There was no way she could have slept through that, though he seemed surprised when she sat up and said hello.
‘I didn’t realise you were awake. Sorry. How was your day?’ he muttered, beginning to undress.
‘Fine, thanks. You?’
‘Yeah, same.’
She was about to ask about the golf but before she knew it, he’d chucked his clothes on the floor, climbed into bed and turned his back on her. Within minutes, his breathing became slow and ponderous.
Edie, of course, was more awake than ever now and rolled from one side to another and back again, trying to find a comfortable position. She wanted to tell Ralph about the Crete idea and the villa, but he was fast asleep and snoring. All right for some.
The bed felt too hot then too cold and her neck hurt, even when she plumped the pillow and rearranged it under her head. Her mind was soon preoccupied with problems which, by day, would scarcely trouble her, but now seemed insurmountable.
After about half an hour and unable to bear it any longer, she climbed out of bed and reached for her dressing gown, hanging on a peg on the back of the door. Ralph didn’t even stir as she left the room and padded back downstairs, forgetting to avoid the third step, which gave a loud creak.
Dilly was in her basket and squinted at Edie when she walked into the kitchen, but soon shut her eyes again as if to say: ‘What sort of time do you call this?’
‘Shh!’ Edie said involuntarily, as if the dog were causing a disturbance, not the other way round.
She made herself a mug of tea before tiptoeing into what used to be Ralph’s study, a small room just off the kitchen, later appropriated by Maisie and Ollie. Then she switched on the battered task lamp and woke up the family computer.
There were already quite a few new emails in her inbox, which she’d only checked a couple of hours ago. Most could wait till tomorrow, but one in particular caught her attention.
It was from Katerina Papadakis, the housekeeper who took bookings for Villa Ariadne. Edie quickly read to the bottom and breathed in sharply.
To her amazement and delight, the villa was not only free on the dates she wanted, it was also far less pricey than she’d feared.
‘Please can you advise me as soon as possible if you would like to make the booking and forward the deposit, using the details below,’Mrs Papadakis wrote.‘I hope you and your husband and friends will reap the benefits from all that Villa Ariadne has to offer. It is a most unusual and very special place, like nowhere you have ever been before.’
The wording was slightly odd, Edie thought, seeming to suggest they’d be in for something more than simple relaxation. What did the housekeeper mean? She decided to put it down to language differences and was tempted to say yes straight away, but reminded herself she’d better check with the others first.
‘Dear Mrs Papadakis,
‘Thank you for replying so quickly,’she wrote back.‘I’ll speak to my husband and friends first thing tomorrow and get back to you by the end of the day.’
This way, she hoped the housekeeper would be persuaded to give her a chance and keep the booking on hold, at least for a short while, before passing it on to someone else.
After closing her inbox, Edie browsed the Web for a bit, looking for swimsuits and holiday wear. It was the wrong time of year, though, and nothing much caught her fancy. She soon grew bored. Best wait till nearer the time.
She resolved not to forward the villa’s rather old-fashioned website link to Hannah or Ralph, in case it put them off. She’d rather talk to them first and explain why she thought it was so perfect. She could be persuasive when she wanted.
Back in bed, Ralph was flat out on his back, making strange little moaning sounds. She gave him a gentle nudge and he rolled onto his tummy and went quiet.
As Edie’s breathing slowed and she finally began to drift off, she found herself thinking about Mrs Papadakis, trying to picture how she looked and sounded, and wondering what she’d made of Edie’s first message.
For some reason, Edie became convinced the housekeeper was thinking about her, too, that there was some sort of synchronism. She imagined she could see Mrs Papadakis sitting by herself on a wooden chair, gazing into the distance, reaching out and trying to make a connection.
Edie shook her head and told herself not to be silly. No doubt Katerina would be tucked up and dreaming by now. After all, Edie, Ralph and their friends meant nothing to her. They were just a bunch of potential clients. She’d have pushed the whole lot of them right to the back of her mind.
* * *
At lunchtime in the staffroom the following day, Edie received the news she’d been hoping for.
‘Villa Ariadne sounds ideal,’ she heard Hannah say on the phone. ‘I can’t believe the price! It’s much cheaper than I thought. I checked with Mac and he gave it the thumbs up, too. Let’s go for it.’
‘Great!’
Edie mentally punched the air. Having set her heart on Villa Ariadne, she’d been afraid either Hannah’s husband, Mac, or Ralph might veto the idea. Mac could be tricky at times.
