South from Sounion

by Anne Weale

  Unwisely, she said, "What makes you so sure that no one has ever made love to me?"

  "The fact that you're so agitated now."

  "I wasn't agitated last night when Yannis wanted to kiss me," she reminded him.

  "Yannis wouldn't kiss you against your will. You think I might, don't you?" he mocked her.

  Lucia forgot she was a guest. "Frankly, I think you're capable of anything," she flung at him witheringly.

  But of course it did not deflate him. He only laughed, and said carelessly, "Well, don't worry, I'm not going to kiss you." And then he stretched out his arm, and lightly caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. "Even so, I think you'll remember this morning for some time."

  Lucia went red, and then white. Without another word, she turned away, and hurried back the way they had come. She went down the hill track so fast that, several times where the ground was particularly rough, she very nearly sprained an ankle.

  When they were in sight of the house, Nicholas caught her up, and grasped her elbow. "To return to the point we started from-if the children should say anything to you which is obviously connected with their parents, I leave it to you to deal with it as you think best. Now that you know the truth, you'll be prepared if Francesca should make some oblique reference to the situation."

  Lucia resisted an impulse to shake off his hand. "I doubt if she'll confide her worries to a stranger," she replied, in a carefully level tone.

  "It's often easier to talk to a sympathetic stranger than to someone close to you," he said, releasing her arm.

  She made no comment on this, and they walked the rest of the way in silence, though she was aware that he was watching her, and could guess that there was a glimmer of rather sadistic amusement in his eyes.

  Upon reaching the house, they found the three children waiting to go down to the beach for a pre-breakfast bathe. They had Nicholas's trunks and towel ready for him. But when they asked Lucia if she would join them, she shook her head, and said she had better go and see how Cathy was feeling this morning.

  Judging by the singing coming from the little bathroom as she entered her room, her sister had woken up in a mood to match the bright, hot morning.

  However, before she went to speak to the younger girl, Lucia sank down on the side of the bed, and wondered how she was going to endure two weeks of the cat-and-mouse game which Nicholas seemed to delight in playing with her.

  "Why does he enjoy tormenting me?" she asked herself miserably. "Is it because I pretend to be indifferent to him? Dear heaven - if he only knew!"

  Cathy came in, wearing flowery bell-bottomed trousers and a skinny white crochet top over an invisible bra. Yesterday, she had worn her hair-piece, but today she was showing off her new, sleek short-short cut, and a pair of giant puff-ball ear-rings. She made Lucia feel closer to thirty than twenty.

  "Good morning," she said brightly. "What time do they have breakfast, d'you suppose?"

  "When Nicholas and the children get back from their morning swim, I expect. They went down to the beach a few minutes ago."

  "I hope they aren't long. I'm dying for a cup of coffee."

  "Have you made your bed?" Lucia asked. She had stripped hers before she went out. Now she began to re-make it.

  "Oh, I shouldn't bother with that. There's bound to be a maid to do it. I expect they have someone from the village," her sister answered.

  "Possibly - but I still think we should make our beds, and tidy up a bit."

  "You can, if you like. I came here to take it easy." And Cathy strolled out through Lucia's door, and disappeared.

  They were all at the breakfast table when Yannis turned up again. He arrived in the Land Rover which Nicholas had evidently lent him to get back to the hotel the night before.

  After he had said good morning to everyone, he asked his cousin, "You don't mind if Lucia spends the day with me, Nico?"

  "If she has no objection, I have none," said Nicholas.

  "We will have lunch at the hotel, and this afternoon we will swim," said Yannis. "We'll come back about six or seven. That is if you do not require the jeep today, Nico?"

  "No - but shouldn't you first ask Lucia if she wishes to spend the whole day with you?" Nicholas suggested, rather snubbingly.

  Yannis looked momentarily discomfited. "I am sorry," he said quickly, to Lucia. "Perhaps you would prefer to come another day?"

  She gave him her brightest smile. "You know I'd love to come, Yannis," she said, with unnecessary warmth.

