Her sister looked past her as Tom and Eléni walked to join them. ‘And who are these people with you?’
Stavros still stood by the horse and trap.
‘These are my friends, Tom and Eléni. I will tell you more later. And this is Stavros, who was kind enough to bring us here. Please can we come in?’
‘Hello. Of course, follow me.’
Relief that Eugenia had not rebuffed her surged through Cassia. All she had to do now was convince her sister that taking Eléni without the authorities’ knowledge was the right thing to do.
Eugenia opened the door wide and led them into a large kitchen-cum-living-room. Dark wood panelling clad the walls and a long table took pride of place in the centre. It was good to finally be out of the sun and in a cool, shaded room.
‘You must all be exhausted after your journey. Can I offer you some iced water or lemonade? Or perhaps you men would prefer a beer?’
‘Lemonade for me. Eléni?’ The little girl didn’t respond. ‘And one for my young friend.’
Eugenia looked puzzled. ‘She’s shy, is she?’ Cassia just nodded her head, trying to be discreet.
‘Two beers for us,parakaló,’ said Tom.
‘Why don’t you go and sit under the awning outside, and I’ll bring the drinks out to you. I’ll call Maia to come and play with Eléni. She’s down on the beach.’
They all walked outside while Eugenia went to the front of the house to call her daughter.
‘Eugenia is very welcoming. You are safe here from prying eyes. No Welsh reporters, eh?’ Tom smiled and Cassia relaxed. He was right. But she knew that if her sister’s fisherman husband had been there, the reception would have been more frosty. Georgios had never approved of her relationship with Nikos even though they’d been a couple for some time when he came on the scene. Nikos would never say, but Cassia suspected Georgios had a dark secret he didn’t want Eugenia or her father to know about. Now, Nikos was dead, and she would never know if Georgios had been involved in his death.
A little girl with crinkly black ringlets raced around the corner of the house, followed by an out-of-breath Eugenia.
Before going back into the house to get the drinks, Eugenia introduced her daughter. ‘This is Maia, everyone.’
When she was around three, Eugenia had been identical to this little bundle of energy who introduced herself to everyone. How had Cassia not known her sister had a child?
‘Hello, Maia. I’m your theía, Cassia. This is Eléni.’
‘Do you want to come and play?’ Maia took Eléni’s hand, but she pulled it away and shook her head.
‘Maybe later.’ Cassia smiled at her niece. ‘I’m going to help your mamá get the drinks now.’
Eugenia was waiting for her. ‘What’s going on? Friends?’ She raised her hands, palms open.
‘I’ll tell you, but you must swear you will tell no one. Eléni’s house was destroyed in the earthquake. She was buried under the rubble for two days, and Tom, one of the British sailors drafted in to help with the rescue, was the one who got her out, barely alive. Everyone else in her family died. She has no one.’
Eugenia’s expression was one of shock. ‘Poor little mite. Look, I’ll take these drinks out and I’ll come back for you to tell me more.’
On her return, Cassia continued to tell her the story. ‘She has been nursed back to health by the Red Cross, and both Tom and I visited her every day. We’ve both become very fond of her and we can’t let her go into a home for orphans — we can’t.’ Tears pricked her eyes.
‘Oh. Come here.’ Eugenia pulled her into a tight hug.
‘It was Tom’s idea. He suggested Fiscardo. There’s no structural damage from the earthquake and no one to remember Eléni had a family who died. He thinks people will assume she is my daughter.’ Tears then fell and her voice became a sob. ‘I did have a daughter once. Angelika would be three now, just like her.’ She looked up at Eugenia’s puzzled face. ‘Nikos and I had a baby who was stillborn. I keep thinking that if she had lived and I had died in the earthquake, I would want someone to look after her and become her new mamá.’
‘Oh, I’m so sorry. That’s awful. We must have been pregnant at the same time and neither of us knew. Damned stupid family row over politics. I’ll never forgive Father! Come on, let’s join the others. Tom’s obviously fallen head over heels in love with you.’
Cassia stopped in her tracks. ‘No! You’ve got the wrong idea. We’re friends. We’ve only just met.’
Eugenia gave her a knowing look. All the years they’d spent apart disappeared and the two sisters reverted back to the teenage girls they had once been, always looking out for each other.
‘If you say so. Surely you’ve noticed the way he looks at you... or you must be in denial.’ Eugenia hugged her sister again. ‘I’m so pleased you’re back. I’ve missed you.’
Cassia thought about her sister’s words as they rejoined everyone outside. Tom’s eyes focused on her alone. She had been so moved by his kindness and his concern for Eléni that she hadn’t thought of it as anything other than friendship. Warmthspread along her skin. What if her sister was right and she’d missed all the signs?
