Page 38 of Greek's Temporary Cinderella

No, now it was less her beauty that held him—more her expression. He wanted to read it—be reassured by it.

‘It was a good place to live out his life,’ she answered now, her tone ruminative. ‘There is always peace to be found in a garden.’

There was a softness in her eyes, as if she were thinking of more than Monet’s garden.

‘The garden at your father’s villa was beautiful, as I remember,’ he heard himself saying.

‘Yes, it was always a comfort to him—as was the villa itself. He loved them dearly. I was always glad—’

She broke off, busying herself with breaking open her bread roll as they waited for their food to arrive.

‘Glad?’ he prompted.

She lifted her eyes and looked across at him. ‘Glad he was able to end his days there.’

‘Were you able to be with him?’

‘Yes—Jonas granted me that, and I was grateful. After his stroke, my father...lingered...for two months. I stayed there for the duration.’

Leandros’s eyes rested on her. There was a sadness in her face now, and he felt it pull at him.

‘I...I heard that the villa will now pass to Damian’s cousin.’ He felt uncomfortable saying it, but he did not mean it cruelly. Just the reverse.

Her marriage had not been easy. For whatever venal reason she’d made it, she had paid a high price for the rich living that was so important to her that she could not do without it.

She could not face poverty—even with me to share it with. She wanted what she was born to, and the threat of losing it made her reject me.

‘Yes. Vassily will get it now—unless Jonas sells it, or pulls it down and replaces it with something modern, then sells that at a greater profit still. It’s his business, after all, and how he made his money. Construction.’

‘Or destruction,’ Leandros riposted tightly. ‘I only visited once, but it deserves keeping—whoever owns it.’

Leandros frowned again. Her father-in-law had driven a hard bargain when Eliana had married his son.

But it gave her what she wanted—she lived the high life with Damian.

Even if a celibate one...

A childless one.

He looked at her. ‘Did you never think to give Jonas the grandchild he was set on? Even if Damian was gay, there was always the choice of conceiving through IVF and so on.’

She shook her head. ‘Damian didn’t want that,’ she said.

She spoke calmly enough, but her expression was evasive. Leandros studied it.

‘And you didn’t want a child either?’ he asked. ‘A child would have ensured that you would still be part of Jonas’s family now—he would not have cast you off as he has. Reduced you to the poverty I found you in.’

She didn’t answer. The waitress came up with their dishes, placing them down in front of them, then heading off again. The moment passed, and Leandros let it. What point was there in probing Eliana’s marriage? He would not disturb the day. There had been revelations enough last night—confusion and complexities. Today he wanted only ease and peace and Eliana at his side.

To pass the day as they were doing.

Companionably.

That word came again, just as it had come to him over breakfast, and then as they’d headed down river to take their leisurely, easy, peaceful cruise to Giverny, to explore the magical gardens of Monet’s water lilies away from the cares and troubles of life, whether past or present.

He got stuck into his steak frites—simple, traditional French food—and washed it down with table wine, robust and drinkable. Eliana was eating fish, nothing delicate or sauced, but a grilled fillet of white fish, served with pommes parmentier and green beans.

He turned the conversation back to Monet, and to what they had seen.

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