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Was that what had turned him off? Or was it that she was too easy? Too lacking in inhibition? Did he think women were supposed to save that for marriage? Because in case he hadn’t noticed, they were already married!

Biting back a groan, she rose and quietly dressed, hurrying to Yaya’s suite, where she planned to stay for the rest of her life, so she didn’t have to face him ever again.

When Herena woke, she helped her dress and stayed with her while the night nurse fetched her breakfast. She was helping Yaya eat when there was a knock on the door, surprising her out of her brooding.

She set down the bite she was coaxing Yaya to accept and turned to see the nurse letting Spiro into the small, tastefully decorated dining-lounge.

“You’ve had a haircut,” Alia blurted. And a shave. He wore a short-sleeved pullover with linen trousers and sunglasses, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

“The barber just left.” His hair had been left longish on top so it covered the shaved part of his scalp, giving him a rakish air that suited him.

He glanced back as the nurse relocked the door.

“Kyría Mylonas asked me to keep it locked for her grandmother’s safety,” the nurse murmured. “So she doesn’t wander. I didn’t mean…”

He waved off the nurse’s concern that he had been locked out of rooms in his own house.

“Did you need me?” Alia glanced at her phone for a text she might have missed. “You didn’t have to walk all this way.”

Dismay pinched his mouth, silently scolding her for suggesting the distance was too far for him, but two days ago, getting to the terrace had been a struggle.

“We have an appointment and need to leave soon. I also wanted to—” he ran his tongue over his teeth “—say hello to Herena.”

Meet her, he meant.

He lifted his sunglasses onto his head, squinting slightly as he offered his hand.

“Yaya, it’s Spiro.” Alia always had to remind Yaya of a person’s name and where she knew them from so it didn’t seem strange to the nurse that she explained, “My husband.”

Yaya put the word and his presence together in her own way.

“Orestes.” She breathed her deceased husband’s name with relief, latching onto Spiro’s hand with both of her own. “We need to go home. What about the sheep?”

After a brief, startled beat, Spiro said with easy confidence, “It’s all taken care of.” He clasped his free hand over hers. “We can relax here.”

“Oh.” Yaya released him and sat back, still confused.

He glanced around her living space, taking in the child locks that had been placed on the cupboards in the kitchen and the tape that ran along the edges of the area rug, securing it to the floor and keeping it from becoming a tripping hazard. He glanced out the glass doors to the patio, which was fenced by waist-high flower boxes.

“Are you enjoying the roses? I can ask the gardener to plant something else. What do you like?”

He listened attentively as Yaya told him about her vegetable garden. She hadn’t actually planted one for several years, but it had been her pride and joy when she had.

“I’ll arrange for some tomatoes and herbs, so you can pick them when you want them,” he promised.

They slipped away a few minutes later.

“Thank you for being so kind to her,” Alia said when they were in the hall. “She loved her garden. I kept it up as well as I could, but I never had her green thumb. Making her leave it has been eating at my conscience.”

“It’s nothing,” he dismissed, sunglasses dropped into place again. He pointed at the service elevator, rather than walking through the house to the stairs. “Do you want me to come with you when you take her to the doctor?”

“You don’t need to. The nurse is coming.” She was stunned by his offer, though. Touched, even. Especially when last night had left her thinking he’d rather keep a distance between them.

“Where, um… Where are we going today?” She was nervous as they entered the bedroom. The scene of the crime, as it were. “What should I wear?”

“Shopping,” he said crisply.

“Not for me. Khristos bought me so much already. I haven’t even worn this one.” She pulled a turquoise dress off the rail and showed him.