Authors: Lucinda Riley
‘I promise you, it can. Sorry, Sadie, I’m really not up for talking about this. Believe me, I have my reasons.’
‘Okay.’ Sadie shrugged. ‘I know how private you are, but as your best friend, all I’m doing is warning you that the day of reckoning isn’t far away. And you will
have to face it, for the sake of your son. Now, I’m going in for a last dip.’
Unable to move, as Fred was fast asleep on her knee, Helena watched as Sadie joined the others in the sea. Even though she hated Sadie’s probing, she understood her motives – and
knew she was right.
ALEX’S DIARY
July 19th (continued)
I knew it was too good to last.
A lovely day out with my love and I arrive home to the worst, the absolute worst.
My mother said Bee might be staring up at me from my pillow, that I might have missed him earlier. Well, she was partly right. He was staring up at me from my pillow.
Except it wasn’t him in the flesh – or in scrappy bits of old material, to be more precise – it was his celluloid image, a printed-out black-and-white photo of
him. Blindfolded (with a sock, from the looks of things) and hung by his ears from an olive tree. Fred’s toy water pistol is pressing into his tummy.
On the bottom of the photo is a message.
‘Do as I asked, or the bunny gets it. PTO.’
I turn it over and see more words.
‘Tell anyone, and you will never see him again.’
Part of me wants to slap Rupes on the back for coming up with such an imaginative form of blackmail. I didn’t know he had it in him. And part of me wants to scratch his eyes
out, scream and howl and bite like a banshee until he returns my most precious possession.
So, I have a hostage situation on my hands. I must remain calm and think rationally, weigh up the various options I have at my disposal.
Option 1:
I can go straight to my mother and show her the photograph. She will be furious with Rupes and demand the bunny back.
Result: The note has told me I will never see Bee again if I tell anyone. Rupes is a hardy adversary, and will almost certainly carry out his threat. He may well dispose of Bee
before he is placed safely back in my hands.
‘It was only my little joke, Auntie Helena, a bit of a jape, but unfortunately, I now seem to have mislaid the rabbit. He’s vanished. Sorry and all that, but surely
it was only a TOY.’
Urgh. I feel sick at the thought. That route would certainly achieve the result of my mother having to finally cut the crap and agree Rupes is an out-and-out tosser, but I doubt it
would bring my poor little friend back to me safe and sound.
It would also make me appear to be the mummy’s boy Rupes believes I am. And as I have ten days left with him here, I dread to think of all the ghastly forms of mental and
physical torture he may come up with.
My
life may well be at risk, let alone my little friend’s.
‘Oops! So sorry, Auntie Helena. I was standing right next to Alex on the terrace, and I watched him as he leant just a little too far over the balustrade. I did my best to
pull him back before he tumbled one thousand feet to his grisly death, but it was just too late.’
I shudder. Am I being paranoid here? Rupes might be a bully and a toerag, but is he a murderer?
Possibly. So . . .
Option 2:
I can agree to his request.
Result: Bee is saved, I am saved and Rupes gets to snog Chloë.
Perhaps the last option is worse than me and my bunny’s joint execution. To say the Sword of Damocles is hanging over me would be a grave understatement.
Come on, Alex, think! Surely this is where your super-duper, top-of-the-range-with-added-torque-and-spoilers IQ comes in? The pain-in-the-bum ‘gift’ – ‘Oh,
Alex’s intellect separates him, makes him abnormal, a nerd, a boffin, a plonker’ – that God has saddled me with?
Just for the record, I am none of the above. I am crap at figures, and Einstein’s Theory of Relativity reads like Serbo-Croat to me. When Serbo-Croat existed, which it
doesn’t anymore, except probably in secret underground dens across what used to be Yugoslavia. But isn’t any more.
And finally, after eating two slightly melted Crunchie bars I’d been saving for emergencies in my rucksack, a plan is taking shape in my agile brain.
I know I cannot outwit Rupes the Ruthless physically. He could pluck me and string me up next to my poor little friend with a couple of index fingers. Even though the branch would
probably break if he did so.
But I can write a mean essay. In at least a couple of different languages.
Having arrived home and left Immy and Fred eating delicious freshly baked buns in the kitchen with Angelina, Helena found William upstairs in the bathroom, still wet from a
shower. ‘How are things with Sacha?’
