Page 72 of Villa of Secrets

Naomi chuckled, lifting the moment. ‘You believe so? Let me tell you: we’ve had our ups and downs over the decades. We almost divorced when we were younger, but we hung in there and eventually grew back together again.’ Her smile softened. ‘A bit like the cinnamon tree, really. A little piece of my heart was taken away, but the scars healed over and now everything appears as it was.’

Rebecca raised her eyebrows. ‘Gosh, I had no idea. You mean there was somebody else?’ They stared at each other for a moment, then Rebecca broke the silence. ‘Sorry, sorry. What an appalling thing to say! Of course there wasn’t. None of my business anyway.’

Naomi studied her sister and suddenly saw Rebecca’s resemblance to Evangelisa. With this insight came a deeper understanding of Dora’s relationship with her sibling, always on the verge of becoming closer, loving each other deeply, yet not really knowing each other.

‘Call me old fashioned, but I suspect divorce is too easy these days,’ Naomi said. ‘When we were young, it still had a certain stigma attached, almost something to be ashamed of. A person got married for life, and changing your mind after four or five years was simply not acceptable.’

‘But what if someone made a genuine mistake?’

‘Then you’d hope to God there were no children to hurt and unsettle.’

‘I long for children.’

Naomi heard such power in the words and, without understanding the reason, sensed heartbreak. Instinctively, she changed the subject. Whatever was wrong, it needed to come out in small chunks. She lifted the diary from Rebecca’s lap, wishing she could lift her sister’s troubles as easily. ‘Shocking, isn’t it? The diary I mean. I keep wondering where it’s leading, and I have to remind myself of her tender age.’

‘Such courage,’ Rebecca swallowed. ‘And every time she describes a Nazi, she describes Fritz. That part about Nüller? I’m telling you, I shivered. No wonder she was horrified when Fritz walked through the door. Do you remember how she gasped and stared at him, unable to speak? Her past must have come back in one horrible rush.’ She pondered for a second. ‘You said she gave the diaries and the gun to Papas Yiannis when I was born, when our parents were lost at sea. So, for nearly twenty years the journals had been out of her mind. What a devastating moment it must have been for her when I brought the man I wanted to marry into this room. The most difficult decision I ever made was to walk out of here a decade ago. I took such a hard line. I wish it could have been different, but I can’t see how.’

‘The bravest thing I ever did was to tell Bubba I was pregnant and had to get married. I was terrified she’d disown me.’ They both smiled sadly. ‘The point is we had no idea what our grandmother had been through. The diary explains that in her eyes Fritz stood for all that was evil. The Axis had taken everything from her, and then he came for you. Imagine how she felt. I keep wondering if any of her family returned. What happened to Evangelisa, Giovanni, and Irini? I’ve tried to remember but I don’t think I ever heard any mention of them. Did you?’

Rebecca shook her head and stifled a yawn. ‘Sorry, it’s been such a long day.’

‘ ’Course it has. Come on, I’ll help get the cases upstairs.’

*

At ten o’clock the next morning, Rebecca stumbled into the kitchen. ‘Gosh, I went out like a light,’ she said. ‘Where’s Bubba?’

‘Mid-morning nap. Heleny came around and invited you for coffee at eleven. I told her you only drank water or mountain tea.’

‘Will you come too?’

Naomi shook her head. ‘Lunch to prep. Shopping for dinner and washing to do. And the floors are desperate for a going-over.’

‘Do you ever stop?’

They both caught sounds of their grandmother, groaning behind the rug.

‘Are you all right, Bubba?’ Naomi called. ‘Do you need me?’

‘Can’t a woman have a bit of privacy around her? Leave me be!’ she replied.

The sisters exchanged a smile before Naomi continued.

‘When I get an hour, I spend it on my lotions and potions. I’ve always got orders to catch up on. Marina’s helping with the Internet stuff, website, Twitter, and so on. She talked me out of considering a shop.’

‘Too right. My photography took off online. Very successful. Most photographers closed their premises and went on the net. Such a vast audience at your fingertips. What about accounts?’

‘Haven’t a clue. I’m hardly making any money yet.’

‘My advice is don’t wait until you are. Keep a log of everything you spend and take from the start. Then it won’t be such a task when you submit your finances.’

‘She’s absolutely right.’ Papas Yiannis stuck his head through the doorway and beamed at the sisters. ‘May I come in? Sorry to interrupt your morning but I’ve got some important information. Good news.’

‘Wait for me!’ Bubba shuffled in, clutching her new Zimmer and wearing a loose cotton dress and her best cardigan.

Naomi grinned. ‘Bubba! You dressed yourself!’

Papas Yiannis smiled, hooked his arm around Bubba’s waist and helped her into the chair.