Greece, I love you already.
The moment Ella set foot in the house, dropping her bags to the cool tiled floor, she knew it had been the perfect place to rent. She walked through the house in awe of how quaint it was, from the little kitchen that took up one wall to the windows that completely framed the view out to the sparkling blue ocean. It was the complete opposite of her contemporary-style, inner-city flat, which only made her love it all the more. Outside, it had bright blue shutters adorning the windows and pink flowers creating a cascade of colour—like something from a postcard.
She went upstairs and found the primary bedroom, wanting on the one hand to flop straight down onto the bed and close her eyes, but on the other hand, wanting to go out and at least glimpse the island. Ella went to a window and opened it, breathing in the fresh sea air and dreaming about what the next two-and-a-half weeks might bring. When she’d opened all of them, she went straight downstairs and over to one of her bags, taking out her painting supplies and setting them out on the table. She looked at them all for a moment—at the blank canvas, the new brushes and the old, and the colourful tubes of paint just waiting to be started. And it was then she remembered the easel in the photograph, but when she went outside it wasn’t there. She walked around the entire courtyard, but found nothing.
She went back inside and picked up her purse. It was time to soak up the island, and then find somewhere that sold art supplies so she could purchase an easel of her own. After buying something delicious to eat, she wanted to paint. Even if she didn’t find the answers to what she was searching for, at the very least she was going to rediscover one of the things she missed most in her life, and for that she knew she’d always be grateful. She also knew it was one of the reasons Gabriel had wanted her to come, and it was the same reason her aunt had been so encouraging—and she had no intention of letting either of them down.
* * *
Ella stood, her hair gently wisping around her face in the wind as she looked out at the water. Everything about Greece was different to home. The sun as it graced her shoulders, the way the air filled her lungs, the colours,everything. It was the assault on her senses that she hadn’t known she needed—she’d barely been in Skopelos three hours, and already she knew it was one of the best decisions she’d ever made in her life. That this was what she’d been craving,needing, to fill the void that had slowly begun to appear inside of her these past few months, or maybe even years. From the moment she’d arrived on the island, she’d been filled with the most overwhelming sensation of belonging, of finally taking the time to do something just for her.
And now, after walking the cobbled streets and sitting at a table beneath a canopy of perfectly manicured trees, eating beautiful food and drinking a rare-for-her glass of lunchtime wine as she sat and watched the world go by, there was only one thing left to do. She’d been truthful when she’d told herself she’d be fine alone, but there was something about eating stuffed sardines and grilled octopus, and twirling the most delicate pasta she’d ever tasted, that made her wonder what it would be like to enjoy her trip with another person. To be able to share the experience with someone else.
She held up her phone as she stood and looked out at the water, an easel under her other arm that she’d managed to procure after leaving the restaurant. Ella wasn’t sure what had got into her—she was ready to blame the heat or the beauty of her surroundings—because in all her life, she’d never put her heart on the line like this before.
Putting the easel down, she looked up Gabriel’s number and took a deep breath, quickly typing before she had time to change her mind. It was he who’d suggested she come, and she only wished she’d been brave enough to ask him at the time, or at least before she’d left London. Why hadn’t she invited him to come with her before he went away on tour? Or had she simply presumed that if he’d been able to come, he’d have suggested it?
It’s more beautiful here than I could ever have imagined. Join me before you go?
Ella slipped her phone into her bag and picked up the wooden easel, sticking it under her arm as she walked back to the house. If he didn’t come, then she would enjoy every second of her trip alone and bask in her own company with no regrets. But if he did? She swallowed, nervously listening out for a ping that would tell her he’d replied. If he did, she had a feeling that she was going to fall head over heels with more than just Skopelos, because she was already starting to wonder if the way she felt about Gabriel was different to how she’d ever felt about a man before.
14
LONDON, 1973
‘I still can’t believe you made me do this,’ Alexandra cried, staring at her reflection in the mirror. She was trying on clothes in Biba, arguably one of the best boutiques in London, but it wasn’t the beautiful clothes she was thinking about—it was her hair.
Alexandra’s eyes were wide as she blinked back at herself. She’d resisted her cousin’s insistence that she cut her hair into a short, blunt crop for years, but somehow at the hairdresser today she’d decided to be brave. It made her look younger, which hadn’t been part of the plan, and itdidmake her look more fashionable, but she no longer had locks that cascaded over her shoulders as they’d done for most of her life. She hadn’t realised how much she loved them until they’d been chopped off.
‘Try this on.’
Belle had always been more daring than her, and although Alexandra loved the miniskirts and brightly coloured fashions of the day on her cousin, it was a style that had taken her much longer to embrace. They’d become like sisters over the years that Alex had been in London; just as her other two cousins had become like brothers to her. Her aunt’s family had embraced her without a second thought, not once making her feel as if she didn’t belong. And now here she was, almost an adult, as much a Londoner as her cousins after six years living away from Greece. Six years after losing her mother, and her world as she knew it changing forever.
Alexandra took the skirt, top and dress that Belle passed to her and stepped back inside the dressing room, knowing that she didn’t really have a choice in the matter.
‘You know, we’re supposed to be looking for appropriate clothes for tomorrow night,’ Alexandra said as she shimmied into the skirt, conscious that she didn’t exactly have the waiflike Twiggy figure that it was designed for. She was slender but not skinny; another thing that made her different to her racehorse-like cousin.
‘We’ll find something boring for tomorrow night, to keep Mummy happy,’ Belle said, as she flung the door open before Alexandra was ready, eyes wide with excitement, clapping her hands together when she saw Alexandra squeezed into the outfit she’d chosen for her. ‘Oh, it’s perfect!’
‘It’s nice,’ Alexandra said, ‘but I think I like the dress more. I’ll try that before I decide.’ The dress was short, but at least the style was slightly more forgiving.
‘Let’s take both. The skirt will be perfect for Saturday.’
Alexandra paused before half closing the door to the dressing room, peeking back out at Belle. ‘What’s this Saturday?’
‘Your birthday!’ Belle sighed and firmly pushed the door shut. ‘Did you forget you were turning eighteen? Now we can all go out and have the time of our lives. At last.’
Alexandra leaned back against the wall, groaning. Not only did they have very different fashion sense, but they also disagreed on what constituted the perfect night out. She would rather have a special dinner out at The Ivy or Wiltons, maybe even a picture, and then go home. She didn’t need the kind of raging social life that her cousin seemed to desire.
‘I thought the tickets to the orchestra were for my birthday?’
‘They were my parents’ gift to you. Saturday ismygift.’
She’d been looking forward to seeing the London Luminary Ensemble play for weeks. Music was her big love, and had been ever since her aunt had introduced her to the violin, and although they weren’t the biggest orchestra in London, they were fast becoming one of the most prestigious.
‘How does it look? The minidress is the height of fashion now, Alex. It’s exactly what you need to be seen in.’
Alexandra wasn’t sure who exactly would be seeing her, but she begrudgingly put it on and faked a smile when Belle squealed with excitement.
