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Contrary to what his mother had said, Ianthe looked less than happy to see him. ‘Demetri,’ she murmured politely after he had greeted her mother. ‘Aunt Maria said you wouldn’t be back before tomorrow.’ Ianthe had always called his mother ‘aunt’ but it was only an honorary title. The two women were actually distant cousins, even if they behaved more like sisters.
Now Demetri cast his mother a sardonic look, but she busied herself taking another glass from the chilled cabinet the maid had placed beside her. ‘You’ll have some iced tea, won’t you, Demetri?’
‘Not for me,’ he said, aware that Ianthe was exchanging a furtive look with her mother. ‘I can’t stay. Now that I know my father’s OK, I’d like to get home.’
Maria straightened, the glass in her hand. ‘But Demetri, you can’t mean to leave without seeing your father?’
‘I’ll see him later,’ insisted Demetri through his teeth. ‘Right now, I’d like to catch Theo before he leaves for town.’
‘Theo is here?’
It was Ianthe who’d spoken, and Demetri saw a look of unguarded anticipation in her eyes.
‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘He’s staying the night in the cottage. D’you want to see him?’
‘Oh, well—’
‘I don’t think so, Demetri.’
Ianthe and her mother spoke in unison but it was Maria Souvakis who had the final word. ‘Why would Ianthe want to see Theo Vasilis, Demetri?’ she demanded. ‘For heaven’s sake, Thermia was just telling me that Ianthe’s had more than a dozen text messages from that young man while you’ve been away. He’s becoming a positive nuisance!’
Demetri arched a brow at Ianthe. ‘Is that true?’
‘That he’s texted me, yes.’
‘I meant the bit about him being a nuisance,’ said Demetri patiently. ‘He seems to think you like his company.’
Ianthe glanced awkwardly from her mother to her aunt and back again. ‘Well—I do—like him,’ she mumbled uncertainly and the older women exchanged an impatient look.
‘So?’ Demetri was getting impatient himself. ‘Do you want to see him or not?’ And when she kept her eyes averted, he added irritably, ‘You’re twenty-three, Ianthe. If you want to be friends with him, no one can stop you.’
‘Demetri!’
His mother, who had seated herself beside Thermia, now looked up at him with horrified eyes, but Demetri had had enough. ‘Well?’ he said, pointedly, and with another anxious look in her mother’s direction, Ianthe got to her feet.
‘Yes, I’d like to see him,’ she muttered humbly, and with a muffled oath Demetri bid a terse farewell to his mother and Thermia, and stepped back into the house with Ianthe at his heels.
They were crossing the reception hall when Demetri heard the unmistakable sound of a car coming up the drive to the house and his stomach clenched instinctively. Oh, right, he thought tiredly, wasn’t this just par for the course? He’d thought things couldn’t get any worse, but they just had.
‘That must be your father and Ariadne and—and your wife,’ offered Ianthe uneasily, and Demetri gave her a wry look.
‘Yes,’ he said flatly. ‘I think you’re right. How wonderful!’
Ianthe’s eyes held an expression of reproach. ‘You don’t mean that.’
‘Don’t I?’ Despite his reluctance, Demetri continued doggedly towards the outer doors. ‘Well, we’ll see, shall we?’
They paused in the open doorway as his father’s vintage Bentley halted at the foot of the steps that led up to the terrace where they were standing. Unaware of being observed, Jane was first out of the car. She’d apparently been acting as his father’s chauffeur with him beside her in the front seat. Now, she hurried round the bonnet to pull open his door, offering him a hand to alight. He did so gratefully, leaning heavily on her arm before rescuing his cane and transferring his weight to it.
‘Thank you, my dear,’ he said with evident warmth. And then he saw his son.
‘Demetri!’ he exclaimed, and Ariadne, who had been getting rather ill-temperedly out of the back of the car, lifted her head disbelievingly.
‘Darling,’ she cried, ignoring Jane and his father. Darting ahead of them, she reached Demetri and, grasping his free arm, she stood on tiptoe to brush her mouth against his. ‘You’re back!’
‘You noticed.’ Demetri’s tone was even, but he was watching his wife and his father making their careful ascent of the steps. Then, with an inward curse, he put down his briefcase and went to help them, leaving Ariadne and Ianthe to exchange an unfriendly look.
