Awakenings (Intertwined Souls Series Book 4)

by Mary D. Brooks

  “I hope he would have been accepting of me.”

  “He accepted Aunty Stella.”

  “He called her crazy Aunt Stella. That’s not accepting.”

  Theo chuckled. “That wasn’t because she loved women. That’s because she wore those crazy outfits and did some crazy things like wanting to work in lunatic asylums. It had nothing to do with Aunt Tessa. He loved Stella so much. You didn’t meet Uncle Timothy, but he was such a nice man, and when he died, Aunt Stella just went to pieces. She was here for a long time and she could barely get out of bed. It was really bad.”

  “Stella told us he died in France helping the wounded men.”

  “Yes. Horrible, but that’s war. I remember I overheard Papa talking to Mama about how Aunty Stella had finally found a reason to live again because of Tessa. Uncle Timothy was her first love. Uncle Dion, the jackass, called her all sorts of names when he found out. He is a terrible man.”

  “I didn’t know Papa knew about Tessa.”

  “He didn’t say anything. What’s there to say? And you were too young to understand.”

  “I like how Tessa took on Aunty Stella’s name. That was nice,” Zoe said. “Thomas was our grandfather’s name.”

  “What is Eva going to do?”

  “Huh?”

  “Are you teasing me like you did earlier?”

  “No.” Zoe shook her head. “What do you mean?”

  “Will Eva take on the Lambros name? She changed her name from Muller to Haralambos. Will she do it again?”

  “She wants to, but it’s difficult. She has a War Crimes folder, do you believe that?”

  “What for?”

  “She’s the stepdaughter of a war criminal. They investigated her to see if she was connected with Muller and his crimes. So every time she does something with a government department they find that file and we begin the explanations. We want to do it, but it’s going to be difficult.”

  Theo nodded and picked up his coffee. “What if I married Eva?”

  “Eh?” Zoe blinked in surprise. “You want to marry Eva?”

  “Yes. I can give her my name and then she becomes Eva Lambros. She wouldn’t have to go through all that government idiocy. What do you think?”

  Zoe sat back against the weatherboard beams of the house and gazed at Theo. “Erm…”

  “Is that a yes or a no?”

  “Why do you want to do that?”

  “Because I love you. You are my sister and it’s something I can do for you and for Eva.”

  “Do you not like women?”

  “What?”

  Zoe sighed. Theo was giving her a very puzzled look. “Do you like men? I mean… erm… for sex… ”

  “What? No.” Theo dropped his cigarette in the dirt.

  “So you like women?” Zoe asked. “I mean to have sex.”

  “Zoe!” Theo turned away from his sister. Zoe found it endearing that his ears had turned pink. “Yes.”

  “Alright then. So what happens if you fall in love with a woman and you want to marry her, maybe have children? What’s going to happen to Eva?”

  “I can’t,” Theo said quietly. He stretched his long legs out and crossed his feet at the ankles. He rocked them back and forth for a few moments. “I can’t have children. I don’t want to talk about it, alright? But I don’t want to get married.”

  “Oh.” Zoe threaded her arm around Theo’s bicep and leaned against him. “I’m sorry, Theo.”

  “I know you are.” Theo tenderly stroked Zoe’s head. “I’m alive, and that’s all matters. Let’s not talk about this.”

  They fell silent for a long moment.

  Theo looked down at Zoe. “Zo?”

  “Yes?”

  “Can I marry your wife?”

  Zoe chuckled and nodded. “Wait until Eva wakes up to find out I am going to marry her off.”

  They looked at each other and laughed.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Alex, move that beam.”

  “I’ve got it, Father.”

  Father Panayiotis Haralambos looked over the debris that littered his church and shook his head. His black over-cassock was covered in white dust. His long salt-and-pepper hair was tied at the back in a ponytail. It bopped up and down as he surveyed the damaged altar and ceiling.

