Her legs buckled and she felt close to collapse. She was about to try to stagger indoors when Hector spoke again, but gently this time.
‘Mum?’ Was that concern in his voice?
She peeked at him timidly through her fingers and, behind the mask, she thought she spied a faint glimmer of the Hector she used to know: kind, caring, loving, thoughtful Hector. The one who used to give her the best hugs.
A seed of hope buried itself deep in her chest.
‘Yes?’ she said cautiously.
He hesitated, swaying to and fro for a moment, before shaking his head. ‘Nothing.’
The seed dislodged itself and her heart froze over.
He turned on his heel and was gone.
* * *
Back in the house, Stella didn’t want to talk about what had just taken place, but it was obvious she’d been crying and she felt she owed Louise some sort of explanation.
‘Hector and I had a row. He said some terrible things,’ she whispered when the others were out of hearing.
Jon and Hector had gone to their rooms while the girls and Will were playing cards at the grand marble dining table next door.
Louise led her outside again and suggested a stroll round the moonlit garden. The cicadas’ singing was quieter now the air was cool. They were at their noisiest in the hottest part of the day.
A distant, low hoot, which seemed to echo round the mountain, made them stop in their tracks.
‘An owl,’ Louise observed. ‘What a lovely sound!’
Stella glanced up to Jon’s bedroom on the second floor. His shutters were closed but the light was on, and she guessed the window was open.
‘This way,’ Louise said, nodding in the direction of a narrow, paved path that led away from the villa to the edge of the property. Most of the fruit trees had been planted here against the wall, where they’d be somewhat sheltered from the strong Cretan wind that could suddenly whip up and take you by surprise.
Louise shook her head in disgust when Stella told her about Jon’s ambush, and then again when she repeated some of the language Hector had used.
‘He shouldn’t speak to you like that,’ she muttered. ‘Whatever happened to “Honour thy father and thy mother”?’
‘But what can I do about it? He’s an adult now; I can’t stop his pocket money or ground him.’
Louise paused for a moment. ‘It must have been a huge shock for him, seeing you and Jon like that. I can understand why he jumped to the wrong conclusion.’
‘Yes, but what I don’t get is why he wouldn’t believe me when I told him the truth.’
Louise took a deep breath. ‘I think he’s extremely lost and confused. Obviously, Harriet’s death was traumatic for him, too. On top of that, he’s had to cope with your low moods as well as his dad’s misery. And it can’t be easy for him, with you spending so much time with Jon and Jemima. I imagine he feels rather abandoned and left to his own devices.’
Stella was stung. She knew Louise could be direct, but implying she was falling short as a mother was a step too far. It hurt like hell.
‘I’ve asked him loads of times if he wants counselling,’ she said defensively. ‘Obviously, I’d pay. But he insists he doesn’t need it. I don’t know what else I can do for him. And clearly, I have to look after Jon and Jemima…’
‘You could ask Jon to leave?’
Both women pulled up short and Louise’s words seemed to hang, suspended in the air between them.
It was Stella who broke the silence.
‘Are you serious?’
Louise nodded. ‘It would send a strong message to Hector about how you really feel about Jon. To be honest, it’d be a relief for the rest of us as well. He’s not exactly good company. No one wanted him to come except you.’
