw sagged for a mom
ent, and then he gathered himself again. ‘Alex, I’ve told you. I knew nothing about—’

  ‘I know what you said,’ Alex interrupted him harshly. ‘But since I first asked you about that situation I’ve made some enquiries of my own. And you know what?’ His lips twisted. ‘I don’t believe Tony could have done anything without one of your mangas finding out about it!’

  ‘Alex—’

  ‘And what about those letters you sent him, hmm? I know there were letters, so don’t deny it.’

  ‘Why should I?’ Constantine had recovered his composure. ‘Why shouldn’t I write to my own grandson? There’s no law against that, is there?’

  Alex frowned. ‘You were in England only a couple of days before Tony died.’

  ‘And you know why.’ Constantine expelled a heavy breath. ‘I spent two days in London, at the European ecology conference, before flying to Madrid to see your aunt Sophie. Alex, please. Haven’t we had enough grief in this family? What good is turning on one another?’

  Alex turned away. ‘If I thought that you had anything to do with Tony’s death—’

  ‘I didn’t.’ Constantine got abruptly to his feet. ‘Come. It is time we made ourselves available to our guests.’

  * * *

  To Beth’s surprise—and relief—there was no one waiting for them in the salon, to which a uniformed maid directed them. At least it would give them time to familiarise themselves with their surroundings, she thought, giving Linda’s arm a squeeze. Time, too, to take up a position from which they could confront the enemy.

  A foolish notion perhaps, she conceded, but one with which she was sure Linda would agree. The younger woman had been visibly shaking, as they walked along the wide corridor that led from the south wing of the house where they had been accommodated to the expansive reception hall they had seen on their arrival. This was obviously a strain for her—for both of them, Beth acknowledged drily. She just hoped she could stifle her own fears, and give Linda the support she deserved.

  But then, she reflected, anyone would be intimidated by this place. Her rooms alone had a floorspace equal to the entire ground floor of her house in England. And she guessed, from what she had said as they trod the marble tiles of the corridor, that Linda’s apartments were much the same.