The Marakaios Marriage (The Marakaios Brides 1)

‘I feel like I did back in New York,’ she confessed as they sat on one of the stone walls that overlooked the valley, on one of the town’s higher winding streets. ‘When we first met.’

‘That’s a good thing, I hope?’ Antonios answered, his eyebrows raised, and Lindsay smiled and nodded.

‘Yes. Definitely. You seem more like you did in New York.’

‘And how is that?’

‘More relaxed. Happier.’ She paused then asked cautiously, ‘Sometimes it seems like work doesn’t make you happy, Antonios. Like it’s a huge strain.’ She waited for him to say something in response but he didn’t, just gazed out at the valley with his eyes narrowed.

‘I suppose in New York I was free from the concerns of work and daily life,’ he finally said, his gaze still on the view. ‘It was, as you said before, a time apart.’

‘So we need to figure out how to make things work amidst those concerns.’

‘And we will,’ Antonios said with the same confidence he’d shown in the restaurant. ‘All that matters is that we love each other, Lindsay. The rest will work itself out.’

He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it, and Lindsay smiled and said nothing. She wanted to feel as confident as Antonios seemed to be, but worries still nagged at her, made her wonder just how things were going to work themselves out. Would Antonios work less? Would he entertain less? How were they actually going to manage the day-to-day of their joined lives?

A short while later they headed back to the car and drove in silence back to Villa Marakaios. Lindsay slid a sideways glance at Antonios as they approached the estate, silently noting how his eyes narrowed and his mouth hardened the moment they drove through the gates.

At their own villa he left her with a quick distracted kiss, telling her he needed to return to the office before the party that night. Reluctantly, Lindsay headed over to the main villa to see if she could help with the preparations. Antonios’s sisters seemed to have affairs well in hand but she wanted to be seen to make an effort, even if she still found her relationship with her sisters-in-law to be one of tension and suspicion.

‘Oh, Lindsay, where have you been? Was Antonios with you? Ava’s been looking for him—’

‘We went out for a bit,’ Lindsay answered. ‘Is everything all right?’

‘Parthenope’s been tied up all afternoon with Timon,’ Xanthe explained. ‘And Ava has decided she can’t wear anything she owns and has gone shopping, of all things.’ Xanthe rolled her eyes in exasperation.

‘Is Timon all right?’

‘Just a bit of cold,’ Xanthe dismissed. ‘But Parthenope was meant to deal with the caterers, where to have them set up, all of that. I’ve been busy myself with the decorations—’

‘I could help,’ Lindsay offered and Xanthe looked, perhaps rightly, sceptical. Lindsay straightened, threw back her shoulders. ‘What do you need me to do?’

‘Well...’ Xanthe nibbled her lip. ‘The housekeeper Maria is sorting them out in the kitchen, but she’s in a flap because she wanted to do the cooking herself. Mama said no, because it was too much. Maria is not as young as she once was.’

‘I see,’ Lindsay said. ‘So you want me to talk to Maria?’

Xanthe nodded in relief. ‘Yes, and then show the caterers what to do.’ Xanthe turned back to the table she was festooning with large silk bows, clearly itching to keep going with her own work. ‘Do you think you could do that?’ she tossed over her shoulder.

‘Yes, of course,’ Lindsay said with more confidence than she felt. She didn’t even know where the kitchen was.

She watched Xanthe for a moment, fussing with one of the bows, and then turned and made her uncertain way to the kitchen, opening a few random doors until one of the house staff pointed her towards the large, light room at the back of the house.

The caterers were bringing in large plastic-wrapped trays of hors d’oeuvres, watched over by a silent and surly Maria. Lindsay had seen the housekeeper in passing and had probably been introduced to her on that first awful day, but they’d never had a conversation.

She took a deep breath and approached her. ‘Herete, Maria,’ she said as cheerfully as she could. ‘Is everything all right?’

Maria just looked at her blankly, and Lindsay realized the older woman did not speak English. And she, unfortunately, had no more than a few words of Greek.

She gestured to the caterers and raised her eyebrows in query, asking haltingly, ‘Ti kanete?’ How are you?

