Bride by Day

by Rebecca Winters

  Her mind doted on him continually. She’d memorized every adorable, wonderful, awesome, stem, reflective mannerism, especially the habit he had of absently rubbing his scar. The wound served as a part of the total man. But each time he made the gesture, Sam feared his anguished soul was remembering Sofia, longing for her.

  If it meant he would stop thinking about her, she’d encourage Perseus to have it removed. To her mind, however, she wouldn’t change one centimeter of him. He filled all the secret niches of her heart. He—

  “We’ve arrived, Samantha. I give you my solemn oath you have nothing to worry about. Simply follow my lead.”

  She sucked in her breath and flashed him a bright, determined smile. “If I’m worried about anyone, it’s you. I—” Her voice caught. “I realize you haven’t seen her for twenty years. I just want you to know I’m praying for you.”

  He reached for her hand and kissed the palm, turning her bones to liquid. “Bless you,” she heard him whisper in a husky tone.

  The Leonidas villa was located in the heart of Livadi. The small, attractive dwelling built in Cycladic style Perseus explained, was chosen for its accessibility to the patients from town as well as the circle of islands for which the Cyclades had derived their name.

  With one hand at her elbow, Perseus helped her from the car. Together they walked the short distance to the front door bordered by flowering bougainvillia.

  “Kyrie Kostopoulos,” a short, balding old man cried when he opened the door and saw Perseus. His leathery face was wreathed in a huge smile as the two men reached for each other and hugged. Soon the man was weeping, muttering rapid Greek into Perseus’s ear. It warmed Sam’s heart to witness such a happy reunion.

  “Georgio, this is my wife, Samantha,” he explained in English for Sam’s benefit she was sure. “Darling?” he said in a quiet aside, the endearment falling from his lips so naturally she couldn’t countenance it. “Georgio has been with the Leonidas family for a good thirty years. He was one person who truly made me feel welcome here.”

  “I’m very happy to meet you, Georgio.” Sam extended her hand which he shook with enthusiasm.

  “Come in. Come in. The doctor is confined to his bed in the study now. This is not one of his good days, but he refuses to rest until he sees you. Sofia wishes a moment of your time first. You’ll find her in the salon.”

  “Thank you, Georgio.”

  Whatever private thoughts were running through his head, Perseus gave no indication of his feelings. That superb control he possessed in abundance was in full evidence as he put a hand to her back and ushered her from the foyer to the next room which turned out to be an attractively furnished sitting room.

  As soon as they had entered, Sam saw a tall, voluptuous, raven-haired woman step into the room from the other side. Sofia. Sam’s thought was that she looked like a modern-day Carmen.

  Though dressed in a tailored white, two piece suit, it seemed to emphasize her magnificent body and long tanned legs. She looked wildly exotic and utterly beautiful. She also looked like a woman who had suffered. Still, she was the kind of woman no man could ever forget...

  Her liquidy black eyes didn’t notice Sam. “Perseus,” she cried softly, all the love and longing she felt for him throbbing to life in that one word.

  Suddenly a torrent of Greek broke from her lips, but Perseus bit out something else in kind which stopped her.

  “Sofia.” He spoke with such enviable calm, Sam was staggered. “May I present my wife, Samantha. She doesn’t speak a lot of Greek yet, but she’s learning. Therefore I ask that you speak English in front of her.”

  The woman was obviously in pain. Sam could feel it, and she had it in her heart to feel sorry for her.

  “How do you do,” she murmured, but her eyes didn’t leave Perseus’s face. “I was hoping I might be able to talk to you in private. Please.”

  It took all Sam’s strength not to turn to Perseus and beg him to grant Sofia that much.

  “I’m married, Sofia.” As if to emphasize that fact, he slid his hands over Sam’s shoulders, squeezing gently. “My wife and I have no secrets from each other.”

  A wave of guilt assailed Sam, piercing her to the very core of her being because Sam had refused to confide in Perseus about her father.

  “There’s so much to say,” the other woman lamented. “I hardly know where to begin. But before that, I have to beg your forgiveness.” At this point the tears were rolling down her cheeks.

  “I forgave you a long time ago, Sofia.”

  Again Sam marveled at his cool aplomb in the face of such a traumatic situation.

  “I know there’s no forgiveness for what I did. You’re disfigured because of me. But at the time I had no choice. It was either that, or a bullet from my father’s revolver to your heart.”

  “Spare the dramatics, Sofia.”

  “I don’t blame you for not believing me. But twenty years ago, father’s hatred of you and your father made him insane.”

  For the first time since they’d arrived at the house, something Sofia said pierced Perseus’s armor. “What does my father have to do with this conversation?”

  “You never knew that my father asked your mother to marry him before your father married her. But she turned him down because she was in love with your father.”

  There’d be no reason for Sofia to make up such a story now. Sam believed her, and she had an idea Perseus did, too.

  “Go on,” he said in a voice that sounded as if it had come from an undersea grotto.

  “It hurt his pride that she preferred a mere fisherman to an educated man who would one day be a doctor to the entire island. He married my mother because he needed a woman, but it was your mother he wanted.

