must tell you some time.”
“How long have your family lived here?” she asked.
“Off and on for generations, I believe. My great-
grandfather was a fisherman who left the island for the
mainland when there was bad fishing for several years. My
grandfather was successful enough to build up a good
business and my father bought the island thirty years ago.
He built this house.”
“Sophia said you learnt your English at school,” she
said. “Was that in England?”
He nodded. “My mother is French, but English schools
are famous all over the world, so they decided to send me
to England, and then to a French university.”
She was startled. “Oh, you were at university?”
His dark face was suddenly alight with laughter. “That
surprises you? You thought I was illiterate, I suppose?”
Kate flushed. “I hadn’t thought about it,” she said
offhandedly.
“Well, I left without taking a degree, in fact, because my
father was ill, and I had to take over the business. Then
he died, so I carried on. I have often regretted it, but that
is fate!”
She watched him curiously. His face had a fatalistic look
as he said the last words. “Do you believe that?”
His brows rose. “In fate? Of course.” His tone was
suddenly brusque, as though he disliked the subject.
“Why have you never allowed anyone to visit the temple
before?” she asked him after a long silence.
“My father would never have strangers on Kianthos. He
felt that they would spoil it. There are so few roads that it