The Beads of Nemesis (4 page)

Pericles kissed her lightly on the cheek. “I brought someone home with me. She’s going to give a hand with the children for the rest of the summer. Mama, this is Morag Grant.”

His mother swivelled round in her chair, a look of shock on her face. “A stranger, Perry? How could you?”

“I think you may come to like her,” he answered calmly. “But what does she know of our Greek ways?”

“We’re not wholly Greek,” her son reminded her. “Besides, I

think you’ll find her willing to learn. She’s very amenable.” The amusement in his voice stung Morag into speech. She took a deep breath and held out a hand to the older woman.

“Hero poll, ” she said in Greek, hoping that she had got it right. Pericles’ mother favoured her with a long, searching look. “Milate Ellinika ?” she enquired, finally shaking hands.

“No,” Morag admitted. “I tried to learn a few phrases before I came. It seems only civil to try and speak to people a few words of their own language, but most people seem to speak English, and I suppose I’m a bit lazy too.”

“The children both speak excellent Greek,” Kyria Holmes said. “It’s my wish that they should converse as much as possible in their own language. We have decided that both their lives lie in this country and it is as well for them to learn how to be wholly Greek, whatever my son may say. Do you really think you can help us to achieve that purpose?”

“I can try,” Morag answered her.

“No, no, it’s impossible! Peggy especially needs to be taught that Greek women don’t get their own way by throwing tantrums whenever they are crossed! When she grows up and marries, her husband will control her destiny, just as her father should be doing now. Wanting to do everything just the same as Kimon does will be of little use then!”

Morag looked quickly at Pericles. “It this what you want for your daughter ?”

“I’d like her to marry a strong man,” he admitted. “As for the rest, I suppose it was the way her mother was brought up.” “Certainly it was!” his mother exclaimed.

Morag saw Pericles’ lips tighten. “It might have been better for her if she’d shown more spirit,” he remarked.

“I suppose you are referring to that foolish incident when she thought she was in love with Takis? Did she make you a less good wife because of that? Your slightest wish was her command right up until her death.”

“Oh, quite!” he said.

Morag thought she detected an underlying bitterness in his words. “Who is Takis?” she asked, seeking to divert his attention

from thoughts of his wife.

“Takis Kapandriti is my nephew.” Kyria Holmes drew herself up. “He is staying with us at this moment. You will probably meet him sooner or later. He goes out a great deal as he has business in Athens.”

Morag looked about her, suddenly wondering what her own position in the house was, to be. “Is - is there room?”

Kyria Holmes rose to her feet. “It’s a large house, Miss Grant. My son would not have brought you here otherwise.” She nodded formally and went inside without a backward look, calling out to the children as she went.

Morag shrugged her shoulders.

Pericles looked amused. “She isn’t really frightening once you get used to her,” he reassured her. His face crinkled into a smile. “I think she was trying to warn you about Takis in her own way. Stay clear of him, Morag. He isn’t going to marry for a long time yet and he might not understand that there are some English girls who don’t come here for the one thing only. Our Greek women are very closely protected by their families and British freedoms are apt to be misunderstood.”

“But I haven’t even met him yet!” Morag protested.

“There’s no harm in making things clear from the beginning,” he observed drily. “Takis is never serious and you are not to encourage him. Is that clear?”

“What do you expect me to do? Ignore him completely?” She faced him angrily. “It may not be very Greek, Mr. Holmes, but I make my own decisions of that kind no matter where I am!”

“Not very successfully,” he reminded her. “It won’t hurt you, while you’re here, to do things my way. It’s time someone put the brakes on where you’re concerned. You are obviously warmhearted to a fault, but that can make for sloppiness if you’re not careful. Takis would only take advantage of you - as easily as that David of yours, for instance.”

She glared at him. “Thank you very much!” she stormed. “You don’t know anything about it! How dare you?” “Easily!”

“Well, you can stay out of my business once and for all! You can be as high-handed as you like with your own children, though I don’t think you’re at all fair to Peggy, but no one speaks like that to me!”

