pleasure was mine, believe me. Miss Brandon.' There was a faint trace of an
accent in the deep voice, but it certainly wasn't French. In fact, she didn't know what it
was.
She was moved by a sudden inexplicable uneasiness. She hadn't seen him in the gal ery
before; in fact she would have sworn he hadn't been at the exhibition at al . He was not
the kind of man to be overlooked, even in a crowd, And he knew her name.
She said rather primly, 'I'm afraid the gal ery is closed for the day. Didn't they tel you
so downstairs?'
'I didn't come to look at pictures, Miss Brandon, good as many of these are. I came to
look at you.'
A strange stil ness seemed to encompass her.
She said careful y, suddenly thankful that Hugo with within earshot, 'I'm afraid I don't
understand. Do you—know me? I don't think we've met before?'
'Never—until this moment,' he said. 'But I have seen pictures of your mother when she
was a girl and you are very like her.'
Her voice sharpened. 'What do you want? What are you doing here? Who are you?'
'Such a lot of questions!' There was faint mockery in his voice. 'I'l start with the last.
My name is Damon Leandros. and I am here, quite simply, to persuade you to return to
Greece with me to visit your grandfather.'
'He sent you?' She was rigid with disbelief, then she managed a short laugh. 'And what
role do you fulfil in his exclusive little set-up—one of the heavy mob?'
The words uttered, she wondered almost hysterical y what Hugo would have said if he
could have heard her being so abysmal y rude to a stranger. It was out of character to
say the least, and her only excuse could be this sudden, inexplicable nervousness the
presence of this man was engendering in her. But why should I be nervous? she
demanded inwardly. He can hardly kidnap me bodily.
His eyes narrowed slightly, indicating that her words had got to him, but his tone was
light as he said, 'As I told you, my role is that of persuader. If I was what you imagine,
I would threaten—perhaps even use force, but that's not my way.'
'I suppose I must be thankful for smal mercies.' Helen resisted an impulse to step away
from him. 'But you're wasting your time, Mr. Leandros.'
'You read your grandfather's letter?'
'Of course.'
'Yet you did not reply to it.'
'As you seem to be aware of most of the family secrets —no, I didn't. Mr. Korialis
should recognise the technique. He employed it often enough with my mother's letters
to him.'
He sighed faintly. 'He was afraid that would be the reason for this silence. Would it
make any difference to you to know that he regrets his treatment of your mother?'
'None at al ,' she said tightly. 'Now, we real y are waiting to close for the day, so I'd be
glad if you would leave.'
I'l leave when you do,' he said quite equably. He hitched forward one of the velvet-
Covered chairs and sat down.
'I can have you thrown out, you know,' she said, faltering a little at the thought of
Arthur, their faithful doorman, wel past his prime, being cal ed on to deal with this
muscular Greek who looked at the peak of his virility.
He tutted, his taint smile widening. 'Using your heavy mob. Miss Brandon? But why,
when I've said I intend no strong-arm tactics against you?'
She shrugged, feeling rather foolish, as she guessed he intended. 'Because I've no
intention of waiting here al night while you exercise your powers of persuasion, Mr.
Leandros.'
'Nor do I intend to spend the night here. I'd hoped you might have dinner with me.'
'I'm having dinner with my father,' she said. 'We're very close. You might tel your—
client that'
'My—client also had £ daughter to whom he believed he was very close,' Damon
Leandros said calmly. 'Circumstances can change.'
'And yet he let her die without a word from him,' she said bitterly.
'He didn’t know she was dying, and when he received the news of her death, he
mourned her every day that followed in his heart.'
'He could have written to my
accent in the deep voice, but it certainly wasn't French. In fact, she didn't know what it
was.
She was moved by a sudden inexplicable uneasiness. She hadn't seen him in the gal ery
before; in fact she would have sworn he hadn't been at the exhibition at al . He was not
the kind of man to be overlooked, even in a crowd, And he knew her name.
She said rather primly, 'I'm afraid the gal ery is closed for the day. Didn't they tel you
so downstairs?'
'I didn't come to look at pictures, Miss Brandon, good as many of these are. I came to
look at you.'
A strange stil ness seemed to encompass her.
She said careful y, suddenly thankful that Hugo with within earshot, 'I'm afraid I don't
understand. Do you—know me? I don't think we've met before?'
'Never—until this moment,' he said. 'But I have seen pictures of your mother when she
was a girl and you are very like her.'
Her voice sharpened. 'What do you want? What are you doing here? Who are you?'
'Such a lot of questions!' There was faint mockery in his voice. 'I'l start with the last.
My name is Damon Leandros. and I am here, quite simply, to persuade you to return to
Greece with me to visit your grandfather.'
'He sent you?' She was rigid with disbelief, then she managed a short laugh. 'And what
role do you fulfil in his exclusive little set-up—one of the heavy mob?'
The words uttered, she wondered almost hysterical y what Hugo would have said if he
could have heard her being so abysmal y rude to a stranger. It was out of character to
say the least, and her only excuse could be this sudden, inexplicable nervousness the
presence of this man was engendering in her. But why should I be nervous? she
demanded inwardly. He can hardly kidnap me bodily.
His eyes narrowed slightly, indicating that her words had got to him, but his tone was
light as he said, 'As I told you, my role is that of persuader. If I was what you imagine,
I would threaten—perhaps even use force, but that's not my way.'
'I suppose I must be thankful for smal mercies.' Helen resisted an impulse to step away
from him. 'But you're wasting your time, Mr. Leandros.'
'You read your grandfather's letter?'
'Of course.'
'Yet you did not reply to it.'
'As you seem to be aware of most of the family secrets —no, I didn't. Mr. Korialis
should recognise the technique. He employed it often enough with my mother's letters
to him.'
He sighed faintly. 'He was afraid that would be the reason for this silence. Would it
make any difference to you to know that he regrets his treatment of your mother?'
'None at al ,' she said tightly. 'Now, we real y are waiting to close for the day, so I'd be
glad if you would leave.'
I'l leave when you do,' he said quite equably. He hitched forward one of the velvet-
Covered chairs and sat down.
'I can have you thrown out, you know,' she said, faltering a little at the thought of
Arthur, their faithful doorman, wel past his prime, being cal ed on to deal with this
muscular Greek who looked at the peak of his virility.
He tutted, his taint smile widening. 'Using your heavy mob. Miss Brandon? But why,
when I've said I intend no strong-arm tactics against you?'
She shrugged, feeling rather foolish, as she guessed he intended. 'Because I've no
intention of waiting here al night while you exercise your powers of persuasion, Mr.
Leandros.'
'Nor do I intend to spend the night here. I'd hoped you might have dinner with me.'
'I'm having dinner with my father,' she said. 'We're very close. You might tel your—
client that'
'My—client also had £ daughter to whom he believed he was very close,' Damon
Leandros said calmly. 'Circumstances can change.'
'And yet he let her die without a word from him,' she said bitterly.
'He didn’t know she was dying, and when he received the news of her death, he
mourned her every day that followed in his heart.'
'He could have written to my
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