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It was with difficulty that she transferred her attention to Georgios, smiling weakly and saying, ‘I couldn’t find you. This really is a marvellous house. You never told me it was quite so impressive.’

Theo answered for him. ‘Since Georgios is adamant he has never met you before he couldn’t very well have told you. I’ve no doubt, though, that you’ve seen it in
Harpers & Queen
. They did a feature on it a short while ago.’

‘Really?’ Miranda raised her brows, her thick lashes framing her liquid eyes. ‘I must have missed it. What a pity.’

There was the merest fractional hardening on his face, but instead of the quick comeback she expected he poured coffee from an elegant silver pot set on a glass-topped cane table in front of them, enquiring whether she took milk and sugar before pushing the cup over to her.

‘It’s instant coffee,’ he said brusquely. ‘Greek is not normally to the Englishman’s taste, although if you would prefer it ’

Miranda shook her head. ‘This is fine.’ She picked up the cup and sipped gratefully. It was good—and she was surprisingly hungry. On the table were slices of fresh crusty bread, a salad consisting of tomatoes, cucumber and peppers, topped with black olives and cheese, and a selection of a sticky-looking pastries filled with honey and nuts.

"Help yourself,' said Georgios pleasantly. ‘It’s all yours. Theo and I are not eating.’

She took a tiny portion of salad and a slice of bread, but it was embarrassing when the two men sat silent. She enjoyed the cheese, it was crumbly like Caerphilly although saltier. But she did little more than nibble, refusing a pastry, accepting, however, another cup of coffee.

‘Is that all you’re going to eat?’ asked Theo incredulously.

She nodded, resisting the impulse to declare that in his presence the idea of food sickened her. She had thought she was hungry, and had she been alone with Georgios she would have done it justice, but with Theo watching her every move the excellent food tasted like sawdust.

‘It’s no wonder you’re puny.’ The dark eyes slid insolently over her, lingering on the slight swell of her breasts, following the curve of her hip to the slender legs crossed gracefully at the ankles.

Miranda felt as though he was undressing her, tossing aside each item of clothing until he could feast his eyes on her stripped defenceless body. Colour rushed to her cheeks and she deliberately turned her attention to Georgios.

‘I’d like to see more of your villa. Would it be very rude to ask you to show me around?’ She was aware of Theo’s eyes burning into her.

‘It will be my pleasure,’ said Georgios, a wide smile creasing his handsome face.

'If you’re eyeing it up on the assumption that it will one day be your home, forget it,’ snarled Theo.

Georgios frowned momentarily. ‘You’re not being very friendly towards our guest, Theo. I don’t think Mother would like it if she knew how rude you are to a stranger under our roof.’

A stranger! Miranda winced. Didn’t Georgios realise how much it hurt hearing him speak like this? Had he no idea of the pain he inflicted?

‘Since Miss Martyn won’t be here long enough for Mother to know anything about it,’ said Theo coldly, ‘I shall treat her with the contempt she deserves. No woman who shamelessly chases after a man simply because he’s wealthy is worth an ounce of consideration.’

‘She deserves more than you’re giving her,’ returned Georgios. ‘She doesn’t look like a girl out for all she can get. Perhaps she’s made a mistake. Perhaps I do look like her husband. The least we can do is make her short stay here a pleasant one.’

‘Mistake be damned!’ snorted Theo, pushing back his chair and standing up. ‘It’s the innocent-looking ones you have to watch. But if she wants to torture herself by looking at something that will never be hers, then Eleni can show her.’

‘And why not Georgios?’ snapped Miranda, resenting the way they talked about her as if she was not there. ‘Are you afraid that once he’s no longer under your watchful eye he might say something he shouldn’t?’

She felt even more at a disadvantage with Theo standing. He yielded a formidable power that made her feel tiny and insignificant. She never usually felt at a disadvantage with men; normally they treated her as a fragile flower.

Until she met Georgios she had never lacked either male or female company, but once knowing him she had needed no one else. She had been content to let him dominate her, blossoming under the warmth of his love. It made it all the harder to accept what he was doing to her now.

‘There’s nothing that Georgios can possibly say that I would not wish him to,’ said Theo. ‘But he could be foolish enough to fall for your particular brand of beauty. I think he already feels the need to protect you from me.’