  His black eyes glowed. "Then, if you have finished breakfast, we will leave as soon as you have fetched your bathing things."

  Lucia pushed back her chair, and asked Kyria Katina to excuse her. She smiled at the children, and at Cathy. She did not even glance at Nicholas.

  To reach the hotel, they had to pass through the town and drive a couple of miles beyond it. Like Nicholas's house, the hotel stood on the hillside above a bay. It had twenty guest-rooms, but only three were occupied at present.

  "This year I am glad we do not have many early visitors," said Yannis, as they arrived. "If we were busy, I would not have time to be with you."

  Taking her first to see the hotel's large kitchen, he introduced his mother and sisters, and several other female relatives who helped with the cleaning and cooking. His three sisters all spoke some English, but the other women made her welcome in their own tongue. To refresh her after the dusty drive, they gave her a glass of cold, sweet water, and a spoonful of some delicious fruit preserve.

  Presently Yannis showed her over the rest of the hotel. It was a modest establishment, but though the bedrooms were neither large nor luxurious, they all had showers, and sea views, and the whole place was scrupulously clean.

  "In the evening, if the guests wish to go to the taverna, my sisters look after the children," Yannis explained. "We are what you call a family hotel. There is nothing here for tourists who want excitement."

  He left her in one of the bedrooms, so that she could change into her swimsuit. "When you are ready, you will find me on the beach," he said, as he went out.

  Lucia unbuttoned her shirt, and hung it on the back of a chair. She should have felt relieved to be out of Nicholas's way for the day, but instead she found herself wondering what he and Cathy were doing now. Determined to shut him out of her mind, she quickly undressed and changed.

  Yannis was already in the sea, when she arrived on the beach. He saw her crossing the sand, and waved a glistening brown arm. Lucia left her bag and wrap on a deck chair under one of several striped umbrellas, and strolled to the water's edge, fitting on her bathing cap.

  "You swim well," he said, when she joined him alongside the diving raft moored about a hundred yards out in the centre of the bay.

  Lucia turned on to her back, and kicked up a fountain of spray. "This is heavenly! You are lucky to live here."

  He climbed on to the raft, and reached down a hand to hoist her aboard. "It's not always like this, you know. In winter there are storms, and it is cold."

  "Yes, but even then it must be beautiful." She settled herself on the edge of the raft, and dangled her legs in the water. "I wish I could bring my class here. Most of them have never seen the sea, or had a proper holiday. A day at Southend is their idea of the seaside. A fortnight here would make different children of diem."

  "Perhaps - but they have many advantages our children do not have," he reminded her. He studied her for some moments. "I find it very strange that you are not married. Surely you cannot intend to be a teacher all your life?"

  "I might have to be," she said lightly.

  Yannis looked puzzled. "Why is that?"

  Since his perplexity seemed to be genuine, she said, with a smile, "I'd like to marry one day - but it's a matter of waiting to be asked."

  "Ah, I see. You mean the offers you have had have not appealed to you?"

  "I mean I haven't had any offers," Lucia said dryly.

  "Now that I do not believe," he replied emphatically
. "There must be a dozen men eager to marry you - particularly in England where there is no dowry to consider."

  She laughed. "You're terribly good for my morale! If I spend too much time with you, I may start to believe that I'm a ravishing creature."

  His black eyes sparkled. "It is my hope that you will spend all your time with me." He seized her hand, and pressed it to his bronzed chest. "If you do not believe what I say, feel how my heartbeats when I am near you."

  Lucia was not sure how to deal with this. "I can't feel it beating at all," she said, in some confusion. Then, quickly, "I don't think I ought to sit here any longer, Yannis. I may get sunburnt." And, freeing her hand, she slid off the raft and began to swim back to the shore.

  Yannis reached the beach ahead of her, but he did not say anything as they walked to the umbrella where she had left her things. Lucia pulled off her cap, and they both lightly towelled themselves dry. Then she looked in her bag for her sun cream.

  "I will do your back for you." He took the tube from her, and unscrewed the top.

  "Oh, no - I can do it," she said hastily.

