Dark Avenger Page 4

  Suddenly he uttered a loud curse, pressing his horn and at the same time applying his brakes and swerving almost into a low wall at the side of the road. Julie was thrown forward; she straightened up again just in time to see a grinning young man astride a scooter, waving cheerfully to the taxi-driver. On the pillion, sitting sideways, was a smiling young woman with a baby on her knee.

  "How does she stay on?" gasped Julie, noticing that Stamati was still gesticulating even though the scooter and riders had disappeared round another bend in the road.

  "Petros - he a big fool! Did you see way he took that bend?"

  Julie shook her head, explaining that she had been looking out at the scenery from her side window.

  "What happened?" she added, realizing that Stamati had no intention of driving away until he had told her all about it.

  "He come round on wrong side! And his woman on back, and baby! Petros he crash one day!"

  "No, don't say that. If he's such a careless driver then you should talk to him."

  "Talk! " Disgustedly Stamati spread his chubby brown hands.

  "Petros, he no listen to anyone! And his woman, she like riding, but one day they all fall off, and then Petrol learn his big lesson! "

  "I don't know how she could stay on, not sitting like that." The very idea made Julie tingle with fear. But the girl had been as unperturbed as her husband when they passed the taxi, and she might have been sitting in a chair, so comfortable and safe did the baby appear to be.

  "She used to it. Our women not sit like you on scooter."

  "Are we going?" asked Julie, feeling now was the time to change the subject.

  By the time the taxi had slowed down and turned into an unmade cart-track the landscape had become infinitely lonely, the only signs of habitation being the odd white villa high on the hillside, and the magnificent Venetian castle, glimpses of which had been visible through the trees as the taxi wound along a road running close to the sea. The castle had obviously fallen into ruin at one time, but it had been renovated, and it stood, weathered and noble, almost on the edge of the cliff.

  Its views must be superb, thought Julie, quite fascinated by it because she had been given to understand that the Venetian castles on Kalymnos were all in ruins, and it surprised her that anyone would have the money to undertake a restoration such as this.

  Extensive mature grounds enclosed it on all sides except the front, which faced the sea. There appeared to be a sheer drop on this seaward side, but with the presence of a graceful white yacht lying at anchor only a short distance out Julie surmised that there must at least be a small bay from which a jetty could run to the sea.

  Very near was another island, its summits naked and arid, its presence in such close proximity to the shore creating the impression that the castle was completely surrounded by mountains, as the coast of Kalymnos itself curved at this part into a semi-circle. Colour blazing front the roof betrayed the presence of a garden there.

  What a panorama must be visible from that roof!

  "This is Mr. Doneus's house." Stamati's voice broke into her thoughts and looking out of the other window she saw an unkempt garden and weed-strewn path as Stamati brought his taxi to a standstill outside a dilapidated cottage. Dust swirled up and entered Julie's eyes as Stamati opened the door for her to step out of the car.

  "How much do I owe you?" she asked, taking her purse from her handbag.

  "Forty drachmae, madam." Stamati lifted her suitcase from the back seat and placed it on the ground beside her, his eyes darting first to the door of the cottage and then to the window.

  No one was about - much to his disappointment, or so it seemed to Julie.

  "Thank you. It doesn't matter about the change."

  "Efharisto pare poli - many thanks, madam."

  "Good morning, and thank you again."

  "I enjoy do this, madam."

  The shabby appearance of the dwelling in which Doneus lived was reassuring to Julie who, ever since leaving England, had been faintly worried in case Doneus did not now need the money. Well, he evidently did, and with this conclusion came the assurance that her business with him would be conducted without delay.

  The inspection of her surroundings was suddenly brought to an end as a large golden Labrador, appearing from somewhere at the back of the house, began barking loudly as it bounded towards her.

  "Jason - ela! " at the sharp, deeply-intoned command the dog stopped, turned immediately and ran back to his master, wagging its tail and continuing to bark as if actually talking to the man.

