Unknown by Unknown Page B

as they went up in the lift. She could never have imagined Andreas in love like that—not for a reason, not out of gratitude at being helped up the ladder of success by a beautiful woman at least ten years his senior and the mother of a six-year-old child into the bargain, but these things happened, didn’t they? The world, and love, and bitterness were all too complicated to understand.
    ‘What will you wear?’ Dorothy asked.
    ‘I don’t know.’ Anna’s voice was rough with suppressed emotion. ‘Something blue, I suppose. I can’t hope to compete with Mrs Warrender.’
    As the lift stopped Dorothy said, ‘You have youth on your side and I like you best in blue!’
    They walked to the Crescent Beach along the road because it was already dark, arriving just before seven o’clock to be ushered into the vast hall by a doorman in an immaculate white uniform who seemed to be expecting them.
    ‘Mrs Warrender is waiting in the lounge,’ he informed them, but already Martha was half-way across the hall, greeting them with a vivid smile. ‘I’m to stay up, just for this once!’ she announced. ‘How do you do?’ she added politely if belatedly. ‘There’s a cabaret tonight and I can’t wait to see it.’
    Anna introduced her mother and they made their way across the polished floor to where Lara Warrender was waiting for them with Andreas by her side.
    ‘Mama!’ he said, taking Dorothy’s hands in his. ‘It’s good to see you looking so well.’ He kissed her on both cheeks. ‘I was in Athens yesterday and I called in on John Malecos. He asked how you were and said to tell you he would come for that promised holiday one day.’
    Dorothy blushed prettily. ‘He is always promising but he never arrives!’ she said. ‘I suppose you found Athens much the same?’
    ‘I hadn’t much time to look around,’ he told her, ‘but the traffic seemed worse than ever. Everyone behind a steering-wheel in Athens seems hell-bent on suicide, to say nothing of the pedestrians!’
    ‘I wouldn’t like to live there,’ Dorothy said as Lara greeted her. ‘It’s not at all like Cyprus.’
    Andreas turned to Anna, at last. ‘I wondered if you would come,’ he said. ‘I half expected you to find some excuse.’
    ‘Why should I do that?’ she asked defensively.
    ‘Because you can’t let the past go,’ he said without hesitation. ‘You demand too much, Anna, and I’m not the sort of person who says “sorry” more than once.’
    ‘I don’t expect you to apologise to me,’ she said under her breath, ‘and I’m not here to argue. I suppose you were in Athens on business,’ she added, turning their conversation to a less controversial subject. ‘Was it very warm?’
    ‘Very!’ He turned as Susan made a tardy appearance from one of the lifts. ‘I hear you had a shopping spree on your hands yesterday. Susan was most grateful, I understand. She feels she took up too much of your precious time.’
    ‘I had it to spare.’ Anna felt relieved as Susan joined them. ‘It was a pleasant change from shopping for vegetables.’
    ‘I got my specs,’ Susan announced, shaking hands. ‘You were quite right about Adolf. I’ve never met such an understanding man!’
    ‘Susan is always meeting unusual people,’ Lara said a trifle drily, ‘but thank you for taking care of her, Anna. She really can be an innocent abroad on occasion.’ She turned to Andreas. ‘I think you could order our drinks now,’ she suggested. ‘I told Dino we would be in by seven.’
    She was completely relaxed, the perfect hostess in the ideal setting, dressed wisely in a pale grey dinner gown which would not eclipse any of her guests, her single jewel the magnificent diamond she wore on the third finger of her left hand over her platinum wedding ring.
    The decor of the Crescent Beach seemed to reflect her own good taste, with its arched ceilings and fine woodwork and the wide, deep sofas placed at intervals on the highly polished marble