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‘I don’t expect you to apologise to me,’ she said under her breath, ‘and I’m not here to argue. I suppose you were in Athens on business,’ she added, turning their conversation to a less controversial subject. ‘Was it very warm?’

‘Very!’ He turned as Susan made a tardy appearance from one of the lifts. ‘I hear you had a shopping spree on your hands yesterday. Susan was most grateful, I understand. She feels she took up too much of your precious time.’

‘I had it to spare.’ Anna felt relieved as Susan joined them. ‘It was a pleasant change from shopping for vegetables.’

‘I got my specs,’ Susan announced, shaking hands. ‘You were quite right about Adolf. I’ve never met such an understanding man!’

‘Susan is always meeting unusual people,’ Lara said a trifle drily, ‘but thank you for taking care of her, Anna. She really can be an innocent abroad on occasion.’ She turned to Andreas. ‘I think you could order our drinks now,’ she suggested. ‘I told Dino we would be in by seven.’

She was completely relaxed, the perfect hostess in the ideal setting, dressed wisely in a pale grey dinner gown which would not eclipse any of her guests, her single jewel the magnificent diamond she wore on the third finger of her left hand over her platinum wedding ring.

The decor of the Crescent Beach seemed to reflect her own good taste, with its arched ceilings and fine woodwork and the wide, deep sofas placed at intervals on the highly polished marble floor. Long windows overlooked the dark mystery of the lantern-lit terraces and the gleam of water beyond them, and somewhere close at hand an orchestra played.

‘Well,’ Andreas asked at Anna’s elbow, ‘what do you think of it?’

She looked up at him, disconcerted for a moment by his directness. ‘The hotel? What do you expect me to say? It’s wonderful—everything a four-star hotel should be,’ she answered truthfully.

‘Lara does the decor,’ he said. ‘She has excellent taste. What will you have to drink?’

‘Sherry, please.’

‘It used to be orange-juice!’

‘I’m grown up now!’

‘So you are. I should have noticed.’

‘Andreas,’ she begged, ‘do you think we could—forget our differences just for tonight? After all, we are Lara’s guests.’

‘As you say.’ He turned away with a brief smile to order their drinks. ‘It will be a pleasant change. Lara has asked Nikos Masistas to join us, by the way,’ he added. ‘That should please you. They met on the tennis courts.’ Nikos joined them almost immediately, bowing over Lara’s hand.

‘A nice surprise!’ he said, kissing Dorothy on both cheeks. ‘Mrs Warrender plays tennis as she does everything else—magnificently!’

It was too extravagant, Anna thought, but Lara smiled at him. ‘Flattery will get you nowhere,’ she said. ‘And why the formality? My name is Lara—to my friends. Thank you for all the help you’ve given me with the villa, Nikos,’ she added more seriously. ‘It is very kind of you.’

‘Don’t even think about it,’ he said. ‘I heard it was coming on to the market so I thought I would mention it when you told me what you wanted. I can make arrangements for you to inspect it whenever you like,’ he offered.

Lara glanced at Andreas who had given his order to the bar attendant. ‘Could we go quite soon?’ she asked. ‘Tomorrow, perhaps?’

‘Tomorrow will be fine.’ Andreas sat down beside her. ‘I’ll hire a car and we can take Martha and Susan with us. You’d like that, infant, wouldn’t you?’ he asked the adoring child who now sat on the arm of his chair smiling down at him.

Martha said, ‘Oh, yes, please!’ and Susan also smiled.

They were all so relaxed, Anna thought, sipping her drink as Nikos sat down beside her, just like one big, happy family now that they were to go off for a day into the mountains with nobody left behind.

'You didn’t expect the pleasure of my company,’ Nikos said, bending close, ‘but I couldn’t resist Lara’s invitation when I knew you were going to be here. What made you change your mind about neglecting your duties at the villa for one whole evening, I wonder?’

‘A desire to see what a four-star hotel was really like. How it functioned,’ Anna laughed. ‘It’s— overwhelming!’

‘You’ve never been here before?’

‘Never.’

‘Andreas is on to a good thing, I guess, getting a seat on the Board, but I suppose that was Lara’s influence. She’s very good to him, I hear.’

‘He’ll work quite hard in return,’ Anna said, not wanting to discuss the relationship. ‘You know the hotel quite well, of course.’

