Page 19 of Vows of Revenge

Kassia nodded.

‘Let’s sit outside, and decide where to go next,’ he went on, leading the way to one of the several eateries Blenheim offered—this one with outdoor seating in a courtyard leading to the gardens beyond.

They chatted amiably over a light but tasty lunch of soup and a sandwich for her, and traditional English sausages, mash and gravy for Damos, which he ate with relish. They rounded off the meal with coffee and a selection from the bakery.

‘It’s nice that you don’t feel the need to calorie-count,’ Damos said, and smiled as Kassia finished off her rich brownie.

She made a face. ‘One of the perks of being a piece of string!’ she said lightly.

‘String?’

She gave a little shrug. ‘It’s what my father always calls me. A piece of string.’

Damos’s eyes narrowed. ‘Tell me,’ he said, ‘you’re taller than he is, aren’t you?’

Kassia looked surprised. ‘Well, yes—but then I’m taller than a lot of men. You’re one of the few exceptions—’ She broke off, not wanting to be too personal. ‘My mother, by contrast, is petite,’ she went on. ‘She always says—’

She broke off again.

‘She always says...?’ Damos prompted.

Kassia gave another shrug. ‘She always says she thought I’d never stop shooting up. That I must take after her grandfather.’

Into her head came her mother’s familiar next words.

‘Of course, for a man it doesn’t matter, being so tall...’

Her mother would have loved her to be petite and curvaceous, as she herself was. To be pretty and ultra-feminine simply for Kassia’s own sake. Her father, by contrast, had she been possessed of such beauty, would have doubtless touted her off in fashionable circles and probably tried to marry her off to someone he could make use of. Another businessman...a politician—it wouldn’t have mattered who to her father, so long as the marriage benefited himself. Her own preference would have been irrelevant to him.

At least her lack of looks protected her from that kind of pressure. That was something to be grateful for, she thought ironically. Except that now...

She gave a silent sigh. A man like Damos Kallinikos was used to having only beautiful and glamorous women at his side, and she knew that for the first time in her life she would have loved to be in that league. She sighed again. She was yearning for something that was impossible...quite impossible.

She became aware that Damos was looking at her speculatively, with a look in his eyes she hadn’t seen before. She wondered at it. But then it was gone.

He picked up his coffee cup, draining it. ‘Time to hit the gardens,’ he said. ‘How about starting with the water terraces? They’re the closest.’

‘Sounds good.’

Kassia smiled. She was glad of the change of subject—talking about herself had made her feel self-conscious, and not in a good way. Exploring Blenheim’s glorious gardens would be far more pleasant.

They made their way out of the courtyard and took the path leading to the upper water terrace, adjacent to the west front of the palace. It was certainly impressive, and they wandered leisurely along the paths around the ornate stone ponds. Kassia paused for a moment to trail her fingers in the cool water, and Damos did likewise, having turned back the cuffs of his shirt beforehand. Kassia tried not to let her gaze linger on the lean strength of his wrists, or the square solidity of his hands. Hands, she supposed must have hauled up sails and set rigging and done any amount of hard manual labour in their time.

Now, though, an expensive watch snaked around his lean, strong wrist.

‘Don’t let that get wet!’ she exclaimed warningly.

Damos glanced at her. ‘Waterproof to three hundred metres,’ he said. ‘I could wear it scuba diving if I wanted.’

‘Do you?’ she asked, perching herself on the wide stone rim of the fountain. ‘Scuba dive, I mean? Not wear a zillion-euro watch while you do it.’

‘No,’ he said. He perched himself beside her. ‘I haven’t the time.’

‘That’s a shame. Now that you’ve made money, could you not relax more?’

She’d meant what she’d said. But her thoughts went back to what he’d said about ambition. Maybe he felt he still hadn’t made enough money? Maybe he was determined to be richer still? Was he still chasing his next achievement?

A sideways look came her way. ‘Isn’t that what I’m doing now? Relaxing...taking time out to be a tourist?’

---