have been committed to a secure mental institution.’ He leaned to grasp Isobel’s hand. ‘So you can sleep easy now, agapi mou.’ His eyes narrowed suddenly as he gazed out over the pool. ‘Do you want a trip in the Athena tomorrow?’
‘Why? Is there something you’d rather do?’
‘Zeus, yes,’ he said with feeling, and smiled into her eyes. ‘I think Eleni and Spiro should take the day off tomorrow to visit family.’
Isobel frowned. ‘I thought they didn’t have a family.’
‘No children, but they have numerous relatives all over the island. They must be anxious to bring them up to date on what happened here at the villa. Eleni can leave food for us and Spiro can take the Cherokee.’
She felt her colour rise. ‘Won’t they want to know why?’
Luke got up and drew her to her feet. ‘They will think I want you to myself for the last day before you leave. Which is the simple truth. Do you want that, Isobel?’
‘Of course I do.’
‘Not,’ he said very deliberately, ‘that I mean to spend the whole day in bed, you understand. It will be enough just to be alone with you by the pool, and walk in the garden, and simply spend every minute possible together. Though I hope—need—to spend some of those minutes making love with you. But,’ he added nobly, ‘we can still go out in the boat if you prefer.’
Isobel stood on tiptoe and put her arms round his neck. ‘I prefer your plan,’ she assured him.
And a whole day spent this way, thought Luke as he rubbed his cheek against her hair, was all it would take to convince Isobel that she must stay, to ensure many more such days together.
Isobel’s last full day on Chyros with Luke would have been perfect, bar one inescapable element—that she would be leaving the next morning. As he wanted, they spent almost every minute of the day together. As the sound of the Cherokee’s engine dwindled into the distance, taking Spiro and Eleni away, Luke smiled at Isobel with deep satisfaction.
‘Alone at last!’
‘So now we talk,’ she said firmly. ‘Tell me all about your life, Luke.’
‘Not all of it is exciting, Isobel,’ he warned, and began with the freighter which had been his starting point, out of which he’d built up a fleet so commercially successful it enabled him to take over the airline Melina Andreadis had considered her own personal property. Now it was his, he informed Isobel, it would soon have a very different reputation for luxury and dependability instead of the cheap, too frequent flights of her day. ‘I have an apartment in Athens, also one in Thessaloniki. You would like it there. Visitors rate it as a very hip, cool city. And from there you can explore the mountains, go to the oracle at Delphi and to Mount Olympus, the home of the gods.’
‘I’d love to do that one day,’ said Isobel wistfully, getting to her feet.
‘You want to go back to bed?’ he said, kissing her.
‘No way, kyrie,’ she retorted, laughing, and stripped off her sundress. ‘Let’s swim.’
They swam and sunbathed, ate the salad lunch Eleni had left for them, then Luke got up, holding out his hand. ‘Now we go to bed.’
A long time later, when they were holding each other close in the sweet, languorous aftermath of passion, tears trickled down Isobel’s cheeks.
‘Why are you crying?’ demanded Luke, kissing them away.
‘Because I’m happy,’ lied Isobel, and concealed a sharp pang of pain with a yawn.
‘Sleep, hriso mou,’ he said in a tone like a caress.
It seemed a wanton waste of the time left to them, but Isobel was so tired she obeyed, and woke later to find him tickling her nose with a lock of her own hair.
‘I will leave you to your shower, then we take a walk in the garden while the sun goes down. And after that we drink a glass of wine while we watch the stars come out to play.’ He kissed her swiftly. ‘Ten minutes, ne?’
Isobel was pleased in one way that Luke hadn’t wanted to share her shower. It was not the most graceful of procedures for someone balanced on one foot. Though it would have been something to look back on, she thought wistfully. Also a first for her. With Luke she wanted to experience everything possible between a man and woman in love… Her breath caught. Love, the four letter word. It was pointless to pretend she wasn’t madly in love with Luke.