‘It’s practically my second home,’ he agreed. ‘I could have a flat, like Andreas, when I haven’t work to do on the estate. When are you coming to see us, by the way?’

‘When the summer rush is over,’ Anna said. ‘Your mother will understand.’

The head waiter came to stand beside Lara’s chair. ‘We are ready for you now, Madam, whenever it is convenient to you,’ he said.

‘We are so early because of Martha,’ Lara explained. ‘You understand?’

‘Perfectly, Madam.’

Following Lara, they moved towards the restaurant resplendent in its decor of old rose and gold with little silk shades on the candles at the tables and pink linen tablecloths to match the rose-coloured carpet which covered the floor. The orchestra had started to play, but so far the small square of parquet in the centre of the room which served as a dance floor was unoccupied. Nobody wanted to dance this early in the evening and most of the tables were empty.

Lara indicated their seats and they sat down to study the extensive menu. Sitting between Andreas and Nikos, Anna was fascinated by the variety presented to them, making a mental calculation of the trouble and dedication it had taken in the kitchens. For there would be more than one kitchen, she supposed, with everything to hand to make the work easy.

‘What are you thinking about?’ Nikos asked.

‘I was thinking how easy it would be to accept all this—everything going like clockwork because so many people are doing just one thing.’

‘Don’t you believe it!’ Andreas said, listening on her other side. ‘It was chaos this morning simply because someone had burnt a pan, and half-an-hour ago the second chef took umbrage over a sauce which was not exactly to his liking. It isn’t all beer and skittles, by any means, simply because you have earned an extra star or two. Prestige can be an ugly word at times when the pressure is on.’

‘But you love that sort of thing,’ Anna pointed out. ‘Otherwise, you wouldn’t be doing it.’

He looked across the table at Lara. ‘That’s true,’ he agreed. ‘I’ve been trained in management and it suits me very well, but without Lara we wouldn’t have all this perfection.’

The atmosphere was just right, and as the meal progressed a warmth of friendliness appeared to wrap them round. To her utter delight, Nikos asked Martha to dance after the main course had been served and they had ordered their sweet.

‘She adores Nikos,’ Lara smiled. ‘He has been so kind to her, making her feel like an adult and helping her with her tennis. I think the coach overwhelms her a little and Nikos treats it just as a game.’

‘She could learn a lot from Nikos,’ Andreas said. ‘Anna, will you dance with me?’ he asked, standing beside her chair.

‘Of course, she will!’ Lara assured him. ‘She must know you do it rather well.’

Anna didn’t know. All those years ago Andreas hadn’t danced at all because he had never been keen to learn, preferring the outdoor life of the mountains where he could fish and shoot with her father’s friends, but now everything about him seemed to be different. He held out his hand to her and she felt her fingers imprisoned in a commanding grip as he led her on to the dance floor.

‘Does this surprise you so much?’ he asked, putting his arm about her. ‘It was also part of my training.’

‘You are so utterly changed. I never thought of us dancing together,’ she answered lamely.

‘We’ve grown up, Anna.’ His face was so very near her own, his arm tightening about her as they circled the floor. ‘We are two entirely different people now and we can’t pretend about it.’

‘I never thought you would change,’ she said uncertainly. ‘I thought—it would always be the same, but I see now that would be impossible. You chose a different sort of life and we have been left behind.’

‘Would you have come with me if I had asked you at the time?’ he demanded. ‘All those years ago would you have taken a chance and married me? All right, that wasn’t a fair question,’ he added quickly when she didn’t answer him immediately. ‘I should never have asked it because you have let me see the error of my ways in no uncertain manner and we can’t put back the clock. I did what I did because I quarrelled with your father six years ago, but you are not willing to forgive, like your mother.’ She moistened her suddenly dry lips. ‘No,’ she said. ‘It’s something I just can’t understand—a sort of betrayal. At one time we were all very close.’

‘We could be that way again if you would only look at things in their true perspective. I am here to stay, Anna, living on the same island, in the hotel next door, and it seems a pity that we can’t live peaceably and without recrimination. I’ll be managing the Crescent for Lara and you two could so easily be friends. She’s a wonderful person, believe me, and already your mother has taken her to her heart. What is it with you that you can’t accept us?’

She felt herself stiffen in his arms, her breath held as the dance came to an end. ‘I have no place in your life,’ she said. ‘It could never be the same as it was before you went away.’