‘He took a taxi to the airport about an hour ago to fly to London. He’ll be in the office first thing tomorrow to call in the official receiver.’
‘What’s Jules had to say about that?’
‘I haven’t seen her. Angelina says she came back here at lunchtime, then went out again with Rupes.’
‘Is Sacha going to call her?’
‘He has. Or at least, he’s left a message on her mobile saying there’s a problem and he’s had to return home. She’s obviously still got her mobile switched off. To
Sacha, at least.’ William sighed as he dried himself. ‘He’s not in good shape at all.’
‘I’m sure. How long will he be gone?’
‘He said he’d call tomorrow evening to let me know the score.’
‘But surely he’s got to talk to Jules face to face as soon as possible?’
‘I agree, but what can we do? To be fair, he did try to speak to her this morning, but she said she hadn’t got time to chat and flounced off in the car with Rupes.’
‘So,’ Helena sighed, ‘this means we have to pretend everything is fine, while secretly knowing they’re all about to be homeless and penniless?’
‘It looks like it, yes.’
‘How will Jules feel if she finds out we knew and she didn’t? She’s a woman who likes to be in control.’ Helena switched on the shower to find only a meagre trickle of
lukewarm water.
William buttoned up his shirt. ‘Hopefully, he’ll call her tomorrow when he’s done the dirty deed. And she and the kids will have to fly home. By the way, Alexis called round
earlier. He wanted to know if we’d mind if he brought his grandmother to see Pandora. She’s very old and fragile apparently, and used to work here a long time ago.’
‘She did.’ Helena nodded as she stepped under the trickle. ‘She was Angus’ first housekeeper – in situ when he bought the house, and still going strong when I came
here last time. Angus told me that she and Alexis’ grandfather met across a crowded vineyard.’
‘I asked them round for a drink at seven. I felt I couldn’t refuse.’
‘Thanks. She seemed ancient when I knew her. God knows how old she must be now. From what I remember’ – Helena shivered slightly – ‘she’s a little . . .
strange. Right, I’d better get a move on.’
Chloë had offered to bath the little ones, and when Helena arrived downstairs, all three of them were snuggled on the sofa together watching
Snow White
.
Helena kissed her clean, sweet-smelling son on top of his shiny head.
‘You okay, darling?’
Fred didn’t bother to remove the bottle of milk he was drinking. He shifted it to the corner of his mouth like a smouldering cigarette. ‘Wanted Power Ragers, not girls’
storwee.’
‘I said it’s your turn to choose tomorrow night,’ Chloë said to him firmly.
‘Not fair.’ Having made his protest, Fred twirled his hair round his finger and sucked away contentedly.
‘Thanks, Chloë,’ Helena said gratefully.
‘No probs. I love Disney films anyway. I’ll put them to bed when it’s finished.’
‘See you at dinner.’ Helena walked onto the terrace to find Jules back from her travels, with a heap of glossy brochures on the table in front of her.
‘Now this one has the most spectacular view,’ she was saying to Sadie. ‘Even better than the one here, I think. It’s set in an acre, has four bedrooms and a stunning
twenty-metre pool.’
William, who had appeared behind her holding a tray of glasses and wine, raised an eyebrow at his wife. ‘Anyone for a drink?’ he said as he set the tray down on the table.
‘Absolutely,’ said Jules eagerly. ‘Hello, Helena. Viola says you had a lovely day at the beach. Thanks for taking her.’
‘We did. You?’
Jules grinned. ‘I’ve been house-hunting.’
‘Have you?’ Helena held onto her fixed smile as she took a glass from William.
‘I mean, I have a little money put aside from my late mother’s bequest, so why not use it to buy something here? I can put the cash towards a deposit and Sacha can damn well take out
a mortgage from one of the brokers he spends so much time with in the City and stump up for the rest. All our friends have a house abroad but Sacha has always refused to contemplate it. He says
it’s too much hassle if something goes wrong. Which means we end up every year having to rely on friends in places that aren’t up to scratch. And I do so hate being a guest.’
No one could think of a thing to say in response to this, so Jules continued obliviously, ‘I’ve decided it’s time
I
made a decision. So, we’re going to buy a
house. Cheers!’
‘Cheers!’ The others toasted with her and took hefty, fortifying gulps of their wine.
