you down there with him.'
'It wasn't Nick's fault, Daddy,' she had to be fair to him about this, he couldn't have known Audra would do something as poisonous as this.
Her father looked down at her with concern in his eyes. 'Then you are involved with him?'
She thought fleetingly of last night, and then
dismissed it from her mind. 'He's just an acquaintance — '
'Ellie, you don't have to pretend with me,' he gently interrupted. 'I didn 't judge anything you did in the past, and I'm not going to judge you now.'
She shook her head. 'But I'm really not involved with him.'
He arched dark brows. 'Did you see the photograph that was with the article?'
'No...'
He bent to pick up the newspaper, holding it out for her to look at. She gave a weary sigh at the photograph of Nick unlocking his car door outside her apartment. It showed him leaving late last night, his dark hair ruffled, a look of lazy passion still in his eyes. It was even more damning than the one of them leaving together Sunday morning.
'You are involved with him, Ellie,' her father told him softly. 'Whether you think you are or not. And the publicity could get worse, you know.'
'Worse?' she choked in a disbelieving voice. 'I don't see how it could.'
'Oh they'll speculate about the baby's father, delve into your past to try and find out who he was.'
'They won't succeed,' she said dully. 'Even he doesn't know who he is.'
Her father sighed. 'What do you think Andracas will have to say about this?'
She gave him a sharp look. 'About what?'
'The fact that you had a baby without it having a legal father. I've heard Greek men are a bit old-fashioned about things like that."
'Not only Greek men,' her mouth twisted. 'All men think that any woman who has a baby and isn't married to the father is an easy conquest. I doubt Nick's reaction will be any different to a hundred other men's,' she dismissed contemptuously.
'You aren't lovers already?' her father seemed surprised, and knowing of Nick's reputation that wasn't so unusual.
The memory of last night flashed briefly into her mind, and was then dismissed. Last night, as with the night seven years ago, didn't make them lovers. 'No,' she answered truthfully.
Her father seemed to visibly relax. 'Then I would advise you, unless you're actually in love with the man,' he gave her a probing glance, 'to stop seeing him.'
'I'll think about it, Daddy,' she was still too numb to think properly, to assimilate what this latest development meant in her life. 'I really will think about it,' she assured him as the worried frown reappeared between his eyes.
'All right, darling,' he gently touched her cheek. 'I'm only concerned for you, you know that.'
'Yes,' she hugged him tightly. 'And I'm grateful to you for coming and telling me about this, I would have hated to have found out any other way.'
He nodded, his arm about her waist as she walked him to the door. 'Take care, Ellie,' he kissed her warmly. 'And don't let any of them get you down.'
'I won't,' she assured him, her smile fading as soon as she had closed the door behind him.
Seven years, seven long years, and no one had even guessed she had a child. For days after it had happened she had tried to forget that night in Nick's bed, until it became obvious that fate had decreed she should have an everlasting reminder.
Her feelings had been mixed when she first discovered she was pregnant, wonder for the life she could feel growing inside her, hate for the man who had put it there. She had hated Nick then as never before, would be eternally grateful for the love and support of her parents when she had decided to keep the baby, even though she had refused to reveal the identity of the baby's father to them. If her father had known it was Nick Andracas he would have confronted the other man with the knowledge, and then he would have had the humiliating experience of being told Nick believed her to be a whore.
Besides which, she had hated him, had wanted nothing more to
'It wasn't Nick's fault, Daddy,' she had to be fair to him about this, he couldn't have known Audra would do something as poisonous as this.
Her father looked down at her with concern in his eyes. 'Then you are involved with him?'
She thought fleetingly of last night, and then
dismissed it from her mind. 'He's just an acquaintance — '
'Ellie, you don't have to pretend with me,' he gently interrupted. 'I didn 't judge anything you did in the past, and I'm not going to judge you now.'
She shook her head. 'But I'm really not involved with him.'
He arched dark brows. 'Did you see the photograph that was with the article?'
'No...'
He bent to pick up the newspaper, holding it out for her to look at. She gave a weary sigh at the photograph of Nick unlocking his car door outside her apartment. It showed him leaving late last night, his dark hair ruffled, a look of lazy passion still in his eyes. It was even more damning than the one of them leaving together Sunday morning.
'You are involved with him, Ellie,' her father told him softly. 'Whether you think you are or not. And the publicity could get worse, you know.'
'Worse?' she choked in a disbelieving voice. 'I don't see how it could.'
'Oh they'll speculate about the baby's father, delve into your past to try and find out who he was.'
'They won't succeed,' she said dully. 'Even he doesn't know who he is.'
Her father sighed. 'What do you think Andracas will have to say about this?'
She gave him a sharp look. 'About what?'
'The fact that you had a baby without it having a legal father. I've heard Greek men are a bit old-fashioned about things like that."
'Not only Greek men,' her mouth twisted. 'All men think that any woman who has a baby and isn't married to the father is an easy conquest. I doubt Nick's reaction will be any different to a hundred other men's,' she dismissed contemptuously.
'You aren't lovers already?' her father seemed surprised, and knowing of Nick's reputation that wasn't so unusual.
The memory of last night flashed briefly into her mind, and was then dismissed. Last night, as with the night seven years ago, didn't make them lovers. 'No,' she answered truthfully.
Her father seemed to visibly relax. 'Then I would advise you, unless you're actually in love with the man,' he gave her a probing glance, 'to stop seeing him.'
'I'll think about it, Daddy,' she was still too numb to think properly, to assimilate what this latest development meant in her life. 'I really will think about it,' she assured him as the worried frown reappeared between his eyes.
'All right, darling,' he gently touched her cheek. 'I'm only concerned for you, you know that.'
'Yes,' she hugged him tightly. 'And I'm grateful to you for coming and telling me about this, I would have hated to have found out any other way.'
He nodded, his arm about her waist as she walked him to the door. 'Take care, Ellie,' he kissed her warmly. 'And don't let any of them get you down.'
'I won't,' she assured him, her smile fading as soon as she had closed the door behind him.
Seven years, seven long years, and no one had even guessed she had a child. For days after it had happened she had tried to forget that night in Nick's bed, until it became obvious that fate had decreed she should have an everlasting reminder.
Her feelings had been mixed when she first discovered she was pregnant, wonder for the life she could feel growing inside her, hate for the man who had put it there. She had hated Nick then as never before, would be eternally grateful for the love and support of her parents when she had decided to keep the baby, even though she had refused to reveal the identity of the baby's father to them. If her father had known it was Nick Andracas he would have confronted the other man with the knowledge, and then he would have had the humiliating experience of being told Nick believed her to be a whore.
Besides which, she had hated him, had wanted nothing more to
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