7
Villa Ariadne was silent when they finally reached home, but someone had kindly left on several lights, including the ones in the kitchen.
Three plates of food, covered in cling film, were waiting for them on the work surface, as promised. Maya suggested taking them into the garden and the women sat down gratefully to eat.
Tash’s phone rang halfway through and she rose apologetically.
‘It’s Jamie,’ she said.
Cleo nodded. It was natural Tash wanted to answer when her son called. Any mum would.
Tash headed a little way down the garden and returned not long after, smiling.
‘He’s fine. His friend, Jack, is staying over with him. My mum has been much in evidence, apparently, bearing bowls of spag bol and sausage casserole. Actually, he sounded quite grateful. He’s always starving and he’s not exactly a keen cook. He’d be living on takeaway pizza if it wasn’t for Granny.’
‘You must be relieved he’s OK,’ Cleo said with feeling. ‘Did he ask about the retreat?’
‘Oh yeah.’ Tash’s eyes widened. ‘He wanted to know everything – including whether I had a six pack yet. As if.’ She raised her eyebrows. ‘He’s such a honey, though, you know?’ she went on. ‘We’ve been through so much and I know he looks out for me. But he’s also a pretty normal teenager, thank God. He can still be a little shit sometimes – and quite right too!’
‘You’re obviously doing a great job,’ Cleo said fervently. ‘He sounds very special.’
Her mind drifted to Erica, who’d said in no uncertain terms she didn’t want to hear anything about her mum’s holiday. For all she knew, Cleo could be dead. Perhaps Erica wouldn’t even care.
Thank God for Danny. He wasn’t exactly a good communicator; in fact, Cleo barely heard from him when he was at uni. But at least he didn’t hate her, or blame her for the divorce, or call her greedy. He loved his dad but seemed to understand why Cleo felt she couldn’t take him back after his affair.
When the women had finished supper, they quickly washed and dried their dishes before heading straight to bed. They were tired and conscious of the fact they needed to be ready by 6.30a.m. for a sunrise walk along the beach with Henrietta before yoga.
‘I hope I can keep going till the end of the week,’ Tash commented, hanging on to the wooden stair rail and half dragging herself up. ‘It’s a pretty challenging schedule. I reckon I’ll need to sleep for days when I’m home.’
‘I was rather hoping the exercise and clean living would give us a boost and we’d go back full of energy,’ Cleo commented, aware her own legs felt heavy and achy. ‘I certainly don’t feel remotely energetic now though.’
They said goodnight on the landing and Cleo sighed with pleasure as she sank into bed and pulled the cool, cotton sheet over her. The bed was so comfortable and the room so clean, pretty and airy, it was beginning to feel like home. She half wished she could stay here forever.
During the night, however, she had strange, disturbing dreams and woke several times with sweat on her forehead and a sense of deep unease.
In her sleep, Villa Ariadne seemed to have turned into a real, live being and Katerina was talking to it in the wide, open entrance hall when Cleo walked past.
‘Villa Ariadne knows more than people do because it’s been standing for so long,’ Katerina said in the dream when Cleo asked why she appeared to be speaking into thin air. ‘It’s seen so much down the years, more than you or I ever will. I’ve learned to interpret its wisdom.’
‘But it’s just a building, a pile of bricks,’ Cleo insisted. ‘It doesn’t have feelings or understand anything. It can’t.’
The old woman gave her a piercing look. ‘That’s what you think, but haven’t you heard it whispering in the night? Hasn’t it spoken to you, too?’
Cleo denied it, but deep down she was frightened. Shehadfelt a certain presence here that she couldn’t explain. And she’d heard unusual mutterings, which she’d blamed on the wind.
When she woke properly at daybreak, she decided not to mention her bad night to anyone, but felt out of sorts all morning.
For the first time since she’d arrived, her breakfast tasted bland and uninteresting and during circuit training, Henrietta got on her nerves.
‘She’s so jolly and energetic all the time,’ Cleo grumbled to Tash when they stopped for a break. ‘Doesn’t she realise some of us are struggling? I’m finding the exercises really hard.’
Tash gave her friend a funny look. ‘Me too, but it’d be demotivating if she drooped round the place, complaining. I’d rather be taught by someone with a bit of enthusiasm.’
‘I suppose so,’ Cleo replied, but secretly thought that, right now, she’d sooner be anywhere but here, being pestered by an overzealous fitness instructor.
The day didn’t get any better until after lunch, when Tash suggested going down to the village for a sneaky glass of wine and some treats.
‘One drink won’t hurt. We’ve been pretty good so far. I think we deserve it.’