He actually chuckled. It was the last straw as far as she was concerned. “I hate you, Pericles Holmes,” she declared. “I’m going! I can’t think why I ever came with you! Goodbye

He leaned against one of the verandah pillars, folding his arms across his chest.

“What a fuss!” he mocked her.

“You can’t keep me here against my will!”

“No?”

The single syllable seemed doubly insulting to her; first because it implied she didn’t know her own mind, and second because it held a threat that she wanted to challenge but didn’t quite dare to put it to the test. She was afraid of Pericles Holmes, she thought, even while he attracted her.

“If I do stay,” she began. “If I do, you must understand-”

“You’ll stay,” he said certainly.

Her lips quivered. “I won’t be dictated to!”

“And I won’t be yelled at by.”

“A mere woman, you mean?” she said easily. “I’ll yell whenever I feel like it!”

“Not at me you won’t!” He laughed suddenly. “I might have known your green eyes could flash with temper as much as any other emotion! But don’t flash them at me, Morag Grant. You might get more of a reaction than you bargained for!”

She shrugged her shoulders, bitterly aware that she had somehow lost the battle and that he knew she had no intention of going anywhere. “Indeed?” was all she said.

She stood stock still, annoyed to find that she wanted to find out exactly what reaction she would inspire in him if she continued the argument. It was very tempting to her to find out. She gave him an uncertain look. “I'm not sloppy!” His eyebrows rose. “All right,” he said. “I take that back. You’re not sloppy. You’re just more feminine than is good for you.” A mocking smile touched his lips. “But I won’t tease you anymore. It’s too soon for you to know what you want for the future and you need to keep a tight hold on your heart without any commitments until you know which way you’re looking. Only don’t tempt me, Morag. I’m only a man, and making love to you wouldn’t be at all disagreeable to me, especially when you look at me as though you expect me to pounce on you at any moment!” “You forget,” she said quietly, “it’s not long since I lost my fiance.”

He snapped his fingers, making an angry noise in his mouth. “Grow up, Morag! You didn’t love David. He gave you a nice romantic feeling, no more than that! If I took you on, you’d find out what loving a man means. You wouldn’t cast me off on your sister when you’re tired of me!” Morag gaped at him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“Oh yes, you do! Do you think Delia, or whatever her name is, would have succeeded in interesting David if you hadn’t half wanted it that way?”

“You don’t know Delia.”

“It’s got nothing to do with Delia. I’m sure she is prettier than you, more attractive, more everything, but that wouldn’t have resigned you to losing David to her. What if she has always taken everything she thought you wanted away from you? If you’d really wanted David you would have fought back, and you’d have gone on fighting until you had them both where you wanted them!”

Morag looked as surprised as she felt. “Would I?” she said. “I don’t see how you could know that.” Her eyes kindled with indignation. “If I wouldn’t do it for David, I certainly wouldn’t do it for you!”

Suddenly he took a step toward her and she panicked, almost running away from him to the far end of the verandah. “One day,” he said, “I’ll take you up on that, when you’ve had time to know me better.”

An extraordinary, totally unfamiliar excitement ran through her. “You may have treated Susan to the masterful approach, but I shouldn’t care for it at all!”

His laughter unsettled her badly. “Susan was well broken in long before she was chosen as a suitable wife for me. She obeyed,

but she never loved, poor girl. They should have allowed her to

marry Takis - she had more than enough money for them both!

All I could do was to be gentle and to encourage her as far as

possible to do things for herself. It was I who introduced her to

the flying which finally killed her, but I don’t regret it! At least it

gave her a few moments of freedom from the quagmire in which

she found herself.”

The colour rose in Morag’s cheeks and she veiled her eyes from him, more than a little shy. “If you felt like that about her, why should you want-” She broke off, not wanting to put the threat she felt for him into words after all. She might have misunderstood him and then what would he think of her?

“To tame you?” His smile told her that he had read her

thoughts exactly. “Perhaps because you’d revel in the battle as

much as I. You’re not like Susan in any way. She found marriage

to me a prison, a comfortable prison for which she had been well

prepared with a lifetime of submission to what her family

decided was good for her. I was no more than her warder,

carrying out the sentence they had passed on her. It would be

different with you, Morag Grant. You would find freedom.”

