Stormy the Way (15 page)

Leon was at the quay; he looked appreciatively at her hair and said a word of approval.

'I met Androula,' she told him as they boarded the boat. 'She had no lectures today, so she was out shopping.'

'No lectures?' sharply. 'I'd rather believe she'd skipped them!'

'Oh, no! I'm sure she wouldn't.' Tara felt convinced that if Androula had skipped her lectures she would most certainly have asked Tara to keep quiet about their meeting.

'Wouldn't?' with a lift of one eyebrow. 'You don't know Androula.

She thinks I don't either,' he went on to add, but in a voice slightly edged with humour. 'The trouble with both those children is that they underrate other people's intelligence.'

So he wasn't totally hoodwinked by Androula after all. But Tara was sure that he knew nothing about all these boy-friends she had.

The boat was leaving the quay and Tara and Leon stood by the rail. It was a beautifully clear day with the sea like a pond. Leon's arm slid around her as he pointed something out to a man at her side who had put a question to her husband in Greek. She quivered at the contact, even though she knew it had been an automatic move on Leon's part.

She missed it when his arm was withdrawn. But as she turned to him he smiled at her, in a gentle sort of way, and she was happy, forgetting everything except the lovely day she had had and that she had learned that Leon wasn't such a martinet after all, that he was perfectly right in withholding Paul's money until he was twenty-five.

The dinner at night was a fitting end to the day; the two couples lived in gleaming white villas on the hills above the harbour and had been friends of Leon for years. Both men, and one of the women, were Greeks, the other, Grace, being English. She had married Takis a year ago, having met him when she was on holiday in Poros.

'We never thought Leon would marry an English girl, though,' she said when she and Tara found themselves together on the couch, a little apart from the others. 'His two cousins had rotten experiences -

but perhaps you know?' Grace was tall and beautiful in a film star kind of way, her ash-blonde hair being coiffured so immaculately that not a strand was out of place. It was drawn away from her face, then taken up to form a bun on top of her head. Her dress was long and slinky and she wore rather more jewellery than was compatible with good taste. Her husband was one of the oil millionaires who had come to the lovely island to settle, away from the bustle of the mainland.

Tara liked her enormously and when Grace declared that they would become friends she felt a small pang of regret that this would not be so. But she agreed to go over to Grace's home the following day and spend the afternoon with her, Leon having already told her he would be going away on business and would not be back until the following day.

Similar to Leon's home, the villa was spacious and luxuriously appointed, with grounds sweeping right down the hillside. Grace presided like a queen, telling Tara that they had no less than five servants.

'Five?' blinked Tara, looking round and feeling she could have managed the place all on her own, for the carpets were all fitted and everything was ultramodern. 'We have just a married couple, as you know. We have two gardeners, though.'

We have three. But it's only for prestige value. The five in the house have a marvellous time.'

'I suppose it's a good thing that you employ so many; the people here are quite poor, I think?'

'The locals are, yes.' Grace poured tea: from a silver pot, and passed a matching sugar basin over to Tara. 'Leon is more modest than us -

than most wealthy Greeks in fact. Usually when a Greek is rich he likes to let everyone know - he flaunts his wealth. But Leon's never been like that.' She gave a small laugh. 'You'll have to educate him.

It's nice to have lots of servants round you.'

'I like it just as it is,' Tara smiled, helping herself to sugar, and she added unthinkingly, 'Leon wouldn't make any alterations anyway -

not just because I wanted them.'

'No, I don't expect he would.' Grace looked curiously at Tara. 'Leon's a little too masterful a type for me. Takis is easy-going; it's anything for a quiet life. Whatever I say goes.'

'I thought all Greek men were - er - bossy?'

'Most are, but not my Takis. I wouldn't have married him if he had been. I enjoy having all my own way.'

Unconsciously a smile fluttered to Tara's lips. Grace saw it and gave a small grimace, saying it was easy to read Tara's thoughts. She went slightly red and Grace laughed.

'Frankly, I never thought Leon would get married at all,' she said. 'I didn't think there was a woman brave enough to take him on.'

'Brave?' But yes, thought Tara instantly, one would have to be brave to marry anyone like Leon. Her own bravery had been an unconscious thing, though, overshadowed by her love.

'Yes, brave. He's handsome, I'll admit - but the devil himself looks out from those black eyes!'

Tara had to laugh, even though she gave a little inward shudder at the recollection of that night when she herself could very well have believed it was the devil who stood there, and then had subjected her to such violence.

T think they're most unusual - and attractive,' she confessed, lifting the fine china cup to her lips.

'Certainly unusual and certainly attractive, but—' Grace shook her head. 'Not for me. I actually think I'd be scared of him.'

Tara gave another laugh. But it was all for Grace's benefit, including the words,

'Scared? Nonsense! Leon's only a man ... like any other.'

'If you think so,' shrugged Grace, and passed Tara the biscuits.

The afternoon sped and at last Tara said die must be moving.

'Leon's away until tomorrow,' she said, and to her surprise Grace nodded.

'Yes, I know. I took Takis to the boat this morning- he's in Athens today - and Leon was there, buying a ticket for Aegina. The man asked him if he wanted a day return and Leon said no, he wasn't coming back until tomorrow.'

Leon on Aegina. And staying the night. Had Helena changed her mind about giving him up? Tara asked herself as she walked blindly along the drive towards the road. It seemed like it - for otherwise she would have written to him, telling him all was over between them.

But how would she receive him now that she had visited his wife, and told her everything? And what of Leon's state of mind when he learned from Helena that his wife knew all? He must surely consider it strange that she had not murmured one word about it. Suddenly it struck Tara with definite conviction that once Helena realized that Tara had kept silent about her visit to Poros, then Helena herself would also refrain from mentioning it. Tara was later to learn that this conclusion was correct, for on his return Leon was to make no reference to it and it seemed that he was still in ignorance of the Greek girl's visit and her intention of breaking up his marriage.

