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Chapter 31
Lili sat in the lounge area of the Bella Venezia Hotel, scrolling through the photos on her phone. She hadn’t long returned from her trip to the Achillion Palace, which had been built for the Austrian Empress Elisabeth of Austria as a refuge to help her cope with the tragic loss of her only son. Perched on a hillside, the palace had breath-taking views of Corfu Old Town and the surrounding countryside and coast.
She had enjoyed her day exploring the majestic building and gardens, collecting many photos to show Hannah and Maisie when she returned from the trip. The most impressive was that of the Dying Achilles, which was the centrepiece of the terraces. Lili recalled that she had been taking a photo when a tourist asked if she would like to stand by the statue and he would take her picture. Posing by the figure, she looked tiny by comparison. Lili smiled at the photo before putting her phone away.
She had changed into a pair of navy chinos, a cotton blouse and a light waist-length jacket. She checked her watch. She was going into the town for an evening meal – the concierge had made a reservation for her at a restaurant he’d recommended. She knew it was time to set off, but something was playing on her mind; despite numerous calls, she hadn’t got through to Ray or Hannah.
She stood up and walked through to the reception. She wanted to try to contact them using the hotel’s phone. The receptionist guided her to a small booth in the corner by the stairs where she could make a private call. Lili would have preferred to take it in her room, but the phones provided were only for internal calls to contact reception or the concierge for room service.
Lili started dialling Ray’s number first, longing to tell him what she had discovered in the British Cemetery. His number rang and rang and then went to answerphone. Lili left a brief message and asked if he could call her back when he had a chance. Lili frowned when she had no luck with getting through to Hannah.
Disappointed that she hadn’t been able to speak to either of them, Lili still headed out to the town for a meal. Crossing the road straight in front of the hotel, she made her way down Guilford Street, which was full of restaurants, cafés and shops. Lili hadn’t seen it so busy before; the last time she had ventured into the town, it had been early in the morning. This was her first visit in the evening.
The area was buzzing with many people seated outside, choosing to eat alfresco. Lili stopped at a small venue with tables under a colourful awning. She said in Greek, ‘I have a reservation,’ even though she knew the waiter probably spoke English. She had asked the reception staff who had booked her the table to teach her the phrase. The waiter smiled and offered her a menu. He beckoned her to a dinner table for two, set back slightly from the street.
The waiter left her to browse the menu, returning with a bottle of sparkling water and a breadbasket. Lili already knew what she wanted; she ordered a moussaka and a small side salad, which arrived more quickly than expected. Lili followed the delicious meal with a coffee and sat people-watching as tourists and locals passed by the restaurant. She was enjoying the balmy evening; it was so different from evenings at home, which were chilly even at the height of summer. The atmosphere enthralled her. Spiros had been right – the town came alive at night. There weren’t just young couples out and about; among the crowds were entire families – young and old – enjoying the beautiful town together.
Her thoughts turned to Alex and the reason for the breakup of their relationship. Surely, the years they had spent together meant more to him than a promotion. But then Lili thought she was as much to blame, not jumping at the chance to go to Washington. Instead, she’d put her relationship with Maisie and Hannah first.
Lili wasn’t sorry when the waiter interrupted her thoughts. She paid the bill and left a generous tip, deciding to join the throng of people heading further into the town. She strolled along the street and reached a large square named after the imposing Venetian Town Hall. She read the little plaque with interest; it was built to house nobles and officers of the Venetian navy.
Making her way down an alleyway adjacent to the square, she noticed a shop selling beachwear. She hadn’t bought a swimming costume with her, as she hadn’t been expecting to make a holiday out of her impromptu trip to Corfu. Entering the shop, she browsed the racks of dainty two-piece bikinis, pulling a face. There was no way she would fit into those. She turned to the rack of swimsuits instead, choosing a simple black swimsuit and then a dark grey sarong. Lili liked the pretty pink flowers along the hem of the sarong.
Her intention had been to take a short bus trip to a sandy cove for a swim the next day, but a young lady in the street handing out leaflets about boat tours around the island gave her a better idea. The boat trips not only included a scenic route, taking in the coastline around Corfu Old Town, which sounded a spectacular sight to see, but lunch was included. Even better, she would be able to take a dip in one of the beautiful, calm, emerald-green bays. Lili felt encouraged to give it a try.
She booked an excursion there and then, paying for it in cash. The young woman handed over her ticket. The price included being picked up by minibus from her hotel and taken to the port where the boats departed. They would also drop her back at the hotel after the trip. Lili thought that it seemed good value for money. She didn’t have any plans for the following day, so the boat trip was a brilliant idea.
