other in silence for a moment.
“I’ve rung the doctor,” he said curtly. “He’ll be here in
four hours. He has to come over from Epilison and this
is not his usual day for visiting Kianthos.”
Kate shrugged, “There’s no hurry.” She went past
him, in a cloud of perfumed talcum, and he caught her
arm.
“Kate,” he said huskily, “why do you fight me all the
time?”
She couldn’t look up at him. She was too painfully
aware of him, big and dark and dominating, standing
very close to her. He waited for a moment, then dropped
her arm and stalked away down the stairs.
He did not appear at lunch, nor did his mother, who
was recovering from the shock of believing them both
drowned yesterday. Sam, Pallas and Kate lunched
quietly together. Then the doctor arrived, examined her
and pronounced her perfectly fit, but slightly shocked.
“No more excitement,” he ordered. “Rest, relaxation.”
He spoke little English, but Pallas translated for him,
while also acting as chaperone.
Kate spent the afternoon on the stone patio, with
Sam and Pallas, lying on well-sprung canvas loungers
enjoying the sunshine.
The storm seemed to have blown quite away, leaving
the island calm and peaceful. Out of the wind the air
was warm and still. The sun seemed almost hot on her
bare back and legs.
She wore her new bikini, two delicate scraps of black
cotton which emphasised her slender waist. Sam rubbed
sun lotion into her skin, offering to perform the same
task for Pallas.
“My complexion is intended for this climate,” she
claimed triumphantly. “The sun is kind to me. I never
use those things.”
Kate was very tired this afternoon. Her experiences
of yesterday had left her weary, and she drifted into
sleep as she lay on the lounger. She did not hear Sam
and Pallas get up and go off to play tennis, and they,
considering her, decided it would be kinder to leave her.
She slept on for several hours, her skin beginning to
redden as the sun poured down upon it, then woke with
a stifled cry of pain as a hand touched her red shoulder.
Marc was crouching beside her, his face set grimly.
“Now look at you!” he said furiously. “You have given
yourself sunburn! I can’t take my eyes off you for five
seconds without you getting into some scrape or other!”
She turned and sat upright, wincing at the agony of
her reddened back and shoulders. It felt as though red-
hot needles were stinging along her skin. Her head
swam dizzyingly. She looked at Marc, her eyes filling
with tears.
“Oh, good God!” he groaned, and the next minute had
picked her up into his arms and was carrying her, like a
child, into the house.
CHAPTER SIX
The doctor was back next day and tut-tutted over her,
waving his small hands and talking rapidly in Greek to
Pallas.
“He says you have been very silly,” Pallas translated,
smiling sympathetically.
Kate had had a bad night. She had tossed restlessly,
her whole body apparently on fire. “I didn’t realise the
sun was so hot,” she said wearily, on the point of tears
again. She could not understand why she felt so
emotionally disturbed. The slightest thing made her
burst out crying.
The doctor bent over, shaking his head and spoke
again.
Pallas translated again. “He says that the sun was
unusually hot yesterday, but you should never go to
sleep in the sun at any time. And he says,” she paused,
listening, “he says that the lotion should help, but the
pain will be bad for another day or two. And you are to
stay in bed and do absolutely nothing until he comes
again. It is an illness which makes you depressed, like
influenza, so try not to cry.”
Kate looked up at the doctor and smiled faintly.
“Thank him for me,” she told Pallas.
The doctor nodded, as Pallas spoke and smiled back.
Then he left, and Pallas tucked her up again, gently.
“Would you like to sleep now, or shall I stay and talk?”
“I think I’ll try to sleep,”
“I’ve rung the doctor,” he said curtly. “He’ll be here in
four hours. He has to come over from Epilison and this
is not his usual day for visiting Kianthos.”
Kate shrugged, “There’s no hurry.” She went past
him, in a cloud of perfumed talcum, and he caught her
arm.
“Kate,” he said huskily, “why do you fight me all the
time?”
She couldn’t look up at him. She was too painfully
aware of him, big and dark and dominating, standing
very close to her. He waited for a moment, then dropped
her arm and stalked away down the stairs.
He did not appear at lunch, nor did his mother, who
was recovering from the shock of believing them both
drowned yesterday. Sam, Pallas and Kate lunched
quietly together. Then the doctor arrived, examined her
and pronounced her perfectly fit, but slightly shocked.
“No more excitement,” he ordered. “Rest, relaxation.”
He spoke little English, but Pallas translated for him,
while also acting as chaperone.
Kate spent the afternoon on the stone patio, with
Sam and Pallas, lying on well-sprung canvas loungers
enjoying the sunshine.
The storm seemed to have blown quite away, leaving
the island calm and peaceful. Out of the wind the air
was warm and still. The sun seemed almost hot on her
bare back and legs.
She wore her new bikini, two delicate scraps of black
cotton which emphasised her slender waist. Sam rubbed
sun lotion into her skin, offering to perform the same
task for Pallas.
“My complexion is intended for this climate,” she
claimed triumphantly. “The sun is kind to me. I never
use those things.”
Kate was very tired this afternoon. Her experiences
of yesterday had left her weary, and she drifted into
sleep as she lay on the lounger. She did not hear Sam
and Pallas get up and go off to play tennis, and they,
considering her, decided it would be kinder to leave her.
She slept on for several hours, her skin beginning to
redden as the sun poured down upon it, then woke with
a stifled cry of pain as a hand touched her red shoulder.
Marc was crouching beside her, his face set grimly.
“Now look at you!” he said furiously. “You have given
yourself sunburn! I can’t take my eyes off you for five
seconds without you getting into some scrape or other!”
She turned and sat upright, wincing at the agony of
her reddened back and shoulders. It felt as though red-
hot needles were stinging along her skin. Her head
swam dizzyingly. She looked at Marc, her eyes filling
with tears.
“Oh, good God!” he groaned, and the next minute had
picked her up into his arms and was carrying her, like a
child, into the house.
CHAPTER SIX
The doctor was back next day and tut-tutted over her,
waving his small hands and talking rapidly in Greek to
Pallas.
“He says you have been very silly,” Pallas translated,
smiling sympathetically.
Kate had had a bad night. She had tossed restlessly,
her whole body apparently on fire. “I didn’t realise the
sun was so hot,” she said wearily, on the point of tears
again. She could not understand why she felt so
emotionally disturbed. The slightest thing made her
burst out crying.
The doctor bent over, shaking his head and spoke
again.
Pallas translated again. “He says that the sun was
unusually hot yesterday, but you should never go to
sleep in the sun at any time. And he says,” she paused,
listening, “he says that the lotion should help, but the
pain will be bad for another day or two. And you are to
stay in bed and do absolutely nothing until he comes
again. It is an illness which makes you depressed, like
influenza, so try not to cry.”
Kate looked up at the doctor and smiled faintly.
“Thank him for me,” she told Pallas.
The doctor nodded, as Pallas spoke and smiled back.
Then he left, and Pallas tucked her up again, gently.
“Would you like to sleep now, or shall I stay and talk?”
“I think I’ll try to sleep,”
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