Tom may not have received her letter yet and in any case, Michaíl’s news had changed things. She wouldn’t leave the island until he’d left for his sister’s, dreading how emotional leaving was going to be for him. Cassia would have to see someone she cared about decline and get weaker as the disease took hold. How would she explain to Eléni that Michaíl was veryill and was going to die? She brushed away her tears, cold on her cheek from the breeze coming in from the sea.
As they walked down to the smallholding, Eléni ran on when she saw Maia playing with the cats near where Eugenia was milking the goats. Calix and Callista had grown now. They spent most of their time outdoors catching mice at night and sleeping in the sun during the day. Eléni picked up the little tabby and began stroking her.
‘Kaliméra. What a beautiful morning.’ Cassia caught up with Eléni and stood chatting to her sister as Eugenia finished with the last goat.Eugenia will be all right,thought Cassia.It’s hard for her at the moment, but things will get better. She’ll make the best of what she has here on the smallholding.
They walked into the house, leaving the girls to play. ‘Did you get any sleep after listening to Michaíl’s news?’
‘Not much.’ Cassia’s tone grew serious. ‘I can’t imagine him not being around... not — you know — but when he leaves the island to move to his sister’s.’ Before last night, her main worry had been how she would break the news that she and Eléni would be leaving him, but he’d beaten her to it. She couldn’t tell him now. She’d write another letter to Tom and tell him she had to stay until Michaíl had joined his sister.
‘I meant it. About you and Eléni moving back here. We’d manage between the two of us. The girls get on well now.’
‘No, it’s not fair on you. Two more mouths to feed. It’s hard enough anyway.’ Guilt overwhelmed her. If Michaíl hadn’t broken his news, she would have told both of them hers. But there was no reason not to tell Eugenia. The sooner it was out in the open, the better. Her stomach churned in anticipation of how her sister would react.
‘Come and sit down. I planned to tell you yesterday, but Michaíl’s news came out first. I didn’t have the heart to tell you then.’
‘Now you’re worrying me. What’s happened? You’re not pregnant, are you?’
‘No!’ Cassia was shocked her sister would think such a thing. ‘Whatever makes you think that?’
‘Don’t think I don’t know about Tom. He’s besotted with you. And you have been looking tired and pale lately.’
‘You’ve got it all wrong. I admit we are more than friends now, but that’s only very recent. Nothing like that has happened. But what I have to say does concern Tom.’
Eugenia waited for her sister to continue.
‘The night before he left to return to Malta. He proposed to me.’
Eugenia gasped and hugged her. ‘That’s wonderful news. Isn’t it?’
‘He thinks if we emigrate to Wales, we could get help for Eléni. There’s a school for the deaf in his hometown.’
‘But she isn’t deaf!’ The implication that Tom and Cassia would not be staying in Kefalonia dawned on Eugenia. ‘Cassia. You can’t go! I can’t lose you for a second time. Damned men! It was Nikos the first time and now some Welsh sailor.’
She paced the floor, her eyes reddening.
‘Stop it. I need to tell you everything. I didn’t accept at first. I couldn’t imagine leaving Kefalonia, leaving you and Maia, leaving Michaíl — that was before I knew his news. Tom was disappointed, but accepted my decision and we left as friends.’
‘So what changed?’
‘I missed him. I missed him so much and realised I’d made a big mistake. Eléni was distraught. She withdrew back into her shell. I knew she blamed me. The only way is to get married — Tom says it would give me a stronger case for emigrating to Wales, plus the fact that his brother is married to a Greek woman. Katerina. Tom says she’s really nice and so are their twoboys. They speak Greek as well. I wrote to him and told him I’d changed my mind. I hope he hasn’t changed his.’
Her sister shook her head in disbelief as she sat back down and took Cassia’s hands. ‘So he doesn’t know you’ve changed your mind yet? Then please don’t tell him. All you’ve just told me is that you are willing to go through with a marriage of convenience for the sake of a little girl who isn’t even yours.’
Cassia pulled her hands away. ‘But I love him. He’s a good man and I know I can make him happy.’
‘But can he makeyouhappy?’
‘Yes, I know he can.’
‘But what if you get there and you realise you’ve made a huge mistake. Away from your country, knowing no one apart from some Greek woman you haven’t even met. Surrounded by people who don’t speak your language. Tom will be away for months at sea. And what if Eléni never learns to speak? It will all have been for nothing.’
‘I think I’d better go.’
With that, there was a crash and shards of bright blue glass shattered onto the tiles. The wind had sprung up and sent thematithat hung from the door frame hurtling to the floor.
Eugenia grabbed her sister’s arm. ‘Themati! I’m telling you. It’s a sign.’
‘You don’t believe that rubbish about a glass ornament protecting you from the evil eye, do you?’ Cassia shrugged herself out of her sister’s grasp, but it didn’t stop her from wondering what was to come.