She couldn’t bear to hear any more. “Never with you!” “Never

with David!” he retorted. “Never with any man who wouldn’t

demand everything you have to give, who wouldn’t make you

wholly his - in every way!”

Morag swallowed. “I think that’s a highly improper thing to

say. I d-don’t want to listen to you anymore.”

He strolled across the verandah towards her, stopping so close

to her that they were almost touching. Her breath caught in the

back of her throat and she was more afraid than ever, not so

much of him as of herself.

“Improper?” he repeated. “Why? Because I haven’t known you

long enough? It doesn’t take time for me to know I’d like to kiss

you, or for you to know that you’d like me to! Shall I give you a

practical demonstration, karthia mou?”

“No!” The negative exploded out of her.

“Another time?” He put a hand under her chin and forced her to look up at him. “Cheer up, sweetheart, I’ll try not to rush you. You’ll be quite safe with me.” He stroked her cheek with a gentle

finger, bringing the burning colour rushing in the wake of his touch. Then he bent his head and his lips met hers in a caress so fleeting that she couldn’t be sure that it had actually happened.

The sound of footsteps coming onto the verandah made him take a swift step from her. “Damn!” he muttered under his breath. Morag showed him a shaken face and he smiled straight back at her. “Perhaps it’s just as well,” he murmured. “You have to meet Takis some time, and now is as good a time as any.”

She had no time to say anything at all. Takis came out onto the verandah and stopped, blinking at them. He was a whole head shorter than his cousin, but he looked far less Greek. His hair was fair and his eyes were pale grey and rather hard.

“Thia Dora said we had a guest.” His lips parted in a smile. “Has she something in her eye, or am I interrupting something?” “Neither,” Pericles said shortly. “Morag, this is my cousin Takis. Takis, Morag Grant. She’s going to help with the children.” Takis took her hand in his and raised it to his lips. He smiled and winked at Morag, sharing with her the knowledge that he knew he was annoying his cousin by his too gallant greeting of her. Morag gave him back look for look and found herself smiling despite herself. Really, it was too ridiculous, but Takis Kapandriti was more like David than anyone else she had ever met.

CHAPTER THREE

Takis seldom actually went into the water. He preferred to stand close to where the sea lapped gently at the shore, filling his lungs with the golden air and showing off his fine golden body to their neighbours.

“A few weeks and you’ll have a fine tan yourself,” he said to Morag, his eyes openly approving her neat figure. “Shall I put some oil on your back for you before you burn?”

“No, thank you.”

“So shy! But you are not shy with my cousin Pericles, are you? Now why do you favour him, I wonder? You would do much better with me, little anglitha. I haven’t two children and a second-hand love to offer you!”

Morag’s eyes flashed. “Certainly not second-hand!” she murmured.

“What do you mean by that?” he demanded.

“What you think! You’ve scarcely been out with the same girl twice since I’ve been here!”

“Does that offend you? But they are not serious girls, Morag. They are only to have fun with, you understand.” Morag shut her eyes, wriggling her shoulders into a more comfortable position. “I used to know someone very like you,” she remarked.

“And that is why you don’t like me?” he reproached her. “I do like you. I liked him too - very much!”

“Ah!” She felt his shadow come between herself and the sun. “Tell me about this interesting man you used to know!”

“There’s nothing to tell.”

“Nothing?”

“He’s dead now, and you remind me of him. That’s all there is to it.”

“He must have been a fine man!” Takis exclaimed, naive with self-pride. “How long did you know him?” Morag hesitated. “He was a friend of my family,” she said at last.

“You were in love with him ?”

“I thought I was for a little while. But he wasn’t ready to love

anyone, and I wasn’t either. Just like you!”

“I am offended!” Takis told her. “You imply that I am childish. I’m not, not at all. There is nothing childish in liking women, is there?”

“No,” said Morag.

“Then why do you imply that I am childish?”

“You don’t like responsibilities.”