Beware of the Beast (18 page)

Tina shook her head.
"
Ohi
,
kyria
,"
she denied vehemently,
but with a sigh she left her.

After she had
gone
_y
however, Charlotte was unable to dis
miss what had occurred so easily. An uneasy suspicion was
stirring inside her. Was it possible that there was something
causing this lethargy, this sudden aversion for things she had previously enjoyed?
And now this dizziness?
She was not a
fool, but she was an inexperienced girl coping with a situation
she could scarcely believe. Her hand probed the smooth skin
of her abdomen bare above the low waistband of her hipster
jeans. She couldn't feel anything, but then what did she expect
after only six
weeks ?
   

She shivered where before she had been too hot. Could she
actually be pregnant? Could such a momentous event have
occurred after such a disastrous beginning? Her knees shook.
She felt frightened, purely and simply frightened, and there
was no one she could turn to
to
explain her fears.

It was her own fault, of course, that she had not realized it sooner. But she had never been so regular in her habits
that the events of the past couple of months could not have held up her bodily functions. Or so she had imagined. And
she had not been knowledgeable enough to disbelieve what
one would-be confidante at school had told her, which was
that fertilization only occurred if the girl was getting as much
pleasure out of the act as the man. It was scarcely credible that
a living organism could result from Alex's brutal possession of her, and certainly there had been no pleasure in it for her.

Fleetingly, she thought of
Eleni
, but then rejected the idea.
Much as she had come to like and respect the old woman, she
was still Alex's grandmother, and this was something she
couid
not bear to discuss with her. It was something so personal - so intimate - she was loath to discuss it with
anyone. And yet she would have to.

Hardly aware of her actions, she poured herself a cup of
chocolate and sipped the satisfying liquid slowly. What did
one do on
Lydros
if one was ill? If one wanted to see a doctor?
She couldn't believe there was a doctor on the island, and yet surely a patient would not have to make the journey to P
iraeus for medical attention.

She frowned. She would have to ask one of the girls, or Ma
ria. Perhaps one of the girls might be best. Maria's eyes were too sharp, her perception too astute. With a little
im
igination
, she might well guess what Charlotte was trying to
hide.

After lunch, Charlotte went to take her usual rest on the
bed. Unless she was going out, she invariably rested for an
hour after the meal, and now she knew why lately she had
fallen asleep instead of reading as she used to do.

Today, however, her mind was too active to sleep. All
manner of thoughts and possibilities were spinning round in
her head, and she stared up at the ceiling wondering what
Alex's reactions would be. She frowned. Of course, he would be delighted. It was what he wanted, after all. The reason for
her presence here made manifest. Now he would know
that it was only a matter of time before he had the heir he
wanted.

Charlotte found this knowledge curiously unpalatable. Her
hand probed her body again and lingered sensuously. It was a
tantalising
thought that there could be the seed of another
being growing inside her. She felt a protective sense of pos
session towards it, a satisfying knowledge that she was
capable of motherhood.

She must have slept eventually because when she woke it
was late afternoon, the shadows lengthening across the soft
rugs piled on the floor. Stretching, she sat up to get off the
bed and experienced the same dizzy sensation as she had felt
on the patio that morning. It made her feel slightly sick, and she waited until the dizziness subsided before attempting to get off the bed. So, she thought, the evidence strengthened.
She was not reassured by the thought.

When she walked on to the patio some fifteen minutes later,
showered and changed into a cool lime green cotton dress,
she found
Eleni
sitting waiting for her. She was surprised.
There had been no arrangement to see one another today, a
nd for a moment she wondered whether
Eleni
had had news
as Alex. Her lips trembled. Surely nothing had happened?

But
Eleni's
expression was calm and composed as she turned
from her contemplation of the flowers to greet her grandson's
wife. "Ah, there are you are, Charlotte," she exclaimed, with a
sraiie
. "You sleep late these afternoons."

Charlotte could not control the slight deepening of
colour
which darkened her cheeks. "It's laziness,
yaya
," she told the
old woman firmly. "Has Maria offered you some tea?"

"Tea?
No. I don't want tea, Charlotte. I came because
Maria thought to inform me that you were not well this morning.”

"
Oh !"
Charlotte was taken aback. "Oh, I see."

Eleni
looked her up and down. "I must say you look all
right now."

"I am. I am." Charlotte shifted uncomfortably. "It - it was
nothing. A touch of the sun, that's all. Maria worries too
such. Now - will you have some tea?"
  

"If you insist, I suppose I must."
Eleni
sounded disgruntled. "You're sure you're all right?"

"I've told you, I'm fine. Don't fuss. Haven't you ever felt
a little under the weather?"

Eleni
relaxed. "Of course I have." She chuckled. "Very
well
,
Charlotte. I'm sorry. But Maria's note sounded urgent
Besides
..," she spread her hands, "it was too nice an after
noon to spend alone."