‘You must admit, Theo, you’re not being very hospitable towards her.’ Georgios gave Miranda a gentle smile that caused her heartbeats to quicken alarmingly. She had seen that particular smile so many times before.

‘I don’t feel hospitable,’ Theo growled.

Yet he had brought her here! He could have remained firm and sent her back to Corfu. It was obvious now, though, that he regretted that decision.

‘And I don’t like being argued over as though I’m of no consequence,’ she interjected. ‘I’m sure Eleni, whoever she is, won’t take too kindly to showing a stranger around.’ She stood up and gave Georgios a winning smile. ‘You take me. You’re my husband, it’s up to you to show me your family home.’

‘Oh, that I were!’ said Georgios dramatically, but he immediately sprang to his feet and tucked her arm through his. ‘However, it will be my pleasure.’

Miranda snuggled up to him, feeling more confident that when they were alone Georgios would open up and admit that the whole charade was Theo’s idea.

Theo, however, stalked into the house in front of them, pressing a bellpush near the door. Seconds later Katie appeared. He spoke to her in Greek and Miranda heard the name Eleni. Her heart dropped. It appeared that once Theo made up his mind nothing and no one stopped him.

Georgios let her go, frowning harshly at his brother, but accepting that the matter had been taken out of his hands. Miranda could hardly believe that he was meekly submitting to this man’s treatment. Why didn’t he stick up for himself? More to the point, why was Theo treating him as though he was fifteen instead of twenty-five?

‘How can you let him do this to you?’ she asked sharply.

Yet again Theo answered for him. ‘Because what I say in this house goes.’

She switched her attention, looking angrily into the cold impassive face. ‘Don’t you ever let Georgios make decisions for himself?’

‘Only if I consider they are the right ones, and getting himself involved with you is not.’

Miranda held his gaze for as long as she could, finally looking away when she heard someone enter the room.

‘Ah, Eleni!’ Theo immediately went towards the dark girl who Miranda judged to be somewhere around her own age. She wore a flowered cotton top and white shorts, her long legs smooth and tanned, her feet pushed into thonged leather sandals. Her shoulder-length black hair framed an attractive, piquant face.

‘This is Miranda Martyn who came to our island— by mistake. However, she is so impressed with the villa she would like to look around before she leaves in the morning. Will you show her?’

Eleni looked curiously at Miranda before giving her a warm smile of welcome. ‘I trust my brothers have been able to tell you where you went wrong? There are so many islands that unless you come on a package holiday it can be confusing.’ Her English, like that of the men, was flawless.

‘Don’t worry,’ said Theo, ‘I shall personally make sure that Miss Martyn doesn’t get lost again.’

‘I expect my brothers have been looking after you wonderfully well? We would never see anyone stranded.’

Perhaps
she
wouldn’t, but Miranda would have liked to disagree so far as Theo was concerned. With difficulty she hid her feelings, returning Eleni’s smile.

‘There’s no need for you to put yourself out. Georgios has offered to show me. I’m sure you have something far more exciting to do.’

‘Actually, no,’ returned the charming Eleni. ‘I was resting. It’s siesta time, as you probably know. But I’m fed up with lying down. It will be a great pleasure to give you a guided tour of our small villa. We’re very proud of it, but because we like to preserve our privacy we do not have many visitors.’

There did not seem anything else Miranda could say. It would be ill-mannered to declare she had changed her mind, confirming Theo’s suspicion that her only reason for asking was to get Georgios alone.

‘In that case,’ she said, hoping her smile did not look too artificial, ‘I’ll come with you gladly. I’ll see you later, Georgios.’

She was aware of Theo watching them as they left the room, and although it was to Georgios she spoke, it was on this older man her eyes rested longest.

‘Oh, Eleni,’ Theo’s harsh voice arrested their progress, ‘don’t go in to Mother. There’s no need for her to know about Miss Martyn.’

‘I’m sure she’d like to meet her,’ smiled his sister. ‘You know how much she likes seeing new faces.’

Theo looked at her coldly. ‘That’s as may be, but in this instance I think it would be best if she didn’t know about our visitor. We can’t afford to let her get excited.’

‘As you wish,’ shrugged Eleni, not looking suitably convinced, but conceding to her brother’s authority. She clearly thought that meeting Miranda was nothing to get excited about.