  “Boys! Take care of our Savior,” Father Haralambos called out as two young men took down the icon of the crucified Christ. The other icons had been removed to protect them from further damage.

  “Father Haralambos?”

  Father Haralambos turned around to see a man standing hesitantly just inside the church. He motioned him to come forward and then turned to watch a young man remove a timber beam from on top the altar.

  “How can I help you, my son?” Father Haralambos asked.

  “Father, I could come back if you are busy.”

  “No, I’m not busy. I think I’ve seen enough of the damage,” Father Haralambos said. He looked the young man on the roof. “Alex…”

  “I know, Father, don’t worry,” Alex said.

  “Hmm, yes. Every time someone tells me not to worry, I worry,” Father Haralambos mumbled and stroked his long beard. He walked to the back of the church.

  The man bowed and kissed his hand.

  “Come to the residence. There’s too much dust here and I need a drink of water.” Father Haralambos took the man’s arm and led him into the house next to the church. “Let me get out of these dusty clothes and then we can talk, all right?”

  “Of course, Father.”

  Father Haralambos left the man in the living room, changed to a clean black cassock, and returned a few minutes later.

  “Please, sit,” he said.

  “That roof collapsing is a sign, Father.”

  “Yes, it’s a sign. A sign that I should have fixed the roof before the storms hit. We should at all times take steps to fix a potential problem before it becomes a real problem. I should give a sermon on that, but first I have to learn that lesson.”

  “I’m sure we are all guilty of that.”

  “How can I help you?”

  “My name is Dionysius Lambros.”

  “Any relation to Zoe Lambros?”

  Dion nodded. “I’m her uncle.”

  “Ah. I knew your brother, Nicholas, and his wife, Helena, as well as their sons and of course Zoe. Very faithful family.”

  “Yes. I’m afraid that’s what I came here to talk to you about.”

  “Oh?”

  “I know you don’t know me, but I came here over this government property law,” Dion said. “I’m going to be in Larissa for a short while before my family and I go to Volos. My wife has property there we need to attend to.”

  “Of course.”

  Dion nervously curled the rim of the hat in his hands. “Father, I have a very serious problem.”

  “You do? How can I help?”

  “I have to tell you a little story first. Do you have the time?”

  “Of course.”

  “My older sister Stella was married to a man named Timothy Nikas. He was a well-respected doctor in London. Unfortunately, he was killed in France during the Great War.”

  “A terrible loss of life.”

  “Yes. My sister, as you can imagine, was devastated. She had lost her unborn child before Timothy was sent to war and then her husband died. She lost her mind.”

  “That is a great deal of suffering.”

  “It is. The tragedy of this is that Stella has never recovered from those two deaths. I’m her only living brother.”

  “What makes you believe that she has not recovered?”

  Dion sighed heavily. “After Timothy died, Nicholas looked after our sister until she decided to go to London. She’s also a doctor.”

  “That’s not something one does if they are still grieving the loss of her husband and unborn child.”

  “That’s what I thought, but she then started working with insane people in those lunatic asylums.”

&n
bsp; “My son, those lunatic asylums are filled with very ill people who need your sister’s help. They have lost their way and ability to find the way out. I don’t think Stella working there is a sign that she is suffering.”

  “You don’t?”

  “No. To the contrary—it shows she wants to help others. That’s a good sign.”

  “It could be, but that leads me to the second reason I think she needs help. Do you know of Petros and Eva Mitsos?”

  Father Haralambos smiled. “Of course.”

  “They had two daughters…”

  “Daphne and Theresa. I know of them. I was going to be married to Daphne, so I’m very aware of the family.”

  Dion squirmed in his seat and looked embarrassed. “You know of Theresa’s problems.”

  “I do. I don’t understand what this has to do with Stella.”

  “Stella worked at the same lunatic asylum where Theresa Mitsos was a patient. That’s where Stella completely lost her mind.”

  “I know the story of the fire. So tell me what concerns you about that.”

