Aphrodite's Island Read Free Page B

both said ‘Good morning’ in an unnatural, formal way. Then he said, ‘Thank you for coming. I was afraid you might have changed your mind. I hardly slept a wink last night for worrying about it.’
    I lifted my chin. ‘Do you mean that you thought I wouldn’t keep my word?’
    He looked so confused that I wanted to laugh. ‘No, no! I didn’t mean it like that. I was just afraid that you might have decided it was—well, a mistake.’
    I said, ‘It probably is a mistake – but I’m here anyway.’
    He smiled then, and I smiled back and after that things felt easier.
    He said, ‘I left the jeep round the corner. I thought it would be less conspicuous.’
    As we walked I asked him how it was that he always managed to have a jeep to drive around in and he grinned.
    ‘I’m supposed to be in Military Intelligence. It means I’m allowed to go wandering round the island poking my nose in wherever I find something interesting. My superiors haven’t twigged yet that what interests me isn’t necessarily anything that might be useful to them.’ Then his grin faded. ‘Mind you, if we have any more incidents like what happened yesterday in Famagusta I may find it harder to get away. You heard about that?’
    ‘Yes,’ I said. ‘I heard.’
    When we got to the jeep he said, ‘Where shall we go?’
    The question took me by surprise. I had expected him to decide. He saw that I was lost for an answer and went on, ‘I don’t know the island well enough yet. I thought you might be able to suggest somewhere quiet – somewhere we’re not likely to run across anyone you know. That would be best, wouldn’t it?’
    I was thinking hard. ‘Have you ever been to the little church of St Antiphonitis?’
    ‘I don’t think so.’
    ‘You would remember if you had. I’ll take you there.’
    We drove back towards Kyrenia and I kept my scarf pulledround my face. It was difficult to talk because of the noise of the engine and the wind whipping past our ears but I was glad of that. All I could think of was that I, a Greek girl, was riding alone with an English officer. Once we were stopped at a roadblock but when the soldiers manning it saw Stephen’s uniform they saluted and waved us through. I looked back as we drove away and saw them grinning and pointing and realized how easy it is for a girl to lose her reputation.
    I told him not to take the main road, but the one which crosses the mountains to the east of Kyrenia. When we got to the top of the pass, I directed Stephen off onto the narrow mountain road that winds along the top of the ridge. Soon we were deep among the trees, where only the occasional forester goes, or a villager searching for firewood or a lost sheep. We were truly alone now but I was not afraid anymore. I knew that Stephen would never harm me.
    After we had bumped along the track for some time, he looked at me and said with a laugh, ‘Where is this place? I don’t believe it exists.’
    ‘It does,’ I said. ‘Truly! Be patient, it’s only a little bit further.’
    He took his hand off the wheel and touched mine. ‘It’s all right, I trust you. I know you wouldn’t lead me into an ambush.’
    The words were spoken lightly but then he looked away and said nothing for a while and I knew he was thinking similar thoughts to my own. He was thinking how very foolish we were both being, in the eyes of the rest of the world.
    We came to a point where the track widened enough to turn a car.
    ‘Stop here,’ I said. ‘We have to walk the last bit.’
    I led him down the steep, rocky path into the clearing where the tiny church stood, completely hidden among the trees.
    ‘This is incredible!’ he exclaimed. ‘I should never have found this on my own.’
    I pushed open the heavy wooden door and he followed me inside. For a moment or two we were both blinded by the suddentransition from sunlight to the dim interior. Then I heard him draw in his breath in amazement.
    ‘It’s so beautiful! All these