The Greek Tycoon's Bride

She and Andreas hadn’t left the Pallini until gone three in the morning, and when they had walked along the beach to where Paul was waiting with the car, she had been convinced Andreas would try to make love to her on the way home. But he hadn’t so much as kissed her, not until they had reached his parents’ front door that was, and even then it had been the sort of social peck that didn’t mean anything. Polite, brief and dismissive.

He had returned to the car immediately he had opened the door for her, sliding into the front with Paul this time and raising a laconic hand in farewell as the big car had executed an about turn and whisked off down the drive.

Perversely, his lack of ardour had thoroughly upset her, and she had marched up the stairs to her room, reiterating over and over again that she wanted nothing to do with Andreas Karydis and that she was glad—very, very glad—that he’d had the good sense at long last to realise that and admit defeat in the seduction stakes. Which that goodnight peck clearly said he had.

She had showered and washed her hair, swiftly blow-drying it before climbing into bed and pulling the thin cotton covers up to her chin as her mind had continued to dissect the evening frame by frame. After telling herself that she would be awake all night, she must have fallen immediately asleep!

She glanced at the little alarm clock she had brought with her from England and was horrified to see it was eleven o’clock. Eleven o’clock! She flung back the covers and leapt out of bed. What must Dimitra and Evangelos be thinking? This was the second time she had missed breakfast and she’d only been here three days!

After a hasty wash in the en-suite bathroom, she threw on a light blue cotton top and matching shorts, and after brushing her hair into sleek obedience ran quickly downstairs without bothering with any make-up. She met Ainka leaving the drawing room with a duster in her hand, and the little maid informed her that the others had gone to visit friends of Dimitra after breakfast, who had a son

the same age as Michael. ‘Madam thought it would be good for the little one to have someone his own age to play with,’ Ainka explained in her soft melodious voice, ‘and you were sleeping so soundly, they did not wish to disturb you. Madam left instructions for your breakfast to be served in the sunshine on the patio, yes? I will bring it immediately.’

‘Thank you, Ainka.’

So she ate in solitary splendour as she looked out over the beautiful grounds ablaze with sunshine, which was just what she’d needed in truth. It gave her a chance to compose herself and decide what she was going to say before she saw Jill, who, she knew, would want chapter and verse on the previous evening’s happenings. She groaned inwardly and tried to marshall her thoughts.

She would be factual, she decided eventually as she finished the last slice of toast heavily covered with cherry preserve and licked sticky fingers appreciatively. Why did food always taste a million times better al fresco? Especially in the sunshine.

Yes, she’d be factual. She’d concentrate on the wonderful restaurant and Andreas’s friends and the fact that she had had a lovely time. Their more intimate conversations, the kiss, his comment after the dancing—that she would keep to herself. Because it all meant nothing anyway and she didn’t want Jill to get the wrong idea.

She shifted in her seat, suddenly restless. Why hadn’t he tried to kiss her in the car, though? And all the way home she had been preparing herself with a mental list of excuses as to why she couldn’t go out alone with him again, and then he hadn’t even suggested repeating their date, anyway! She felt such a fool. And she couldn’t remember ever feeling this way before. With every other man she’d known, either in business or on a personal level, she had always called the tune and had been in control.

She stood up abruptly, cross with herself and the whole wide world. She needed to take a brisk walk in the sunshine and get a grip on herself, she decided firmly. She had never been able to stand women—or men either, if it came to that—who blew hot one minute and cold the next, who were inconsistent and capricious, and here she was behaving like the worst of them. Wretched man! It was all his fault.

By the time the others returned for a late lunch, Sophy’s face was calm again and her manner easy and relaxed—at least on the outside. But the outside was all that mattered, she told herself silently whilst patiently giving Jill a minute by minute account of the previous night’s proceedings. She would deal with the inside when she was herself again, but privately. And each day that went by meant she was a day nearer to leaving this place—and Andreas. Strangely the thought was not as comforting as she would have liked it to be.

They all lazed the afternoon away by the pool watching Michael and his new little friend, Stevos—whom Dimitra had brought back to play with Michael for a little while—splashing about in the water. It should have been relaxing, Sophy thought wryly. Jill slept at one point, and she found herself watching her sister’s lovely face with a mixture of bewilderment and self-annoyance. Why couldn’t she be more like Jill? Jill never fought; she had even been able to live all those years with Theodore in a state of relative peace, whereas Sophy knew she would have committed murder in the first five minutes!

What would Andreas be like to live with? The thought was too dangerous to consider and she brushed it away like a troublesome insect, rising in one lithe graceful movement and shedding her shirt top to reveal her bathing costume beneath, which she had changed into after lunch.

She spent a riotous hour in the pool with Michael and Stevos, playing a noisy game of tag followed by an equally noisy game of piggy in the middle. The small boys had their tea together by the pool, and then when Evangelos and Dimitra rose and suggested driving Stevos home, Sophy came indoors to shower and change.

Now she was alone again she wouldn’t admit to the flat feeling which had taken her over in the last couple of hours, nor of the secret expectation that Andreas might drop by on his way home from the office as he had done before. Instead she concentrated on her toilet, making as much effort with her appearance as she would have done for a huge dinner party rather than a meal with Jill and her sister’s in-laws. Somehow looking good mattered today.

They had just started on the main course when the telephone rang, and the next moment Ainka appeared in the entrance to the dining room, stating Sophy was wanted on the phone. Somewhat mystified as to who would be calling her and assuming it had to be Annie with some kind of work problem, this time, she excused herself and walked out into the hall.

‘Hello, this is Sophy Fearn,’ she said carefully into the receiver, fully expecting Annie’s apologetic voice in reply.

‘Hello, Sophy Fearn.’ The deep smoky voice made her name into a caress and in spite of herself she shivered. ‘I was called to Athens today on business and I am stuck here tonight. I assume you’re in the middle of dinner, knowing my mother’s routine so I won’t keep you. I’ll pick you up about six tomorrow so be ready, okay? And don’t eat too much lunch, this time.’

‘What?’ She stared into the receiver as her thought process hiccuped and stood still, and then managed to say, ‘I don’t think so, Andreas. I don’t feel it’s right to leave Jill like this, besides which it seems very rude as far as your parents are concerned.’

‘We’ve been through that and the consensus of opinion is that it is rubbish.’ There was no room for disagreement in the determined, cool voice. ‘No one is thinking like that, Sophy.’

Bulldozer approach again. Sophy took a deep breath and said, ‘Be that as it may, it’s what I think.’

‘I do not think that is the reason at all. You are frightened to be with me, that is the truth, is it not? Admit it.’

‘Now it’s you who’s talking rubbish,’ Sophy lied hotly.

‘Prove it. Come out with me tomorrow night,’ he said quickly.

‘No.’ It was a flat refusal and she didn’t bother to dress it up with any more excuses. He’d just have to accept no meant no!

‘That’s settled, then. Six it is.’ And the phone went dead.

She couldn’t quite believe it. For a moment or two she was so taken aback, she just stared out into the immaculate quiet hall, hearing the low hum of conversation from behind the dining room door and then Jill’s laughter and the rumble of Evangelos’s distinctive chuckle through the buzzing in her ears. He had hung up on her. Hung up on her. And after railroading her into a date she didn’t want and had said no to. An emphatic no. Well, he could take a running jump. She would not date Andreas again!