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And she was astonished that Aristotle Theodakis, the all-powerful patriarch of the family, had agreed to the marriage. While she’d been living under his roof at the Villa Dionysius, he’d been adamantly opposed to it. No mere doctor was good enough for his daughter, he’d roared, even if it was the son of his old friend and tavli opponent. And slammed doors, furious scenes, and the sound of Ismene’s hysterical weeping had been almost daily occurrences.
Until Mick had flatly announced he could stand no more, and had insisted that he and Kate move out of their wing of the main building, and out of earshot, down to the comparative seclusion of the beach house. Where they’d remained…
She drank some of the scalding coffee, but it did nothing to melt the ice in the pit of her stomach.
Those weeks, she thought, had been the happiest of her life. Day had succeeded sunlit day. Night followed moonlit night. Raised voices were replaced by birdsong, the whisper of the breeze in the pine trees, and the murmur of the sea.
And, above all, Michael touching her—whispering to her, coaxing her out of the last of her natural shyness, teaching her to take as well as give in their lovemaking. And to be proud of her slim, long-legged body with its narrow waist and small high breasts.
And she’d been an eager pupil, she thought bitterly. How readily she’d surrendered to the caress of his cool, experienced hands and mouth, sobbing out her breathless, mindless rapture as their naked bodies joined in passion.
So beguiled, so entranced by the new sensual vistas that Mick had revealed to her, that she’d mistaken them for love.
Whereas all she’d really been to him was a novelty—a temporary amusement.
The smokescreen he’d cynically needed to divert attention from his real passion.
The coffee tasted bitter, and she pushed it away from her, feeling faintly nauseous.
She couldn’t afford to tear her heart out over Ismene, she told herself curtly. They’d become close over the months, and she knew that the younger girl would be missing her company with only Victorine to turn to. In fact, the note had almost sounded like a cry for help.
But she couldn’t allow herself to think like that. And in particular she couldn’t permit her mind to dwell on Victorine, the Creole beauty who now ruled Aristotle Theodakis, without releasing any of her hold over his son.
She would write a brief and formal expression of regret, and leave it there. Keep it strictly impersonal, although Ismene might be hurt to have no response to her note.
But then, Kate thought, I also have the right to some reaction to my request for a divorce. After all, it’s been a month since my lawyer sent off the papers.
Impatiently, she pushed the invitation away and rose. It was no wonder she was feeling flaky. She ought to have something to eat. She’d only had time to grab a sandwich at lunch time, and there was cold chicken and salad in the fridge, only her appetite seemed to have deserted her.
And she had a hectic day tomorrow—a group of reluctant French schoolchildren to chivvy around the Tower of London.
Perhaps she would just have a warm shower, wash her hair, and go to bed early. Catch up on some of that lost sleep.
Her bathroom was small, and the shower cubicle rather cramped, not tempting her to linger. She towelled down quickly, and resumed her housecoat before returning to the living room with her hair-drier.
She was just plugging it in when, to her surprise and irritation, someone knocked at the door.
Kate sighed, winding a towel round her wet hair. It was bound to be Mrs Thursgood, the elderly widow who lived on the ground floor, and accepted parcels and packets intended for other tenants who’d left for work before the mail arrived.
She was a kindly soul but gossipy, and she would expect a cup of tea and a cosy chat in return for her trouble of trailing up to the top floor with Kate’s book club selection, or whatever.
I really, truly, don’t want to talk, Kate thought grimly, as she pinned on a smile and flung open the door.
And stood, lips parting in a soundless gasp, eyes widening in shock, feeling the blood drain from her face.
‘My beloved wife,’ Michael Theodakis said softly. ‘Kalispera. May I come in?’
‘No,’ she said. Her voice sounded hoarse—distorted above the sudden roaring in her ears. She was afraid she was going to faint, and knew she couldn’t afford any such weakness. She took a step backwards.
‘No,’ she repeated more vehemently.
He was smiling, totally at ease, propping a dark-clad shoulder against the doorframe.
‘But we cannot conduct a civilised conversation on the doorstep, agapi mou.’
She said thickly, ‘I’ve got nothing to say to you—on the doorstep or anywhere else. If you want to talk, speak to my solicitor. And don’t call me your darling.’
‘How unkind,’ he said. ‘When I have travelled such a long way at such inconvenience to see you again. I’d hoped some of our Greek hospitality might have rubbed off on you.’
