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On the third day, while Alice was looking after her mother, the doorbell had rung. Opening it, she had stood mouth agape seeing Nikos on the doorstep.
“W…what are you doing here?” she had finally managed to stutter out, her voice low, her body jumping to instant awareness having him so close.
“You don’t answer your phone, texts, emails……what else was I supposed to do?”
He had bitten out, his mouth grim his dark eyes flashing angrily.
Raising her hand to rub her brow, she had regarded him warily.
“I have a lot on my mind right now Nikos… My mother…”
His face had instantly softened his expression apologetic as he had shuffled slightly “I know…and I am sorry Mina…but we have to talk”.
Shaking her head with determination she had groaned gently.
“No…no we don’t. It was a mistake….let’s just leave it at that”.
Before he could respond, another voice, a soft almost inaudible silvery one had interrupted.
“Who is it Mina?” Mina’s eyes closing with dread, before opening and looking beseechingly at Nikos.
“It is Nikos Dupris mother” she had replied, allowing the door to open to reveal the man to the small woman who had moved slowly into the hallway.
Nikos had moved his eyes from Mina to the frail woman before him. He could still see the lovely features of the woman who had been his stepfathers mistress, seen the lovely eyes inherited by her daughter. She was smiling with real joy at seeing him, this taking him aback, as he had moved into the foyer of the Villa Aqua.
“Nikos!” she had exclaimed shuffling slowly forward to meet him, Nikos quickening his step to save her from having to strain herself.
“It is wonderful to meet you. Your mother spoke so highly of you”.
Two pairs of eyes had looked back at the small woman with surprise.
“My mother?” he had questioned, the shock so clear on his voice. “You knew my mother?”
Taking his arm, and allowing the tall man to walk with her back to the comfortable living room she had nodded softly, a small chuckle leaving her.
“I suppose many would find it strange, but yes we became good friends”.
As he had helped her to sit on the seat full of pillows, her frail body lost in the cushions, he had looked intently at her.
“I did not know that you knew each other” his tone kindly but questioning.
Her mother had held onto Nikos’ hand, gently patting it.
“Yes. It was your mother who insisted that I live here”.
She had given a small laugh, seeing the shock on the two other faces, a slight frown falling on her brow.
“You are aware of the kind of marriage your mother and Alexander had?”
Nikos had shaken his head, a small look of anger once more filling his eyes.
“My mother was a very private person Miss Lane. However, I do not think that their marriage was a happy one”.
The frail woman had shaken her head.
“No…no you must not think that. Please. They were good friends”.
Nikos had looked up at Mina for answers, seeing the dumbfound shock on her face also.
“Your mother and Alexander married for convenience. He was Greek aristocracy, with no money, and her family were rich but needed the connections. It seemed an ideal solution for them both…until he and I met”.
A small wistful look had come to her face.
“He wanted to divorce your mother and marry me…especially when Mina was born…but it would have been disastrous and your mother made us see that”.
She had lain back as coughs had wracked her small frame, Mina rushing forward with water. As the coughing had died down she had continued.
“Your company was in a bad way, and the divorce would have meant the end, so we all talked and came up with this solution, and it worked well…until your mother died…then Alexander” her face filling with sorrow, before leaning forward she had gently patted his cheek.
“You have your mother’s eyes Nikos. She was a good woman”.
Mina could see as Nikos had blinked, surprised to see what looked like tears, before he had managed to pull himself together, smiling softly at the other woman.
“Yes…yes she was…but she never told me any of this”.
About to say more her mother had once more started to cough, this time struggling to breath, both Nikos and Mina becoming concerned, as Alice had rushed in, her professional voice calm as she had taken control of the situation, pulling oxygen from behind the chair and giving it to the older woman to help her breath. Looking at the other two people in the room she had smiled, her voice brooking no argument.
“Mina perhaps you should show your visitor the grounds” both recognising the instruction to leave, as they had risen.
“S…sure” Mina looking lovingly at her mother “I will show Nikos the beach mother” seeing as she had nodded, breathing in shallow gulps of air, Mina not aware as her body had shaken with seeing her like that.
As they had moved out of the villa, he had pulled her around to look into her eyes.
“You don’t really expect me to believe any of that do you?” he had bitten out at her, his eyes full of anger and confusion, as she had looked back at him, hers full of pain at seeing her mother struggling just to breath.
“She is dying Nikos…why would she lie?”
Looking down adding in a smaller voice “She has nothing to gain from telling anything but the truth”.
Pulling away from him, she had moved away down towards the beach, seeing as the sun was starting to set, needing to put some distance between herself and this man who was having such a disturbing effect on her with just his presence. She had heard as he had followed her, Mina moving to where the water gently lapped at the sand, kicking off her sandals and stepping into the icy water feeling as it had cooled her suddenly burning skin.
Behind her she had been aware as he had stood silently for several seconds before finally speaking, no longer talking of the revelation her mother had just made.
“Why did you leave Mina?”
The question had caught her by surprise, glad that she was facing away from him, so that he would not see the hurt which had filled her lovely face.
“You know why…my mother needed me”.
This time his voice had been gentler
“And what about what happened between us?”
Lifting the long gypsy skirt she wore, she had moved further into the water, needing to put even more space between them.
“A mistake Nikos, one best forgotten”, she had heard the small dismissive sound from him, glad that he could not reach her in the water.
“Really…so that is it for you is it?” Mina surprised at the tinge of anger on his voice, as she had finally whiped around to look at him.
“You made your feelings more than clear the night before” her voice lower as she had added “And by making sure that you were not there in the morning”.
She had been rewarded as his expression had become one of discomfort.
“I didn’t know how to deal with it Mina…I needed to think…it was unexpected”.
Biting her lip she had looked sorrowfully back at him “Which is why it is best if we forget it Nikos” turning once more so that he would not see the look of sadness which had inexplicably filled her features. Nikos’ voice had become harder as he had remembered Dina’s words.
“Yes…..seems you forgot it very quickly” Mina blinking in confusion “What does that mean?”
“It means Mina that it didn’t take too long for you to start seducing someone else…and you didn’t go far either. Did you have to pick Yanis?” his voice clipped.
Spinning around she had stared back at him “What the hell does that mean?” she had bitten back.
“You were seen kissing Yanis” He had thrown back, as she had frowned.
“He gave me a small kiss and told me that everybody was thinking of me and my mother…you make it sound like…like we were” her hands flapping with frustration, her skirt dropping into the water, before she had stopped, her eyes narrowing.
“Who told you?”
To her surprise a big smile had spread across Nikos’ face lighting it with a strange glow, a look of almost relief filling his handsome features.
“You mean you and he were not …kiss kissing?” he had laughed, moving forward into the sea caring little as the water had sloshed over and covered his expensive leather shoes, Mina looking at him with surprise, her eyes widening as her hands had moved in an attempt to ward him off.
“No…stay away Nikos” she had cried, even as he had reached out and pulled her into his arms, Mina trying to push him from her as his mouth had descended and captured hers, a shudder running through her, as pushes had turned to clutches as she had pulled him in harder kissing him back, whimpering softly against his mouth.
