Rebecca Winters: The Bridegroom's Vow

He blinked. No doubt Ms. Hamilton had many friends, but the only one he’d ever heard about was Yanni. A compatriot.

Besides cooking him meals in exchange for language lessons, was she his pillow friend? It might explain why she’d chosen not to call Dimitrios on her cell phone to tell him about the change in plans. Particularly not if her tutor were lying next to her having a hard time saying goodbye.

The idea that Ms. Hamilton might have a love life made her more of an enigma than ever because she’d never let it interfere with her work. For quite some time he’d been aware that she wasn’t like most women. That’s why she’d become so valuable to him.

He climbed in the back of the limo. “Let’s go to the airport.”

“Yes, sir.”

Dimitrios unfolded the paper. The first thing he noticed on the front page of the Times was a fantastic shot of three ships. At closer inspection they turned out to be a Viking longboat plus a Greek and a Roman galley moored in the bay of Thessalonica awaiting the fair. A nice-size article accompanied the photo.

He saw Ms. Hamilton’s hand in the write-up. Except to give her the okay on the project, Dimitrios really hadn’t been—

His thoughts were interrupted by the ring of his cell phone. He pulled it from his pocket and checked the caller ID. It was someone from the villa.

“Yassou?”

“Kalimera, Uncle. You are coming home today aren’t you?”

His nephew sounded anxious. “I’m on my way to the airport now.”

“Good. There’s a lot I have to talk to you about.”

“I take it things are still at an impasse with your mother.”

“Yes. She refuses to discuss anything with me when she doesn’t even know what I’m going to say.”

“You and I have been over this before. She’s afraid of losing you, Leon.”

“How do I convince her that couldn’t possibly happen?”

I’m not sure you can. He rubbed his eyes. “Tell you what. Tomorrow morning the three of us will sit down together and talk this out.”

“Thank you. Mother’s much better with you there. Can I pick you up at the airport?”

Dimitrios wasn’t immune to the pleading in his nephew’s voice. “It will be late. I’ll have my secretary with me.”

“Where’s she staying?”

“I’ve booked her at the Mediterranean Palace.”

“No problem. We’ll run her by there on our way home, but it may take us a while. The traffic’s horrendous. You’re going to be surprised at what you see when you get here. The city’s been transformed while you’ve been in New York.”

“I’m looking forward to viewing the finished product.”

“Besides all the booths that have gone up, the buildings and churches, even the White Tower is festooned with pennants and medieval banners. The city’s been invaded with people, and there are six ships in port now.

“Wait till you get a look at the Egyptian barge from Cleopatra’s time on loan for the event! Five days aren’t going to be enough for people to see everything.”

“I think five days is about all our fair city will be able to handle.”

“That’s what Vaso said. We had lunch with some government officials from the prime minister’s office who were looking around yesterday. They said they’d never seen anything like this in their lifetime. The praise for you is pouring in already and the fair hasn’t even started yet.”

“My secretary will be gratified to hear it. She’s the mastermind behind the entire concept.”

“You’re just saying that because you never like to take credit for anything.”

“No. If you don’t believe me, I’ll have Ms. Hamilton show you the contents of her portfolio after we get there.”

“I’m glad you’re coming home, Uncle.”

“Me, too. See you soon.”

Dimitrios clicked off.

One look at her artwork and Leon wouldn’t believe his eyes. The drawings were remarkable. When everything was over he intended to have the first sketch framed for his office.

As his private jet came into view, his cell phone went off again. “Leon? Obviously you forgot something important.”

“It’s Ananke.”

Dimitrios should have known better than to answer that way, but his mind had been on Ms. Hamilton.

“Yassou, Ananke.”

“It doesn’t surprise me my son reached you before I did,” she began without preamble. “I have to know—Is he willing to stay in school one more semester? Please tell me yes,” she cried.

Her desperation found a vulnerable spot inside Dimitrios. He wasn’t exactly enchanted by the bombshell his nephew had dropped on them.

“I’m still working on it.”

“How soon are you coming home?”

“Late tonight. I told Leon we’d all sit down and discuss this in the morning.”

“Thank you.” Her voice trembled.

“Ananke? Just remember, there’s only so much I can do.”

“You can stop him!”

Dimitrios heaved a sigh. “If this is his destiny, then no earthly power will make a difference.”

The sobbing on her end meant the conversation was over, for the time being, anyway.

He undid his seat belt. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he murmured before ringing off.

As the vehicle pulled to a stop, Dimitrios levered himself from the back of the limo and hurried up the steps of the plane.

“Kalimera, Kyrie Pandakis.”

Instead of his pilots or his steward speaking to him in Greek, it was Ms. Hamilton who greeted him in his native tongue as he entered the plane. It was a first for her. She never failed to surprise him.

“Kalimera,” he said back to her, relieved she was here.

“Hero poli.”

“It’s nice to see you, too.” He responded in Greek once more, impressed by this latest display of her many talents. She’d spoken with barely a trace of accent. Continuing in the same language he said, “Shall we carry on this fascinating conversation after we’ve fastened ourselves in?”

“I’m sorry.” She reverted to English. “I didn’t understand anything else you said after you told me it was nice to see me, too.”

Her honesty was so refreshing, he burst out laughing. For a moment it dispelled the cloud that had enveloped him since his nephew had confided in him.

The rest of his crew welcomed him aboard, but he was barely aware of them as he gave the nod to prepare for takeoff.

“What I just said to you, Ms. Hamilton, was that I was looking forward to a lengthy discussion in Greek, but thought it would be wise to strap ourselves in first so the pilot can do his job.”

“Oh.” She took the seat opposite him and fastened her seat belt. “I’m afraid you’ve heard my full repertoire until we reach Greece. Then I’ll impress you by asking where the post office is, how much does a stamp cost, that sort of thing.”

His chuckle got lost in the scream of the jet engines.

After a smooth liftoff it didn’t take long until the plane had attained cruising speed and they could unstrap themselves.

Out of the periphery he saw that she already had her nose in the notebook she called her bible. He noticed it went everywhere with her.

“Your friend didn’t mind bringing you to the airport so early?”

She lifted her head. “Yanni’s on his way to Athens, so it worked out fine.”

“To be with family?”

“That, and to attend the fair.”

The steward chose that moment to serve them tea. Dimitrios thanked him, then sat back in his seat, wondering why her answer mattered. It was none of his business if she planned to be with her lover in Thessalonica.

As soon as the brew had cooled, he took a long swallow. It was so delicious he drank the rest without pause, then requested more.

Speaking in Greek, he complimented his steward who murmured in the same language, “She brought it on board. Insisted on steeping it herself.”