The Passionate Greek (22 page)

He didn’t tell Melanie of the jealous rage
that engulfed him, the steely determination that no woman would
deceive him again, least of all this one. The trust he had invested
in her imploded and left a red mist in its wake.

Misery flooded Melanie. ‘I’ve ruined our
lives, haven’t I?’ she said. He didn’t reply.

She left him then, trailing head down back
to the villa swamped in her memories. She would have to spend the
rest of her life without the man she loved. For she knew now that
she did love him, with all her heart and soul. Her consolation was
her daughter. If she didn’t have Electra her life would truly not
be worth living. He gave her back to me, she marvelled. In spite of
everything, in spite of the way I deceived him, he gave her back to
me. Count your blessings, she told herself. Don’t grieve for what
might have been

It was halfway through the next morning that
Anna came to her while she was by the pool with Electra. ‘My Nicos
not happy,’ she said without preamble. Melanie stared at her
nonplussed. How much did Anna know? ‘He not happy because he love
you.’

‘No, Anna, you’re wrong,’ said Melanie
gently. ‘I did him a great wrong.’

‘He love you. I know my Nicos when he little
boy. I know when he unhappy. I know he love you.’ She seemed to
search for words. ‘He like mule,’ she said eventually.

‘Stubborn, you mean,’ said a bemused
Melanie.

‘Yes, like mule. Need good kick. You make
him see he got to stay with you.’ With that she peered intently at
Melanie as if to reinforce her message and turning hobbled back
into the house. Melanie stared after her. ‘Well, what you make of
that?’ she asked Electra, who was much too busy with a toy rabbit
to listen.

Maybe I am giving up on him to easily, mused
Melanie. I tried making him fall in love with me once this summer
and it didn’t work. I seem to remember we ended up having a huge
row. But he didn’t know the truth then her inner voice reasoned.
Now he does you can start with a clean slate.

‘I won you, my darling daughter,’ she told
her baby. ‘Now let’s see if I can win your daddy back.’

She began to plan her campaign. By early
evening she had showered, buffed and polished her body, glossed her
tawny hair till it shone, painted her manicured nails a delicate
pink and sprayed herself with a light touch of scent. She pulled on
a wisp of lace underwear, shrugged into a close fitting low cut
emerald sheath and slipped gold sands on her feet. A touch of
matching shadow to bring out the green of her eyes, a hint of coral
lipstick and she was ready. Surveying herself in the full-length
mirror of her bedroom she told herself, ‘These are your weapons.
Get out there and use them.’

There was a moment sitting on the terrace
when her courage failed her and she wanted to rush back upstairs,
tear off the dress and scrub her face clean. Only the memory of
Anna’s insistent words stopped her. Anna had said he loved her. She
would find out tonight.

She chose a double carved iron seat facing
the doors to the terrace and arranged herself half turned away with
her legs crossed and one arm nonchalantly draped along the back of
the seat.

‘So you’re doing the honor of dining with me
tonight?’ The voice came from behind her. She spun round, her pose
forgotten. He had approached from the garden entrance, not from the
house. ‘You look startled. Who were you expecting?’

Once she would have bridled, thinking he was
accusing her of meeting another man. But he had spoken without
rancor. No secrets from him now. She felt a wonderful release. She
saw him looking at her with undisguised admiration. ‘You look
stunning,’ he said.

‘Good enough to eat with?’ she asked
mischievously. This was the tenor she had told herself she would
set for the evening, light hearted and flirtatious. ‘Most
definitely,’ he replied, matching her tone. The evening was turning
out to be everything she hoped. Ice-cold aperitifs followed by a
delicious dinner and all the time the bantering between them
bordering on the sexual. It was everything she had planned,

Dinner over he took her arm and said, ‘Let’s
walk in the garden.’ ‘Perfect’ she told herself. ‘This is
working.’