‘The property market is doing so well here, and it’s not much different from buying at home, especially as all the rules are changing now Cyprus has joined the EU. A charming young
man explained it all to me this afternoon. They manage the property for you when you’re not here and let it out. So you get an income and, with the capital growth, it’s got to be a good
investment, don’t you think, William?’
‘I don’t know the market here, Jules. I’d have to study it before I could give you an answer.’
Jules tapped her nose. ‘Trust me, I have a good instinct for these things. Remember I was a successful estate agent before I had Rupes. Besides, it’ll give our family what we need
– our own house in the sun, where we can entertain
our
friends.’
‘Have you spoken to Sacha about this?’ William managed to croak.
‘No,’ Jules responded airily. ‘I’ve decided to count him out of the holiday altogether. If he comes back, he might be in for a bit of a surprise. Who knows?’ She
laughed loudly. ‘Anyway, I’m off for what I hope is a hot shower. Viola’s in the pool with Rupes. Keep an eye out, will you?’
When Jules had left, the three of them sat in silence for a while, lost for words.
Eventually Sadie said under her breath, ‘She really is a piece of work, that one.’
‘I’m sure she doesn’t mean half the things she says,’ said Helena, standing up. ‘I’m just going in to check on supper. You two carry on.’
‘Sacha is one of the
most
charming men I’ve ever met,’ said Sadie in a low voice. ‘What on earth did he see in Jules? You should know, William. You’re his
oldest friend.’
‘I agree. He was always a sucker for a pretty face, ever since our schooldays together,’ he mused. ‘When we were at Oxford, he was surrounded by endless gorgeous blondes. Then
he left university and met Jules a year or so later, when she was already working as an estate agent. She was the antithesis of his past girlfriends: sensible, bright and grounded.’
‘If he wanted someone to take him in hand and sort him out, he definitely made the right choice,’ murmured Sadie.
‘I think that’s exactly what he wanted. She was actually rather sweet and attractive when she was younger,’ William continued. ‘And she adored Sacha, would have done
anything for him. She basically bankrolled his ambition to become an artist after he left Oxford, when his parents refused to give him another penny.’
‘Well, something must have gone horribly wrong for her to have become so bitter,’ Sadie remarked.
‘If I remember, it all seemed to go wrong when Jules got pregnant with Rupes and couldn’t work full-time anymore, meaning Sacha had to get a proper job. He should never have gone
into the City, to be honest. He couldn’t even keep track of his own expenses, let alone look after other people’s money. They gave him a job simply because he was charming and had
aristocratic connections.’
‘I’m sure that’s what made him so appealing to Jules. She’s obviously socially aspirational,’ said Sadie.
‘She was incredibly ambitious for them, yes,’ William agreed, ‘and thrilled when he got offered a position in Singapore. Unfortunately, it’s dog-eat-dog in the City these
days – more of a meritocracy. The old school tie’s been locked back in the trunk where it belongs. You stand or fall on ability alone. And Sacha has fallen big time.’
‘Jesus, what a mess,’ said Sadie, turning at the sound of footsteps. ‘Oh, look who’s here.’
‘
Gia sas
. I hope I do not interrupt you.’
Alexis stood behind them. Leaning on his arm was a tiny, shrivelled lady, bent double with arthritis and old age. She was dressed in traditional Cypriot black – Immy’s nightmare
– and Helena, reappearing from the kitchen, walked forward to greet her.
‘Christina. It’s been such a long time.’ Helena bent down and kissed the old woman on both cheeks.
Christina looked up at her, and put a claw-like hand round Helena’s. She mumbled something in Greek, her voice thin, strained, as though it was an effort to speak. Then she looked up at
Pandora and smiled, revealing an incomplete set of blackened teeth. She raised a shaky hand and whispered to Alexis.
‘She is asking if you would mind stepping inside with her, Helena,’ he translated.
‘Of course not. William, would you pop inside and check whether Chloë’s taken the little ones upstairs yet?’ Helena was reluctant to let Immy or Fred see Christina just
before bedtime, given that she bore more than a passing resemblance to a witch.
‘Absolutely,’ said William, understanding immediately and moving swiftly towards the house.
‘I’ll go and chivvy Viola out of the pool,’ Sadie suggested, standing up. ‘She must be prune-like by now.’