  “I believe this Theresa is a witch,” Dion whispered. “She somehow blinded my sister and made her believe that she was a deviant.”

  “A what?”

  “A deviant, Father. Sodom and Gomorrah deviant.”

  “Oh. You mean a lesbian?”

  “Yes. She survived that fire. The fire did not touch her. You know what that means?”

  “It means that she was very fortunate to have escaped when many did not.”

  “That only happens to witches.”

  “You must be very careful about accusing someone of witchcraft. It’s a heavy accusation.”

  “I know. I don’t know how an educated woman like my sister could become a deviant overnight. It’s not possible. She was married, she nearly had a child, and then this?”

  “I don’t understand what you wish me to do. Do you want me to perform an exorcism?”

  “No, Father. I fear it’s too late for my sister. I have come here to ask you for help with my niece.”

  “Zoe.”

  “Yes. It’s not too late for her. She’s twenty-two and I think we can save her.”

  “I’ve known Zoe all her life. She is a courageous young woman.”

  “I know. I’ve heard all the stories from the village of how she also nearly lost her mind when her mother was murdered. She pulled through, but I fear for her soul.”

  “Why is that?”

  “I don’t know if you have heard of the rumors about Zoe and… uh…”

  Father Haralambos sat back and folded his hands on his lap. “You are talking about my daughter, Eva?”

  “There is a lot of talk in the village about Eva and Zoe during the war.”

  “Yes, I know. They were both working with me to save the Jews from the Nazis. That was a very courageous thing to do.”

  “It’s not that.”

  “No?”

  “No. This is a great sin. This involves immorality and gross sin.”

  “Does it?” Father Haralambos sighed.

  “She’s a deviant. Like my sister Stella. Somehow your daughter convinced Zoe that she should follow her…um…immoral ways. It’s the Mitsos curse. They are all cursed. You know that Petros’ great great great grandmother was tried for witchcraft and was stoned to death.”

  “Uh huh.” Father Haralambos stroked his beard. “I was not aware of that.”

  “It’s true. Now that curse has been passed on to your daughter.”

  “Uh huh.”

  “I know you love Eva, but I’m trying to save my niece’s soul.”

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “Talk to your daughter. Maybe Christ will give you the power to remove the curse from her and thus release Zoe’s mind and heart. I want her to get married, to have children, and be happy.”

  “Well.” Father Haralambos paused and nodded. “I will see what I can do. I can’t promise that it will work, but I will talk to them.”

  “Thank you, Father.” Dion grinned and got up from the chair. He wiped his hand on his trousers, took Father Haralambos’ hand, and kissed it. “You have no idea how much this has lifted the heavy weight off my heart.”

  “I’m sure,” Father Haralambos replied as he escorted Dion to the front door and watched him leave.

  Father Haralambos stood in the middle of the room and sighed heavily. “Now I wish the damaged roof was the only thing I needed to worry about.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Zoe entered the bedroom to find Eva sitting on the edge of the bed. She was using her cane to try to maneuver her slippers onto her feet.

  “They should invent a game like that.” Zoe laughed when Eva got the right slipper on.

  “I just invented it,” Eva replied as she tried to get the left slipper on her foot. She missed. “You should have seen me earlier. I’m getting good at this.”

  “Evy.” Zoe sat down on the bed and stilled the cane. “Look at me. Have you taken your pain medication?”

  “Hey, I was nearly there.”

  “Yes, I know, but this is important.”

  “Yes, I have. I’m being good and listening to my doctor.”

  “Another miracle in Larissa,” Zoe teased. “I need to speak to you about something.”

  “Alright.” Eva sighed and put the cane across her lap. She faced Zoe and played with her red curls. “What’s on your mind?”

  “Your surname.”

  “Haralambos or Lambros?”

  “Lambros.”

  “Yes. I haven’t changed my mind—I’m changing it when we get back home.”

  “Why not change it here?”

