Maddie was thankful Sofia had accepted lifts for them all in one of Adonis’s courtesy cars, rather than insisting on driving herself in the state she was in. It was a relief not having to worry about whether they’d be going over the side any minute.
A whitewashed house with thick stone walls, deep-blue painted window frames, and a covered terrace on the side appeared at the end of a winding drive. It stood on its own, andeven from this angle, it was obvious that the views over to the sea would be spectacular.
Adonis had said he was meeting them there, and he was the first person Maddie saw when they pulled up at the house, at the head of a substantial reception committee several people deep. She reached over and squeezed Sofia’s leg.
‘They’re going to love you.’
‘Let’s hope so.’ Sofia bent to pick up the flowers she’d brought as a gift. ‘Not that it really matters if they don’t, as I probably won’t see most of them ever again. Damn! Why can’t I get this door open?’
‘Just wait a moment.’
The driver rushed round and pulled open the door that Sofia was wildly yanking at from the inside.
‘That’s better. It’s obviously broken.’
Maddie and Charlotte rolled their eyes at each other.
Adonis rushed forward to take Sofia by the hand as soon as she got out of the car.
‘Hello, darling. Welcome, everyone. Come into the shade and we’ll do the introductions.’
An hour in, and several carafes of wine later, the whole party had relaxed somewhat, observed Maddie. They’d feasted ontaramasaláta,kolokithokeftédes–the courgette fritters they’d all taking a liking to– smothered intzatzíki, anddolmádes,local vine leavesstuffed with rice and mince, all accompanied by chunks of homemade bread. And they hadn’t got anywhere near the main courses yet.
Adonis was very much in big brother mode, making sure everyone got the chance to speak and keeping the conversationa delicate balance between Greek and English so that no one felt left out. Maddie could see what made him such a talented hotel manager.
Their host, Kostas, and his wife, Ariadne, plus Adonis’s sister, Lydia, and her husband, Christos, kept sneaking glances at Sofia all through the starters, giving Maddie the impression that their brother bringing a woman to a family dinner wasn’t a regular occurrence.
Their children, Maddie still hadn’t quite worked out who belonged to who, seemed to range from teenagers to those in their early twenties, and were far more brazen in staring at Sofia when they thought no one was looking, as well as grabbing their fair share of wine when their parents were talking.
Several cats weaved in and out of everyone’s legs, and Maddie couldn’t stop herself giving them the odd titbit from her plate.
‘Ah, you are a cat lover?’
Lydia, the sister, had spotted her spoiling the animals.
‘Busted.’ Maddie smiled but rushed on when she saw the woman’s confusion. Busted didn’t really translate.
‘Sorry. Yes, you’re right. I love cats, can’t resist their little faces. In fact, I’m going to adopt one from the cat sanctuary up past the main town.’
‘Ah, yes, I know it. You do not have any cats to adopt where you live in England?’
The woman’s frown told her she couldn’t for the life of her understand why someone was taking a cat all the way back to England. Put like that, it did sound a bit crazy.
‘It’s complicated.’
‘I see.’
She obviously didn’t, but was willing to let it go.
‘And you and Sofia, and your friend…’
‘Charlotte.’
‘Ah yes, Charlotte, were all at school together. Is that right?’
‘Yes.’
Her internal warning system told Maddie to tread carefully. She’d been briefed by Sofia that Greeks were happy to ask you even the most personal questions at the drop of a hat. How old you were, how much you paid for your house, and what you earned were apparently standard enquiries. What was considered nosy in Britain was fine here.
