Follow a Stranger

At least the visit had cleared her mind, shown her the

falseness of her relationship with Peter. She might have

married him and been disastrously unhappy.

England was oddly noisy when they got to London.

Traffic deafened her. People were frighteningly busy and

bustling. Cars hooted, pavements were crowded. It was a

nightmare.

How quickly one became accustomed to the peace and

quiet of an island like Kianthos, she thought. She had lived

in an urban atmosphere for most of her life, yet after only

two weeks away, she found her eardrums banging with the

noise, her head aching, her eyes shrinking from the vivid

colours.

It was not that Greeks did not talk loudly. They did. They

shouted at each other, in the kitchen at Kianthos. She had

often heard the servants arguing, discussing, their gestures

and faces lively and dynamic.

But somehow it had all been more good-humoured, less

hurried. The pace of life was different.

Her mother embraced her warmly, held her away from

her to stare. “My goodness, you do look well!”

Kate laughed, “Do I?” She did not think that that was

true. She felt tired and mentally worn.

Then Mrs. Caulfield looked at Sam and exclaimed over

him. Brown, healthy, cheerful, Sam looked the very picture

of health.

Later, Kate explained to her mother that her engagement

was broken. Mrs. Caulfield took it calmly. She did not seem

surprised, nor did she ask questions. Kate was relieved, yet

wondered why her mother took it so well. Mrs. Caulfield