  “When Mother was killed by that bus, he never even grieved. After your father died at sea, your mother was all he could think about. He was getting ready to approach her when she became ill and you brought her to him. He considered her a gift from the gods, but he hated the very sight of you because you reminded him of your father.

  “You were proud and strong. Very independent. And your fierce love for her was something he couldn’t handle. I heard him making arrangements for you with Uncle Teo in Athens. He wanted you out of the house, but he swore me to secrecy.

  “When we fell in love, he became violent. Spiros, down at the harbor, used to spy on us for him. He found out about the boat you’d hired to take us away to be married.”

  Sam felt the shudder that passed through Perseus’s powerful frame.

  “When father found out what you were planning, he cornered me before I went to bed. He forbid me to see you again. He told me that if I didn’t cooperate and send you away for good, he would kill you himself.”

  A stillness came over Perseus. Sam could scarcely breathe.

  “I was terrified. My father had always been insane where you and your father were concerned. I didn’t want you to die, and I was afraid he would carry out his threat. So I took his knife from his drawer and waited for you to come.

  “I knew you would try to persuade me to go away with you, that I would have to do something terrible to make you leave me alone. But I swear I never meant to hurt you, Perseus. I never meant to.” She broke down weeping. “I loved you more than life itself. I still do,” she moaned in abject pain.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  SAM tensed to leave the room. Perseus must have felt the change in her because his grip on her shoulders tightened until she almost cried out from the pressure.

  Taking a long, shuddering breath Sofia said, “Father waited until you left the house, then he had me taken away to Turkey, and forced me to live in a convent. I was never allowed to leave. He provided for my keep, hoping that one day I’d become a nun. But I had no vocation and was kept there against my will.

  “I eventually escaped and met a farmer who let me work for him. I had no passport, no money. I couldn’t come back to Greece. When he offered me marriage, I accepted. He died six months ago, lea
ving me a small property which I sold so I could come back to Greece. But the authorities wouldn’t allow me back in.

  “In desperation I phoned the house and learned through Georgio that Father had been looking everywhere for me. He’d finally come to his senses, but it was too late. I’d fled the convent and left no traces.

  “Georgio put Father on the phone. We talked, and he arranged for a new passport and passage. When I saw him again, I hardly recognized him because he was so ill. We’ve reconciled, but Father knows that what he did to you, to us, to me, was unforgiveable.” Her voice shook.

  “His life has been a living hell every day, every hour since I sent you away with that stab wound. I think the only reason he’s still alive is because he must see you again and ask for absolution.”

  Perseus raked a hand through his midnight hair. Perhaps no one else would notice, but Sam knew his every action and movement by heart. To her, it was a sign that Sofia’s revelations had knocked the foundation of belief right out from under him.

  “You mean to tell me that for the past twenty years, you’ve been in exile in Turkey?” he demanded in a barely controlled voice.

  “Yes, Perseus. If you need proof, I can provide it.”

  His pained expression said everything. Sam had believed this night would change destiny, and she’d been right. Sofia had come home to Perseus. It wouldn’t be long before the two star-crossed lovers were able to marry and find the happiness so long denied them. The pain of that reality was staggering.

  “For your sake, I’ll see him one last time. Samantha?” He kissed the top of her silken head. “Stay here. We won’t be long. Would you like Georgio to bring you something to drink?”

  “No, thank you.” To her chagrin her voice trembled. “I’m fine. Please—take the time you need.”

  Subsiding into the nearest chair, she watched Perseus follow Sofia out of the room, the two of them moving in unison as if they’d never been apart.

  Already Sam was forgotten. Which was as it should be.

  Perseus hadn’t known what he’d find when he saw Sofia again after all this time. That’s why he’d used Sam for a shield. But now that shield was no longer necessary, and before long, Sam would be packing her bags. She’d served her purpose. When she left, Sofia would become the mistress of the Villa Danae.

  No way was Sam going to help Perseus put in a garden now. As for expecting him to set her up in business, she wouldn’t dream of holding him to that promise.

  After listening to Sofia’s horror story about her father, Sam no longer wanted revenge on her own parent. Jules Gregory was a pathetic human being, but at least he hadn’t interfered in her life, or caused her the kind of grief Sofia had been forced to suffer.

  No. Tonight something had snapped inside Sam. The idea of trying to prove to her father that she’d done just fine without him held no appeal. It would be wasted emotion, wasted energy.

  Perseus’s life was a case in point. For twenty years he’d put his personal happiness on hold. As for Sofia, through no fault of her own, she’d lost as many years and had been forced to endure untold anguish. Sam was in danger of doing the same thing if she continued to entertain this vendetta against her father.

  No. The anger had to end, and Sam was the only one who could end it, otherwise she’d be the loser.

  While she sat there waiting, she made up her mind to leave Perseus in the morning. The purpose for which she’d come had been fulfilled. No reason existed to maintain the facade of nuptial bliss. Anyone with eyes could see that Perseus and Sofia belonged together. Sam didn’t have any desire to stand in the way of their love a second longer than necessary.

  In Sam’s mind, she’d fulfilled her part of the contract. When she left, the clothes he’d given her would remain at the villa. She’d take nothing with her but the outfit she was wearing.

