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But by the time they left the beach and threaded their way back to the terrace, she could feel her shoulders prickling. A hasty glance informed her that her arms were very red, too, and she could only guess that her face looked like a beetroot.
Which was so galling when she saw both her mother-in-law and Ariadne sitting on the terrace, securely shaded by a fringed striped canopy.
It took a great deal of courage to continue walking towards them, particularly as she was feeling a little faint now and distinctly dizzy. A situation that wasn’t helped when Stefan excused himself and continued on into the villa, leaving Jane to face the two women on her own.
‘Ah, Jane,’ said Maria at once, her shrewd eyes quickly assessing how her daughter-in-law must be feeling. ‘Why don’t you come and join us? We were just having coffee.’
Jane knew Maria had no real desire for her company. It was just her way of making an embarrassing situation worse. She obviously knew that Jane would have preferred to go to her room to put some salve on her arms and shoulders, but she couldn’t resist any opportunity to torment her.
And Jane, desperate not to do anything to worsen the situation, forced a tight smile, and said, ‘Thank you,’ before sinking weakly into the cushioned chair beside Ariadne.
But even the smell of the coffee was sickening, and, when Maria summoned the maid to get another cup, Jane licked her dry lips and said, ‘Would you mind if I just had water?’
‘Water?’ Maria gazed at her impatiently. ‘What’s wrong? Aren’t you well?’
‘I’m hot,’ said Jane quickly, desperate not to arouse suspicion. ‘And very thirsty. If you don’t mind?’
‘She’s not used to our climate,’ remarked Ariadne scornfully. ‘She looks like a cooked lobster, Maria. Perhaps she would prefer to go to her room.’
Jane objected to being spoken about as if she wasn’t there, but she was so grateful to the other girl for saying what she had, she didn’t complain.
‘I think I would prefer to do that, Maria, if you don’t mind,’ she murmured, getting to her feet again on legs that felt distinctly unsteady. ‘Perhaps you could ask the maid to bring the water upstairs?’
Maria’s mouth tightened. ‘Surely you can stay for a few minutes, Jane? We haven’t had an opportunity to talk together yet. Don’t you want to know how my husband is feeling this morning?’
‘Of course I want to know how Leo is,’ protested Jane, sinking obediently back into her chair. ‘I just thought—’
‘I can imagine what you thought. You would prefer not to have this conversation, I have no doubt,’ Maria interrupted her sharply. ‘But let us be clear about something, Jane. I did not approve of Leo inviting you here. No matter what he says, you are not welcome in my home. Now that you’ve seen him, I hope you’ll make your excuses and leave as soon as decently possible, neh?’
Jane expelled a shaken breath. ‘Why did you allow Demetri to contact me?’ she exclaimed. ‘Why didn’t you just pretend that you’d spoken to me and that I’d refused to come?’
‘Because Leo would never have accepted that. And I care too much about Demetri to deliberately lie to him.’
Jane shook her head and then wished she hadn’t. The dizziness she’d felt coming up from the beach had come back and she clutched desperately at the arms of her chair in an effort to steady herself.
Unfortunately, both Ariadne and Maria noticed and her mother-in-law gave an impatient snort. ‘Oh, go to your room, then,’ she said irritably. ‘If you can’t control yourself for five minutes, then you’d better do as Ariadne says. But don’t forget what I’ve told you, will you? Next time I might not be half so understanding.’
Whatever that meant.
CHAPTER NINE
DEMETRI FLEW back to the island late the following afternoon. He hadn’t stayed to hear the final conclusions of the delegates to the conference, making the excuse that, as his father was so ill, he’d prefer to get home.
And, without exception, everyone had understood, but he couldn’t help wondering if they’d have been as understanding if they’d known that checking up on his father encompassed only half the concerns he had. He was equally anxious to see Jane again, to assure himself that she hadn’t been intimidated in his absence.
He didn’t know why he felt this desperate need to defend his estranged wife, but he did. It wasn’t as if she’d be glad to see him. Because, despite the fact that he didn’t seem able to keep his hands off her, he was fairly sure she regretted it just as much as he did.
