On hearing Edie’s question, Katerina glanced at Marina, who tucked a coil of her long, dark hair behind an ear before giving an almost imperceptible nod.
This seemed to be the prompt the older woman needed.
‘I’ve known Marina since birth,’ she said, quickly adding, ‘since before she was born, in fact. I read to her and taught her English – I’d been taught the language by my lady, the owner of Villa Ariadne. I always knew Marina was special, from the moment I set eyes on her. She has the gift, you know. She sees things others don’t.’
Edie was aware of Ralph, beside her, wriggling uneasily, but she ignored him.
She was about to probe further, but Katerina changed the subject. In a new, business-like tone, she gave Edie instructions on how to lock up the villa when they left and leave the key under a flowerpot by the front entrance.
‘I hope you’ve enjoyed at least some of your stay?’ she asked politely, but Edie wouldn’t be put off quite so easily.
‘If Marina can see things, and maybe you can, too, why did you let us rent the villa? You must have known there was going to be trouble, with Jessica going missing and so on. Surely it would have been easier to rent the place to someone else?’
Katerina thought about this for a few moments before taking a deep breath.
‘Ah!’ she said at last. ‘We have no say in who stays and who doesn’t. Guests write to me and ask, for sure, but Villa Ariadne chooses whether to say yes to them or no. It’s never the other way round.’
Ralph couldn’t disguise his irritation and began tapping his fingers on the table, as if he were playing the piano. He stopped for a few moments, when Edie put her hand on his knee, but started up again soon after.
Edie found herself staring into space while she reflected on how easily she’d found Villa Ariadne online, how it had looked and sounded tailor-made for her and Ralph, and how it had, indeed, brought them closer together. Also, on how intrigued she’d been by Katerina’s responses to her emails and how much less the villa had cost to rent than she’d imagined.
Whispering a silent prayer, she thanked the villa for exposing Hannah’s abuse, for bringing Jessica back safely and, most of all, for rescuing her and Ralph’s marriage.
Whether or not her prayer would be heard, she had no idea, but it couldn’t do any harm, anyway.
She opened her mouth to enquire if any of the old woman’s other guests had also had strange experiences and if they, too, had come to believe in Villa Ariadne’s mystical energy.
The idea seemed so ridiculous, however, she couldn’t bring herself to say the words out loud and closed her mouth again.
Some things, she concluded, simply couldn’t be explained.
16
As they left the café, Ralph broke the news to Edie that he’d booked a restaurant for tonight for just the two of them.
‘Let’s head back to the villa. I’ll tell you more later.’
‘What about Mac?’ Edie asked.
‘It’s OK,’ Mac reassured her as he walked alongside them. ‘I’m going to laze by the sea. I’ll probably hang out there till suppertime and eat in a taverna. I’ll be fine.’
They were about to part ways when Edie spotted Anthea strolling up the beach towards them. She looked pretty amazing in a bright pink bikini, with her long red hair hanging loose over her shoulders.
On recognising Edie, she waved enthusiastically, as if they were long-lost friends.
‘It’s so nice to see you! How are you?’ she asked, once she was close enough. ‘I was just going to the supermarket to get a cold drink. I’ve got the day off, so I’m topping up my tan. Bliss!’
Edie introduced Anthea to Ralph and Mac before explaining they were leaving for the UK tomorrow.
‘Och, that’s a shame. I was just getting to know you,’ said Anthea. ‘I heard about your other friend going missing. That must have been horrible for you. I’m so glad she turned up.’
‘Thanks,’ said Edie, before suggesting they exchange email addresses and phone numbers.
‘Come and see us in Surrey, if you’re ever in the area. I’d love to show you some of the local sights.’
‘And you have to book a holiday here again next year,’ Anthea replied.
Mac glanced at the beach behind her, which was fairly full, and said he hoped he’d be able to find a spot for his towel.