But Miranda herself knew that he was afraid she might mention her reason for being here. How much, she wondered, did his mother know of the true situation? Or had Georgios said nothing to her because of the illness which had brought him running to her side?

However, these thoughts were pushed to the back of her mind once she began to explore the Alexidises’ villa. It housed an impressive collection of valuable paintings and art treasures, and each room was elegantly and expensively furnished.

Eleni chattered incessantly, and Miranda discovered that there were two more sisters, both married and living in Athens. Theo had taken over the business since their father’s sudden death three years ago, after which Mrs Alexidis had suffered a heart attack and had not been well since. This last turn had left them all worried.

Miranda learned more about the family in the few minutes she was with Eleni than in all the months she had known Georgios. ‘Why don’t Theo and Georgios, get on?’ she asked, hoping this girl would not think her question out of order. ‘I couldn’t help noticing.’

Eleni laughed. ‘Theo can’t stand weakness. Nor could my father. Georgios was a disappointment, and I think Theo has inherited my father’s intolerance of men who do not automatically assume the qualities of leadership.

‘Georgios failed to come up to my father’s expectations. His interest in shipping is nil, despite all the training he has been given. Theo never intended to take over. He wanted to start up on his own, entirely independent of the Alexidis Line, but when it became clear that Georgios was incapable of running it, he had no choice.’

‘So what does Georgios do?’ asked Miranda.

Eleni shrugged characteristically. ‘Nothing, except spend the very generous allowance my father made him. He’s been away a lot lately, since his ’

Miranda’s breath caught in her throat. ‘Did he go to England?’ she interrupted eagerly.

Eleni shook her head. ‘I don’t think so. At least, he never said. He spends a lot of time in Athens with my sisters. Ah, this is my mother’s room.’ They stopped outside a closed door. ‘It’s a pity Theo has forbidden me to take you in to her. She would like you, I’m sure. You might cheer her up.’

‘Do you always do what Theo says?’ asked Miranda.

Eleni nodded, her expression wry. ‘He’s the head of the family. His wishes are respected.’

‘Even Georgios obeys?’

‘Even Georgios,’ she admitted. ‘Forgive me for saying so, but you seem quite interested in him?’

I should be, thought Miranda, he is my husband. But as it was apparent Eleni was another who did not know about his marriage, or pretended not to know, she decided for the time being to say nothing. Whatever game Georgios was playing she needed to sort it out with him first.

‘It’s so unusual,’ continued the pretty dark girl. ‘Most women prefer Theo. Don’t you think he’s the more handsome of the two?’

Miranda pretended to consider. ‘I suppose so, but he’s certainly not my type. He’s too ’ She searched for the right word.

‘Overpowering?’ suggested Eleni, laughing. ‘I know what you mean, but isn’t that one of his attractions? I’d like to find myself a husband like Theo. The trouble is they grow thin on the ground. The man I’m supposed to marry ’ She lifted her shoulders deprecatingly. ‘He is—well, not quite such a—
man.
He’s rich and his family’s in shipping too, so it’s an admirable match, but I don’t know whether I love him.’

‘Have you got to marry him?’ asked Miranda, wondering whether some girl hadn’t been lined up for Georgios. Whether that hadn’t been one of the reasons he had left home. ‘I didn’t think they did that sort of thing these days.’

Eleni smiled ruefully. ‘If you’d met my father you wouldn’t ask such a thing! He stuck by the old rules, and Theo is very much like him.’

At that moment Mrs Alexidis called from her room. ‘She’s heard us,’ said Eleni. ‘I must go and see what she wants. Please excuse me, I won’t be long.’

It was seconds only before she returned, a light of mischief dancing in her eyes. ‘She wants to see you, and Theo can’t say anything, since she asked herself, can he?’

Miranda quickly agreed, feeling a rising tide of excitement as she followed Eleni into the room where blinds were drawn and a faint smell of cologne hung in the air. Perhaps now she would get to the bottom of the mystery.

It
took a few moments for Miranda’s eyes to get used to the half-light. When she did she discovered Mrs Alexidis watching her closely. ‘Come in, come in. I did not realise we had a guest. An English girl, too! I feel quite excited. Come closer so that I can see you more clearly.’