Lili had already spoken to Spiros about the tour of the island that he had suggested. She’d also mentioned visiting some vineyards in the area if there was time – not that she expected to find the actual one where Alena had lived. At least it would give her an idea of what a Corfiot vineyard might look like and an insight into the families who lived and worked there.
Lili waited in the hotel foyer for the minivan to arrive, thinking of her conversation with Spiros. He was delighted that she had got back in touch. He was busy, but he had managed to fit her in the day after the boat trip. That suited Lili. Spiros had arranged to collect her and take her on what he said would be an unforgettable trip around the beautiful interior of the island. Lili was looking forward to the tour and seeing her lovely guide again.
She heard her name being called and looked up to see that a young woman with a clipboard had arrived at the hotel reception. Lili put her phone away. She’d been checking for any messages, but still no one had got back to her.
‘Hello – are you Lili Skye?’
Lili nodded at the young woman.
‘I am Maria, and I will take you to join the boat tour.’ She glanced at her clipboard. ‘You are the last person I needed to collect, as your hotel is quite close to the port.’
Lili followed Maria outside and climbed into the waiting minivan. There were already eight other people inside. They all greeted her with a friendly smile and a good morning. She guessed they were all tourists, like herself, mostly English, although two sisters and their mother sounded Irish. Like the others in the minivan, Lili had a bag with a large towel, a swim hat and sun cream. The hotel had thoughtfully provided a beach towel.
Arriving at the boat, Lili was pleasantly surprised at the mixture of people already on board. After buying her ticket on impulse the previous night, Lili had regretted it. She had assumed there would be young couples on the boat. The fact that there were families with children, older couples, sisters with their mum, and even other solo travellers put her at ease. The last thing Lili wanted was to appear the odd one out. She didn’t want to feel uncomfortable, and lonely, for the entire day, because she was no longer part of a couple. After seeing the people she would be spending the day with, she began looking forward to the trip.
The tour would take in the north coast, with a stop for a swim and lunch before they returned later in the evening. The excursion also included a stop at a small bay to try some snorkelling. It all sounded great fun. Lili had never done anything similar before – at least, she had never done so and enjoyed it.
Once, when she had gone abroad with Alex, they had arranged something similar – a small boat trip off the coast of Turkey. Unfortunately, Alex was not a boat person. She had thought at the time that it would have been a good idea if he’d told her that before they’d booked. He’d spent the entire trip alternating between being sick over the side of the boat and lying on a bench, wiping his brow and groaning. Lili had never been so embarrassed. The captain had eventually decided that enough was enough and had asked them if they would disembark. They’d had to get a taxi back to their hotel.
Lili was going to enjoy every minute of this excursion. In fact, recalling that episode, she realised there were advantages to travelling alone; she could do as she pleased with the guarantee that nobody would spoil her day. She slipped on her sunhat and sunglasses. She hoped that it would turn out to be an unforgettable trip – for all the right reasons this time.
Lili returned to the hotel later that day. She waved at Maria, who had dropped her back in the minivan from the port, and smiled as she skipped up the steps. The boat trip had been a great success, just as she expected. They had sailed into caves and swum in crystal blue waters. The views of the coastline – especially around Corfu Old Town, and further up the coast towards Albania – were, for Lili, the highlights of the trip.
The simple lunch, a seafood salad, had been delicious. There was also wine, freshly squeezed orange juice, lemonade and plenty of coffee. Everyone on board had clearly had a wonderful time, and Lili had noticed a real camaraderie among the passengers. She thought that it had been down to the jolly captain and crew – with their interesting seafaring tales and entertaining singsongs, they’d had everybody in hysterics.
By the end of the trip, as they returned to the harbour, she had sensed that she wasn’t the only person who was feeling a little deflated. It had all been over too soon, and they’d known they would be parting ways. It had been one of those amazing experiences that Lili knew she would look back on and treasure for years to come.
‘Did you have a wonderful trip?’
Lili stood at the desk as the concierge handed her the room key, and replied, ‘Oh, yes – I had the most amazing time.’ She didn’t want to dampen her mood, but she had to ask, ‘Were there any messages for me?’ Mobile reception could be patchy, so when she’d phoned them on the hotel phone, she’d left both Ray and Hannah a message to contact her at the hotel.
The receptionist smiled. ‘Ah, yes – you have a message.’
Lili grinned. Thank goodness. She had been starting to worry.
The receptionist handed her a note.
Lili retreated to her room. Unfolding the note, she sat down on her bed to read it. ‘Oh.’ It wasn’t a message from Hannah or Ray. It was from Spiros and contained details of the island tour the next day.
