The Santorini Summer by Christine Shaw Read Free Book Online Page A

foreign food, were to be tolerated only when abroad. Just as the medieval world believed that the sun revolved around the Earth, so she believed that the world revolved around England and the English.
    Christmas came and went. My mother and I tried to enjoy Christmas lunch together, but I knew she was missing my father and it was all a horrible strain. I spent Boxing Day at Daddy’s new flat, Susan tactfully absenting herself by visiting her parents. I was grateful for this because I really did not know how to conduct myself with her and felt conflicted in my loyalties. Daddy gave me some lovely pearl earrings but, far more importantly, a cheque. Ever since I returned to England, I had begun saving earnestly –I had to finance my trip to Athens somehow.
    Then, with the arrival of Sping came the letter that changed everything.
    ‘Olivia, my love, such a thing has happened! I have an invitation from Syridon Marinatos himself to work on the dig at Akrotiri! Professor Saridakis has arranged everything for me. I will work there in August. There will be no pay, so I must fund myself, but what an opportunity! A friend of mine at university has a cousin who is a fisherman in Oia on Santorini. I will work for him some weeks to earn money, and then I will go down to Akrotiri. But, my darling, you are not to suppose that this will spoil our time together. I have worked out a plan for us. You must come to Santorini and we will spend all the summer together. First at Oia, and then at Acrotiri, and when Marinatos sees what a knowledgeable archaeologist you are, perhaps you can be my assistant. What do you think of this plan? Santorini is truly beautiful, you will love it, I promise.’
    If telling my mother I wanted to spend the summer in Athens with the family of a young man I had met on Crete was impossible, going off alone with him to Santorini, an island I knew she had never heard of, was inconceivable. But Christos was so excited about working with his hero Marinatos.
    ‘You will fly first to Athens, my Olivia, and take a taxi to Piraeus. There you must ask for the boat to Santorini. It will bring you to Fira, and I will meet you there and take you to Oia. Will you do this, my darling? Are you brave enough to travel alone? I must see you soon. I long for you.’
    I knew my mother would never allow it. So there was absolutely no point in asking.
    But I was definitely going. I was planning to be deceitful, to spin a whole web of lies if I had to, because I needed to see Christos. My trip to Crete with Professor Margerison had gone well, without any of the disasters my mother had imagined would happen. My paper on Knossus had gained top marks, thanks to Christos’ knowledge. If I were to say that I had been invited to spend the summer at Knossus again, surely my mother would think it worthwhile. And she would assume I was going with the Professor again, in a group, with all the arrangements as before. Could I get away with it?
    I wrote to my mother that another trip to Knossus was planned for the summer holidays. (True) I wrote that the Professor handpicked the students she would take. (True) I said I had been asked. (Untrue – the Professor liked to give different students the chance each year.) I asked if I might go.
    My mother replied that she thought it was an honour to be asked again. She said it had proved a very useful experience for me and highly educational. She herself had thought of going to Scotland for a few weeks, to spend time with my Aunt Audrey. I could tell the Professor yes.
    So easy. I had a passport, I had my Cretan clothes, my mother paid for my return ticket to Athens, and I had saved enough to pay my way in Santorini. I wrote to tell Christos the date of my arrival in Athens. He replied that he would meet every boat from Piraeus after that date. I gave no thought to what the arrangements would be in Oia. I thought of nothing but seeing Christos again.
    I had done my homework on Santorini. I knew about its