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no ties to keep her in England. Georgios was her family, without him she had no one.
    The gardens tempted her and she strolled across the velvet-smooth lawns, admiring flowerbeds that were a riot of colour. She found an orchard where orange and lemon trees were heavy with fruit, where pomegranates and figs rubbed shoulders beside them. Through a vine-covered arch hung with grapes she caught the shimmer of a pool.
    She picked a tiny grape and popped it into her mouth. It was seedless and delicious, and she took another before making her way towards the water. Eleni had mentioned a pool, but the girl had chattered so much that Miranda had not taken in all that she said.
    It was blue and tempting, but there was no time to enjoy it before dinner. She would leave that experience for another day.
    The sun was low in the sky, and when she looked back towards the villa Miranda caught her breath. It was like a fairytale palace turned to gold, windows blinding her with their brilliance.
    Once the sun had gone it grew dark quickly and she retraced her steps. It was darker than she imagined anywhere could be, with no lights spilling out from this side of the house, and the moon not yet making its appearance.
    When she stumbled over the raised edge of a path she instinctively cried and put out her hands to break her fall. It was a shock when she encountered another body, but her alarm turned to pleasure when she realised it was her husband.
    ‘Georgios! Thank goodness it’s you!’ She flung her arms around his neck. ‘At last we can talk. I’ve been looking for you everywhere. Doesn’t that odious brother of yours ever let you out of his sight?’
    ‘If it’s me you’re referring to, you’ve got the picture.’ The deeper tones of the man she disliked most in the world cut through the darkness. ‘Georgios and I were taking a stroll before dinner. If you don’t want to be late I suggest you return to your room and get changed.’
    He emerged from behind a shrub, appearing like a shadow behind Georgios, their white shirts standing out in relief.
    Miranda clenched her teeth and glared, then turned and marched back to the house. Hollow mocking laughter sounded in the blackness of the garden.
     

CHAPTER FOUR
    Miranda came down to dinner to find them all waiting, Mrs Alexidis still in black, its severity relieved by a diamond necklace which caught and held the light from the lamp beneath which she sat, Eleni in a jade green skin-tight creation, her hair coiled elegantly, showing to perfection her slender neck. A pair of jade earrings hung from her ears, her only adornment. Simple yet stunning.
    The two brothers were in evening dress, cream jackets, embroidered white silk shirts, black trousers.
    Miranda felt out of place. She had realised when seeing their bow ties earlier that they dressed formally for dinner, but as she had brought no evening dresses with her she had put on a sundress in palest lavender with a floating skirt and a top that emphasised her high pointed breasts, fastening at the front with a row of tiny pearl buttons. It was one of her prettiest dresses, yet even so it could not match up to the elegance of the other ladies.
    Without questioning what she would like to drink Theo poured her a glass of ouzo, adding water which turned the clear liquid milky. Miranda felt a tremor of awareness as he handed it to her. It would have been impossible to feel immune following the effect of his kiss. But as usual Theo’s expression was impassive.
    The ouzo tasted like aniseed and looked innocuous, but Miranda sipped it warily, suspecting it had the kick of a mule. She needed to keep a clear head. Somehow before the evening was over she had to get Georgios alone.
    Mrs Alexidis beckoned Miranda to sit on the couch beside her while they drank their aperitifs. ‘I am sorry Theodoros does not approve of you staying—I hope it will not spoil your pleasure.’
    Miranda smiled and shook her head, taking this to mean that Theo had