Page 43 of Summer in Greece

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Word spread that Shelly was the great-granddaughter of one of the surviving nurses from HMHS Britannic. Everyone treated her like a celebrity. The dive video was fascinating. She longed to go down and see the enormous wreck for herself, but the preparation made it impossible for the moment. Perhaps next time. However, Harry did have a surprise for her.

He took her for dinner at the highest point of the island, the village of Ioulis. ‘Ee-oo-lees!’ he said, pronouncing it for her. The small town was pedestrianised. Square houses with small windows and red-tiled roofs clustered over two hilltops, these were also sprinkled with belltowers and churches. ‘So pretty,’ she murmured as they wandered along narrow streets marked with little painted arrows on the cobbles to guide the visitors. The ground floor of some houses had been converted into shops and all manner of handcrafted gifts were on sale. She bought a beautiful silk scarf hand-painted with magnolia flowers and local birds for Eve, knowing she’d love it.

‘I paint this,’ the woman said while patting her chest.

‘You did it?’ Shelly was astonished. Harry took a photo of Shelly and the woman, Despina, with the scarf held up between them. Then Despina led them to a café across the road where her sister served them with coffee and a type of shortbread smothered in icing sugar.

After, they wandered down arched passageways lined with more interesting shops, and bought a jar of honey in one emporium simply to stop the owner almost force feeding them various bee products, including several tots of honey rum.

They turned their attention towards the churches and the view out across the Kea channel towards mainland Greece.

‘It’s all so pretty,’ Shelly exclaimed as they came out of the church of Agios Spyridon.

Harry beamed, proud of his island. They wandered down narrow streets with brightly painted shutters, under arches, and up and down steps.

‘I’d never have found all these special places by myself,’ Shelly said, pointing her camera at another bright pink door flanked by urns of fiery orange nasturtiums with leaves of shamrock green.

‘This is so perfect,’ Shelly muttered. ‘I’m drunk on the glorious colours.’

‘Ah, nothing to do with three tots of honey rum then?’ Harry joked.

As evening fell, he slipped his hand around her waist and ushered her through a doorway. She found herself in a charming taverna where the host led them to a small, jasmine entwined, balcony with a view down the mountain.

‘Smell that perfume.’ She gazed at the tiny, white flowers that dripped from the trellises around them. ‘Such dainty flowers, but the scent’s intoxicating, it’s so powerful!’

He plucked a sprig and placed it behind her ear, his fingertips lingering on her neck. ‘Happy birthday,’ he said.

She gazed down the mountain, towards the darkening, cobalt sea, and watched occasional headlights snake up the road from the port. Delicious aromas drifted from the taverna kitchen, making her realise how hungry she was. To the sound of tinkling bouzouki music, they ate local food. Starting with a mezze, bite-size pieces of local sausage and a variety of cheeses, before lazily moving on to the main course. Shelly ordered lobster spaghetti, one of Kea’s most popular dishes, according to Harry. He had rooster in wine sauce. They fed each other forkfuls to try, both claiming they had the better dish.

‘Absolutely delicious,’ she said, placing her knife and fork together. ‘Who’d think there would be such a gastronomic delight at the top of a mountain on a tiny island?’

‘Tell me about the Lusitania. I’d have given my right arm.’

‘Ha, yes, I have a few extra qualifications and they got me onto the team.’

‘Like what?’

‘You’ll find this painfully boring. Zoology was part of my six-year veterinary degree. Once I’d qualified, I did a one-year Open University course in Marine Biology. I started to study for my Ship’s Safety Officer certificate because, sometimes, I found myself concerned by the relaxed attitude on dive boats. Afterwards, I completed a paramedic science course, which took a year. I’ve just finished the last stage of the follow-on, which qualifies me as a paramedic. It’s really fascinating and I love it. Plus, of course, I have a fair number of deep dives under my belt.’

‘What’s next, pilot’s licence?’ he said in a sarcastic tone.

Her head snapped up, ready for a rebuff but he was grinning, and she laughed. ‘I’m a bit sad, aren’t I? It’s just, well, it’s only a couple of hours study each evening, then I end up with a real qualification. I’ve done it since uni. Prefer a challenge to nights of monotonous TV and social media. I mean . . .’ She shrugged.

‘What was the Lusitania like?’ he asked again.

She hesitated.

‘It was the most dangerous dive I’ve done, and not that wonderful. So many missiles down there, and the visibility poor.’ She turned her mouth down. ‘How about you? What’s your favourite so far?’

‘I plan to show you one of my favourite dives tomorrow.’

‘Oh, my goodness, you’re spoiling me!’ She had wondered why he ordered water with the meal, now she understood.

‘I hoped to dive while I was here, so this is too good to be true, thank you, Harry.’

‘Well, it’s me that should thank you. You made me think when you said we end up working for the wrong reasons. I haven’t had a recreational dive for a long time. It’s always business, you know?’