Authors: Unknown
Maybe she should leave before Georgios regained his memory. It was becoming increasingly clear that she could not live happily with Georgios again. Always now Theo would intrude—not in the flesh, necessarily, but in spirit. He would live in her mind for ever.
She wished he would move. It grew more difficult to breathe with every second he stood near. They were not touching, yet she was as aware of the hard muscular strength of his body as if they were.
A white-hot heat shot from him to her and she had to swallow a tight constricting lump in her throat.
‘Pasakopi Cave is quite a sight if you’ve not seen it before,’ he said, making her jump because he had been silent so long, ‘It’s quite chilly, though. Have you brought a wrap?’
Miranda shook her head. ‘I didn’t know.’ But she would not feel the cold if Theo remained close. He lit fires within her that were as good as any coat.
Georgios joined them, leaning on the rail at her other side. It was quite something having these two Alexidis brothers so close, but devastating to realise that she had transferred her affections.
She tried not to look at either of them, glancing down at the clear sea, pointing in delight when she saw shoals of coloured fish alongside.
A slight breeze blew back her fine golden hair and she closed her eyes, lifting her face to the sun. It was the only way she could shut out these disturbing men. With every second that she spent in Theo’s company it became more clear that she was falling even deeper under his spell. There was something magnetic about him that attracted her no matter how violently she opposed it. It was almost as if fate had brought them together—but too late! She was already married to his brother! There was nothing either of them could do about that.
Not that Theo was drawn to her in the same way. He was concerned only that she leave the island, amusing himself at her expense in the meantime.
The boat hugged the coastline for a while, then Nikos dropped anchor and they went ashore in a rubber dinghy. There was a curve of white beach and beyond that an opening in the cliffside which Miranda presumed was Pasakopi Cave.
They left their picnic hamper on the beach, then walked across to the cave, Eleni and Nikos leading the way. Georgios followed, asking questions as if he had never seen the place before, and she and Theo brought up the rear.
It was a narrow opening and they went in one after the other, walking Indian file towards a faint light in the distance. The path sloped down, the cold sides of the mountain almost touching their heads. In fact Theo was compelled to stoop.
He was behind Miranda and she glanced back every few yards to make sure he was still there. ‘Hoping you might lose me?’ he quipped. ‘I’m afraid there’s no chance of that. I know these caves like the back of my hand. Are you cold?’
She touched the surface of her bare arms and they felt icy, but inside she glowed with warmth. ‘I’m all right,’ she said. ‘How far do we have to go like this, and what’s that light at the end?’
‘You’ll see in a minute,’ he replied. ‘The path widens soon, then you’ll have a spectacular view.’
His voice was close in her ear and when she looked over her shoulder he was so close that the shock made her lose her footing. She stumbled and he caught her quickly, pulling her back against the hard muscular length of his body.
Alarm bells rang in Miranda’s head as she savoured for a second this moment of contact. It would not be long now before she left the island and never saw Theo again. She could not afford to waste one precious minute of time.
‘Your ankle,’ he said harshly. ‘Is it painful? We’ve not much farther, but if you think it will be too much I will take you back to the beach. We can wait for the others there.’
It hurt, admittedly, but it was strapped up well, and she really did want to see this cave with its magical lake, tempting though the thought of spending time with Theo was.
‘I can manage,' she said, struggling to free herself from his suffocating embrace, wondering what the others might think if they saw them together like this.
He let her go, but as soon as the tunnel widened sufficiently for them to walk side by side he slid his arm about her, and other than cause a scene there was nothing Miranda could do.
Not that she really wanted to. It felt good, he would never know how much she enjoyed feeling his firm thigh touch hers, or the echo of his heart against her shoulder, or the red-hot warmth from his fingers where they rested beneath her breast. The ache in her stomach that she now associated with Theo had begun again, but when she looked ahead and saw Georgios walking alone she felt guilty and pulled roughly away. 'I can manage,' she snapped. ‘Don’t fuss!’
But although he did not touch her Theo continued to walk at her side, and her awareness of him increased rather than faded. For the moment, though, her attention was taken by the lake in the distance. What she had at first thought was a point of light was in fact a sheet of water lit by overhead sunlight through a hole in the roof of the cave.
