lunch alone—or just with Thia Irini?' she added quickly.
He gave a grunt. 'My sister wil not eat with us. She dislikes meals taken in the open
air.: He gave Helen a narrow look. 'It is my wish that you become better acquainted
with Damon.'
Helen bit her lip, repressing an urge to inform him that she had nearly been more
intimately acquainted with Mr. Leandros than even her grandfather could wish.
She said, 'Did you know that he asked me to go swimming with him earlier?'
'You did not accept his invitation?' Her grandfather sounded faintly amused.
'No.' Helen paused, then settled for ambiguity. 'I wasn't sure if it was—safe to do so.'
Michael Korialis chuckled. 'Our gardens lead to a beach which belongs to this vil a.
There are no currents or dangerous rocks, pedhi mou.'
No, Helen thought, but deeper waters possibly than I have any intention of getting into.
She smiled up at her grandfather. 'That's very reassuring,' she said.
'Then the next time Damon invites you to swim with him, you wil go?'
Taken aback, Helen said, 'Why, there may not be a next time. He may not ask me
again.'
There was a rumble of laughter. 'I think he wil , my little one. Oh, I think so.'
He sounded almost approving, Helen thought with sudden apprehension, and that was
something she had to put a stop to light now. She had wanted to choose her own time
—the right time to make her accusation against Damon Leandros. Something told her
this was too soon, but the initiative had been taken away from her.
She said clearly, 'I hope he doesn't ask me. Grandfather. I find him total y detestable. I
don't want to worry you or upset you, but I've got to tel you that you can't trust him.'
'What are you saying?' The hand on her shoulder tightened suddenly.
Helen swal owed. Al the gleeful anticipation she had imagined she would feel had
vanished. Instead she was the stranger, the intruder, bringing bad news about a man
her grandfather knew wel and relied on deeply.
She said, 'I don't know exactly what his duties are round here, but I don't think making
passes—trying to make love to your female relatives—is among them. His behaviour to
me in London and on the journey here has been despicable!'
There was a long silence, and when she ventured to look up at him, he was frowning',
his shaggy brows drawn heavily together.
'Are you tel ing me that Damon has become your lover? This I do not believe.'
'Oh, no,' she said hastily. 'I don't think even he would dare to go that far, but he—he
kissed me—and —and humiliated me in other ways.' She was miserably aware that the
sense of outrage which had driven her so far was withering under the realisation that
her complaints were making her sound like an insufferable little prig. And she hoped
that Michael Korialis would not make her specify the other ways'.
'You find it humiliating for a man to demonstrate that he finds you desirable?' Her
grandfather's tone was dry suddenly. 'I had not thought that young Englishwomen led
such sheltered lives. Your compatriots who come to Greece on holiday give a different
impression.'
'You—you sound as if you're, defending him.' She shook her head in bewilderment. 'I
thought—I took it for granted that you'd be angry that one of your employees, however
highly you thought of him, should paw me around. I assumed you would fire him.'
'Fire him?' He stareddown at her as if she had gone mad. 'What is this you are saying?'
'
'It's slang,' she said miserably. 'It means—dismiss him from your employment—
dispense with his services, cal it what you like. At any rate, it means get rid of him.'
The grip relaxed on her shoulder. He was shaking al over, she could feel it, and
apprehension seized her. Had she made him il again by her disclosures, brought on
another attack?
She made herself look up at him again, and her eyes widened in incredulity. Michael
Korialis wasn't shaking withtemper, but with laughter, leaning back in his chair,
He gave a grunt. 'My sister wil not eat with us. She dislikes meals taken in the open
air.: He gave Helen a narrow look. 'It is my wish that you become better acquainted
with Damon.'
Helen bit her lip, repressing an urge to inform him that she had nearly been more
intimately acquainted with Mr. Leandros than even her grandfather could wish.
She said, 'Did you know that he asked me to go swimming with him earlier?'
'You did not accept his invitation?' Her grandfather sounded faintly amused.
'No.' Helen paused, then settled for ambiguity. 'I wasn't sure if it was—safe to do so.'
Michael Korialis chuckled. 'Our gardens lead to a beach which belongs to this vil a.
There are no currents or dangerous rocks, pedhi mou.'
No, Helen thought, but deeper waters possibly than I have any intention of getting into.
She smiled up at her grandfather. 'That's very reassuring,' she said.
'Then the next time Damon invites you to swim with him, you wil go?'
Taken aback, Helen said, 'Why, there may not be a next time. He may not ask me
again.'
There was a rumble of laughter. 'I think he wil , my little one. Oh, I think so.'
He sounded almost approving, Helen thought with sudden apprehension, and that was
something she had to put a stop to light now. She had wanted to choose her own time
—the right time to make her accusation against Damon Leandros. Something told her
this was too soon, but the initiative had been taken away from her.
She said clearly, 'I hope he doesn't ask me. Grandfather. I find him total y detestable. I
don't want to worry you or upset you, but I've got to tel you that you can't trust him.'
'What are you saying?' The hand on her shoulder tightened suddenly.
Helen swal owed. Al the gleeful anticipation she had imagined she would feel had
vanished. Instead she was the stranger, the intruder, bringing bad news about a man
her grandfather knew wel and relied on deeply.
She said, 'I don't know exactly what his duties are round here, but I don't think making
passes—trying to make love to your female relatives—is among them. His behaviour to
me in London and on the journey here has been despicable!'
There was a long silence, and when she ventured to look up at him, he was frowning',
his shaggy brows drawn heavily together.
'Are you tel ing me that Damon has become your lover? This I do not believe.'
'Oh, no,' she said hastily. 'I don't think even he would dare to go that far, but he—he
kissed me—and —and humiliated me in other ways.' She was miserably aware that the
sense of outrage which had driven her so far was withering under the realisation that
her complaints were making her sound like an insufferable little prig. And she hoped
that Michael Korialis would not make her specify the other ways'.
'You find it humiliating for a man to demonstrate that he finds you desirable?' Her
grandfather's tone was dry suddenly. 'I had not thought that young Englishwomen led
such sheltered lives. Your compatriots who come to Greece on holiday give a different
impression.'
'You—you sound as if you're, defending him.' She shook her head in bewilderment. 'I
thought—I took it for granted that you'd be angry that one of your employees, however
highly you thought of him, should paw me around. I assumed you would fire him.'
'Fire him?' He stareddown at her as if she had gone mad. 'What is this you are saying?'
'
'It's slang,' she said miserably. 'It means—dismiss him from your employment—
dispense with his services, cal it what you like. At any rate, it means get rid of him.'
The grip relaxed on her shoulder. He was shaking al over, she could feel it, and
apprehension seized her. Had she made him il again by her disclosures, brought on
another attack?
She made herself look up at him again, and her eyes widened in incredulity. Michael
Korialis wasn't shaking withtemper, but with laughter, leaning back in his chair,
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