Once Martha is a little older and things are more settled she will be going off to boarding school, I expect, and that will mean goodbye to Susan Loftus! Andreas didn’t make any promises when he hired me.’
Anna gazed at her across the table. ‘Andreas?’ she said. ‘I thought it would have been Martha’s mother who would have made that sort of decision.’
‘He was on the spot at the time. Our Man in London, so to speak.’ Susan drank the remainder of her coffee.
‘Mrs Warrender wanted her daughter’s minder to be English, you see, so Andreas advertised and—there I was! I think he preferred me to someone older as a companion for Martha. I don’t know.’ She gazed into her empty cup. ‘One never does with Andreas,' she added after a moment’s thought. ‘He’s the complete enigma, like the Sphinx, thinking deeply behind that noble brow of his without even flickering an eyelid and giving nothing away. But you must recognise that even better than I do,’ she suggested with an oblique glance in Anna’s direction. ‘You’ve known him for a long time.’
‘A long time ago,’ Anna said, gathering her parcels together. ‘Andreas, the adolescent, and Andreas, the grown man, appear to be different.’
‘Why don’t you like him ?’ Susan demanded. ‘Because I can see you don’t.’
Anna flushed scarlet. ‘It’s not just a question of liking,’ she answered. ‘It—goes deeper than that, but I’d rather not talk about it, Susan, if you don’t mind.’
‘I think you must have been in love with him at one time,’ Susan suggested outrageously. ‘Is that why you treat him so coldly now? He didn’t leave you in the lurch when he went off to conquer the world, did he?'
Anna got to her feet, moving to the counter to pay the bill. ‘No, we weren’t in love,’ she said steadily enough. ‘We were good friends once upon a time.’
‘That’s fatal!’ Susan declared, her roguish eyes full of laughter. ‘Seriously, though, I wonder if he’ll marry Lara Warrender when the time comes. Lara may even be buying this villa in the mountains with that in mind.’ She paused in the doorway, looking up and down the street. ‘I want to buy a pair of decent sun-specs,’ she announced. ‘Where would you suggest? I want to make sure that I don’t damage my eyes with anything cheap.’
Anna glanced pointedly at her wristwatch.
‘If you want a good optician,’ she said, ‘I can take you round to Adolf Kanneti, but you may have to wait. He’s a very busy man.’
‘No problem!’ Susan assured her. ‘I have all morning till one o’clock.’
‘I’ll drive you to Nicolaides Street,’ Anna offered, ‘but I can’t promise to wait.’
‘Don’t worry about me,’ Susan said airily. ‘I’ll get the bus back, or a taxi. They seem to be all over the place.’ She chattered all the way back to the market where Anna had parked her car, although she did not mention Andreas again, probably thinking that she had already exhausted the subject as far as Anna was concerned. When they parted at the optician’s she said breezily, ‘Have fun! If you stumble upon anyone from the Crescent Beach I’ll be back before one and I’m still all in one piece in spite of the heat!’
She vanished up the indoor stairs to the shop and Anna drove away wondering why the sunshine was suddenly less bright and the view across the bay clouded as if by rain.
When it was time to go to the Crescent Beach the following evening she found herself thinking of an excuse to stay away from the dinner-party which would include both Andreas and Lara Warrender, but she knew that it would only disappoint her mother if she refused to go.
‘Mrs Warrender is such a beautiful person,’ Dorothy remarked before they went up to dress, ‘and she makes me feel relaxed. It would appear that Andreas owes a great deal to her influence and I’m sure he’s grateful.’
Grateful and in love? Anna pressed her hands tightly against her sides
Anna gazed at her across the table. ‘Andreas?’ she said. ‘I thought it would have been Martha’s mother who would have made that sort of decision.’
‘He was on the spot at the time. Our Man in London, so to speak.’ Susan drank the remainder of her coffee.
‘Mrs Warrender wanted her daughter’s minder to be English, you see, so Andreas advertised and—there I was! I think he preferred me to someone older as a companion for Martha. I don’t know.’ She gazed into her empty cup. ‘One never does with Andreas,' she added after a moment’s thought. ‘He’s the complete enigma, like the Sphinx, thinking deeply behind that noble brow of his without even flickering an eyelid and giving nothing away. But you must recognise that even better than I do,’ she suggested with an oblique glance in Anna’s direction. ‘You’ve known him for a long time.’
‘A long time ago,’ Anna said, gathering her parcels together. ‘Andreas, the adolescent, and Andreas, the grown man, appear to be different.’
‘Why don’t you like him ?’ Susan demanded. ‘Because I can see you don’t.’
Anna flushed scarlet. ‘It’s not just a question of liking,’ she answered. ‘It—goes deeper than that, but I’d rather not talk about it, Susan, if you don’t mind.’
‘I think you must have been in love with him at one time,’ Susan suggested outrageously. ‘Is that why you treat him so coldly now? He didn’t leave you in the lurch when he went off to conquer the world, did he?'
Anna got to her feet, moving to the counter to pay the bill. ‘No, we weren’t in love,’ she said steadily enough. ‘We were good friends once upon a time.’
‘That’s fatal!’ Susan declared, her roguish eyes full of laughter. ‘Seriously, though, I wonder if he’ll marry Lara Warrender when the time comes. Lara may even be buying this villa in the mountains with that in mind.’ She paused in the doorway, looking up and down the street. ‘I want to buy a pair of decent sun-specs,’ she announced. ‘Where would you suggest? I want to make sure that I don’t damage my eyes with anything cheap.’
Anna glanced pointedly at her wristwatch.
‘If you want a good optician,’ she said, ‘I can take you round to Adolf Kanneti, but you may have to wait. He’s a very busy man.’
‘No problem!’ Susan assured her. ‘I have all morning till one o’clock.’
‘I’ll drive you to Nicolaides Street,’ Anna offered, ‘but I can’t promise to wait.’
‘Don’t worry about me,’ Susan said airily. ‘I’ll get the bus back, or a taxi. They seem to be all over the place.’ She chattered all the way back to the market where Anna had parked her car, although she did not mention Andreas again, probably thinking that she had already exhausted the subject as far as Anna was concerned. When they parted at the optician’s she said breezily, ‘Have fun! If you stumble upon anyone from the Crescent Beach I’ll be back before one and I’m still all in one piece in spite of the heat!’
She vanished up the indoor stairs to the shop and Anna drove away wondering why the sunshine was suddenly less bright and the view across the bay clouded as if by rain.
When it was time to go to the Crescent Beach the following evening she found herself thinking of an excuse to stay away from the dinner-party which would include both Andreas and Lara Warrender, but she knew that it would only disappoint her mother if she refused to go.
‘Mrs Warrender is such a beautiful person,’ Dorothy remarked before they went up to dress, ‘and she makes me feel relaxed. It would appear that Andreas owes a great deal to her influence and I’m sure he’s grateful.’
Grateful and in love? Anna pressed her hands tightly against her sides
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