at my grandmother’s house and a stone-built oven.
‘The women work together out here,’ explained Christos. ‘They do the washing and the cooking out here because it is cooler.’
His anxiety was plain to see, so I smiled and said it all sounded great fun, although my heart was sinking.
‘If this will not do for Olivia, my mother will find her a room in her house,’ said Irini, peering anxiously from the doorway.
I thought that would mean seeing less of Christos, and I could not hurt Irini’s feelings, so I smiled again and thanked her for allowing me to stay in her lovely home where I was sure I would be very happy. Irini smiled, relieved, and Christos looked at me gratefully, squeezing my hand again.
‘It is time for Niko to sleep now,’ he said, ‘for we have been up since dawn. You and I can take a walk down to the harbour and I will show you the Ariadne .’
I realised that he, too, should be sleeping, but I was glad that he was not going to leave me so soon.
As we walked along the path he thanked me for agreeing to stay. ‘I know that these conditions are not what you are used to in England, Olivia, but I think you will be happier here than at Stavros’ house. He is not a kind man. He speaks roughly to his wife and shouts. He is a bull, I think.’
Smiling, I corrected him. ‘The word you mean is “bully”.’
‘A bully, thank you. The house is very fine, although it needs restoration, but the air? – the atmosphere? – is not happy there. Niko and Irini have very little but they are happy and they have become my friends.’
I was suddenly very proud of him. His values were fine, noble even, and I would not let him down. ‘It will be an adventure, and as long as I am close to you it doesn’t matter where I am.’
The Ariadne lay beached in the silt of the harbour, tilted on her side and frighteningly small.
‘Is it strong enough to go far out to sea?’ I asked fearfully.
‘ She , Olivia, please. Boats are ladies. She is just like all the other fishing boats, look. They have been building boats like these for many, many years and the men who sail them are very knowledgeable about the ocean and the weather. Niko and Dimitrios have been fishing with their fathers since they were children. I am quite safe, my love.’
‘Do you enjoy fishing?’
‘It is a good feeling, to be out in the wind and the waves. And to work in a team, with Niko and Dimitrios. When we have a good catch it takes all our strength to bring it aboard, and we sing songs of the old heroes as we sail home for we know we have done a good day’s work and will feed many people. It is a simple life. It makes Athens seem like another world.’
We climbed down onto the sand and curled up there together. Christos lay with his head in my lap.
‘I fear I must sleep a little,’ he said.
I sat very still so as not to disturb him. How strange it seemed to be sitting on a beach with Christos, so far away from Basingstoke, listening to the seabirds cry and the gentle swooshing of the waves at the mouth of the harbour. I looked down at his curly head and felt so full of love that my body could hardly contain it. I tried not to move so that he should sleep undisturbed.
When he awoke we were both stiff. ‘We need a walk’, he said, ‘and I have somewhere in mind.’
We climbed up from the beach, past Nikos’ house, and on up the steep, winding path to the centre of the little town. The shops were just opening again after their midday closure, and goods were being replaced in doorways.
‘Here’, said Christos, stopping outside a jeweller’s. ‘We need a betrothal ring.’
I caught my breath. He was, after all, quite serious about marrying me. He had never actually asked me, proposed in the traditional English manner, and I had never actually said yes, but here we were, looking at rings.
The window displayed a few watches, some gold necklaces and a selection of rings. ‘Which do you like?’
I was overcome with
‘The women work together out here,’ explained Christos. ‘They do the washing and the cooking out here because it is cooler.’
His anxiety was plain to see, so I smiled and said it all sounded great fun, although my heart was sinking.
‘If this will not do for Olivia, my mother will find her a room in her house,’ said Irini, peering anxiously from the doorway.
I thought that would mean seeing less of Christos, and I could not hurt Irini’s feelings, so I smiled again and thanked her for allowing me to stay in her lovely home where I was sure I would be very happy. Irini smiled, relieved, and Christos looked at me gratefully, squeezing my hand again.
‘It is time for Niko to sleep now,’ he said, ‘for we have been up since dawn. You and I can take a walk down to the harbour and I will show you the Ariadne .’
I realised that he, too, should be sleeping, but I was glad that he was not going to leave me so soon.
As we walked along the path he thanked me for agreeing to stay. ‘I know that these conditions are not what you are used to in England, Olivia, but I think you will be happier here than at Stavros’ house. He is not a kind man. He speaks roughly to his wife and shouts. He is a bull, I think.’
Smiling, I corrected him. ‘The word you mean is “bully”.’
‘A bully, thank you. The house is very fine, although it needs restoration, but the air? – the atmosphere? – is not happy there. Niko and Irini have very little but they are happy and they have become my friends.’
I was suddenly very proud of him. His values were fine, noble even, and I would not let him down. ‘It will be an adventure, and as long as I am close to you it doesn’t matter where I am.’
The Ariadne lay beached in the silt of the harbour, tilted on her side and frighteningly small.
‘Is it strong enough to go far out to sea?’ I asked fearfully.
‘ She , Olivia, please. Boats are ladies. She is just like all the other fishing boats, look. They have been building boats like these for many, many years and the men who sail them are very knowledgeable about the ocean and the weather. Niko and Dimitrios have been fishing with their fathers since they were children. I am quite safe, my love.’
‘Do you enjoy fishing?’
‘It is a good feeling, to be out in the wind and the waves. And to work in a team, with Niko and Dimitrios. When we have a good catch it takes all our strength to bring it aboard, and we sing songs of the old heroes as we sail home for we know we have done a good day’s work and will feed many people. It is a simple life. It makes Athens seem like another world.’
We climbed down onto the sand and curled up there together. Christos lay with his head in my lap.
‘I fear I must sleep a little,’ he said.
I sat very still so as not to disturb him. How strange it seemed to be sitting on a beach with Christos, so far away from Basingstoke, listening to the seabirds cry and the gentle swooshing of the waves at the mouth of the harbour. I looked down at his curly head and felt so full of love that my body could hardly contain it. I tried not to move so that he should sleep undisturbed.
When he awoke we were both stiff. ‘We need a walk’, he said, ‘and I have somewhere in mind.’
We climbed up from the beach, past Nikos’ house, and on up the steep, winding path to the centre of the little town. The shops were just opening again after their midday closure, and goods were being replaced in doorways.
‘Here’, said Christos, stopping outside a jeweller’s. ‘We need a betrothal ring.’
I caught my breath. He was, after all, quite serious about marrying me. He had never actually asked me, proposed in the traditional English manner, and I had never actually said yes, but here we were, looking at rings.
The window displayed a few watches, some gold necklaces and a selection of rings. ‘Which do you like?’
I was overcome with
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