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‘You look like you could use it,’ she responded as they left the building.
Jed dropped into the front passenger seat of the car and let his head fall back against the rest. His son and Phoebe were here, and he felt relief flow through him. His father had met Ben and the old man was content. But the anger he felt because it had taken his father’s near death to bring about the meeting simmered inside him. Whatever the outcome of the next forty-eight hours—no thirty hours now—his father’s lifespan would be drastically reduced. Weary though he was, the knowledge that Phoebe had kept his son’s existence from him for years was never far from his mind. He still had plenty of time to get to know his son, but his father probably did not.
Thinking of his father’s last order, he pulled out his cellphone and called his lawyer. He had to admire the old man—he was not done yet.
The house was some way out of the city on the coast, and stood in acres of grounds—a veritable mansion, with panoramic views of the sea. Ben was awestruck, as was Phoebe when Jed led them into a huge hall. A worried-looking woman appeared and Jed introduced them both to the housekeeper, Maria, who luckily spoke a little English and then spoke rapidly in Greek to Jed, while Phoebe glanced interestedly around.
An extravagant curving staircase was the centrepiece of the huge marble-floored reception hall, which had at least half a dozen rooms leading off. Suddenly one of the doors opened and a woman appeared…Sophia! Phoebe recognised her immediately as she dashed past her to grab Jed’s arm, her dark eyes fixed on his as she spoke hurriedly in Greek.
Phoebe stood like a block of wood, her eyes darting from one to the other in amazement. That they were intimate friends was obvious by the way Sophia held Jed’s arm and then placed her other hand on his chest. But then she had alway
s known that—so why did she feel so sick inside at the sight of the pair of them together, and so betrayed all over again…?
Because she still loved Jed…The unwanted thought popped into her head. No. She could not—would not—succumb again to something that had hurt her so dreadfully in the past. She doubted she had the strength to survive it again. One night of sex and a weekend together had left her aching for more, but it was lust, not love. Probably seeing a tender side of Jed with Ben and his father was addling her brain, she told herself, and took a step back—both figuratively and mentally.
She reminded herself that only a few days ago Sophia had been a woman supposedly no longer speaking to him, according to Jed—the low-life rat…The woman who was now in his home and rattling away in Greek. The woman he was gently clasping by the shoulders and easing away from him with a smile…
‘Thank you for your concern, Sophia, but I’m sure my father will be fine. Speak English, please—I have guests.’ Propelling Ben forward with one hand, he said, ‘My son Benjamin.’ As an afterthought he added, ‘His mother Phoebe you have met.’
‘Your son!’ Sophia exclaimed, but quickly recovered and said, ‘Hello, Benjamin,’ before turning to look at her. ‘Of course I remember you, Phoebe,’ Sophia said. ‘How could I forget?’ She gave a polite smile that did not reach her eyes, and then looked down at Ben again, then back to her, and frowned. ‘Though I seem to recall you did not remember Jed at the time—and now you are in his house with your child. How bizarre.’ And she spoke to Jed again in her own language.
Phoebe saw Jed stiffen as he replied, and saw the flash of some emotion in Sophia’s eyes. A moment later she shook her head, a wry smile on her scarlet lips.
Then Jed reverted to English. ‘Thank your father for his concern, but now you will have to excuse us, Sophia—it has been a long day. Maria will show you out.’
Sophia gave Phoebe a curious glance. ‘The boy is undeniably the image of his father. I can’t decide if you are a fool or very clever.’ She shrugged her shoulders. ‘Either way I wish you luck. You are going to need it with Jed, believe me.’ Then with a careless wave of her hand in farewell she followed Maria to the door.
In a way Phoebe almost felt sorry for Sophia. She had come closer than any other female to marrying the most eligible bachelor in Greece…At the ambassador’s ball her father had hinted as much to Phoebe and Julian while the couple was on the dance floor. So what had gone wrong? she wondered. Maybe nothing had, she thought cynically.
‘The news of my father’s heart attack was on the local radio,’ Jed explained, and reached for her arm. She shrugged him off.
‘For someone who is not speaking to you, Sophia was amazingly loquacious,’ Phoebe said sarcastically.
‘She was here to offer her family’s support to my father in any way she could—a natural response from friends.’
‘An extremely good friend, you lying toad…’
His eyes narrowed and his expression became darkly forbidding. As Maria approached he said to Ben, ‘Go with Maria, son—she will give you a drink.’
Phoebe opened her mouth to object, but Ben was happy to do as his daddy said, and walked away with the housekeeper.
‘You will never call me a liar in front of Ben again,’ Jed commanded harshly. ‘He does not need to hear your derogatory comments and jealous grumbles.’
‘Jealous of you? Don’t make me laugh.’ But he was closer to the truth than Phoebe cared to admit, and on the premise that attack was the best form of defense she struck back. ‘Unlike you, I am not in the habit of lying. Do you actually think I want to be here with you? Well, I don’t. The only reason I am here is for Ben and your father’s sake. Unlike you, I have a heart and would never, ever turn down a seriously ill old man’s request—that would be unconscionable.’
‘Good,’ he said, an arrested expression on his face. ‘You have no idea how glad I am to hear that,’ he added with a chuckle. ‘Now, if you will excuse me, I need a shower. Maria will show you around.’ And in a few lithe strides he crossed the foyer and ascended the stairs.
Phoebe, her mouth tightening into a grim line, saw nothing amusing in what she had said—quite the opposite. The past few days had been sheer hell, and things did not look like improving any time soon. She sighed, and was relieved to see Ben running towards her with Maria a few steps behind.
‘Mum, I have had cake made of honey and stuff.’
Maria laughed and wiped his mouth with a tissue. ‘The boy is so quick.’ She beamed. ‘But now I show you around the house, yes?’
Phoebe agreed, and was suitably impressed—over-awed would be nearer the mark, she thought, after wandering in and out of five reception rooms, some formal and some not, a study and a garden room. The basement contained a gym and a great swimming pool, and the upstairs was equally impressive.
Maria told her there were two bedroom suites plus a further five bedrooms, all en-suite, and on the top floor were the staff quarters. Finally she showed Phoebe into two adjoining rooms for her and Ben, and suggested that after their long journey they might like to get washed and settled and then maybe have something to eat. Dinner was usually at nine, but with the master in hospital it was any time anyone was home. She showed Phoebe how to use the in-house telephone, and told her to give her a call when they were ready to eat.
An hour later, washed and changed and sitting at the table in the surprisingly homely breakfast room, with Ben making short work of scrambled eggs and grilled tomatoes Phoebe smiled indulgently. He loved anything red—including his food. She forked the last mouthful of egg into her mouth and sat back, feeling almost relaxed—until Jed walked in.