Nikos and his partner came across the floor to join them. ‘Time for the cabaret,’ Nikos said. ‘Who is it tonight?’

‘The Parlou Brothers. They do the circuit of six hotels,’ Andreas explained. ‘Their act is very good and Lara has engaged them for the rest of the season. We vary it with two dance groups and a ventriloquist for the children.’

The floor show was deft and accomplished. The two brothers danced into the middle of the parquet square in their tight-fitting black trousers and immaculate silk shirts to the quick tempo of the guitars and drums, circling and weaving their way across the highly polished wood with hardly a moment to draw breath between one dance and the next, and then, with the lights dimmed to enhance the tension, one of them put an upturned glass on the other’s head. Anna had seen it done many times, but one glance at Martha convinced her that enchantment had been let loose for the little girl who often felt alone. She stood gazing, wide-eyed, as glass after glass was filled with the red wine of the island and built up, one on the other, into an unbelievable column fifteen glasses high while the dancing never stopped. Brother followed brother between the tables until, to her shy delight, she was invited to place the final glass in position.

‘I’d let it fall!’ she cried. ‘I couldn’t do it. I’d spoil everything!’

‘Of course, you could do it!' Andreas encouraged her. ‘Here we go! I’ll help you.’

He lifted her into his arms and the delighted child placed the necessary card on top of the highest glass, her small, flushed face bright and anxious as she drew her hand away.

‘I’ve done it!’ she breathed. ‘I’ve done it, Andreas!’

A small lighted candle was placed on Martha’s card and the brothers took their bow.

‘And now, to bed,’ Lara said, kissing her daughter on the cheek as she finished the ice-cream which had almost melted in its silver dish as she had watched the cabaret. ‘You’ve had your treat, so fall asleep at once and don’t keep Susan upstairs too long. She likes to dance, too, you know.’

Obediently Martha wished them all good night, and when she came to Anna she whispered shyly, ‘Can I come to your hotel tomorrow to see the little lighthouse?’

‘You can come at any time,’ Anna agreed willingly. ‘It isn’t far to walk along the beach.’

Martha was still clinging to Andreas’ hand, unwilling to let it go.

‘Come on, Marty,’ he said. ‘Don’t keep Susan waiting.’

Their coffee was served as the orchestra began to play again. Nikos danced with Anna while Andreas lead Lara on to the floor and Dorothy sat alone at the table enjoying her role of spectator as the head waiter poured fresh coffee for her and brought liqueurs. Her mother was enjoying herself, Anna thought, as much as anyone.

It was after ten o’clock before they rose to go.

‘It’s been a wonderful evening,' Dorothy said. ‘Perhaps you will come to the villa again before you leave for the mountains. We can’t promise you dancing or a cabaret, but we have a folk singer who is really very good.’

‘Which way are you going home?’ Andreas asked. ‘It’s quicker by the shore and there’s a full moon. I’ll take you along the beach.’

Dorothy hesitated. ‘Why not?’ she said. ‘It will be like old times walking across the sand.’ They went arm-in-arm, Anna between Nikos and her mother; with Andreas on the outside.

‘What was that song we used to sing?’ Andreas asked. ‘Something about getting home before the dawn.’

‘You ought to remember it,’ Dorothy laughed ‘I can still hear you singing it at the top of your voice even over the sound of the sea.’

Anna knew what it was, but she could not bring herself to sing it, not there on the quiet beach with the moonlight silvering the waves and Andreas’ little lighthouse winking steadily ahead of them, pointing the way home.

When they reached the terrace he turned to go back with Nikos and Susan, and for a moment Anna saw his face in full moonlight. It was the face she had known all these years ago, but suddenly the eyes were hard.

‘Will you come in for a nightcap?’ her mother asked.

He shook his head. ‘You know what hotels are like,’ he said. ‘I must get back.’ He bent to kiss her on both cheeks. ‘Sleep well, Mama,’ he said. ‘I think you have enjoyed yourself.’

He did not look at Anna, and when she turned towards the villa there was no more bitterness in her heart.

The
busiest day of the week for the Villa Severus was Wednesday. Most of their guests were elderly and preferred to travel then to avoid the turmoil of Saturday and Sunday when other holidaymakers flew in to Lamaca from Britain and Europe. The Americans arrived at any time because they were generally on a tour of the Middle East, and the Greeks hardly came at all.