Once in the garden he was silent and seemed
lost in thought. She realised he was leading her down to the
gazebo. The memory of their last meeting there changed her mood.
She wished they were somewhere else, anywhere but there. He, too,
seemed effected by it and his tone was sombre when he said, ‘We
were good together, weren’t we?

His next words turned her to stone. ‘But
it’s over. I can’t change what happened. I would if I could, but
it’s not to be.’ He looked infinitely sad.

From somewhere Melanie found courage. This
was the man she loved. She was going to fight for him.

‘Listen to me,’ she said urgently. ‘You once
told me you wanted a woman who was loyal and true. One who would
stand by you no matter what and at what cost. I am such a woman. I
have proved it to you. I made a vow and I kept it and you know what
it cost.

‘Are you going to throw away everything we
had because the promise I kept wasn’t made to you. It is the
promise that is important and whether it is kept – not who it’s
made to. You say it’s over for you but think about what you are
throwing away. Think about the life we could have together.’

Nicos looked at her with disbelief. ‘Are you
telling me you still want to be with me?’

‘What else do you think I’m trying to say,'
she said brokenly.

He put his hands on her shoulders and looked
deep into her eyes. She wanted to wipe the tears away but he held
her too tightly, his arms gripping her. He looked at her for a long
time, searchingly as if he was trying to see into her very soul.
Finally he relaxed his grip and said, ‘Come. Sit down.’

He put his arm around her and led her to the
bench. She sank down, exhausted by her outburst. She had done her
best. She didn’t know how else to reach him.

He began to talk. ‘When you ran away to
London and I discovered the truth from Mark I believed you would
never want anything to do with me again. I blamed myself and I
still do. You didn’t tell me the truth but what was it in me that
made you afraid to. I looked deep inside myself and found myself
wanting. You should have been able to confide in me.

‘I talked to you of trust and loyalty. They
are empty words if you have never had to put them to the test. You
did - and you came through with flying colors. It is me that did
not.’

Melanie interjected. ‘It wasn’t that I was
afraid to tell you. It’s true I was a little in the beginning. But
afterwards when you seemed so ready to believe the worst I got
angry and thought ‘let him believe what he wants about me.’ I
shouldn’t have done that. I should have explained myself.’

‘No, you shouldn’t have had to. I should
have taken you on trust and I didn’t.

‘You were still so bitter when I told you
the full story of my past I didn’t think we could ever find our way
back.’

‘My bitterness was directed at myself and my
own past, not at you. I let the boy influence the man. I couldn’t
put my trust in my mother so I convinced myself I couldn’t put my
trust in any woman. I wouldn’t let myself trust you and I loved you
so much that sometimes the pain was intolerable.’

‘’It’s too late now,' said Melanie
miserably. ‘You said it’s over for you and I have to accept
that.’

Nicos looked at her aghast. ‘I wasn’t
talking about myself. I was talking about you. I thought you would
never want me back.’

Melanie look at him, hope flooding her
heart. ‘Marry me,’ she said impulsively. ‘Make me belong to
you.’

Nicos folded her into his arms and held her.
‘I accept,’ he said, his head buried into her shoulder, his voice
muffled. ‘I’d give up hope of getting you back,’

Melanie drew back from his embrace and
looked up at him. ‘I’ve just spent the whole evening trying to
seduce you. That’s how much I wanted you back.’

‘I thought you were just showing me what I
would be missing,’ said Nicos wonderingly.

‘No. I was trying to seduce you back to
me.’

Nicos smiled down at her.

‘I’m easily seduced, - but only by you,’ he
said and kissed her.

‘Let’s make a promise to each other,’ he
said. 'We'll always tell each other the truth, the whole truth and
nothing but the truth.’

Melanie caught her breath. The last time she
had used those very words had been in the London courtroom, as she
repeated after the court usher the words of the ancient oath.

Melanie shuddered. ‘I agree in principal.
But please can you rephrase that’

‘I promise to love you forever, to trust you
always and to be the man you want me to be.’

‘Perfect.’ said Melanie.

end