Edie scratched her arm uneasily.
‘You are a good couple,’ Katerina said at last, still gazing at them.
Edie felt as if she were being examined under a microscope.
‘Please, look after what you have. It’s very precious.’
It was such an odd comment, Edie’s mouth dropped open and she was lost for words. Ralph, though, remained composed.
‘Thank you for your advice,’ he said slowly, in a voice Edie knew well. It was his professional, polite-but-firm, ‘I mean business’ tone – the one he used for tricky clients making unreasonable demands or refusing to pay up. ‘I think we both value our marriage. We know perfectly well how lucky we are,’ he went on. ‘Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’d like to settle in.’
If Katerina was offended by the brush-off, she didn’t show it.
‘Of course!’ she said, clapping her hands. ‘How rude of me! I mustn’t detain you any longer.’
With that, she pulled her ready-folded, blue and white scarf out of her bag and knotted it beneath her chin before opening the door and stepping outside.
‘You are going to have a very big adventure,’ she added, turning briefly to give them both a strange, close-lipped smile that seemed to whisper of hidden truths and secrets never to be told.
6
‘I’ve got a bad feeling about all this. I wish we hadn’t come.’
A tear trickled down Edie’s cheek and Ralph went into the bathroom to fetch some tissues.
She was sitting on the end of their bed. The shutters were wide open and the turquoise Libyan Sea seemed to be winking at them mischievously in the distance.
‘It’s such a gorgeous place,’ she went on, wiping her eyes and sniffing. ‘It’s hard to imaginenothaving a wonderful time. But Hannah and Mac are horribly snappy and I get the feeling Mac already hates Jessica and vice versa.
‘It was a stupid idea to invite her. In fact, we shouldn’t have invited any of them; we should have gone somewhere on our own. I can’t think why we didn’t.’
Ralph sat down beside her and put an arm round her shoulders.
‘Don’t beat yourself up, Edie,’ he said gently, giving her a rare, reassuring squeeze. ‘Inviting Jessica was Hannah’s idea, remember? She was the one who suggested it.’
Edie sniffed again. ‘I know but?—’
‘Look,’ he interrupted. ‘It’s done now so let’s make the best of it. It’s a stunning place, as you say, andwecan still enjoy ourselves. If Hannah, Mac and Jessica are at each other’s throats, let’s leave them to it. We can push off on our own and they can bicker and row as much as they like. At least we’re miles from the nearest house so no one will hear them.’
Edie giggled; she couldn’t help it. He sounded like the old Ralph, the one with a sense of humour.
‘You couldn’t make it up, could you?’ she said. ‘That comment Jessica made about voyeurism wasweird. I think she’s got it in for Mac and he knows it. It feels like we’re on the brink of war.’
Ralph inhaled deeply. ‘Maybe it’s a good thing if she calls him to account. It might make him reflect on his behaviour. Personally, I don’t think there’s anything sinister going on between him and Hannah, but they’re certainly not love’s young dream. Not like us,’ he added, giving Edie another squeeze.
She glanced up to see if he was being sarcastic, but his expression seemed genuine. Straightening up, she turned to peck him on the cheek. It was a bit scratchy as he hadn’t shaved, but she didn’t mind.
‘And what about Katerina?’ she asked suddenly, with a jolt. ‘What on earth was she on about?’ Edie had been so busy filling Ralph in on Mac’s tense exchange with Jessica, she’d put the housekeeper’s odd comments before she left to one side.
‘Oh, she’s just a funny old lady,’ Ralph replied dismissively. ‘A bit fey. She probably spends too much time up the mountain on her own.’
Edie gave a big sigh and he swivelled round, pressing her face between his palms.
‘Don’t worry,’ he said, gazing steadily into her eyes.
He hadn’t done that in a long time and his breath seemed to fill her with warmth and newfound strength. She scarcely dared move, in case his mood suddenly changed.
‘Thank you,’ she said, when he finally lowered his hands. ‘I feel a lot better now. Let’s have a swim, then I’ll investigate supper.’
