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“It’s not your home. Not while you’re married to that man.”
“Simon, stop!” Eirene said. “Athena, let me talk to him.”
Athena had begun to cry and when Kosta put his arm around her, Simon nearly exploded again. But Eirene led him off, clutching his arm with fingers like steel bands.
“What is wrong with you?”
“That bastard. That lousy bastard, how dare he?” Simon muttered. “I’ll have him killed.”
“What are you talking about? Simon, this is insane! That’s your sister.”
“I told her. I said, that man is not to be trusted. She said she understood, and then she runs off and does this? What’s wrong with her?”
“With her? What’s wrong with you? How can you take such a dislike to a man you met once for five minutes?”
“I know him Eirene. I was in business with him. He’s a criminal.”
She went pale and Simon realized he’d said too much. “I mean… I think he’s a criminal.”
“No. You meant what you said. I could see it in your eyes, Simon. I always know when you’re lying. You’re going to explain yourself to me when we get home, but for now we have to deal with this.” She released her death grip on his arm. “You stay here. Don’t you dare move an inch. Promise me.”
He said nothing, looked away.
“I said, promise me, Simon.” It was spoken with such authority that he nodded, still unable to meet her gaze. She walked back to where Kosta was comforting Athena and spoke to them for a few moments. She said something to Kosta and he shook his head. But the next time she spoke to him, he nodded. Athena just stared up at him as if she had never seen him before.
They walked back up the steps and got on the plane. Eirene spoke to the attendant who nodded and followed them on board.
When she returned to the car, she said, “They’re going to Athens to wait until you and I have discussed this. I think Athena will have something to discuss with her husband as well. Get in the car.”
“Eirene—”
“Simon, I am simply in no mood. Please get in the car, or I will leave you standing here.” She climbed into the car and Simon saw no other option but to follow her.
The ride back to the house was silent, and time enough for Simon to berate himself for having let too much slip. He’d broken ties with Kosta when he fell in love with Eirene. He had hoped she’d never know what kind of a man he’d been before they met, that her low opinion of him had been just. And in a moment of uncontrolled anger, he’d blurted out everything. He tried to blame Athena, tried to blame Kosta, but in the end, he knew that what he’d done, he’d done to himself.
He was so ashamed.
Once they were back at the house and upstairs, Eirene said, “you must tell me the truth, Simon. What did you mean when you said that you were in business with Kosta? You knew him before your parents died?”
“Yes.”
“And you say he’s a criminal?”
“I said, I thought—”
“Simon, don’t lie to me. Don’t make this worse. What have you done?”
“It wasn’t anything, Eirene. Some contraband, that’s all.”
She studied his face. “That’s not all, is it?”
“Of course.”
“You’re lying to me. Simon, never play poker, you’re a terrible liar. What else?”
“Antiquities. I mean, I knew he was looking for them. He found a few and I arranged for him to show them to some friends. That’s all.” It sounded so lame, so deluded.
“That’s all,” she repeated. “You knew he was looting the cultural heritage of other countries for profit, and you say, “that’s all?” How can you be so blase?”