  He came forward, stooped to pat the dog's head and then straightened up. He wore a sweater similar to those of the men Julie had seen on the quay - and there the resemblance ended, the picture she had formed in her mind being swept away as she tilted her head right back to look into a severe unsmiling face etched in classical lines, with an out-thrust jaw and clear, very dark skin.

  His features were firm and taut, with deep hollows below high fleshless cheekbones creating the impression of excessive angularity. Straight black brows beneath a low and noble forehead; a full, rather sensuous mouth and eyes that smouldered, dark as charcoal embers. Julie shuddered even while admitting that the face was handsome in some indefinable sort of way. Discordant with this awesome perfection was the raised scar running from his right ear to a spot just above his jaw-bone. Her startled half-scared eyes fluttered downwards, taking in the sinewed litheness of his body; she had the impression of tremendous hidden strength and pictured him diving into the dark waters of the ocean, carrying a large boulder perhaps, so speeding up his descent in order to save his breath for a longer stay on the rocks to which the sponges were adhering.

  "Are you Mr. Lucian?" she managed at last, aware that a hint of amusement had entered those piercing black eyes at her long and disbelieving scrutiny. She had received her first staggering shock; her second came when he spoke to her in perfect, cultured English.

  "I am." The same deeply-toned accents, courteous and vibrantly alive. "You are Julie?" He examined her face, taking in every lovely detail of her features - the aristocratic forehead, high and intelligent, the clear tight skin over delicate contours, the large grey eyes and soft full lips, trembling slightly in spite of her efforts to retain her composure.

  But it was far from easy with those eyes holding hers ... as a viper holds its potential prey. She felt hypnotized, and even while admitting that she was being fanciful she could not help thinking of his name Aidoneus ... the name given by the ancient Greeks to the god of the bleak underworld.

  He was perfectly composed whereas Julie, confronted by a vision so remote from anything she could have envisaged, found herself in a state of unease which both angered and astounded her. Nevertheless, she managed an arrogant lift of her chin at the familiarity.

  "I am Miss Veltrovers, yes."

  Doneus extended a hand; Julie put hers into it and at the contact the most odd sensation shot through her. He retained possession of her hand far longer than was necessary, his grip so firm that her fingers were crushed one against another.

  "How do you do - Julie." Stress on her name; she tried to look haughty and found herself flushing instead. That a mere peasant could cause her such discomfiture was quite unbelievable. Taking her suitcase Doneus made a gesture, inviting her into the house. Reluctantly she stepped in front of him, her heart racing. He was frightening, this man who, despite the testimony of his clothes and the house in which he lived, seemed thoroughly educated. And in addition there was something noble about him, something which set him apart from any man she had ever known. He possessed an air of distinction and superiority, the air of a supreme being ... but then Hades had been a supreme being, Julie remembered, again lapsing into fanciful musings.

  The room into which she was shown instantly became dominated by his presence; he appeared to fill it. The Labrador followed on his heels, looked up, then went to Julie, sniffing at her ankles.

  "Ela!" sharply from Doneus and the dog went to hi
m. "Sit, Jason." Placing Julie's suitcase on a chair Doneus turned to her, asking if he might take her coat. She shook her head.

  "No, thank you." Ridiculous, but she felt somehow that the garment would afford her a degree of protection against this overpowering man. He raised his brows, and she added, "My business will not take long, Mr. Lucian. You know why I am here, and the sooner we get the matter settled the happier I shall be. I've arranged to catch the Lindos, which sails from Kalymnos at three this afternoon."

  Without remarking on this he said, "Please sit down. What refreshment can I offer you - coffee?"

  Julie hesitated before giving a resigned little shrug, and said yes, she would like a cup of coffee.

  "Sit down," invited Doneus again, indicating a chair. Julie glanced at it with faint disdain and he added, still in the same courteous tones, "It's quite clean, Julie ... though not what you've been used to, naturally."

  CHAPTER THREE

  SHE sat down, her eyes on his back as he departed into what she presumed to be the kitchen. Then she made a comprehensive examination of her surroundings. What a hovel!

