Page 94 of Villa of Secrets

‘No, silly, when you blacked out like that.’

We returned downstairs, and I apologised to Nathanial, explaining that apart from the cheese pies, I’d hadn’t eaten or drank anything in forty-eight hours. He ordered Josie, his woman, to fetch soup and bread.

‘Now start again. I want to hear everything that happened at Kamiros Scala in your own words, little one.’ I left nothing out. ‘You were brave,’ he said finally. ‘From what you’ve told me, I realise it wasn’t a chance encounter, the Germans were waiting for the British. Clearly, someone had informed the Nazis that our allies planned an insurgence. This means we have a traitor.’

Finding the information difficult to grasp, I said, ‘Perhaps the traitor was connected to the British soldiers.’

He shook his head. ‘No. It’s someone here.’

‘I can’t believe it. Who would do such a thing?’

‘Yesterday, the Gestapo stormed the bamboo groves again. This time they tortured and killed Kapitanos Nikos and confiscated the radio.’ He narrowed his eyes. ‘Who saw the radio, Dora?’

‘Kapitanos Nikos. Oh, no!’ This shocking news made me dizzy again. I shook my head and shrugged. ‘What radio?’

‘The radio that was in the box I gave you for Nikos. The person responsible for Nikos’s death knew about it. Are you telling me you never looked in the crate?’ I stared at him. ‘Dora?’

‘He was so full of life.’ I tried to grasp what Nathanial implied. ‘The lid was nailed down. I had no idea what was inside.’

Nathanial narrowed his eyes as if he had realised I was lying. ‘We’ve lost important equipment, Dora.’ He rubbed his hand over his mouth for a moment. ‘Even worse, the Kapitanos is dead. He glared. ‘We must discover who the traitor is before more lives are taken.’

Only Irini and I knew about the radio, and Irini had disappeared.

Josie, a good-looking fair-skinned woman about twice my age, stuck her head into the room and called, ‘Food!’

‘Get Giovanni, Josie. They can eat together. In fact, it’s getting late; they can sleep here tonight.’

Josie ladled two bowls of chicken lemon soup thick with rice. Nathanial and his woman left the kitchen, and moments later Giovanni entered.

‘Are you all right now?’

I nodded. ‘You’ve got some food. Let’s eat. I’m starving.’

Despite the upsetting information, I ate ravenously. We both licked our spoons when the bowls were empty. ‘I’m worried about Irini,’ I said.

‘Don’t fret. She’ll turn up with an explanation. You were brave yesterday, Dora.’ His voice was soft. ‘You killed our enemies and you saved a man’s life.’ He seemed distracted, then he took my hand. ‘Nathanial said you can stay here tonight.’

He gazed into my face. I understood his thoughts, lowered my eyes and shook my head.

‘Why?’ he said. ‘I want to sleep with you in a real bed. Spend the night in each other’s arms, all the way until morning.’

‘No, Giovanni. That will be the most precious night of my life, and I want to save it for . . . you know.’

‘But we won’t be able to’ – he swallowed hard – ‘until after the war. I’ve got no money for a wedding now.’

‘Wedding? You mean we will be married?’ I was shocked, happy, and sad all in the same instant. Somehow it set an appointment. An event for my family to come back to. A wonderful time in the future when this war could be forgotten and happiness would rule the day.

‘You will marry me, won’t you, Dora?’ He lifted my face, his slow-blinking eyes gazing into mine. ‘I love you, Pandora Cohen.’

Filled with emotion and unable to speak, I nodded.

He cupped my chin and kissed me tenderly. ‘Then I must make arrangements.’

Giovanni left the kitchen and returned minutes later. ‘Come with me.’

He led me up the red marble staircase, and out onto the Juliet balcony. A million stars twinkled in an ebony sky. An owl hooted. Crickets trilled their monotonous song and the warm air was laden with the scent of wild honeysuckle.

Nathanial joined us. He smiled and said, ‘Stand together.’ We did. ‘With the power vested in me as Capitano of the Andartes, I ask if you, Pandora, take Giovanni as your husband, to love and honour for always?’