In answer Maria let out a torrent of Greek that Lindsay could not begin to understand, but she certainly got the gist of Maria’s bitterness at having strangers invade her kitchen. Making soothing noises, she led the woman over to the table in a sunny alcove, and listened with all signs of interest and attention as Maria continued to lament in a language she didn’t speak.

Fifteen minutes later, having vented her spleen, Maria seemed somewhat appeased, and with gestures and an absurd amount of miming Lindsay suggested she organize the hors d’oeuvres. The caterers could have a respite from Maria scowling at them, and the housekeeper would hopefully feel she was being consulted.

Twenty minutes later things were going smoothly, and Lindsay felt rather ridiculously proud of herself for coping with it all. She was smiling as she came back to the front house, stopping when she saw Antonios come through the door of the living room, scowling.

‘Is everything all right?’ she asked, and Antonios jerked his gaze towards her, his face clearing, Lindsay suspected, by sheer force of will.

‘Fine. Are things in hand in the kitchen? I just got an earful from Xanthe.’

‘Yes, I think so. I was just down with Maria.’

‘Were you?’ Antonios’s eyebrows rose at that, and Lindsay smiled self-consciously.

‘I didn’t realize she didn’t speak English, but we managed all right.’

‘That’s very good to hear.’

‘Shall we go back to the villa?’ she asked, and Antonios nodded. Lindsay could still see lines of tension bracketing his mouth and eyes and she stopped in front of him, reaching up to cup his cheek. ‘Are you sure you’re all right?’ she asked quietly.

Antonios closed his eyes briefly, seeming to take strength from her small caress. ‘I’m fine,’ he said, and Lindsay heard the note of implacability enter his voice. He sounded, she thought, like she used to, claiming things were fine when they clearly weren’t.

As she followed Antonios out of the villa, she wondered if he would be as honest with her as she had learned to be with him, and tell her what was going on.

CHAPTER TEN

ANTONIOS STOOD ON the edge of the living room, watching as guests chatted and circulated amidst the staff holding trays of hors d’oeuvres. His mother sat on a chair in the centre of the room, looking weary and yet happy as she held court over all the family, friends and neighbours that had been invited to her name day party.

His gaze moved to the opposite corner of the room where Lindsay stood, looking pale and lovely and amazingly poised, chatting with a guest, a smile making her seem radiant. She was, Antonios thought, the most beautiful and elegant woman in the room.

While they were getting ready, back at their own villa, he’d assured her that she wouldn’t need to be the centre of attention and could leave if she felt uncomfortable. Invariably, though, Lindsay attracted attention. She was beautiful, and she was his wife. People wanted to meet her, talk to her, and Antonios had responsibilities of his own. As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t hide in the corner, protecting his wife.

Not, he acknowledged with a small wry smile, that Lindsay needed protecting. She’d been more than holding her own so far tonight, chatting with people as they approached her, smiling and laughing. Pride surged through him, mixed with love. She was everything he’d ever wanted in a wife, a partner.

His gaze narrowed as he watched Leonidas come up to her. He still hadn’t agreed to give Leonidas access to any of the company’s financial information, and he didn’t think he ever could, not without betraying his father.

He’d thought, more than once, about telling Leonidas the truth. Sharing the burden. But it wasn’t his secret to share. He’d made a promise. A vow. If he couldn’t honour it, what sort of man was he?

One whose family is being torn apart by secrecy.

Now, as he watched Leonidas talk to Lindsay, he wondered if his brother intended to put pressure on his wife. Leonidas was so angry and bitter that Antonios wouldn’t put such an underhand tactic past him at this point.

Lindsay frowned at Leonidas and every protective instinct in Antonios reared up. The last thing he needed or wanted was his brother breathing his bitter poison into his wife’s ear. His mouth set in a grim line, he headed towards his brother and his wife.

* * *

Lindsay had been trying to answer Leonidas’s questions in a relaxed manner but the more he talked, the harder it was to ignore the edge to his voice.

Are you happy to be back at Villa Marakaios? It’s all marital bliss, is it? You and Antonios have everything you want, I suppose? He certainly does.

Lindsay couldn’t tell if Leonidas knew the truth of their earlier troubles or if he was simply bitter about what he perceived as his brother’s good fortune. What was coming through, loud and clear, was the resentment and animosity he felt towards Antonios.