Page 69 of The Little Greek Guesthouse

‘It’s all right,’ he was saying. She could hear the strain in his voice as he took the full weight of her. He was the only thing preventing her from plummeting to the ground right now. ‘You’re okay. I’ve got you.’

Nina glanced below. She could see him, see his body braced and leaning back, his arms pulled tight as he anchored her. Even as she swung so precariously, she was aware of the absurdity of the situation; only she could get knocked off a cliff face by a goat, of all things, prancing around above her. She’d be having words with Milo, once she got out of this.

‘You’re doing really well,’ George called. ‘The rope’s caught, I can’t bring you down. Can you reach the rock and free it?’

Nina tried to speak, but all that came out was a terrified sob. The rock swung in and out in front of her as she twisted, at the mercy of the rope and the sea winds. ‘I can’t reach it!’ she shouted.

‘It’s okay.’ George’s voice was strong and calm. ‘I’ve got you, don’t worry.’

Even in her panicked state Nina knew she had to free the rope. George was strong, but he couldn’t hold her there forever.

‘It’s okay,’ he said. ‘Take a breath. I’ve got you.’

Nina tried to steady her breathing. Her back was throbbing and the world was tilting around her. She felt sick. Swallowing hard, and forcing herself to breathe slowly and deeply, she felt the world come back into focus a little.

She managed to twist herself so that she was facing the rock. Reaching out, her fingers grazed the surface, but the movement set her off balance and she swung away again. It was hopeless. Below, she heard George grunt as he strained against the movement; he was getting tired.

‘I can’t do it,’ she called.

‘It’s all right,’ he called. His voice was calm and steady, and she clung onto it as though it was the rope keeping her from falling. ‘You were nearly there, try again.’

Nina heard herself whimper.

‘You can do it,’ George called. ‘You’re all right.’

Come on, she told herself. He was right. She was strong, she was brave. She needed to ignore the pain, ignore the nausea and dizziness, she needed to focus. She needed to get herself out of this.

‘There’s a ledge,’ he called. ‘By your right foot. Can you see it?’

Nina forced herself to calm down and focus on the surface. She imagined her mum, cheering her on, believing in her. Seeing the ledge he was talking about, she analysed the rock in front of her; there was a potential handhold just above. If she could reach the handhold and balance for a moment, she might be able to get her foot on to the ledge.

She reached, and missed. Reached again, missed again, swinging further away. Her heart kicked and her hands were trembling uncontrollably.

‘Almost there,’ George called. ‘I’m here.’

She tried again, launching herself with as much strength and determination as she could muster, managing at last to grasp the handhold. The rock crumbled beneath her feet as she struggled to find the ledge, but eventually her toes found solid ground. Reaching up, she managed to untangle the rope.

A peal of uneven laughter streamed from her as she clung to the surface, her limbs shaking, her breath still coming in gasps.

‘Yes!’ George shouted. ‘Brilliant. Let’s get you down.’

Gently, he let out the rope and she slowly abseiled to the ground, feeling as though she would never get there, never feel the thud as her feet met ground at last.

But she did, landing and immediately falling into George’s open arms as he stepped forward to catch her.

Burying her face against his muscled chest, she hiccupped a few sobs as fear and relief crashed through.

‘It’s okay,’ he murmured. ‘It’s okay, you’re safe.’

Gently, he pushed her away a little, holding her by the arms, looking at her with a concerned expression. She realised, as he held her, that his hands were shaking.

‘You hurt?’ he asked.

‘No, I just – hurt my back a bit, that’s all.’

He nodded, gently unstrapping her helmet and taking it off, smoothing the hair away from her face. ‘My god, you were brilliant up there. You – you’re amazing. I thought – I really thought . . .’ His voice cracked and he swallowed.

‘I couldn’t have got down without you,’ she said.