TARA stood on the verandah watching the ever- changing pattern of light and shade as the sun sank below the rim of the sea. Leon had said he would be in on the six o'clock boat; it was now half-past nine and Savvas had been keeping the dinner hot for well over an hour.

Broodingly, she turned into the room behind her, a deep sigh escaping her as she sank into the cushions on the couch. She was destined to be unlucky in love; this she accepted with fatalistic conviction as she dwelt first on Ricky and the way he had let her down, and then on Leon, who, having captured her heart in no time at all, was also letting her down. Helena had said she was having nothing more to do with him, but obviously they had had an assignment. Leon had stayed with her last night; she hadn't sent him away, for if this were the case he would have returned last evening. Was he staying again tonight?

Suddenly Tara was overwhelmed by an inferiority complex. Both Ricky and Leon had found other women more attractive and desirable than she. With Leon, it served her right. Hadn't she vowed, after being let down by Ricky, that she was finished with men for ever? She should have kept that vow in mind from the very moment of meeting Leon, when she was almost immediately affected by the power of his magnetism.

Gradually, as the lonely silent minutes passed, Tara's dejection was replaced by anger and had it been possible she would have packed her clothes and left Poros at once, thereby subjecting Leon to humiliation, for he would be faced with having to tell his friends that his wife had left him. But of course she was unable to leave at this time of the night, and the more she brooded on the prospect of leaving the more impossible and fraught with difficulties such an action seemed to become. True, her obligation towards Paul was no longer a restraining factor, simply because he had from the beginning misled her over the matter of the allowance. But there were other factors, chief among them being the hurt which a separation would inflict on her parents. Then there was the humiliating prospect of Stewart's 1

told you so', and the even more humiliating picture of Ricky's satisfaction, and the astonishment of her friends, who would all say, as Stewart had said, that she had married on the rebound ... married in haste on being jilted. No, she would not subject herself to all this - but how was she to live with her husband while he was at the same time having an affair with Helena?

Her anger had faded by the time Leon did arrive, and a new dignity had taken full possession. She would treat him with such cool indifference that he would very soon decide she was better left to her own devices. This would do very well until, some more time having passed, she was able to leave him without creating too much gossip, or inflicting too much hurt on her parents. After all, many marriages broke up after a couple of years or so— A couple of years! Must she stay that long? Tears sprang to her eyes. It would be utter agony to live in the same house with Leon and there be nothing between them and, in addition, to be forced to carry the knowledge that he was regularly visiting Helena on the island of Aegina.

He entered the room where she sat, and stood for a strange and prolonged moment in the doorway, staring intently at her, his expression an unreadable mask, yet behind it Tara sensed, much to her puzzlement, a darkling look, and censorious. There was no indication that he had learned of Helena's visit.

Pale-faced but composed, she stood up.

'You're very late. I'm afraid you'll find that the meal is spoiled.'

'I was kept longer than I expected.' Her swift glance of contempt was lost on him as, closing the door behind him, he took a few long and easy strides which brought him into the middle of the room. His briefcase was tossed on to the couch and there was a most strange inflection in his tone as he said, 'You're pale, Tara. Is something the matter?'

She shook her head, an automatic gesture.

'I'm perfectly all right,' she lied. 'What could be the matter?'

The dark eyes flickered with a strange unfathomable light.

'In that case, my dear, we'll get down to our meal at once. Give me ten minutes or so to wash and change and then tell Savvas to serve it up.'

'Did - did you have a successful visit to Athens?' she was inquiring coolly when, after dinner, they sat on the patio drinking coffee by the reflected light from shaded wall lamps in the room behind.

'As usual,' casually as he lifted his cup to his lips. 'I conducted the business which I went there to conduct.'

She lowered her eyes, for of a certainty she must give herself away, revealing to him her knowledge that he had-mot been in Athens at all, but on the island of Aegina.

'I expect you'll be going again very soon?'

Quite suddenly, and solely from instinct, since she was still avoiding his gaze, Tara knew that anger surged within him - unfathomable anger, as she could think of no reason for it. Certainly her comment could not have sparked it off. His voice, low and finely- modulated as usual, came after a pause which seemed to carry an order for her to look at him. But she resolutely kept her head averted.

'Why should you expect that?'

Taken aback slightly, she floundered about for an answer.

'You appear to have a good deal of business in the city,' she managed at last, and she did then glance up. Leon limited his response to the merest hint of a nod, while his dark eyes narrowed and she had the impression that he was keeping some impulse in check only by the greatest effort Without doubt there was something odd about his manner this evening - had been since the moment he had come into the sitting- room an hour or so earlier, and stood by the door, regarding her intently for a long moment before entering. Her mind leapt for one fleeting moment to the possibility that Helena had in fact mentioned her visit to Poros and the meeting between her and his wife, but instantly this was dismissed. Had Helena changed her mind, and confessed, then Leon would have mentioned it long before this.

And he would not have asked, on entering the sitting-room, if anything was the matter. He would have known what was the matter!

- and been prepared for a scene. A scene? Tara gritted her teeth. He would have the scene - yes, sure enough he would have it - just as soon as she decided to leave him!True,' he murmured at length in reply to her comment. 'But it will be some weeks before I have to go into Athens again.'

Her eyes widened .. . while his narrowed even more, so that they became mere slits.

'Some weeks?' she echoed disbelievingly. Surely Helena, having decided against giving him up, would expect him to visit her fairly frequently.

'Yes, Tara,' he answered softly, 'some weeks.' She made no comment and he added, 'You appear to be surprised at this information.'