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‘Find out what?’ Shock was still numbing her. And something quite different from shock. Something that made her whole body, her whole being quiveringly, shakingly aware of the tall, dark figure that was dominating the space, taking it over. Her eyes were drawn helplessly, hopelessly, to his planed face, its features stark with fury. Even consumed with anger as he was, she could feel her senses leap at the sight of him.
‘Don’t stand there looking ignorant and virtuous! Theos mou, to think I was taken in by you. To think I found excuses for you. Justified your actions. Forgave you! And all along—’
Greek broke from him—ugly and harsh, withering her even though she understood not a word of it. He took two strides and was in front of her, hands curving over her shoulders like talons of steel.
‘How dare you target my mother? Go sleazing to her with whatever disgusting tale you’ve trotted out?’ His eyes were blazing—blazing with fury and an emotion that seared her to the spot. ‘To think I wondered why you walked out on me in Paris. I wondered what could be so wonderful about your life without me that you could just dump me—abandon the child you prattled about loving. And now I know. Now I know!’
Breath razored from him. ‘Did you think I wouldn’t find out?’ He gave a harsh, vicious laugh. ‘Well, for your information I handle my mother’s personal finances! Everything about her bank accounts goes through me. So tell me—’ he shook her again, face black ‘—what lies did you spout to get her to part with so much money?’
Ann’s eyes flashed fire. ‘It was a gift! And I never, never asked for it! I didn’t even know she’d given it until I got back here and found her cheque waiting for me in the post.’
‘Which you cashed.’ The words ground from him, enraged.
‘Of course I cashed it. Just like I cashed the cheque you gave me to go out to Sospiris. And the cheque you gave me for taking Ari from me.’
‘To fund your luxury lifestyle on other people’s money!’ His head twisted to take in the passport and travel documents on the table. ‘And now you are fully funded to go off travelling again.’ His hands dropped from her shoulders. ‘So where is it to be this time? The Caribbean? The Maldives? The South Seas? What expensive destination are you heading for this time around?’ Contempt dripped from his voice, lacing the anger beneath with savagery.
Ann’s face set. ‘South Africa,’ she said.
‘South Africa?’ he echoed sneeringly. ‘Isn’t it the wrong time of year for there? Save it for the European winter—the Cape is very clement in December.’
‘I’m not going to the Cape. I’m going inland. Up-country.’
‘Ah—a safari!’ His voice was withering her.
‘No. I’m going back to work.’
His eyes flashed like dark lightning. ‘Work? You wouldn’t know the meaning of the word. What kind of “work” do you intend to tell me that you do?’
‘I teach. I train teachers. And I look after children.’
Derision etched his face. ‘As if I would believe that! With all the money you’ve extracted from my gullible mother you can live a life of ease for the next two years at least!’
She shut her eyes. She’d had enough. Snapping open her eyes again, she shot back at him. ‘That money was not for me. Nor was the money you handed me to go to Sospiris—nor the money you gave me four years ago! I gave it away—all of it. To charity.’
He stilled. Then, as she watched him, feeling her heart pumping in her chest, a laugh broke from him. She could only stare. It was a harsh, mocking laugh.
‘To charity? Theos, how you trot out your lies. Ann—’ his eyes skewered her ‘—no one, no one, gives away that kind of money. No one gives a million pounds to charity when they’re living in a squalid dump.’
Her mouth thinned to a white line. Wordlessly, she yanked out a folder from under her travel documents, thrusting it at him.
‘Read that—read it! And don’t you dare tell me what I did or didn’t do with all that money!’
He took it, the sneer still on his face, the savage anger still in his eyes. But as he opened the folder, stared at the contents, she saw them drain away, leaving his face blank, his expression empty. He stared down at what she had thrust at him. Stared at the colourful leaflet lying on top of the other papers. He said something in Greek. She didn’t know what it was, but she could hear the tone. Disbelieving. More than that. Shocked.
His eyes lifted. Stared at her. There was nothing in them. Then, as if every word were costing him, he spoke.
‘You built an orphanage with the money?’
‘Yes.’
The tips of his fingers were on the printed leaflet, which showed rows of dark, smiling children outside two substantial buildings, with a smaller one in between and one further on a little way away, all set amongst trees in a garden, with the hot African sun beating down and a white picket fence all around. Around the entrance to each of the two larger buildings was lettering in bright colours. His finger traced the lettering.
‘Andreas’ House. Carla’s House.’ There was no expression in his voice, none, as he read out the names.
Nor in hers as she answered, ‘One house for the boys, one for the girls. And a schoolhouse in between. The other building is a clinic, because so many of the children there are AIDS orphans and carry HIV. They need medicine and treatment. It serves the local community as well. The money you gave stretched to all of that.’ She swallowed. ‘It’s where I went after I’d given up Ari. The charity I work for has more orphanages across southern Africa. There are so many children in need of care. The money your mother has so generously given can build another one, and run it too. She’s been wonderfully, wonderfully kind—’
Her voice broke off. Nikos’ eyes were resting on her.
