‘I—I’ve never been there,’ she answered.
‘Then you are in for a pleasant surprise. My grandfather lives outside Athens, within commuting distance, on the coast. His villa is at the shoreline, with its own beach, where Marcos and I used to play as children when we visited our grandfather. What I suggest is that you and I make our base not in the main villa—which is massive and very old-fashioned—but in the beach house, which is much more manageable and also goes straight out onto the sand beyond the terrace. It will be ideal for Georgy.’
His voice had warmed and Lyn tried to sound appreciative. ‘That would be nice...’ she said.
Nice—the word echoed in Anatole’s head. Yes, Timon’s palatial villa with its luxuriously appointed beach house set in extensive private gardens would indeed be ‘nice’ for someone whose current accommodation was a cramped, dingy furnished flat in a hideous sixties concrete block...
‘Does that reassure you?’ he asked.
No! she wanted to shout. No. Absolutely nothing about this insane idea reassures me!
But what was the point of saying that? Of course the idea was insane and absurd and outrageous—but Anatole Telonidis was taking it seriously. Talking about it as if it were really going to happen.
Am I really going to go through with this? Go through with marriage to a man I never knew existed forty-eight hours ago?
A man she was a million miles removed from—a man who lived in the distant stratosphere of the rich, while she was an impecunious student struggling along the breadline.
It wasn’t as if she were like Lindy, she thought bitterly. Lindy with her lovely blonde hair, her blue eyes and curvaceous figure. No wonder she’d drawn the philandering eye of Marcos Petranakos when she’d lived in London. If Lyn had possessed Lindy’s looks she wouldn’t feel so abysmally awkward, sitting here talking about something as intimate as marriage to a man like Anatole Telonidis.
But it won’t be ‘intimate’ will it? she castigated herself roundly. If it’s absurd and insane to think of marrying him, it’s beyond either to think of anything at all beyond the merest formality. It will be a marriage in name only, solely and simply for the purpose of safeguarding Georgy.
She and Anatole would be presenting a united front to convince the adoption authorities that they were the best possible parents for him. And if they didn’t present a united front...if Anatole applied for Georgy entirely on his own...
Fear stabbed at her. If that happened then he would inevitably discover what she must not let him find out...
Must not!
‘Lyn?’
His deep, accented voice interrupted her troubled emotions. She jerked her head up and felt the impact of his gaze, felt the flurry in her veins that came as his eyes rested on her, his look enquiring.
‘Are we agreed?’ he asked. ‘Have I convinced you that this is the very best possible step for us to take?’
She bit her lip. She wanted time—time to think, to focus! But how would that help? The longer she delayed, prevaricated, the more likely it was that Anatole Telonidis would get impatient and set his lawyers to the task of making a formal application to adopt Georgy himself.
She took a breath, ragged and uneven. ‘OK,’ she said. ‘OK, I’ll do it.’
CHAPTER FIVE
LYN GAZED AROUND her. The room Anatole Telonidis had ushered her into, Georgy clutched in her arms, was huge. Pale pristine carpet stretched in front of her, upon which was set cream-upholstered sofas and armchairs. Vast picture windows took up one entire wall, looking out over one of London’s West End parks. It couldn’t have been more different from her cramped little flat. Yet it was where she was going to stay until she went to Athens.
To marry Anatole Telonidis.
She felt the familiar eddy of shock go through her as she faced up to what she had agreed to. But it was too late now—the decision had been made. She had quit her college course, moved out of her flat, travelled down to London with Anatole in his chauffeur-driven car, and her personal belongings had been conveyed by carrier.
He had taken charge of everything, sweeping her along with him so that she hardly knew what was happening any more—except that it was an overturning of everything familiar. Now he turned to look at her as she stared at the luxury apartment he’d rented.
‘Come and choose which bedroom you want for you and Georgy,’ he said, and led the way back out in to the spacious hallway, off which several bedrooms opened. She knew which one she would choose—whichever was furthest away from the master bedroom, where Anatole would be.