  Since Perseus had spoiled her for all the other men in existence, she couldn’t imagine marrying anyone else. Her only plan was to get as far away from Perseus and soul-destroying memories as possible.

  Cheyenne, Wyoming, would fill the bill nicely. She had a great-aunt still living there. Her mother was buried there. It was a place to start. She’d get a job, and when she’d earned enough money, she’d pay Perseus back for all his help in getting her mother’s body shipped to Wyoming and reburied.

  She couldn’t do anything about his gift to the art department at the university. He’d set up the fund, and would never renege on that pledge. However, Sam comforted herself that Perseus gave to many charities, and because he was an art lover, he wouldn’t mind that some of his money had been channeled in that direction for deserving artists.

  With her mind made up to let go of the anger harbored against her father, she found herself at peace for the first time in her life.

  But the ache in her heart was another matter entirely. Sam was now in the torturous position of being the one who would go to the grave with Perseus’s name on her lips...

  Unable to remain there any longer, Sam decided to wait outside in the car for Perseus. The villa was quiet as a tomb as she tiptoed through the foyer and let herself out the front door.

  A little sigh escaped as the warm, moist night air, heavy with the scent of hibiscus, immediately enveloped her. During the harsh Wyoming winters, when the blizzards raged and the air was so dry it turned the skin to paper, she’d miss Serifos desperately.

  Approaching the car, she slumped against the passenger door for a moment, drained by Sofia’s tragic story. The view of the blue Aegean Sea was always before her eyes, wherever she looked.

  Lock hard and long for the last time, Sam. Tomorrow you’ll be winging your way to the Rocky Mountains, living more than a mile above sea level with no water in sight, let alone a mortal man who could ever compare to Perseus.

  Suddenly a spate of unintelligible Greek met her ears. She straightened and whirled around to face the man who’d haunt her for the rest of her born days. His fierce expression caused her to wince. Somehow she’d supposed he would look quite different after his meeting with Sofia.

  “I asked you to wait for me,” he bit out. “What possessed you to leave without telling Georgio, at least?” His scar stood out white against the rest of his hard jaw.

  She shook her head in bewilderment. His behavior didn’t make any sense. “Since I had no idea how long you’d be, I came out here for a breath of fresh air,” she explained, marveling that he’d react like this over something so trivial.

  His body tautened. “As my wife, I expect you to act like one.”

  “But there’s no longer any need to pretend in front of Sofia, Perseus. Now that you know the truth about what happened that day, everything has changed. The two of you have been reunited and deserve time alone to work out the rest of your lives. Tomorrow I’m taking the morning ferry back to Athens, then fly home to the States.”

  Darkness had settled over the island, so maybe it was the twinkling of the harbor lights which made her think for an infinitesimal moment that his expression had lost its animation.

  In a lithe movement, he opened the passenger door and told her to climb in. She gladly complied since she couldn’t get away to the privacy of her own room and thoughts fast enough. They drove in absolute silence at a speed only someone born to the island, someone who knew its every curve and climb, would have dared maintain.

  Taking Sam back to the villa when he wanted to stay with Sofia was probably the hardest thing he’d ever had to do. But being the total gentleman, he would see to Sam’s needs first, then return to Livadi to work out the rest of his life. A life Sam would have no part of.

  She gripped her hands together in anxiety. How she wished she’d never met Sofia!

  No wonder another woman had ever been able to attract Perseus! At thirty-eight, Sofia was at the height of her beauty. Those huge, dark, soulful eyes staring at him with naked adoration must have gone a long way to heal his pain and suffering. A night in her arms would take care of the rest. And the thousands of n
ights thereafter...

  Sam couldn’t bear the pictures that kept flashing through her mind, but she had no place to run with her pain. She was forced to sit there and clamp down hard on the new emotions exploding inside her without giving anything away to Perseus. Because these feelings were so new and raw, she didn’t know how to deal with them.

  When the car pulled up to Perseus’s villa ten minutes later, she alighted from the front seat unaided. Right now she needed to be alone with her pain.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” He moved with the speed of a panther and caught up with her, catching hold of her wrist in a firm grip, preventing her from taking another step.

  “In the house, of course,” she retorted, her panic rising because his physical nearness was creating havoc with her senses.

  “Earlier you said you wanted some fresh air. I find I’m in need of it, too.” He started taking off his shoes and socks.

  Her eyes grew huge as she looked down at his dark head. “But Sofia is waiting for you to return, and—”

  “Sofia’s father is on the verge of death,” he inserted in a low, sober tone. “The priest is probably with them as we speak.”

  She swallowed hard, trying to imagine his pain because the long-awaited reunion with Sofia would have to be put off out of reverence for her dying parent.

  Moistening her lips nervously she asked, “W-was it unbearable having to face her father? Did he own up to what he’d d—”

  “Let’s just say Sofia was telling the truth,” Perseus broke in evenly before she could emit another word. “To answer your next question...” He read her mind with astonishing ease. “We made our peace. Now that’s the end of it.”

  So saying, he set his things on the sand and once again got down on his haunches, this time in front of her.

  “What are you doing?” she cried out in shock.