The Power of the Legendary Greek - By Catherine George Page 0,39

than subject her tender feet to shoes. And she felt vulnerable without the ankle support, which had been so filthy she’d had to bin it. When she left the bathroom Eleni was patting the pillows invitingly on the bed, but Isobel shook her head, smiling.

‘I’ll just sit in this lovely comfortable chair and read.’

It seemed like hours before Luke, with a perfunctory knock on the open door, came in carrying the crutch. He was obviously fresh from a shower, with a clean dressing on his arm.

‘You look better, Isobel,’ he said in approval. He propped the crutch at the foot of the bed and drew up a chair.

‘Cleaner, certainly. You were a very long time,’ she added, then regretted it when his eyes gleamed.

‘You missed me?’

‘I thought you might want to know more about my miraculous escape,’ she said tartly.

‘I do. Every last detail. But first I had to drive down to the boat. I took the Athena over to the harbour while Spiro drove the Cherokee back up the hill and then down to the town to meet me in full view of the public as I docked. The object,’ he added patiently, as though explaining to a child, ‘was to give the impression that you were still missing.’

She flushed. ‘Oh. I see.’

‘As soon as I docked, Alyssa came running from the taverna to demand news,’ he went on. ‘I clasped her dramatically to my chest so I could whisper in her ear that you were safe, and ordered her to keep it totally secret. Then I said very loudly that I had failed to find you.’ He grinned suddenly. ‘She began wailing and crying, and made such a scene that she collected a crowd. At this point, apparently overcome with despair at my lack of success, I joined Spiro in the Jeep and he drove me home past a sympathetic audience.’

‘Wow,’ said Isobel, impressed. ‘I wish I’d been there. Sorry I was cross,’ she added contritely.

‘It is not surprising. But you missed a wonderful performance from Alyssa. I told her not to ring the house because I need all lines open, but she will be here tomorrow, whatever happens.’ He took a tube from his pocket. ‘Give me your hands.’

She held them out for him to squeeze cream on her rope burns. ‘Thank you. That feels good.’

His eyes held hers. ‘Are there any hidden injuries that need attention?’

‘No. Just the odd scrape and bruise. And my feet are a bit tender. Nothing a night’s rest won’t put right.’

He frowned. ‘You have removed your ankle support.’

‘No choice. It was dirty.’

‘As soon as I can I will ask Dr Riga to replace it. In the meantime, take great care as you walk, Isobel.’

‘I’ll be fine now you’ve brought the crutch,’ she assured him. ‘After all, I didn’t even have that when I managed to get myself out of the hut and across the beach.’

‘Which still amazes me.’ He breathed in deeply. ‘But it is my fault that such effort was necessary. You were kidnapped not just to extort money from me, but to cause me maximum pain. My one piece of luck was the location. The kidnapper was obviously a stranger; otherwise he would have taken you somewhere more remote. Have you remembered anything else about him?’

‘No.’ She shrugged. ‘Not that I was in any condition to take much note at the time. He grunted and swore more than he actually spoke. But when he retied my hands he did it loosely enough for me to undo the knots eventually. With my teeth,’ she added in distaste. ‘It was horribly oily rope and tasted foul, but I won in the end.’

Luke looked down at the hands he was still holding. ‘Can you imagine,’ he said without expression, ‘how I felt when Spiro rang me to say you were missing?’

She thought about it. ‘Guilty, maybe, because your wealth was the motive for ransom? Also because kidnappers rarely let their victims live.’

Luke looked up, his eyes glittering. ‘All this and more flashed through my mind. I felt such despair and frustration—and sheer rage—that I burned to kill whoever had done this.’

Isobel felt suddenly a lot better. ‘Did it matter so much to you, then?’

His dark brows shot up in disbelief. ‘Can you doubt it?’

Her eyes fell as she tried to think of some kind of response.

Luke smiled crookedly and released her hands. ‘You find my feelings so hard to believe?’

‘Other than the guilt part, yes,’ she muttered. ‘I’m just a passing stranger