At least the visit had cleared her mind, shown her the
falseness of her relationship with Peter. She might have
married him and been disastrously unhappy.
England was oddly noisy when they got to London.
Traffic deafened her. People were frighteningly busy and
bustling. Cars hooted, pavements were crowded. It was a
nightmare.
How quickly one became accustomed to the peace and
quiet of an island like Kianthos, she thought. She had lived
in an urban atmosphere for most of her life, yet after only
two weeks away, she found her eardrums banging with the
noise, her head aching, her eyes shrinking from the vivid
colours.
It was not that Greeks did not talk loudly. They did. They
shouted at each other, in the kitchen at Kianthos. She had
often heard the servants arguing, discussing, their gestures
and faces lively and dynamic.
But somehow it had all been more good-humoured, less
hurried. The pace of life was different.
Her mother embraced her warmly, held her away from
her to stare. “My goodness, you do look well!”
Kate laughed, “Do I?” She did not think that that was
true. She felt tired and mentally worn.
Then Mrs. Caulfield looked at Sam and exclaimed over
him. Brown, healthy, cheerful, Sam looked the very picture
of health.
Later, Kate explained to her mother that her engagement
was broken. Mrs. Caulfield took it calmly. She did not seem
surprised, nor did she ask questions. Kate was relieved, yet
wondered why her mother took it so well. Mrs. Caulfield