Even so, after
Eleni
had gone, Charlotte wondered how much Maria had said in her note, and how much either of
them suspected. It made the possibility of her seeing a
doctor without arousing any
comment
that much less feasible.

The following morning, Charlotte was violently sick almost
the minute she set foot out of bed. She sat there on the side of the bed, with the room revolving sickeningly about her,
and wondered how on earth she could keep this to herself. .

Unfortunately, Tina chose that moment to knock at the
bedroom door, and although Charlotte did not have the
strength to answer her, she opened the door arid came into
the room. It took only seconds for her to absorb what had
happened, and shaking her head she insisted that Charlotte get right back between the sheets. Charlotte protested, but it
did no good, and besides, she felt too ill to put up much of
a struggle. She was vaguely aware that Tina went away and
came back again, and presently the scent of lemon disin
fectant cleared the air. She lay back against the pillows, feeling
sick and frightened, and utterly alone.

"Tora, kyria, ti simveni?"

A cool hand was laid against Charlotte's forehead, and
she opened her eyes to find Maria looking anxiously down at her. The compassion in the old servant's face was weakening,
and Charlotte felt tears rolling unheeded down her pale cheeks.

Maria shook her head, smoothing the girl's hair from her
forehead, looping it behind her ears. "Now - you are feeling
a little better, aren't you?" she asked gently.

Charlotte swallowed convulsively.
"A - a little."

"So why are you crying? You know what is happening to you is nothing to cry about,
kyria
."

Charlotte blinked. "What - what do you mean?"

Maria smiled. "Have I not delivered many babies,
pethi
?
 
Do you think I do not know why a girl has the
sickness ?
Kyrios
Alexandros
will be so pleased. And
Kyria
Elenii
I
will send for her
- "

"
Nol
" Charlotte forced herself up on her elbows, grasping
Maria's gnarled hand. "No, please - don't tell her, Maria. I -
I'll tell her myself, but - but not yet."

"Ah, I
understand,
kyria
.
You wish for
Kyrios
Alexandros
to be the first to know about his son.
And why not?
That is
as it should be. I will speak to Sophia, and she will go to the
village and tell
Vittorio
. He can go to the mainland and send
a message
- "

"No!"
Charlotte sank back weakly against the pillows. "I
mean - well, there's no need. Alex - Alex will come back as
soon as he can. I -!
don't
want to trouble him."

"Trouble him,
kyria
?"
Maria looked astounded. "He will
not consider this a
trouble
!
For many years now,
Kyria
Eleni
has
been wanting
him to get married - wanting a
great
grandchild
. They will both be - enchanted."

"Well, I'm not enchanted," muttered Charlotte, turning
her face into the pillow.

Maria chuckled. "You will
be,
pethi
.
We all have to suffer
a little unpleasantness to begin with."

"A little unpleasantness!" echoed Charlotte indignantly.
"Why? Why should we? Why should a man get away without
suffering anything?"

"That is the way of the world," Maria assured her calmly.
"Now, you rest a while. You'll see, in an hour you will feel
fine again."

And it was true. Although Charlotte was very chary about
getting out of bed the second time, the giddiness had left her
and only a hollow emptiness in her stomach gave" her any
discomfort. This was soon banished by a cup of tea accom
panied by a roll, fresh from the oven, and then she did indeed feel perfectly fit. It was amazing, and the realization lifted her
spirits. Even her fears seemed exaggerated in retrospect.

Even so, for the next few mornings, she was very reluctant
about getting up. She found she felt much better if she ate
something before actually getting out of bed. This was
Maria's suggestion, and she soon realized that a dry biscuit
could work wonders on her constitution. By the end of a
week she had grown accustomed to taking these simple precautions, and she could feel her body beginning to adjust itself to its new condition.

What disturbed her most now was Alex's prolonged ab
sence. With every day that passed she became more convinced
that what
Eleni
had said was true. He was staying away
deliberately - but why? What possible reason could he have?
And why didn't she send word to him as Maria wanted her
to do? The old servant adopted a definite air of disapproval
every time she saw Charlotte these days, but she could not
appreciate the difficulties of Charlotte's position.

Then, late one evening, after Charlotte had gone to bed,
she heard the sound of a boat's engines. Any sound carried
easily on the still night air, and she rolled on to her stomach,
lifting her head to listen more intently. Thoughts of bandits
or terrorists flicked through her head, to be discarded
instantly. She was not the only one with ears to hear, and the
village was much nearer the channel between the headlands.
Ail the
same,
it was unnerving, lying there in the darkness,
wondering who it could be. She gave a thought to Alex,
but he always used the helicopter, and besides, she would
have had word if he was coming, she felt sure.