  Poor furniture and bare tiled floor; a great stone fireplace with black iron pans on the hearth. The walls were whitewashed, the door painted a dark brown with a hole where the handle had once been. On a sideboard bric-a-brac included little stone figures - votive offerings from an ancient grave, she concluded, while hanging on the wall above were two ikons which, because of her sudden feeling of near hysteria, made Julie want to laugh. Beautiful renderings of the Virgin Mary and St. Peter ...here in the home of a man called Aidoneus.

  To her surprise the china was fine and dainty; the tray on which he brought in the coffee was covered with a snow-white cloth, edged with hand-embroidery. Obtained from somewhere for the occasion, she concluded, but the cleanliness made her feel a little more comfortable and as he had brought in a jug of warm milk she was able to have her coffee the way she liked it, while Doneus on the other hand was drinking the thick black liquid known as Turkish coffee.

  "And now, Julie, we can talk." He had seated himself on a chair opposite to her, and the small table stood between them. "You have considered my proposition?" He looked down at Jason as

  he spoke and Julie had the odd conviction that he was deliberately hiding his expression from her.

  "Your proposition, as you call it, is quite ridiculous, Mr. Lucian -"

  "Doneus," he softly interrupted, and irritably she shook her head, a frown creasing her brow.

  "As we shall soon be saying goodbye there's nothing to be gained by adopting familiarities," she began, when once again he interrupted her.

  "I'm under the impression that we are to be married," was his cool rejoinder, and she gestured impatiently with her hand.

  "You really meant that?"

  A small hesitation ... a very strange hesitation in fact before he said, looking at her and once more observing every beautiful line and curve of her features,

  "I really meant it, Julie." Was it imagination - or did she detect a note of uncertainty in his voice?

  "Mr. Lucian, you can't want to marry me. The idea's preposterous in the extreme, we both know that."

  Another pause and then, softly, "Why have you come here, Julie?"

  "Miss Veltrovers," she snapped.

  His black eyes gleamed, hard as obsidian.

  "Why have you come?" he demanded abruptly.

  "To talk about this matter -" She broke off, then took a softer line. "Please don't think I'm insensible to what you suffered all those years ago, Mr. Lucian. But I was then a mere child, and you yourself were very young. In your grief you demanded reparation. But you're older now and - and I just can't believe - What I mean is, having met you and spoken to you I - well, you don't appear to be the sort of man who - who...." She tailed off, with sudden caution, realizing she must find some more diplomatic way of voicing her opinion, but Doneus finished for her, "My - er - manner, shall we say, does not coincide with your concept of a person who could harbour a grudge all that time?" His smooth voice was edged with humour; he seemed inwardly to be amused at some joke of his own.

  "Exactly." Julie gazed into his dark face, noticing the movement at one side, which appeared to be a nerve twitching in the scar.

  How had he come by it? she wondered, again seeing him diving into the deep waters, risking his life each time he did so - his life or some dreadful mangling of his frame, like that suffered by the boy she had seen in Kalymnos. She shuddered at the idea of such perfection as Doneus's being subjected to the hazards of a spongediver's life.

  Would Doneus one day come from the sea like that boy? - all youth and strength torn for ever from his magnificent body?

  Julie's thoughts went out to the wives and children and mothers of these brave men of Kalymnos ... waiting for the ships to return, hearts thudding, anxiously watching every man's face for the one they sought.

  With each homecoming there would be rejoicing for some - heartbreak for others.

  "You flatter me, Julie," Doneus was saying as he reached forward to take his cup and saucer from the table. "But your deductions are wrong - I am capable of harbouring a grudge."

  Over the top of his cup he stared at her as he took a sip of the treacle-like fluid. "I still demand reparation." His face was set, uncompromising. He looked wicked, she thought - evil almost.

  And yet, conversely, his very air of superiority seemed to place him above the threat which had resulted in her being here, and once again. she told herself that there was something she did not understand.