  "You do not like me to touch you?" he asked, looking rather offended.

  "No, of course not - I didn't mean that."

  His expression changed. He looked pleased. "You are shy," he accused her, with a grin.

  For an instant, there was something in his face which reminded her of Nicholas. And, as if it was Nicholas who was teasing her, she began to blush.

  "Ah, I see how it is," he said mischievously. "You are afraid that I mean to make love to you. In England, it is not correct to make love before lunch, I believe."

  At this, Lucia could not help laughing again. "Most people don't feel romantic first thing in the morning."

  Yannis made a soft hissing sound. "The English are very inhibited. In Greece we are not so restrained."

  She unclipped the straps of her swimsuit, so that her shoulders should tan evenly. "I was under the impression that Greek girls were much less free than English ones."

  "Yes, that is true," he agreed.

  "So it's only foreign girls whom you kiss whenever you feel like it?" she said, sitting down on a deck chair.

  Yannis pulled his chair dose to hers. "How can I help wanting to kiss you when you are so beautiful?"

  Lucia's mouth curved. "Oh, Yannis, what an exaggeration! Compared with Cathy, I'm quite plain."

  "Miss Cathy is pretty - yes, very pretty. But she is not like you," he said warmly. "Her eyes do not shine like yours. Her voice is not soft. One does not burn to embrace her."

  "Most men seem to," she said, with a smile. And she wondered if his lack of interest in her sister was because Nicholas had made it clear that Cathy was his girl. She would have liked to ask him straight out, but instead she said, "Does your cousin often invite his English friends to Marina?"

  "No, it is not his custom. In the summer, Sofia and Richard come with the children. But in the spring only Nico comes. It was a surprise to us when we heard he was bringing the children, and also two English friends."

  Lucia could not be certain, but she had the impression that Yannis knew nothing of the crisis between the children's parents. He began to smooth the sun cream over her back, and this time she did not object.

  Presently, the people staying at the hotel came down to bathe. Later, two of Yannis's sisters brought jugs of iced lemonade, and dishes of sweet, sticky cakes, to sustain everyone until lunch time.

  After lunch, the Greeks and their visitors rested. Lucia lay on the bed in the room where she had changed. Although she was not accustomed to sleeping during the day, she soon drifted into a doze, and did not wake until four. Then she and Yannis bathed again until it was time to return to his cousin's house.

  On the way back, he asked, "It has been a happy day for you?"

  She smiled, and nodded. "A lovely day, Yannis... thank you."

  He took one hand off the steering wheel, and held it, palm upwards, in front of her. After a brief hesitation, she put her hand lightly on his. His fingers curled round it. Without taking his eyes off the bumpy track, he kissed the back of her wrist.

  "The first of many days, beautiful Lucia."

  By the time she had been at Marina for five days, Lucia was so full of vitality that she could climb the steep path from the beach and be less out of breath than the children. The heat, which exhausted Cathy, made her sister blossom. Cathy pecked at her food. Lucia felt so hungry that, if Kyria Katina had been a less generous provider, her appetite would have embarrassed her.

  On Wednesday afternoon, as she was undressing for the siesta hours, Cathy came into her room.

  "I can't stand much more of this," she announced, flinging herself down in the armchair.

  "Much more of what?" enquired Lucia, although she did not really need to ask.

  "This place! It's so boring, I feel like screaming."

  Lucia lay on the bed, and clasped her hands under her neck. "Are you bored with Nicholas, too?"

  "No . . . I'm not bored with him," Cathy said fretfully. "But we never have a minute to ourselves. Those darned kids are always hanging round us. And that's your fault," she added sharply. "You're supposed to be keeping an eye on them, not spending all your time with Yannis."

  "If Nicholas expects me to entertain the children, he will have to say so," said Lucia. "And I don't think even he has the gall to do that."

  Cathy inspected her fingernails. After a pause, she said, "Nicholas says that Yannis is a regular Casanova. He can't fool about with the local girls so he chases the visitors. You're the latest in a long line of conquests."

  "That makes two of us," Lucia said cheerfully. "Though I doubt if Yannis's line is as long as Nicholas's."

