A Shameful Consequence by Carol Marinelli Read Free Book Online Page B

had juggled, the poor man had to now tell his esteemed guest that his transport would be another fifteen minutes.
    At best.
    ‘Perhaps you would like breakfast while you wait.’
    Nico was about to decline for he never ate breakfast. He operated better hungry, black coffee his only charge till lunchtime, but, yes, he might as well say farewell to his parents.
    Not that they seemed particularly pleased to see him. His mother almost jumped out of her skin when he approached the table.
    ‘Nico!’ Her exclamation was horrified, then rapidly changed to pleasant surprise. ‘I thought you’d left.’
    ‘Clearly not,’ Nico said.
    ‘When?’ His father did not even an attempt to greet him, just demanded to know when he would be gone—and Nico had not, from the day he had turned eighteen, given in to his father’s demands, and he didn’t start now.
    ‘I’m not sure. Perhaps I will do some sightseeing.’ He had no intention, of course, he was just testing their reaction.
    ‘You, sightseeing?’ His mother smiled brightly, but it was so blatantly false that Nico was quite sure he could have leant over and peeled it from her well made-up face. ‘The only views you like are from your yacht or five-star hotel windows.’
    ‘I would like to see more of the island,’ Nico said.
    ‘I’m surprised we never came before—I always thought it was a miserable place …’ Because that was how his parents had described it, Nico realised, over and over. Whenever Xanos had been mentioned, they had turned up their noses, told him it wasn’t worth the time … ‘It’s really quite charming, I’d like to see it for myself.’ His eyes halted whatever was about to come from his mother’s mouth, even his father stayed quiet. ‘Is there a problem?’ Nico never dodged issues.
    ‘Of course not,’ his mother said, far too quickly.
    There was no silver service, his mother was quick to point out, but coffee was quickly brought over to him and Nico took a sip and watched as Constantine stood chatting to some guests as Stavros made his way over and duly took her hand.
    It was not jealousy that assailed him as he watched another man take her hand, it was something far deeper, something that incensed, and perhaps it incensed her, too, for she walked off from her husband. Nico saw her rather pointed drop of his hand as she went over to the breakfast buffet, and that knot of nervousness for her was back in his stomach.
    You don’t mess with these people.
    There were rules and there were ways, hundreds upon thousand of unspoken things that were expected, that were done without question, and there was a tinge of regret for telling Constantine she had choices, when in reality she had none.
    ‘I’m going to get some breakfast.’ He would break his rule for her—and not just about eating. He wentinto his pocket and pulled out his business card, not the one he gave his lovers. Nico had two phone numbers, one for women that rang frequently but was answered rarely and changed all too often, the other number his permanent one.
    ‘Kalimera,’
Nico said for the second time that morning as he joined her at the breakfast buffet.
    ‘Kalimera.’
She answered for herself, she certainly did not need Stavros’s prompting.
    ‘How are you?’ His voice was low and soft and the concern in it almost made her break down.
    ‘Trying to choose …’ And though her eyes wandered over the fruit, they were speaking not about fruit but in their own coded language.
    ‘Be careful.’ His hand was completely steady as he spooned some yoghurt into a bowl, but, as choices went, Connie made the wrong one, blueberries not the best fruit when one’s hand was shaking so.
    ‘Look, Constantine, if you need anything …’
    ‘It’s Connie,’ she muttered, because it was who she was, a girl from a village, the golden child of a family that had made good. And if she did what her heart told her to, then she would surely destroy them.
    ‘Not to me,’ Nico said,