‘That isn’t the aspect of my life with you that I remember most clearly,’ Kate said, her breathing beginning to steady. ‘And I didn’t invite you here, so please go.’
Mick Theodakis raised both hands in mock surrender. ‘Easy, Katharina mou. I did not come here to fight a war, but negotiate a peaceful settlement. Isn’t that what you want too?’
‘I want a quick divorce,’ she said. ‘And never to see you again.’
‘Go on.’ The dark eyes glinted down at her from beneath hooded lids. ‘Surely you have a third wish. All the best stories do, I believe.’
Kate drew a quick, sharp breath. ‘This,’ she said gratingly, ‘is not a fairy story.’
‘No,’ he said. ‘To be honest, I am not sure whether it is a comedy or a tragedy.’
‘Honest?’ Kate echoed scornfully. ‘You don’t know the meaning of the word.’
‘However,’ he went on as if she hadn’t spoken. ‘I am quite certain I am not leaving until you have heard what I have to say, yineka mou.’
‘I am not your wife,’ she said. ‘I resigned that dubious honour when I left Kefalonia. And I thought I’d made it clear in my note that our so-called marriage was over.’
‘It was a model of clarity,’ he said courteously. ‘I have learned every word of it by heart. And the fact that you left your wedding ring beside it added extra emphasis.’
‘Then you’ll understand there is nothing to discuss.’ She lifted her chin. ‘Now, go please. I have a heavy duty tomorrow, and I’d like to go to bed.’
‘Not,’ he said softly. ‘With wet hair. That is something that I remember from our brief marriage, Katharina.’ He stepped into the room, kicking the door shut behind him.
There was no lock on her bedroom door, and one dodgy bolt on the bathroom. With nowhere to run, Kate decided to stand her ground.
‘How dare you.’ Her face was burning as she glared at him. ‘Get out of here, before I call the police.’
‘To do what?’ Mick asked coolly. ‘Have I ever struck you—or molested you in any way, agapi mou, that you did not welcome?’ He watched the colour suddenly deepen in her shocked face, and nodded sardonically. ‘Besides, all police are reluctant to intervene in domestic disputes. So, why don’t you sit down and dry your hair while you listen to what I have to say?’
He paused, then held out his hand. ‘Unless you would like me to dry it for you,’ he added softly. ‘As I used to.’
Kate swallowed convulsively, and shook her head, not trusting her voice.
It wasn’t fair, she raged inwardly. It wasn’t right for him to remind her of all the small, tender intimacies they’d once shared.
The way she’d sat between his knees as he blow-dried her hair, combing it gently with his fingers, letting the soft strands drift in the current of warm air.
And how her efforts to perform the same service for him had always been thwarted, as he loosened the sash on her robe, and drew the folds slowly apart, pressing tiny sensuous kisses on her naked body as she stood, flushed and breathless, in front of him. Until her attempt at hairdressing was forgotten in the sweet urgency of the moment.
Oh, she did not need to remember that.
Her cotton housecoat was long-sleeved and full-skirted, buttoned chastely to the throat, but she was still blazingly aware that she was naked under it—and that he knew it too, and was enjoying her discomfort.
The room seemed suddenly to have shrunk. His presence dominated it, physically and emotionally. Invaded her space in the worst way. Dried her throat and made her legs shake under her.
Even as she turned away and walked across to the dining table, every detail of him was etched on her mind, as if she’d touched him with her fingers.
Yet she did not have to do that—to remember.
She knew that the black curling hair was brushed back from his face with careless elegance. That his dark eyes were brilliant, but watchful beneath their heavy lids, or that the cool, firm mouth held a hint of sensuality in the slight fullness of the lower lip.
It was a proud face, strong and uncompromising, but when he smiled, its charm had twisted the heart in her body.
He was formally dressed, the charcoal business suit accentuating the tall, lean body which moved with such arrogant grace. His olive skin looked very dark against the immaculate white shirt. His tie was silk, and there were discreet gold links in his cuffs matching the narrow bracelet on his watch and, she noticed with a sudden painful thud of her heart, the plain band on the third finger of his right hand.
The ring which matched hers, inscribed inside with their names and the date, which she had slipped on to his finger on their wedding day…
How could he still be wearing it? How could he be such a hypocrite? she asked herself numbly.