  Cathy sprang up, her mouth tight. "I don't know what's happened to you. Don't you care that you're making an ass of yourself?"

  "Not in the least. I'm enjoying myself." Lucia yawned, and closed her eyes. "Do go and have your rest, Cathy. I'm too sleepy to have an argument."

  "I don't want to rest. I'm sick of resting. I want some fun . . . some excitement," Cathy exploded.

  "Then go and complain to Nicholas. Tell him you're bored. It's no use moaning to me," Lucia murmured, in a drowsy voice. She turned on her side, and nestled her head into the pillow.

  After muttering something under her breath, her sister left the room, banging the door behind her, Lucia smiled to herself. Poor Cathy! It was rather cruel to be so indifferent to her troubles. There was no doubt that, from her point of view, the holiday was proving a most miserable let-down. But if it succeeded in making her realize that she and Nicholas were wholly incompatible, it would be a fortnight well spent. Two weeks of boredom was better than a lifetime of discontent.

  "If she did but know it, I'm pretty bored myself," Lucia thought, with a sigh.

  Being with Yannis was exhilarating for a day or two, but after that it began to pall, like a party which had gone on too long.

  That evening, Cathy caused a sensation by appearing for dinner in a dress which would not have passed unremarked in a London discotheque. The top - what little there was of it - was a scattering of rainbow discs on a silver mesh base. The white crepe skirt was so short that Kyria Katina gave an involuntary exclamation of horror. Even Yannis, who had arrived a few minutes earlier, looked rather flabbergasted. And Francesca and Stephen, who were dining with the grown-ups that night, goggled at Cathy as if she had walked in naked.

  Lucia was equally startled. She had seen the dress when she had unpacked Cathy's suitcase for her. But she had never dreamed her sister would wear it at Marina, especially when the 'house party' had turned out to be so different from her expectations.

  The only person who seemed unmoved by the younger girl's appearance was Nicholas. He noticed the dress, but he showed no sign of surprise. Perhaps he realized at once that this was her way of showing that she was tired of quiet evenings on the terrace.

  Lucia soon realized this too, but it did not lessen her mortification. F
or what Cathy had forgotten, or chosen to ignore, was that now, here in Greece, it was Great Week, a time of sadness and fasting. Although she continued to cook normal meals for the rest of the household, for the past few days Kyria Katina had been eating nothing but boiled vegetables. So for Cathy to put on such an immodest dress was more than a breach of good taste. It must give the gravest offence.

  After dinner, while the children were helping their great- aunt to clear the table, Cathy said, "Why don't we go into town? There must be some night life, surely?"

  "There would probably be a riot if we took you to a cafe in that dress," Nicholas said, in a dry tone. "We can run over to the hotel, if you like. They have a radiogram so that the guests can dance if they wish to."

  "All right, let's do that," said Cathy-making it clear that any diversion, however tame, was better than sitting about on the terrace till bedtime. "I can't think why you don't have a record-player here," she added ungraciously.

  "Because I prefer not to have one," he answered mildly. And, as Cathy left the room to fetch a wrap, he watched her go with a look of secret amusement which Lucia could not understand.

  When they reached the hotel, the radiogram was already in use. Several more guests had arrived since Lucia's first visit, and there were now about a dozen people, mostly foreigners, having a quiet party in the lounge.

  It was about an hour later when Nicholas asked Lucia to dance with him. She had been dreading this ever since their arrival, and when at last the moment came, it was some relief to have the ordeal upon her, instead of being kept in suspense. She knew it was absurd to feel such apprehension because, for a few minutes, in the presence of other people, he would have his arm round her, but it was something she could not help. She could command her face and her voice, but she could not control the rapid, nervous beating of her heart. And what made her even more tense was the fear that, in spite of her outward calm, he might sense the turmoil inside her, and play upon it.

  "Well, one week of your holiday is almost over. Have you enjoyed it? Are you glad I prevailed on you to come?" he asked, as they began to dance.

  "Yes, I've had a very good time," she answered politely.