His Forbidden Bride (20 page)

look. 'Can I help you,
thespinis
?'

'I hope so.' She was proud of how composed she sounded. 'Can you tel me,

please, how to get to Mr Dragos' house?' She lifted her chin. 'I need to see

Andreas quite urgently.'

There was a silence, then he said, 'Andreas is not there,
thespinis
. He is in Athens. The helicopter came for him, and he left yesterday evening.'

She said huskily, 'He
left
! Without tel ing me? When he'd arranged to see

me today? I don't believe it.'

Stavros looked more uncomfortable than ever. He said, 'He telephoned here

before he went—and left a message for you. To say that he had been cal ed

away.'

'And you didn't think to give it to me?' Zoe's voice rose. 'What kind of a

person are you? And what sort of hotel is this, withholding guests' messages

like that? I actual y went to meet him. I've been waiting al this time…'

'I did not wish to do it.' His voice was miserable. 'It was my uncle. He thought

it would be better—kinder if you thought Kyrios Andreas had simply—gone.

That you would believe he had chosen this way to end things between you,

and you would leave in turn.'

'Then you're wrong,' she said. 'Because I know he would never do that. And

how dare your uncle interfere in what doesn't concern him?'

'He meant it for the best,
thespinis
. He is fond of Kyrios Andreas—as if he were his own son.'

'And clearly he thinks I'm not good enough for him,' Zoe said curtly.

'I don't know, Kyria Zoe.' Stayros stared down at the polished counter in

front of him. 'He says only that you and Kyrios Andreas cannot be together,

but he wil not give a reason.'

'Wel , when Andreas returns, I intend to be here, waiting for him, however

long it takes, and to hel with your uncle's disapproval.' She paused. 'Did the

message say when he planned to come back?'

'No,
thespinis
. Just that he had been urgently cal ed away.'

'Fine.' Zoe turned to go to her room. 'If any other messages come, please

see that I get them at once,' she threw at him over her shoulder.

And heard him sigh. 'Yes, Kyria Zoe.'

But it was to be her sole moment of triumph, because there were no more

messages. Three days limped silently by, and eventual y her pride would not

allow her to ask any more.

It seemed likely that Andreas would simply stay out of the way in Athens for

the remainder of her holiday, thus avoiding any awkward moments or

potential y distressing scenes.

But why did he do it? she asked herself over and over again. Why pretend

that he had fallen in love with me? Was it just some sick game to alleviate

his boredom with island life?

If so, she thought, it must have given him a laugh a minute to see how easily

she'd succumbed to his spel .

It was not easy to fil her days, but she managed it somehow. Succeeded,

too, on the surface at any rate, in overcoming her sense of personal

humiliation at having been dumped with such insulting ease. In spite of

everything, she was not going to be driven away, she told herself with

resolution.

She had braced herself too for a certain amount of covert amusement at her

plight from the hotel. Instead she found herself treated with quiet

friendliness.

She mentioned the subject only once to Sherry. 'I suppose everyone thinks I

asked for this.'

'Nobody thinks that,' Sherry assured her, giving her a comforting pat on the

shoulder. 'But I was always worried about you.' She hesitated. 'I know

Andreas is gorgeous, but a hel of a lot of women have thought so, too.

'Yes,' Zoe said quietly. 'I can imagine.'

Only she didn't want to imagine anything of the kind. It was too painful to

have to admit she'd been just another item on a long list.

So, she hid her ever-present hurt and bewilderment somehow, and kept her

smile in place, and her head high as she made herself join in some of the

trips and activities organised by the tour company and the hotel itself.

At the same time, she was careful to avoid any of the places she'd visited

with Andreas. The memory of that one, wonderful day when she'd believed

herself loved was still too raw for that His image was engraved on her mind,

etched deep into her consciousness. Superimposed on everything she did

by day. Coming between her and the mercy of sleep that she yearned for at

night.

She could not handle any further reminders of him.

And she did not, under any circumstances, go back to the Vil a Danaë.

On the fifth day, she took a ferry trip to Kefalonia, exploring the shopping

streets of the capital, and taking a short coach tour round the island's major

beauty spots. And there were even brief moments when she found herself

able to relax, and enjoy what she was seeing.

One day, I shall heal, she thought. I may even come back to Greece. But not

yet.

It was early evening when her ferry docked. She came ashore slowly feeling

tired, but almost tranquil.

There was a car parked directly outside the hotel entrance, and there were

two men in dark glasses standing on the steps, talking to Stavros.

Businessmen, by the look of their smart suits, Zoe noted casually. And the

car was pretty glamorous, too.

As she approached al three men turned to look at her, and she halted, their

scrutiny awakening a sudden unease.

'Miss Lambert?' One man approached her, while the other opened the car's

passenger door. He was smiling, and his English was perfect. 'My employer,

Mr Dragos, would like you to join him for dinner tonight.'

Zoe's lips parted in a soundless gasp. She said icily, 'Please thank Andreas

for me, and tel him I'm not accepting any invitations for the foreseeable

future.' She paused, deciding to ignore the fact that a horrified Stavros was

sending her frantic signals. 'I'm sure he'l understand,' she added with

cutting emphasis.

'You are mistaken, Miss Lambert.' The smile was unchanged. 'It is Mr

Stephanos Dragos, the father of Andreas, who wishes you to dine with him.

He is looking forward to meeting you, so—if you could come with us,

please?'