He said, ‘Aren’t you going to ask me to sit down—offer me some coffee?’
‘You’re not a guest,’ Kate said, keeping her voice level with an effort. ‘And this is not a social call.’ She frowned. ‘How did you get in, anyway?’
‘A charming lady on the ground floor.’ He paused. ‘She seemed pleased you were having a visitor.’
Mrs Thursgood, Kate thought, grinding her teeth. Who normally guarded the front door like Cerberus at the gates of Hell.
She said, ‘She allows her imagination to run away with her sometimes.’
She loosened the towel that was swathed round her head, and her damp hair tumbled on to her shoulders. Then she switched on the drier, and picked up the brush.
Mick stood by the old-fashioned fireplace watching every movement, his whole body very still, except for a muscle flickering at the side of his mouth.
He said at last, ‘You’ve received Ismene’s invitation.’ His tone was abrupt, and it was a statement rather than a question.
‘It came today.’
‘So you haven’t had time to reply.’
‘It won’t take much time,’ Kate said shortly. ‘Naturally, I shan’t be going.’
‘Ah,’ Mick said gently. ‘But that is what I came to discuss with you. It would mean a great deal to my sister to have you present, so I hope you will reconsider.’
Kate switched off the drier and stared at him, pushing her hair back from her face. ‘That’s impossible.’
‘I hope not. Ismene has missed you very badly, and this is a special time for her.’ He paused. ‘I would regard your attendance as a favour.’
Kate gasped. ‘And that’s supposed to make all the difference?’ she demanded furiously.
‘I thought it might.’ He leaned an arm on the mantelshelf, looking hatefully assured and relaxed. ‘In fact, I believed we might exchange favours.’
There was an uncertain silence, then Kate said, ‘What do you mean?’
‘You want a simple, consensual divorce.’ He smiled at her. ‘Which you can have—at a price.’
There was another tingling silence.
She said, ‘And if the price is too high?’
He shrugged. ‘Then I refuse to consent, and we let the legal process run its course.’ He added casually, ‘I understand it can take several years.’
‘That’s—blackmail.’ Her voice shook.
‘Is it?’ he said. ‘But perhaps I do not agree that our marriage has “irretrievably broken down” as you allege in that document.’
‘But you must. It has.’ Kate drew a deep breath. ‘And you’re bluffing. I know you are. You don’t wish to stay married any more than I do.’
His mouth twisted. ‘You’re mistaken, agapi mou. I am in no particular hurry to be free.’
No, she thought, with a stab of anguish. Not while your father is still alive, and Victorine is nominally his…
She said slowly, ‘So I have to attend Ismene’s wedding if I want a quick divorce.’
‘Is it really such a hardship? Kefalonia is very beautiful in September.’
‘Kefalonia is beautiful all the year round.’ Her tone was curt. ‘It’s only some of the people there who make it ugly.’
‘A word of advice, pedhi mou.’ His smile was mirthless. ‘It is better to win an opponent over than to antagonise him.’
Kate lifted her chin. ‘I think it’s a little late to worry about that.’ She hesitated. ‘But everyone must know by now that our marriage is over. Won’t they find it strange if I’m at the wedding?’
‘I am not interested in what people think.’ His voice was suddenly harsh. ‘Besides, they only know that we have been separated for a short time. You might simply have come back to this country to attend to some family business.’
‘Is that what you’ve been telling people?’ She shook her head. ‘My God, you can’t even be honest about our marriage breaking down.’
‘They will know soon enough, when the wedding is over.’
‘Well, I hope you don’t expect me to take part in some spurious reunion,’ Kate said acidly. ‘I’m not that good an actress.’ She paused. ‘Why do you want me there?’
‘Did I say wanted?’ Mick drawled. ‘Don’t flatter yourself, my sweet one. I am here on Ismene’s behalf, not my own.’
She did not look at him, staring instead at her gingham-covered knee. ‘Then I’d be there—just as an ordinary guest? Nothing more?’
He said mockingly, ‘Why, Katharina, did you think you had left me all these weeks to sleep alone? That I’ve been burning for your return. What an innocent you are.’
‘Not,’ she said, ‘any more.’ She was silent for a moment. ‘I need time to think about this.’
‘You have twenty-four hours. I am staying at the Royal Empress Hotel. You remember it?’
