It reminded Kate of a colonial American house,
somewhere in the deep South, and the shady cypresses
which surrounded it did nothing to dispel the illusion The
house stood on a sloping hill, below it a rough path which
presumably led to the sea, for she could glimpse golden
sands and curling blue waves some way below them.
Behind the house she could see green lawns, spring
flowers and the nets of a tennis court.
Before she had time to take more in, Marc was with
them, giving a quiet order to the driver, taking Pallas’s
elbow.
“I am sure you would all like to rest before dinner,” he
said, politely smiling.
A short woman with smooth olive skin, dark hair and
black eyes met them in the entrance hall and took charge
of the visitors.
Peter hung back and Kate heard him say eagerly, “How
soon can I see the temple, do you think?”
She did not wait to hear Marc’s reply. Cross and
flushed, she went up behind Sam to the room prepared for
her.
“My name is Sophia,” said the maid politely. “Please do
not hesitate to ask me for anything you need.” Her English
was so good that Kate was quite taken aback. She had
been wishing that she had had time to learn some Greek
before her trip, but it was becoming clear that she was
unlikely to need it. Everyone in the Lillitos household
seemed to speak very good English.
She hesitantly tried out one of her few hastily learnt
phrases, “Efharisto!” which meant thank you.