A flush went through her. How on earth was she to live in such close quarters with a man who was a complete stranger to her? And, worse than that, a man who was, when it came to physical attributes, a million miles away from her nondescript appearance.
What on earth does that matter? she robustly admonished herself as she inspected the bedrooms. As she kept reminding herself, hoping to be reassured, theirs was to be a marriage in name only, solely for the purpose of adopting Georgy, placating the authorities.
Anatole was speaking again, and she made herself listen.
‘There is a gym and a swimming pool for residents in the basement. The park is accessible directly from the apartment block, which will be convenient for taking Georgy out. The apartment is fully serviced, so all meals can be delivered as in a hotel. Plus, of course, groceries and anything else you want can be delivered too. Obviously there’s a maid service, so you won’t have any housework to do.’ He took a breath and then went on. ‘Order whatever you want for Georgy by way of equipment, toys and clothes. Everything can be taken out to Greece when we go. A credit card will be delivered to you shortly, and I am arranging for a new bank account for you, into which I will pay sufficient funds for you to draw on.’
He paused, and looked at her. She seemed to be taking it in, but it was hard to tell. She had scarcely opened her mouth. Well, she was still in a state of shock, he conceded. Her life had been turned upside down, and she was trying to come to terms with it. Just as he was....
For a treacherous moment he heard his inner voice remonstrating with him, telling him that it was insane to do what he was doing, but he silenced it. There was no backing out now. Not for him—or her. They just had to get on with it.
He made his voice soften. ‘It’s strange for you, I know,’ he said, taking a step towards her. ‘But you will get used to things soon enough. I am sorry I have to leave you straight away, but it is necessary. I have to see my grandfather and talk to his doctors about what treatment he might be able to have. I have to tell him our plans and urge him to make Georgy his heir, put me in charge of the Petranakos Corporation as soon as possible. Then I have to attend to some urgent business affairs of my own, which have been neglected since I flew to England. In the meantime,’ he finished, ‘my lawyers are liaising with your social services on an application for Georgy’s passport and permission to take him out of the country, as well as everything to do with our forthcoming marriage and how it can accelerate the adoption process. I’ll only be in Athens a couple of days. Then I will come right back here.’
He smiled at her in a way he hoped was reassuring. ‘I’m sure that you will be feeling more settled by then. You have my personal mobile number, so of course do phone whenever you want if there is anything that worries you.’
A little burst of hysteria bubbled through Lyn. You mean like anything other than the fact I’m actually going to go ahead and marry you?
But there was no point saying that. No point doing anything other than nod and clutch Georgy more tightly to her.
‘Good,’ said Anatole briskly, and lifted his hand to take Georgy’s outstretched fingers. This tiny bundle of humanity was what was bringing him and this alien female together. His expression softened. He murmured some infantile nonsense to the baby in Greek, then shifted his gaze to the woman holding him.
‘It will be all right,’ he said. ‘Trust me—please.’
He flickered a brief smile at her, and a warmer one at Georgy, who was trying to get at his tie again. ‘Uh-uh,’ he said reprovingly, and chucked him under the chin. ‘Be good, young man, and look after your aunt for me,’ he instructed.
Georgy gazed at him wide-eyed. Lyn gave an awkward smile.
‘See you at the weekend,’ said Anatole, and headed for the door.
Behind him, Lyn slowly sank down on to one of the pristine sofas.
She felt completely numb.
* * *
Over the next two days she gradually started to feel less numb—less in shock. And gradually, too, she became used to her new surroundings. Although she was worried Georgy might make a mess of the pristine decor, she could not help but find the luxury, warmth and comfort of the apartment very easy to appreciate after the privations of her dingy flat. The milder air of the capital drew her out to the park, with Georgy enthroned in a brand-new, top-of-the-range buggy delivered from a top London store.