  "My uncle has sent you some money," she began, involuntarily glancing round the room, an action which brought the first real glint of anger to her companion's eyes. "He's very sorry for what occurred." Her voice had trailed away to a mere whisper because a feeling of in-adequacy and helplessness was stealing over her like a cloud blotting out the sun.

  Sitting here, opposite to Doneus, it seemed incredible that she should have set out from England with the optimistic expectancy of meeting an ineffectual peasant who would accept the money offered without the least hesitation. Instead, she found herself confronted by such magnificence that it was only with the greatest difficulty that she was managing to maintain some small degree of her inherent poise.

  "There's no need to try to shield your uncle," Doneus was saying, his tones matching the hardness of his gaze. "But you ...? You have a softer heart, I think?" A small silence fell on the room, broken when Jason, one elbow thudding against a chair leg, began to scratch himself. "Jason - ti simveni? What is wrong with you today? Where are your manners?"

  Jason cocked an ear at this strange language, spoken for Julie's benefit, but he went to his master just the same, resting his head on his knee. Did Doneus live quite alone here - with just this dog for companionship? Julie wondered. If that were so then he must be exceedingly lonely during the seven months of the year when he was unemployed.

  "How have you reached the conclusion that I have a soft heart?" she asked curiously, her gaze on the long lean hand idly stroking the Labrador's head.

  Across the table Doneus stared at Julie, lazily through half-closed eyes. And then, surprisingly, the glimmer of a smile curved the outline of his lips.

  "Your eyes, Julie, are all-revealing." He paused a moment, watching the delicately-fluctuating colour in her cheeks - the effect of his softly-spoken words. "They tell me that you are very different both from your uncle and his son."

  "I don't wish to be thought above them, Mr. Lucian," she returned, her eyes falling to his hand again as for some reason she recalled that strange sensation passing through her when it had so firmly enclosed hers.

  "Very commendable, Julie. I'm glad you've made me that answer. Your unaffected charm delights me -" He broke off, and actually laughed at her expression. "Don't tell me you're unused to flattery," he ended, still considerably amused by her embarrassment.

  Julie lowered her head; the situation was becoming far too intimate, she decided, wondering if su
ch outspokenness was a normal characteristic of the average Greek. Determinedly she edged a little coolness into her voice as she began to remind Doneus that they were straying from the subject, but she had not progressed very far when he interrupted her, choosing to disregard what she had said.

  "Incidentally, the photograph in the magazine did not do you justice." His firm lips twitched, but this time he did not laugh at her expression as she swiftly raised her head to look at him.

  "The reality far exceeds the picture in beauty -"

  "Mr. Lucian, can we talk business?" she cut in, angry with herself for flushing under this man's flattery.

  She wanted to escape, to move out of this room into the air and sunshine, because an understanding of her quickened heartbeats eluded her and because of this all-enveloping emotional intensity which defied all logic or reason. "Are you going to accept the money we are offering you?"

  His eyes flickered strangely; she knew for sure that he read her mind and at the realization a quivering chill crept along her

  spine, for knowledge in the possession of a man like this meant power.

  "What reason have you for surmising that I'll be willing to accept silence money?" he inquired in cold contemptuous tones.

  "The money is offered as reparation, Mr. Lucian."

  "Rather belated, isn't it?" was Doneus's sarcastic rejoinder as he leant back in his chair, one hand remaining on Jason's head.

  Julie's flush spread and Doneus's eyes widened with admiration and ... could it be desire?

  "Mr. Lucian," she persevered, "I am here to make you an offer - not that money can compensate for your loss, but I'm sure you can use it profitably -"

  "How much are you offering me?" he interrupted curiously.

  "Five hundred pounds."

  "Five hundred pounds! " he ejaculated. "Five hundred pounds! But how very generous of your uncle." A thoughtful pause followed before Doneus added, "Are you quite sure Sir Edwin can afford to pay me such a sum?"

  An odd note in his voice prompted her to, ask, looking suspiciously at him, "Have you any reason to believe that my uncle cannot afford to pay you five hundred pounds, Mr. Lucian?"