She was so conscious of the insignificance of her own position, and she could not help but wonder what his relations were with Athene Siametrou, and whether a man like this could possibly care about the moral obligations of his son.
He took out a slim platinum case, extracted a cheroot, and placing it between his teeth he lit it before speaking. Then he walked lazily across the room to where Dallas was sitting, feeling as though her knees were about to start knocking together. His eyes were appraising and she felt apprehensive.
Athene Siametrou rose to her feet again. She had subsided on to the divan earlier, but with Alexander Stavros’s entrance she became animated once more. With a husky, entreating tone in her voice she said something swiftly in Greek, or so Dallas surmised, and gazed up into Alexander Stavros’s eyes.
Stavros shook his head abruptly, and said: ‘Speak English, Athene. Our visitor cannot understand you.’ His expression was sardonic. ‘But I understand you very well, and you understand me, and therefore there will be no more talk of our engagement this evening. Yes?’ He looked down at Dallas thoughtfully, before continuing: ‘I had thought I mentioned that you should go. Why are you still here?’
Dallas shivered. She thought that if ever he spoke to her like that, in that cold, almost hateful voice, she would curl up inside. But Athene merely sighed herself, and said:
‘You are a pig, darling.’ She looked down at Dallas condescendingly. ‘Take it easy, Miss Collins. You are dealing with complete ruthlessness … on occasion. On other occasions he can be quite … charming.’ She laughed, and swept up the steps to the entrance where she lifted a dark-brown fur, and slung it carelessly about her shoulders. ‘Goodbye, darling! See you soon!’
She went out, closing the door with a flourish, and causing a mild chuckle from Stephanos Karantinos’s direction.
Dallas sipped her drink, avoiding Alexander Stavros’s eyes as he seated himself opposite her, legs apart, his hands hanging loosely between.
‘Now,’ he said, his eyes intent. ‘You are Miss Collins.’
Dallas looked up. ‘Yes, I’m Dallas Collins.’
Alexander Stravos nodded, and then glanced across at Stephanos. ‘Get me a drink!’ he said. ‘You know what.’
Stephanos straightened up from his lounging position near the window and walked across to the cocktail cabinet which occupied one corner of the room.
‘And what is your objection to your sister going out with my son?’ Stavros asked, drawing on his cheroot.
Dallas stubbed out her cigarette in a nearby ashtray, playing for time. Now that it had come to the point she felt bereft of reasons.
‘I … well … Jane is an impressionable child. Paris’s attentions are destroying all her girlish ways. She has become avaricious and discontented.’
‘Oh, come now!’ Stavros’s face mirrored his amusement. ‘You can’t possibly blame this on my son!’
‘But I do!’ Dallas’s confidence returned at his attitude. ‘Jane was quite contented to live the kind of life she has always lived until she started dating your son. Naturally, he moves in a different circle from her, the girls have more clothes, more money, they can do as they like, they don’t have jobs to do all day like Jane.’
Alexander Stavros shrugged his broad shoulders. ‘Surely your sister is quite capable of seeing these things for herself.’
‘Jane takes Paris seriously! She really believes that people from different walks of life, different backgrounds, can meet on equal terms if they love one another!’
‘And I take it you do not.’ Stavros’s tone was derisive.
Dallas flushed. ‘Do you?’
Stavros rose to his feet before replying. When he did he ignored her question. ‘Tell me, Miss Collins, have you ever been in love?’
‘I … of course!’
‘So it is not a question of jealousy, so far as your sister is concerned?’
‘Jealousy?’ Dallas stood up now. ‘How dare you?’
Stephanos Karantinos handed Stavros his drink, and at his employer’s nod left the room.
Dallas walked to the steps, standing down her half-empty glass.
‘It seems I’m wasting my time,’ she said, coldly, fortified by her own anger at his words. ‘Goodbye, Mr. Stavros!’
‘Wait!’ Stavros swallowed half his drink, and turned away. ‘It was only a thought, one which I didn’t place any faith in, anyway.’ He seemed preoccupied for a moment. ‘Have you asked your sister to stop meeting Paris?’
‘Of course.’
‘And she refuses?’
‘Yes.’
Stavros shook his head. ‘And what do you expect me to do?’
‘Well, obviously, you are his father. Your control over him must be practically absolute.’
‘Not necessarily, although I will admit that I control his income, and without his income Paris is less … shall we say … effective.’ He smiled, rather sardonically, Dallas thought. ‘It is certainly an original experience for me to meet someone with apparently such little regard for money. Most of my acquaintances judge everything by the price for which it can be bought. This applies to people as well as things. A less, shall I say, conscientious person than yourself might see in this situation a chance to inveigle money out of it.’
Dallas stiffened. ‘As you say, I am not that kind of person!’
Stavros walked lazily across to the apartment windows, and looked down on the fairyland of lights that was London spread out below him.
‘Don’t be so quick to sense offence, Miss Collins,’ he said dryly. ‘You created this situation, I did not.’ He leaned back against the window frame. ‘Tell me about your background. What do you do?’
Dallas’s cheeks burned again. ‘What I do is not important.’
‘No, but I am interested.’
Dallas sighed. ‘Well, I’m a teacher.’
‘Is that so?’ His expression resumed its amused appearance. ‘You do not look like any schoolteacher of my acquaintance.’
‘Appearances can be deceptive,’ said Dallas shortly.
‘Yes, I’ll accept that. And is that your whole ambition? To be a teacher, I mean.’
Dallas resented this questioning, but could see no way to avoid it if she wanted Alexander Stavros to use his influence on her behalf. She felt certain he was aware of this, too, and was merely amusing himself by seeing how far she was prepared to go to answer his queries.
Now she said: ‘Naturally, I want to get married. Have a family.’
‘So? And there is a
