The Greek Tycoon's Love Child

'Of course not. According to the invitation that is what the evening is for.' She smiled mischievously up at him. 'I can read, and I can look after myself for five minutes, you know.'

Her comment brought a glint of humour to his eyes and something more. 'I know,' Theo said, lifting his long fin­gers and curving the line of her jaw, something reflective visible in his intent gaze. 'I don't know what I did to de­serve you, but I thank God every day,' and, dropping the lightest of kisses on her soft lips, he let her go. 'I won't be long, darling.' And he moved swiftly away through the crowd.

'Yuk, married love—very touching,' Charles drawled mockingly. 'But what about the book, Willow? I am going back to England on Saturday.'

'I left it in the ladies' cloakroom with my shawl. Wait here and I'll get it for you.'

'I'll come with you. I wouldn't dare defy an order from Theo. Such a shame he is so rampantly heterosexual, I've always thought.'

'Charles, you're incorrigible.' Willow was still grinning as she entered the cloakroom, leaving Charles leaning against the wall outside.

The cloak deposit desk was separated from the rest of the room by a seven-foot-high latticed partition that formed an L shape and hid the washbasins from view. She gave the attendant her ticket and waited while the woman dis­appeared into what looked like a dark hole. Willow idly glanced up at the magnificent plaster ceiling high above.

The embassy had been built in a different era. It was a huge gracious Georgian building, and it was good to see it had been adapted sensitively to modern needs.

Then she heard Theo's name mentioned and her ears instinctively pricked up.

'Theo Kadros has behaved absolutely appallingly, Christine. He is a complete bastard; after all, it was com­mon knowledge you and he were going to marry. I don't know how you can be so brave.'

What little colour Willow had instantly drained from her face. She knew the voice she could hear was Charles's secretary. Willow had spoken to her a couple of times on the telephone, and had met her at the same dinner at which she'd met the Ambassador. She was a thirty-something Englishwoman and according to Charles was noted for be­ing a terrible gossip.

'I don't have much choice.' Christine's accented English was unmistakable. 'I can compete with any woman, but with an eight-year-old son I stood no chance.'

'It must have been a terrible shock for you returning to Athens and discovering he had married again.'

'Not really. Theo rang me while I was in New York, and said he had something to tell me and we arranged a date to meet. Then of course everyone was talking about his engagement party. By the time I actually met Theo for din­ner it was the day after he got back from his honeymoon; I pretty much knew what to expect. But Theo, ever the gentleman, explained everything to me. I even met his new wife and son at the restaurant.'

'Ah, like that, is it?' The salacious eagerness in the voice made Willow's stomach turn. 'I might have guessed. Dianne divorced him not long after you decorated her house, as I recall. History repeating itself, perhaps.'

The attendant returned with the book and numbly Willow took it from her, not saying a word as she listened to Christine's reply.

'Let's just say he gave me this diamond necklace after dinner, and things are not over yet,' Christine said archly and laughed.

Willow did not need to hear any more. Silently she ran from the cloakroom and straight past Charles. She saw an open French door, and darted through into the garden. Taking in great gulping breaths of the night air, Willow tried to fight down the nausea that threatened to overwhelm her. She began to shake and she could not stop.

Images of her honeymoon, of lying in the huge bed with Theo, with their bodies entwined. Herself, a willing and wanton partner in all his erotic love-making. These images now turned her stomach as they were overlaid by others of Theo doing exactly the same thing to Christine only the very next day after they returned.

How could he? her heart cried. What kind of sadistic monster was he that he'd even had the nerve to introduce her to the woman when they had met in the restaurant? She saw again the fleeting look in his mother's eyes, which she had dismissed at the time, and she groaned out loud. Even his own mother knew and had said nothing. And worse still. . .later Theo had had the gall to come straight from his mistress's bed to hers. She had stupidly believed that his unexpected gentle passion had been because he truly cared for her, when in reality it had probably been because he'd been exhausted!

Willow could not believe how stupid she had been. What kind of prize idiot was she? She had actually thought she was falling in love with Theo all over again and had fooled herself into thinking that he might feel the same. The tears rolled down her cheeks unchecked as she faced the agon­ising truth. She did love him, probably always had and always would. A man less worthy of love would be im­possible to find and she felt her heart break and shatter into a million pieces. She pushed her clenched fist into her mouth and bit down hard on her knuckle to prevent herself from screaming her anguish out loud.

CHAPTER TWELVE

'Willow, what is wrong?' Charles's lanky figure appeared at her side. 'What's the matter? You're shivering.' His long arm swept around her shoulders, hugging her to him.

She looked up at him, her eyes swimming in tears. 'Please, Charles, get me out of here,' she whispered, her voice breaking on a sob.

'You are upset; I'd better go and get Theo.'

'No, no, not him, never him,' she cried.

'Okay, okay, if you say so. I'll take you to my office and then you can tell me what happened.' Leading her around the building and through another door, he finally settled her onto a sofa in his office. 'You look like you could use a brandy.' Crossing to his desk, he withdrew a bottle from the drawer and filled a small tumbler. 'I keep this here for medicinal purposes only, you understand,' he said, flashing her a smile.

She looked up into his friendly face and, taking the glass he held out for her, she downed its contents in one go. The fiery liquid burnt her throat, but it had the desired effect and slowly her shivering ceased.

'Are you sure you don't want me to get Theo? Did some­one attack you?'

'No,' she said, roughly wiping the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand.