The woman pointed at her own chest.
‘Cassandra.’
There was no pleased to meet you too. She had a vague memory from school that Cassandra was the Greek goddess who foresaw terrible things. And from the look on her face, Sofia’s relationship with Adonis was one of them. She’d just have to grin and bear it. A quick coffee and they’d be gone again.
Out in the garden, they were directed towards some spectacular bushes bursting with yellow flowers. Not being a gardener, Sofia hung back slightly and left the others to it. She’d killed more house plants than she’d had hot dinners. Thank goodness Maddie was asking Lydia and Cassandra plenty of green-fingered questions, and at one point she even detected a hint of a smile on Cassandra’s face. But it didn’t last.
Once the coffee was brought out with some biscuits introduced by Lydia asmelomakarona, and apparently full of orange, cinnamon and cloves, Sofia took the chance to moan in delight at their taste, which earned a surprised glance from Maddie.
Normally, she’d never dream of eating biscuits, but needs must. There wasn’t a flicker from Cassandra, just the same eagle-eyed stare.
Even Lydia must have been feeling the strain, as she dropped her spoon on the ground and had to go inside for a new one.
When she returned, Sofia ate another biscuit to try to win some brownie points, but when she checked to see if Cassandra approved, she was stunned to see tears in the old woman’s eyes.
‘Aftí eínai megáli.’ It came out of her mouth in a whisper. ‘Óchi paidiá ya ton Ádoni mou.’
‘Mamá!’
‘Óchi paidiá!’
The secondÓchi paidiá!was a definite shout.
Sofia had learnt enough Greek on her visits to know the words,megáli, old,óchi, no andpaidiá, children.
It was pretty obvious what his mother was saying. She was too old to give Adonis any children.
‘I’m so sorry.’ Lydia’s face was red. ‘I must apologise for my mother’s rudeness.’
‘It’s nothing.’ Sofia tried to smile. On top of being a foreigner, she was also past her childbearing years and not of the Greek Orthodox religion. Pretty much a full hand for Cassandra. The old woman was openly crying now, and Lydia passed her a handkerchief.
‘Stop it,Mamá.Stamáta!’
Lydia turned back to her.
‘I know you understand what she has said to you, and it is not acceptable. But you must understand that Adonis is her first born andMamáis from a different generation and very religious. Adonis is the clever one and has always been a workaholic. But all these years she has prayed that he would find a nice Greek girl and settle down.’
Sofia nodded. She prayed herself that Maddie would be able to keep quiet at this attack on her. Her friend losing it wouldn’t help either.
‘She is just a little shocked at his choice, when there are many women here on the island who would love to take your place.’
Aphrodite the receptionist would be at the head of the queue, no doubt. They were welcome to him, if this is what they’d have to put up with, was Sofia’s first thought, but she tried to look at it from his mother’s point of view. It was certainly a big wake-up call. Her decision to keep things casual with Adonis was looking like the right one.
‘I don’t want to upset your mother any further, so maybe it is better if we go. I will call for the car.’
‘Thank you. I will take her inside for a rest.’
But as soon as Lydia tried to help her mother up out of the chair, she moaned and slipped out of her daughter’s arms, falling to the floor on her side.
‘Mads! Help her.’
Maddie was there in seconds and knelt down to the old woman. Luckily, she’d fallen onto grass rather than the tiled patio. Lydia was frozen in the same position, a gap between her arms where her mother had been.
‘Sof, bring me those cushions to put under her head and feet. And Lydia…’
‘Yes.’ The woman came out of her trance.
‘Can you get me a glass of water, please?’
