‘Philip,’ Demetria answered simply. ‘I made him tell me. Stephanos was behaving so strangely—I knew something was up.’
Nikos nodded, not all that surprised. Philip was Stephanos’s right-hand man in the office, and usually the soul of discretion, but he had a soft spot for Demetria and Nikos could just see her badgering him to confirm her suspicions. Silently he cursed the other man—this was definitely one time when ignorance would have been the better option. Demetria just simply didn’t need this kind of heartache right now.
Demetria clutched at his hand again.
‘You will do something, won’t you, Nik? Please—you must—you just must! I can’t talk to Stephanos. I just can’t. He’s trying to be nice to me—but it isn’t working. He’s so strange, so withdrawn. He can’t look me in the eye. It’s that woman’s fault! She’s got him totally in her clutches! She’s one of those whores that use rich men and don’t care what damage they do!’
Her voice was rising once more, and there was a note of hysteria in it. Again Nikos took her hands and squeezed them lightly.
‘She’s got him infatuated with her. I know it. And how can I blame him?’ Her voice broke almost into a sob. ‘Look at me—middle-aged and barren. I’m useless to him—useless! No wonder he doesn’t want me any more.’ A hectic flush spread out over her cheeks and her eyes were anguished.
Silently Nikos reached out a hand and pressed the call button, then leant forward and kissed his sister on the cheek.
‘You are a wife any man would be proud to have. This is nothing but idiocy on Stephanos’s part,’ he told her firmly. He got to his feet and looked down at the stricken woman. ‘Infertility takes its toll on a man, too, Demetria,’ he said quietly. ‘I think this is nothing more than temporary madness—Stephanos will come back to you; I am sure of it.’
Demetria clutched at him again.
‘Get rid of her—Nik. If anyone can get her to leave my Stephanos alone it’s you! Please, for my sake, I beg you. Get her claws out of my husband! Do whatever you have to—whatever it takes.’
The hysteria was definitely identifiable now, and Nikos felt his emotions mount. Demetria was the only family he had left now, since their parents’ death, and he’d seen her through so much unhappiness—so much. He’d seen her through the ordeal of divorcing her first husband, backing her all the way and telling Stephanos not to lose hope, that the woman he loved would free herself if he just stood by her. He would not turn aside now, when their marriage was in such danger, however much of a besotted fool his brother-in-law was being.
Nikos knew exactly what his sister was asking of him. His face tightened and he looked across at her.
‘You can do it, Nik! I know you can.’ There was a terrible hope in her voice now. ‘Women always fall at your feet. Always! Make this one do the same. Make her besotted with you so she leaves my Stephanos alone. Please, Nik, please!’
‘I could speak to Stephanos,’ he said slowly.
His answer was a violent shake of her head, panic in her eyes.
‘No! No! I can’t bear him knowing that I know. I can’t. If you could only just get rid of her, get her claws out of him, he’d come back to me. I know he would. Oh, Nik, please. Please! If I could get pregnant—oh, dear heaven, if I could just get pregnant—then he’d be happy with me again! But if that harpy hangs on to him he’ll never come back to me. Never!’
This was bad, thought Nikos. Demetria should not be upsetting herself like this, not at such a time. She’d been under such strain for so long, her desperation for a child eating into her.
But she was asking him to interfere in her marriage—come between a husband and his wife.
His expression tightened again suddenly. No, she was only asking him to come between a husband and his mistress…
A long, slow breath was exhaled from him as he soothed her hands.
His long lashes lowered over his eyes.
‘What I can do, I will,’ he promised her.
Her expression relaxed a fraction, the hectic look fading a little from her eyes.
‘I knew I could count on you—I knew it!’ There was relief in her voice now—relief and gratitude. ‘You’ll go right away, won’t you, Nik? Won’t you? You’ll go and find her and get her claws out of Stephanos?’
‘Very well.’ His voice was sombre. Then he took another breath, quicker this time. ‘But you, Demi, must promise me that you will start treatment immediately! No more prevaricating. The doctors have told you what can be done—there is considerable hope; you know there is. But these things take time—the doctors must have told you that—and you must delay no more.’ His eyes narrowed suddenly. ‘It might be a good idea,’ he said slowly, ‘to consult a fertility expert abroad—somewhere requiring quite a journey. Say, America. Get your doctor here to recommend someone in America. Tell Stephanos that he is the best and you insist on seeing him—and that he must come too. He will do that for you, I am sure. But I need time, Demi—you understand?’
Her eyes had lit up as she understood what he was suggesting. ‘Sophia’s daughter’s wedding!’ she added suddenly. ‘I told her we couldn’t come—but I think, oh, I really think that we might be able to make it after all. We could go on to Long Island after I’ve seen a consultant in New York.’
The hectic flush was fading now, and hope was filling her again—he could see it. She was speaking rationally—eagerly.
Her brother gave a tight smile.
‘Two weeks. I need at least that long to do what you want,’ he told her. ‘Make sure Stephanos is away from Greece for two weeks. And Demi?’ His eyes were hard. ‘Keep him out of contact with the girl! I don’t want her distracted.’ His eyes hardened even more. ‘Except,’ he finished, his mouth twisting, ‘by me.’
‘Two weeks,’ she promised him. Already her expression was less gaunt, her eyes less haunted. ‘Oh, Nik,’ she cried suddenly. ‘You are the best, the very best of brothers! I knew you would help me. I knew it!’
As he handed Demetria over to the care of a nurse and left the private room, to stride on long legs down the lushly carpeted corridors of the exclusive clinic, his face grew grim. Stephanos was being a fool, all right. Even if he hadn’t been married, and to a wife tormented by infertility, at fifty-two he had no business running after a girl of twenty-five. He was more than twice her age, for heaven’s sake!
His expression darkened even more. But of course men in their fifties trying to recapture their youth were prime meat for girls like the one who had snared his brother-in-law. And if they were rich, as Stephanos Ephandrou undoubtedly was, they were even more attractive.
His eyes took on a cynical light. Well, if it was meat such girls wanted to feed on, then he was primest of the prime! On the Richter scale of desirable protectors he had to score even higher than Stephanos. His wealth was as great as Stephanos’s, he had no inconvenient wife to circumvent, and, best of all, he was nearly twenty years younger than Stephanos.
He gave a cold, sardonic smile. Demetria had known exactly what she was doing when she’d turned to him for help—she knew
