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'That's right. He was terribly disappointed that he couldn't be with
me.' A silence followed before her mother asked,
'Hasn't he said anything to you about her?'
'He never even mentions his wife, Mother.'
'It's easy to see that they've quarrelled, and seriously. She looks like a
grasping little gold-digger to me, and it could just be that he's found
her out, so he's finished with her. Dorian would be like that, you
know.'
'A gold-digger,' mused Tanya, then added, 'But she'd be a little more
clever than to give herself away on her honeymoon.'
'Then what is it that's made him, neglect her in favour of you?'
'He was once madly in love with me, that's why. He's still in love with
me.'
'But he didn't propose.' A silence followed; Juliet could almost hear
her aunt's sigh of regret. 'Have you ever thought what a difference his
money would have made to us at the present time? We'd have been
able to leave the wretched Grange and get something more suited to
our station in life.'
"You seem very sure that, as my husband, he'd have been generous
enough to buy you and Father another home.'
The Greeks are very parent-conscious, Tanya. Yes, Dorian would
have seen to it that your father and I were resettled in a lovely country
manor-house or something with the same sort of prestige value.'
'If only I could persuade him to get rid of her!' Tanya's voice was
harsh suddenly. 'He was mine before he was hers! Oh, if only he'd
stayed at the Grange for a few more weeks! I'd have had that proposal
from him I know I would!'
'He's invited you to his home,' her mother reminded her. 'And that in
itself is both revealing and promising. He's not in love with her, that
goes without question,
so you're in a most advantageous position. Play your cards right,
Tanya, and before you know it he'll have divorced her and you will be
his wife.'
Several times Juliet gasped, scarcely able to believe what she was
hearing. So cool and calculating, those two! So confident the older
woman that Tanya had only to play her cards right and she would
soon become Dorian's wife.
'I can't understand why he married her,' Tanya was saying, and Juliet
could see the thoughtful frown that was sure to be creasing her brow.
'She's beautiful  and there's no use pretending that she wouldn't
have instantly attracted his notice. But for him to marry her...'
'You mean, it would have been more understandable if he'd just
played around with her?'
'Seeing that they've already become tired of one another it certainly
would have been better for Dorian. He's stuck with her now --'
'Rubbish! In Greece divorce is the easiest thing imaginable!'
'But they don't usually have divorces.'
'Dorian will,' was Mrs Lowther's confident assertion. 'And then you,
my dear, will come into your own at last.'
'And come into the money. How fed up I am with scrimping and
scraping the way we do!'
'It might not be for much longer, not if you're clever. You're still very
beautiful, Tanya; and in addition you still appeal to Dorian, there can
be no doubt about that.'
Looking up, Juliet saw Jack approaching, and she moved swiftly
away from the wall.
'Ready, Juliet?' he asked, and she nodded her head. 'Come on, then,
and we'll have that cool drink. I've told Leonard what we're doing and
he said that as he's a lot of notes to take he'll see us on the coach.'
The taverna was found and the proprietor gave them a table right on
the outside of the pavement. Jack shrugged and sat down resignedly.
Juliet saw that he would have preferred somewhere less exposed to
the stares of passers-by.
'Now that we're alone,' he said after the order was given, 'we can tell
one another about ourselves. I'm a student at a college of education.
What do you do for a living?'
'I'm married,' she said, and instantly saw his face fall.
'But your husband isn't with you?' He was staring at her beautiful
face, quite plainly baffled that she was alone.
'He's gone off somewhere,' she told him casually. "We're not the kind
of people to be for ever under each other's heels.'
'But ' Bewilderedly he shook his head. 'If you're on holiday...?'
"We're on holiday, yes, but as I've said, we don't get in each other's
way all the time."
Jack regarded her with a troubled look.
'Are you happy?' he asked, just as if he ha^ to.
Juliet laughed.
'Of course,' she said ... but what an untruth this was! She was dwelling
on what she had overheard and the only picture that emerged from her
mind was that of Tanya married to Dorian....
Jack was just about to speak again when Juliet was hailed by Tanya.
'Hello,' she said, stopping by the table. "I didn't know you were
coming, here today.' Her dark eyes settled curiously on the face of
Juliet's companion.
'Did you come by coach?'
'Yes.'
'So did I. We could have come together.' She glanced round to where
her mother was standing a short distance away, bargaining with a
Greek woman who was selling hand-made lace traycloths. 'Perhaps
we can join you? We're dying of thirst.'
Jack looked as if he had only just managed to hold back a scowl and
Juliet had to smile at the relief on his face when she said,
'I'm afraid you can't, Tanya. We might be having someone else join us
in a few moments.'
'Oh, I see.' Without another word Tanya turned on her heel and strode
away to join her mother who, by this time, had managed to get the
cloth at ho- own price.
'Friend of yours?' asked Jack as he followed Tanya with his eyes.
'No, not at all. She's staying at the same hotel as I, that's all.' No need
to go into details with a stranger, she thought.
On arriving back at the hotel at half past six she saw that Tanya and
her mother were in the lounge, talking to Dorian. Slipping past the
open door, Juliet thought she had managed to reach the stairs unseen,
but she had not been in the bedroom more* than five minutes when
her husband entered and Juliet looked frowningly at him, a question
in her eyes. But he said nothing, merely standing with his back to the
closed door, his gaze fixed most disconcertingly upon her.
'Is something wrong?' she inquired. 'You look ready to explode.'
The dark eyes glinted, dangerously.
'You've been out this afternoon,' he began, when she interrupted to
say,
'I've been to Lindos.'
'I know where you've been -'
'You do? Your friend Tanya told you, it would seem.'
'Do you mind keeping quiet! What I'm trying to ask is: who was the
man you were with?'
'Ah ... Tanya again. Did you send her to spy on me or has she taken it
on herself to do so?'
Dorian approached his wife, moving across the room as silent-footed
as a tiger.
'I asked you a question,' he reminded her softly. "Who was the man?'
She was tempted to hint that she had found a boyfriend, but reading
her husband's expression she decided against it.
'He was someone I met on the coach; he sat next to me so we went up
to the Acropolis together. There was another man with us, an older
man.'
Dorian appeared to btv satisfied with this, but warned her that she had
better keep away from men in future.
'At least,' he added, 'until you and I part company. You can do what
you like after that.'
'And you?' she inquired, seeing again her cousin married to him.
'That has nothing to do with you.'
'Tanya...?' The one word left her lips unbidden; he seemed to give a
small start, after which he instantly lowered his eyelashes and said,
'Yes, Tanya!'
'You'll... marry her?'
Dorian turned to look out of the window; Juliet could not decide
whether his attention had been caught by something or whether he
was deliberately avoiding her gaze.
'Probably,' he said at length, and once again Juliet found herself
speaking impulsively.
'It's strange that you didn't marry her before.'
Without turning his head Dorian said quietly,
'It isn't too late to put right my mistake.' [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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