‘Dinner sounds wonderful. Let’s go.’
They closed the door behind them and set off down the path again, arm in arm, enjoying the balmy night air as Ella committed to memory the way Skopelos made her feel. After years of not knowing what to paint, now she had a notebook full of inspiration. Just as Alexandra had been Bernard’s muse, Greece had become hers.
EPILOGUE
ONE YEAR LATER
‘Ella.’ Alexandra opened her arms and welcomed Ella into her home. Part of Ella had wanted to rent the same house she’d stayed in the last time she’d been in Greece, imagining days painting in the courtyard and walking down to the little restaurant she’d quickly come to love. But when Alexandra had called and invited them to visit over the summer, she’d known there was nowhere else she should be than staying in her home with her. It was quite something to have a bonus grandmother, and Ella intended on making the most of it while she could.
‘It’s so good to see you again,’ Ella said, holding Alex in her arms for another moment before letting her go. ‘I can’t believe it’s been so many months since we were last together.’
‘It’s wonderful to see you again too,’ Alexandra said. ‘Who would have thought my home would be filled with family, after so long alone?’
Ella stood back as Gabriel hugged Alexandra, kissing her cheek.
‘Thank goodness you’ve brought this gorgeous man with you,’ Alex sighed. ‘Take those bags upstairs and then come down and tell me all about the orchestra. I’m dying to hear.’
‘Your home is so beautiful, Alex,’ Ella said, linking their arms. ‘I’d almost forgotten how stunning it is. How stunning Greece is.’
‘From the moment I left Greece as a child, I vowed to come back one day,’ Alex said as they walked slowly together into the living room that looked out at the sea. ‘I loved London, but when I couldn’t be with Bernard, I knew that Greece was the only country that could truly make me happy. It was like a feeling in my bones that made me yearn to be back here.’
‘You never did tell me about your husband, Alex. You came back to Greece to marry him?’
‘I did.’
She smiled at her grandmother. ‘Was he a good man? Was he kind to you?’
‘He was,’ Alex said, taking a seat and gesturing for Ella to do the same. ‘He was generous, and he was understanding. A good husband, despite the fact that we were never in love. The night before our wedding, I intended on telling him I couldn’t go through with it, that I was going to make my own decision about who I would marry, but in the end we came to an understanding and we were married the next day.’
‘Did you ever tell him about Bernard?’
‘Oh, Ella, of course I did. It was obvious my heart was already taken, and he was a widower, still in love with his late wife.’ She sighed. ‘In a way, we were the perfect couple, both in desperate need of companionship, and yet not having to pretend we were passionately in love. And without him, I would never have what I have now. He gave me back the life and belongings that my father had frittered away, even down to my mother’s jewellery that had been sold to pay my father’s debts. He found it all and bought it back for me, as well as this house. It was gifted to my mother by the Queen herself, but even that hadn’t deterred my father from disposing of it. I owe so much to my husband, even if he wasn’t the love of my life.’ She smiled. ‘He even convinced me to start reading again, after years of not picking up a book, but that is a story for another day.’
‘Alex, do you regret any of it? Do you sometimes wonder what would have happened if your father hadn’t returned for you when he did?’
‘I’m an old lady, Ella, which means I have all the time in the world to wonder what could have been.’ Alexandra looked away, as if lost in her own thoughts. ‘The truth is, I’ll never know. Perhaps Bernard and I would have had a lifetime together, but then perhaps he wouldn’t have been the same man. He toured the world with the orchestra, he was able to live his dream. If I’d found him, maybe he wouldn’t have been the man I fell in love with, twice over.’
Ella didn’t say anything, leaning into Gabriel, who’d come to sit on the arm of the sofa beside her. They hadn’t had a night apart since he’d returned from his tour, and she still had to pinch herself when she thought of how they’d met, how everything in her life had changed since the day she’d received that little box of clues.
‘Perhaps if I hadn’t become pregnant, we’d have toured the world together and become the greatest of musicians. But it wasn’t to be, and if I had, I wouldn’t have a beautiful daughter and granddaughter to share the next week with, would I?’
They sat for a moment in silence, before Gabriel stood and held out his hand first to Ella and then to Alexandra. It wasn’t lost on Ella how lucky she was—she didn’t have to choose between motherhood and her career, and yet her grandmother’s life had changed because of her pregnancy.
‘Ladies, I think it’s time we went out for lunch,’ Gabriel said. ‘I’m ready to enjoy the best food the island has to offer.’
‘Promise this old lady that you’ll play for her when we get home, would you?’ Alexandra asked.
‘I shall playwithyou,’ Gabriel said, winking at Ella over the top of Alexandra’s head. ‘That’s my only condition.’
‘My Bernard would have loved you,’ Alexandra said with a sigh. ‘I haven’t played since the day he died, but it would be my honour to play alongside you.’
Ella couldn’t remember a time she’d been so content. Perhaps her last summer with her brother; that was probably the last time she’d felt as if being happy came so easily, without effort. She’d come close over the past year, but something about today felt different.
‘Now tell me all about the baby,’ Alexandra asked as they let themselves out of the house and began to wander slowly down the cobbled path that linked all the homes. It would take them perhaps fifteen minutes to walk to the restaurant at this pace, but Ella felt as if she could walk all day, it was so pleasant. ‘Do you know what you’re having?’
She glanced at Gabriel. They did know, but they’d promised to keep it a secret between them. He gave her a smile and a nod of his head, before mouthing:tell her.
Ella took a deep breath. ‘You’re the first person we’ve told,’ she began, ‘that we’re having a little girl.’
