She very much doubted it. But it did make her realise the importance of the clues she’d been given, of what they might have meant to her great-grandmother. Of what they might mean to her and the rest of her family if she could only discover why they’d been left behind, or what they were supposed to be pointing her towards.
Her brother had died in Italy. The car he’d been driving had somehow swerved off the road and collided with a power line, killing him instantly. So instead of joining her big brother on his travels and taking a gap year, painting her way through Tuscany, she’d ended up packing her things away forever, too numb to be creative, and following the path her parents had been pushing her towards for so long. Harrison had understood her; he’d seen her for who she truly was, knew that creating art had been like breathing for her. But that was all another lifetime ago.
She carefully placed the lid back on the box and stood on tiptoe again to return it to the shelf.But what if it wasn’t another lifetime ago? What if, instead of running from the past, I embraced it? Only in Greece, not Italy?
Harrison, what would you do?
10
LONDON, 1967
‘My darling Alexandra. It’s so wonderful to see you again.’
They’d only just arrived in London, the night air cooler than she was used to, the fog seeming to cling to them as they stood outside the house, but her aunt’s embrace was the exact opposite of the weather. She held her tightly in her arms, and Alexandra clung to her, no longer used to such affection after five weeks without her mother, relishing the warmth of her hold. Her father hadn’t so much as brushed against her or patted her arm this past month, let alone thought to hold her as she grieved.
‘Nicholas, it’s good to see you again,’ her aunt said briskly as she finally let go of Alexandra and ushered them both inside. ‘I only wish it were under better circumstances.’
Alexandra stood back a moment, waiting for her father to go first and then following after him, watching the way he manoeuvred past her mother’s sister so that he didn’t have to touch her. She wondered where her cousins were, but then heard a noise upstairs and guessed they were probably on their way down to join them. But it was her uncle who surprised her, appearing from another room and embracing her in much the same way as her aunt had. Her father hardly seemed to notice the exchange.
‘Alexandra, look at you! Last time I saw you, you were barely as tall as my hip. What a beautiful young woman you’ve become.’ Only her aunt had come to her mother’s funeral, which meant it had been some time since she’d seen her uncle.
She blushed when he held her at arm’s length, before bellowing out to his children to come down. When they did, she found herself feeling shy all over again, looking down at her shoes as they poured into the room. As an only child, she was always fascinated with larger families, had always imagined being part of one, but it was also sometimes overwhelming when she was surrounded by others.
‘You remember your cousins, Alexandra?’ her aunt said, coming to stand beside her, her hand warm on her arm as she faced her children.
She smiled at the youngest, Thomas, who was grinning up at her, his hands clasped together as he rocked back and forth on his shiny little black leather shoes. Her closest cousin in age, Belle, smiled, but it was her other boy cousin, William, who made her laugh as he gave her a wink.
‘Alex, it’s good to see you again.’
Her aunt sighed beside her and gave him a withering look. ‘Alexandra,’ she said. ‘Her name is Alexandra.’
He shrugged and gave her a grin that made her smile in return. ‘Actually, Alex is fine,’ she said, surprised when her voice came out so clear. No one had ever called her Alex before, but when William had said it, she liked it. It made her feel different, and now that she was in London, perhaps different was what she needed.
Her father was talking to her uncle now, and her aunt swept her and her cousins into the dining room, which had been set and was already beginning to fill with plates of food.
‘I hope everything is to your liking, Alexandra. I know it will all seem very different to what you’re used to in Greece, and I so much want you to feel at home here.’ She paused. ‘Perhaps I can get your cook to send over some of your favourite recipes for us to try?’
‘I’m—’
‘No need to treat her as a child, Elizabeth,’ her father said as he joined them. ‘Alexandra is grateful to be given refuge here, considering our most unfortunate circumstances. She doesn’t need to be pampered and will eat whatever is put in front of her.’
Everyone fell silent then, an uncomfortable hush spreading across the room.
‘Your daughter has just lost her mother, Nicholas,’ her aunt said pointedly, after a particularly long pause. ‘I should hope that those are the circumstances that you’re referring to. And I, for one, believe that some familiar home comforts are the least I can offer to make my niece feel welcome. It’s what any thoughtful host would do, regardless.’
Alexandra picked nervously at her nails, seeing how red her father’s face had become. She knew how easy it was to anger him, and her aunt certainly wasn’t trying to avoid it. She hadn’t realised that Elizabeth disliked her father quite so much; or perhaps she was only showing her dislike now that her sister had passed away. Perhaps she no longer had to pretend.
‘Of course,’ he said, taking his seat at the table and giving Alexandra a look she wasn’t certain how to react to, as if perhaps her aunt’s displeasure was somehow her fault. ‘But one cannot ignore the fact that we had to leave our home in an unexpected hurry. I shall be grieving my country during our absence, as it’s not simply a wife I’ve lost, but my home. Not to mention the state of the Greek monarchy right now.’
Alexandra hadn’t been told much, but she had listened to every whisper and conversation that she could lend her ear to, which meant she’d quickly gleaned what she needed to before they’d arrived. It seemed that the royal family was also heading for London, albeit not immediately, and she’d heard her father speaking to another of the King’s advisers who’d also left with his family. But it certainly didn’t appear that they would all be away from Greece for an extended period; only long enough for the situation to be handled. From the whispers she’d heard, these things never lasted long, a year or so perhaps, but no longer, and her father was to remain in the King’s employ.
‘Alexandra, we’re so pleased to have you here with us,’ her uncle said, raising his glass and indicating for everyone else to do the same. It was only then she noticed that their wine glasses were already full, although when she picked hers up and took a small sip, she realised hers was grape juice.
Her cousins smiled at her from across the table, quiet as mice even though last time she’d seen them, a few years previously, they’d been as raucous as could be. Although perhaps that was the difference between visiting the family with her mother, compared to this visit with her father. Or else her aunt had insisted they be on their best behaviour for this one occasion.
She only wished that dinner could be over as quickly as possible, because then it would be time for her father to leave, and perhaps she would be able to breathe again. She was fast realising that being in her father’s company was more stifling than a Greek summer.
* * *