The effect was dramatic and Miranda could not take her eyes away from it. When they caught up with the others they stood looking into the crystal-clear water. They could not see the bottom and Miranda asked Theo how deep it was.
'No one knows,' he admitted. ‘Many fathoms. My father used to say it was bottomless, although I think that was to scare us.'
‘I went in once,' said Eleni, ‘but I couldn’t find the bottom, and then Georgios told me that a sea monster lived in there and I’ve never tried again.’
Georgios smiled. ‘Twenty feet long with protruding eyes and a pointed tongue.’
Eleni squealed. ‘Georgios! You remember?’
He shook his head and blinked. ‘A brief flash, nothing more. Now it’s gone.’
‘But it’s a sign,’ said Eleni. ‘Oh, Georgios, I’m so glad!’ She flung her arms around her brother and hugged him. ‘Theo, say something, for pity’s sake, don’t stand there looking disapproving. It’s the first step. Isn’t it wonderful?’
Miranda knew what Theo was thinking. He was afraid that Georgios’s memory would return before he got rid of her. ‘I’m very pleased,’ he said tightly. ‘Good for you, Georgios. It shouldn’t take long now. How does it feel?’
Georgios shrugged and pulled a wry face. ‘No different. I can vaguely remember this cave, but that is about all. I know I’ve been here before, but cannot remember ever doing so. It’s a peculiar feeling. I can’t really explain it.’
‘Who cares?’ laughed Eleni. ‘It’s a beginning. Let’s take the boat out and see what else you remember.’
Miranda had not noticed the rowing boat anchored to one side of the lake. Now they all scrambled in, Georgios and Nikos taking an oar each, Eleni behind them, leaving Miranda to sit with Theo. The narrow seat was hard, designed only for one.
Again she found herself pressed against Theo, flames of desire leaping through her as each motion of the boat brought them closer together. She trailed her fingers into the water, surprised to discover it was ice-cold. She scooped a handful and it was as clear as tap water.
She felt sad, and it occurred to her that she did not want Georgios to regain his memory. She was suddenly, inexplicably afraid, afraid for the future. She wished with all her heart that she had never come here.
If she had waited Georgios would have returned as soon as he remembered. They would have resumed their married life and she would have been happy. Now she felt mixed up and unsure and wondered what the future held.
What would Georgios’s reaction be, she wondered, when he realised that she really was his wife? He would think it strange that she had not been even more insistent, but would he realise that it was Theo who had kept them apart? There were many questions to be answered, and she hated to think what Mrs Alexidis’s reaction would be.
The boat moved through into an inner cavern and for a moment Miranda forgot her fears. Stalactities hung in twisted shapes and sizes, some like storks on one leg, another like an old owl, yet others in the form of statues.
There was little light in this inner cave and Miranda shivered involuntarily. The weird shapes seemed to mock her and suddenly she longed for the warm sunshine.
Theo draped his arm across her shoulders and she leaned comfortingly against him, hearing Eleni ask Georgios whether he could remember anything else, but for the moment suspended in a world of her own.
This big handsome Greek made her forget everything and everyone. In his arms she was aware of him alone, hearing only the rapid beat of her heart and the rush of blood through her head.
The boat moved slowly back to the edge of the clear azure lake. Theo jumped out and offered Miranda his hand. As she looked down at the foot or so of water that separated them she saw his reflection, and unbidden came Eleni’s theory that if you tossed a coin you saw the face of the man you were going to marry.
Perhaps as well she hadn’t thrown in any money,
considering she was already married, but she could not deny that the sight of Theo’s face in the water gave her a start.
There was a confident curve to his lips as he helped her across, making Miranda feel sure he knew exactly what thoughts were running through her mind, and he did not let her go until the tunnel forced them to move in single file.
It was a relief to breathe fresh air and feel the warm sun on her face, and because her ankle ached she flopped immediately down on the sand.
‘How about a swim before lunch?’ Eleni stood and looked at everyone, her hands on her hips, a picture of vitality, of youthful eagerness. Miranda wondered whether she had only just discovered that she loved Nikos. It certainly added a bloom to her cheeks and a sparkle to her eyes.