'But I've been out al day,' Zoe protested, aware that she was being

propel ed courteously but inflexibly towards the car. She indicated the

creases in her blue chambray dress. 'I—I need to change.'
I also need to

lock myself in my room and refuse to come out
.

'You look fine, Miss Lambert? There was an implacable note in his voice.

'This is purely an informal occasion.'

Are you just going to stand there, and let one of your guests be—hijacked

like this?' Zoe sent her stormy appeal to Stavros.

'Mr Dragos wants to see you, Kyria Zoe.' He spread his hands helplessly.

'Also, he has a very good chef,' he added.

'Great,' Zoe said furiously as she was handed into the passenger seat.

'That, of course, makes al the difference. If I don't come back, don't hesitate

to let my room,' she flung at him as a parting shot.

She sat beside the driver, quivering with temper, her hands clutching her

bag so tightly that its strap cut into her flesh.

The road they took led past the Vil a Danaë, and continued to hug the

coastline. Zoe had just given up trying to calculate how far they had travel ed

when the car turned down a side road, eventual y coming to a halt outside a

pair of imposing iron gates. The driver sounded his horn, and a security

guard appeared as if from nowhere, and opened the gates for them to

proceed.

As the gates clanged shut, behind them Zoe felt her mouth go dry, and

began to regret the jibe about not coming back. Sherry's comment about the

power Steve Dragos could wield was another uncomfortable memory.

They were travel ing along a drive now that wound through a large garden,

with spreading lawns, and cypress trees. When the house came into view,

she saw that it was much older than the Vil a Danaë, and probably twice the

size, its pale wal s festooned with flowering vines and other climbers.

There were several vehicles parked in front of the house, and Andreas?

Jeep was among them. Zoe felt her throat muscles contract at the sight of it.

She thought, I can't go through with this. I can't…

But the car was stopping, and she was being helped out and escorted

towards the entrance. She halted, shaking off the officious hand holding her

arm.

She said between her teeth, 'Kindly let go of me.'

It was cool inside the house. Steve Dragos had air conditioning that worked.

Zoe hoisted her bag onto her shoulder, and buried her hands in the pockets

of her dress to hide the fact that they were trembling.

A manservant in a pale grey linen jacket hurried to open double doors, and

Zoe found herself in a spacious low room, furnished with sofas and

armchairs grouped round a massive stone fireplace.

There was only one occupant. Andreas, tall in an immaculate dark suit, was

standing, hands on hips, staring out of the window. Zoe checked at the sight

of him, her heart hammering frantically.

He turned slowly and looked at her, his face unsmiling and set in lines of

harsh weariness.

'
Kalispera
.' His voice seemed to come from a hundred miles away. He

sounded like one polite stranger greeting another, she thought in swift

anguish.

She lifted her chin. She said huskily, 'Why have you done this? Why have

you had me brought here?'

'It was not my wish,' he said. 'But—my father's.' There was an odd hesitation

in his voice. He paused, then added, 'He will not be long. He is resting after

the flight from Athens.'

'Is that all you can say?' Her tone had a ragged edge. 'You don't think I

deserve some explanation?' Her eyes met his in naked appeal, her pride

splintering. 'You said— I thought you—cared for me…'

'I care,' he said quietly. 'Nothing can ever change that.'

She said, her voice little more than a whisper, 'And if I asked you to leave

this house with me now—to go together to the Caves of Silver and cal out

our names to the echo— what would you say?'

He bent his head, almost defeatedly. 'I would say—no.'

She almost cried out with the pain of it, but forced herself to steady her

voice. 'Did you ever—real y want me?'

And saw him wince. He said, 'It no longer matters. Everything has changed.

You must understand that.'

'I don't understand anything,' she said. 'Andreas, tel me, please—what's

going on? Have you been told to give me up? Is that it?'

'I had no choice.'

'Everyone has a choice.' She went swiftly across the room to him. 'And I

choose you.' She seized his hands, wanting to touch them with her lips, to

place them on her breasts, but he pul ed away almost violently. Stepped

backwards from her, his dark face a mask of anguish, his breathing harsh.

He said, 'I cannot touch you, Zoe, and I cannot al ow you to touch me. It is

over.'

She heard the doors behind them open, and half turned.

A man was standing watching them. He was wearing dark trousers and a

quilted crimson jacket, with a silk scarf folded at his throat, and his jutting

brows were drawn together in a faint frown as he surveyed them. He was

tal , with silver hair, and a strong, rugged face that had once been

handsome.

Even across the room, Zoe could feel the aura of power that accompanied

him. Sense the dark magnificence of his presence.

She thought almost inconsequential y, In forty years, Andreas wil look like

this—only I shal not see it.

When he spoke, his voice was deep, and a little hoarse, as if he was trying

to suppress some emotion.

'So,' he said. 'You are Gina's child, come to me at last. Stavros was right.

You are the image of her,
pedhi mou
. I would have known you anywhere.'

Zoe stiffened. She said coldly, 'I'm afraid that I can't return the compliment.'

But she knew it wasn't true. Because every instinct was tel ing her that this

was the man in the photograph that her mother had secretly treasured for all

those years.

She glanced at Andreas, standing like a statue, his face deliberately

expressionless. She thought suddenly, I don't want to be here. I want to put

my hands over my ears— and run.

He said, 'Then let me introduce myself. My name is Stephanos

Dragos—and I have the honour to be your father.'

No.' Her voice cracked on the word. She turned on Andreas, face and voice

fierce with shock and horror. 'Tel me it's not true.'