  Eva frowned. “Getting it changed here would be impossible. I would have to go to the British Consulate, fill out a million forms and then—” Zoe put her finger on Eva’s lips. Eva smiled and kissed Zoe’s finger.

  “I have an easier way.”

  “You do?”

  “Theo said no when Tommy asked him for my hand in marriage.” Zoe closed Eva’s lips with her fingers, and Eva tried to bite them. “Behave. I want you to listen.”

  “I’m lithening,” Eva said with her lips half closed.

  They laughed.

  “It’s good that you’re lithening because there is much to lithen to.” Zoe giggled. “Theo didn’t want to give his consent because he thought I was leaving you for Tommy.”

  “Aw, what a sweet boy.”

  “Yes, he is. He agrees with you about children and being married.”

  “You know we are right, Zo.”

  “I finally convinced him that I’m marrying Tommy so you and I can be parents. Theo wanted to know what you were going to do with your name. I told him you were changing it even though it’s going to be difficult.”

  “It shouldn’t be this hard, but I think it’s going to take longer to change my name this time.”

  “It would take months, but there is a way to do it quicker.”

  “Will Stella adopt me?” Eva chuckled.

  “No. Theo will marry you.”

  Eva stopped smiling. “What?”

  “Theo wants to marry you.”

  “No.” Eva shook her head. “I’m not marrying your brother.”

  “Eva, I’m marrying Tommy.”

  “Yes, but that’s for a good reason. We want to have children, love. The only way I’m going to be able to sleep at night is knowing that the government is not going to step in and take our babies away. Tommy is not going to want to have a relationship with you other than a sisterly one.”

  “You do worry too much.”

  “Do we really need to discuss this again?”

  “No. Everyone agrees with you. Back to Theo.”

  “Your brother is a fine man, Zo, don’t mistake me, but he is a heterosexual man.”

  “You’ve noticed?”

  “I’m serious. I can’t marry him.”

  “Why?”

  “One day he will fall in love with another woman a
nd he won’t be able to marry her because he is already married.”

  “Ever heard of divorce?”

  “Yes, of course, but—”

  “Listen to me. Theo doesn’t want to get married to any girl.”

  “Not now, but in the future.”

  “He can’t,” Zoe said quietly. “He doesn’t want to. He can’t have children, and to my brother that means he can’t be a proper husband.”

  “That’s just not right. Many men can’t father children and they are in loving relationships with their wives.”

  “I understand that, but that’s a Lambros for you. He wants to give you his name.”

  “He does?”

  “Yes. I know you like Theo, and this is similar to what I’m doing with Tommy.”

  “Well, Theo is coming to Australia.”

  “Yes.” Zoe grinned as Eva warmed up to the idea. “I think I need to send a telegram to Earl and ask him to rent those two houses at the end of our street that have been empty for a long time.”

  “Yes, that would be a good idea. Don’t tell Earl why just yet.”

  “So what do you think? You become a Lambros by marriage. You don’t need to have yet another appointment with another government agency or have to explain Hans Muller to them all over again.”

  “And I’d also be your sister-in-law.” Eva giggled. “What a crazy life we have.”

  “So do you accept my brother’s proposal?” Zoe tried to be serious but she got the giggles. “That sounds so funny.”

  “Yes, I’ll marry Theo.” Eva nodded. “We can have a double wedding.”

  There was a knock on the door. They turned as Tessa entered.

  “I see you are up,” Tessa said.

  “She’s taking her pain medication.”

  “Well, that’s really good. Stella will be happy you are listening to her. She likes it when her patients do that.”

  “That’s me, the obedient patient.”

  “Well, obedient patient, your presence and that of your loving spouse is requested at the family meeting.”

  “What’s a family meeting?”

  “You have never had a family gathering where everyone is present to discuss something important?” Zoe asked.

  “Uh…no.”

  “Come on, you’re in for a treat.” Zoe knelt down to put on Eva’s left slipper and then helped her up. They looked at each other for a moment then Zoe kissed her tenderly. “Welcome to the Lambros clan.”