Nikos and Theo both agreed wholeheartedly and began shedding their clothes. They each wore swimming trunks and Eleni, too, had on her bikini beneath her dress.
Georgios looked at Miranda and shrugged expressively. ‘No one told me to come prepared. Looks like I’ll have to sit this one out.’
‘Me too,’ laughed Miranda, privately thinking it could not have worked out better had she planned it.
Involuntarily she looked at Theo, her heart jerking oddly at the sight of his near-nakedness, at the strongly muscled chest and long powerful legs.
There was a frown on his face as he glanced at them. ‘You are not joining us?’
‘We haven’t brought our swimming gear,’ said Georgios. ‘You should have said. I never realised Pasakopi Cave boasted such a splendid beach.’
‘My fault,’ said Theo at once. ‘But that’s no excuse. Use your underpants, they’ll soon dry in the sun. You, too, Miranda—don’t be shy. There’s no one here but us.’
Miranda was filled with longing as she looked into his dark disturbing face, shuddering uncontrollably but unable to tear her eyes away. She felt a primitive urge to feel that superb body next to hers and was tempted to do as he suggested. But she wanted to talk to Georgios and this might be the last chance she would get before leaving. ‘I’m tired,’ she said. ‘I’ll rest, if you don’t mind?’
He frowned, but there was nothing he could say in front of the others, so he swung on his heel and followed them into the inviting blue of the Ionian Sea.
Miranda watched him go, captivated by the sight of his deeply tanned body, conscious of the ache in her limbs, an overwhelming desire to run after him.
When Georgios spoke it was a while before she heard him. ‘You look as though you’re dying to get out there.’
She turned and smiled ruefully, glad he did not know her real thoughts. ‘Another day, perhaps, when my ankle’s better. I don’t think I should have walked on it so soon—it’s aching fit to burst. I’m glad your memory’s coming back, Georgios. I was shattered when I learned about it.’ She felt she ought to prepare him for the shock
he
would get when he discovered who she was. ‘Are you looking forward to remembering all that’s happened over the years?’
‘Wouldn’t you be?’ he parried.
‘It must be awful having to take for fact everything that anyone tells you, without really knowing for yourself whether it’s true.’
‘You mean I might not even be an Alexidis?’ he laughed.
‘Something like that,’ she agreed. Glancing towards the sea she saw Theo, his sister and Nikos all swimming strongly away from them. They appeared to be having a race of some sort. It would be a while yet before they came back. ‘Take, for instance, me saying you’re my husband. Don’t you wonder whether I’m speaking the truth?’
He looked at her, smiling ruefully. ‘Would I be so lucky? Theo never stops telling me that you’re not, and he should know. He says I’ve not been to England for many years. Why are you so persistent? I’m sure you’re not after money. I refuse to believe that.’
Yet he believed she was not his wife! Miranda looked at him sadly. It was uncanny the feeling it gave her when Georgios spoke like this. He really had no recollection of her at all.
She looked again at Theo in the water and recalled his insistence that Georgios must not be told about herself, or the baby—and knew she would do as Theo asked. It was madness, yet she could not help herself. Theo exercised a hold over her that she could not understand. All she knew was that she had to do what he said.
‘I can’t explain,’ she said quietly. ‘Not now. One day you’ll find out. Oh, look, they’re coming back. Let’s get the food ready—I’m starving!’ It was a relief to change the subject.
The meal was delicious—freshly baked bread, giant juicy tomatoes, garlic sausage and tasty salami, cucumber, onion, cheese and fruit, and plenty of wine to wash it down.
Miranda could not remember enjoying a meal so much. Whether it was the fresh air, or because Theo sat at her side, his long naked legs with their fine dark hairs curling close against the copper skin, stretched out alongside her own.
Whatever, it was an occasion she would never forget, and she felt sad when Eleni suggested they go home.
The boat trip seemed shorter than on the way out. In no time at all they were back at their starting point, climbing into the Land Rover and driving up the mountain to the villa.
There had been no further rock slides. The weather since the day she had sprained her ankle had been superb. The track was good now, the Land Rover climbing easily. Miranda looked out at the trees loaded with olives, caught glimpses of the sparkling sea through their feathery branches, and knew that this island had woven its magic spell over her.