‘Why don’t you get your wife a drink, Demetri?’ his father suggested half maliciously, and, although Demetri resented the familiarity, at least it gave him a reason to tear his eyes away from her.
‘Ouzo?’ he offered with what he considered was admirable tolerance, but Jane shook her head.
‘Just orange juice, please,’ she said, and he noticed she was avoiding his eyes, too. Then she turned to smile at his younger brother, who was lounging near by. ‘Hey, Stefan, I forgot to thank you for taking me into Kalithi this morning. I do appreciate it.’
Stefan made some easy deprecatory comment, but Demetri could feel his hackles rising at the thought of Jane and his younger brother together. Chesta, Stefan wasn’t supposed to care for the company of women. What the hell was he doing taking Jane into town? She could drive, couldn’t she? Why didn’t she just take herself?
In consequence, he made the mistake of looking at her when he brought the glass of orange juice she’d requested and was rewarded by a decidedly provocative stare in return. ‘Thanks,’ she said. Then, as if she cared, ‘Aren’t you drinking this evening?’
Demetri’s jaw tightened. ‘I’m not in the mood,’ he said, thinking privately that getting drunk might be precisely the right thing to do in his present state of mind. He arched a sardonic brow. ‘So what did you buy in Kalithi? If I’d known you needed something, I could have arranged to bring it back from Athens.’
‘Don’t you know that a woman doesn’t have to need anything to enjoy shopping?’ Stefan interposed lightly. ‘And you a married man and all.’
‘Not for much longer,’ put in Ariadne swiftly, not to be outdone. ‘Isn’t that right, darling?’ She tucked her arm through Demetri’s. ‘You can’t wait to be free.’
Demetri saw Jane press her lips together at this blatant piece of propaganda, but it was Stefan who answered for her. ‘Then it’s just as well I’m here to act as Jane’s protector,’ he remarked, slipping an arm about her waist and drawing her closer. ‘We get along famously, don’t we, darling?’
Jane’s smile appeared again. ‘Well, I must admit you’ve looked after me very well,’ she agreed, and Demetri found himself wanting to push his fist into his brother’s smug face.
‘So why didn’t you drive into town yourself?’ he asked tersely, releasing himself from Ariadne’s clinging hold. ‘Your car’s still in the garage, isn’t it?’
‘Oh, your mother’s given the little Porsche to me, Demetri.’ Ariadne tried to capture his arm again, but he shook her off. ‘And Jane doesn’t live here any more—’
‘My mother had no right to give that car to anyone,’ retorted Demetri furiously, and even Stefan looked surprised at his vehemence.
‘It’s not as if it was a new car,’ he ventured, but one look at his brother’s face made him bite his tongue.
‘The car belongs to Jane,’ insisted Demetri harshly, and now even Ariadne looked put out. ‘Hristo, why wasn’t I consulted about this?’
Maria Souvakis had heard the raised voices and now she turned to look disapprovingly at her eldest son. ‘For heaven’s sake, Demetri, it’s just a car, you know. Not the crown jewels!’
‘And you couldn’t wait to humiliate Jane, could you?’ he snapped angrily. He turned to look at Ariadne. ‘Don’t tell me you went to pick her up from the ferry in the Porsche!’
‘Of course I did.’ It was obvious Ariadne didn’t understand what all the fuss was about. ‘As your mother says, it is only a car, Demetri.’
‘It’s Jane’s car, not yours,’ he returned bleakly, and now Jane knew she had to intervene before he said or did something he would definitely regret after she’d gone.
‘I don’t want it,’ she said, meeting his incensed gaze with cool deliberation. ‘Ariadne’s welcome to it.’ Her lips twisted. ‘It goes with the territory.’
‘If you think—’
Jane had no idea what Demetri might have said then had not his father called a halt to the argument. ‘Dinner is served,’ he told them all severely. ‘Angelena has been trying to attract our attention for the past five minutes.’ He gave Demetri a warning look. ‘Shall we go in?’
The meal itself was something of an anticlimax. Grilled aubergines were followed by a Greek salad with psaria as the main course. The latter was a whole fish, baked with vegetables and served in a tomato, fennel and olive-oil sauce. It was very spicy, and probably delicious, but Jane, whose uncertain constitution hadn’t been improved by the earlier altercation, found it all rather rich for her taste. She was grateful when the plates were removed and the dessert was served. The sweet flaky pastries were much more to her liking.
She didn’t think anyone had noticed her lack of appetite, but when they left the table to go into the adjoining salon for coffee, she found Demetri at her side.
‘Not hungry?’ he asked in an undertone, and she permitted herself an impatient look in his direction.
‘Are you surprised?’
‘You’re blaming me?’
‘Well, I have to wonder what all that excessive outrage was about. You’re going to marry Ariadne. Why shouldn’t she have use of the car?’
Demetri’s nostrils flared. ‘It means that little to you?’
‘Demetri, it’s probably been standing idle for the last five years. Why not?’
‘I’ve had it serviced regularly.’
‘Good for you.’
Jane tried to sound indifferent, but his persistence was telling on her nerves. It was devastating to be this close to him physically, yet be aware of the gulf between them. Her mind was filled with what had happened that afternoon and she hated it that he seemed so totally removed now from that flagrant intimacy.
Demetri scowled. ‘I suppose that’s why you asked Stefan to take you into town,’ he said harshly. ‘I didn’t know you and my brother were such good friends.’
‘There’s a lot of things you don’t know about your brother,’ retorted Jane shortly, and then wished she could control her impulsive tongue. She glanced quickly about the room and saw that the rest of the family were waiting for them to join them. ‘We ought to sit down.’
‘In a second.’
Fortunately the maid chose that moment to appear with the coffee-pot. And, although Jane was sure that both Maria and Ariadne were cursing the screen she created between them, it did allow Demetri the time to demand that she explain what she meant.
‘It’s not important,’ she insisted, wishing she could retract her words. ‘Look, your mother and Ariadne are watching us.’
‘I want to know what you meant.’ Demetri was insistent. ‘What don’t I know about Stefan? Don’t tell me he’s had a sudden epiphany; that he’s decided he prefers women to men, after all?’
‘Don’t be so patronising.’ Jane bitterly resented his attitude. ‘Apparently Stefan and his partner have been together over six years.’
‘I did know that.’ Demetri lifted his shoulders. ‘They have a house in Kalithi. Stefan’s only spending so much time at the villa because of our father’s illness.’
‘That’s right.’ Jane was aware that all eyes were on them now. ‘So there you are, then.’
Demetri’s scowl deepened. ‘You still haven’t explained what you meant about Stefan. What don’t I know that I should?’
‘Oh, Demetri…’ Jane sighed. ‘We can’t discuss it now.’