by Beryl Darby
‘Yannis? Is it you, Yannis?’ He sank back on his seat. ‘I could have sworn I heard Yannis’s voice,’ he mumbled.
Yiorgo eyed his visitors with something akin to suspicion. Stelios’s children were not to be trusted if they were anything like their father. They would get nothing out of him except board and lodging. He would not deny them that for the sake of his sister who seemed so taken with them. He just saw their gesture as an excuse for a cheap holiday.
Anna took him to task in the privacy of the kitchen. ‘Try to be more sociable, Yiorgo, they’re your niece and nephew.’
‘They’re strangers to me.’
‘They were to me at first, but I’ve got to know them and I like them.’ Yiorgo snorted and Anna was reminded, not for the first time, of her father. ‘They’ve been very good to us.’
‘You’ve been good to them, you mean. Providing them with free meals from Yannis’s friends and now staying with your relatives.’
‘Don’t be foolish, Yiorgo,’ she retorted sharply. ‘Who do you think paid our ferry passage and has put all the petrol in the car? They haven’t allowed us to pay for anything. All I ask of you is to be sociable and make them feel welcome.’
‘For you I’ll try, Anna, but you know how I feel about Stelios. If he didn’t want to know us for all those years why should we bother with his children?’
‘Please, couldn’t we just forget that? We don’t want to start a family feud that goes on forever. Stelios asked Yannis’s forgiveness just before he died. If they were prepared to be friends then we should do our bit as well.’
Grudgingly Yiorgo took the brandy from the cupboard in the kitchen. ‘For your sake, Anna,’ he reminded her, ‘not theirs.’
The island shimmered like a mirage in the early morning sunshine as they boarded Davros’s boat. Yannis watched, fascinated, as they drew closer. He had mixed emotions. Had he made a mistake to come back? He wished Dora were beside him to dispel his fears of the ghosts of the past that seemed to be beckoning him. Davros skirted the customary landing place and tacked round to the shingle beach.
‘What’s wrong with landing at the jetty?’ asked Yannis.
‘Silted up, no one uses there any more.’ Deftly he threw the rope over a tree stump and hauled the boat as close to the shore as he could. ‘You’ll have to jump for it.’
Nicolas spanned the gap easily and helped his sister and Yannis ashore. ‘Where now?’
‘What do you want? A conducted tour?’
They nodded and Elena slipped her hand through his arm. ‘Please show us round, uncle. We want to see your house and where Flora lived, all the things you’ve told us about.’
Yannis led the way through the tunnel and stopped in the square. The houses on both sides were open to the elements, stinging nettles and weeds rising knee high from the doorways and across the rotten floors. He blinked. This was how it had been when they first arrived. He collected his thoughts and cleared his throat.
‘It was almost as bad as this when we first came. Not the weeds, but most of the houses in ruins. Many of the lepers sheltered in the tunnel or the church during the bad weather before we really got things under way. That was my house.’ He pointed to the arched doorway with arched windows to match, the remnants of a staircase showed inside and a cupboard hung limply on one hinge. A couple of geraniums struggled for their existence amongst the tangle of weeds that had once been his carefully tended garden.
Slowly they moved along the path, skirting a fall of masonry and ducking beneath the branches of a tree, through the next section of tunnel to the shops. Yannis ran his thumb lovingly over the carvings of ships on a wooden shutter.
‘Anna did those. It was how she cut her finger.’ He sighed deeply. ‘That building there was where we kept our food and water when it was sent over from the mainland.’
Nicolas and Elena listened to him enthralled as he described the occupants or the use of the various buildings, not liking to interrupt him with questions. He smiled when he reached the house where Flora had lived; the geraniums had won their battle against the weeds and were a riot of colour, along with large headed daisies and bright pink roses.
‘We must tell her that her garden is flourishing,’ he smiled. ‘She loved her garden. I think it was the first piece of colour she’d ever had in her life. They’ve left the church bell,’ he exclaimed in surprise. ‘Give it a pull, Nicolas.’
The mournful sound echoed round the island, bringing back memories for Yannis.
‘The bell was a wonderful idea. Whenever we wanted to hold a meeting we tolled the bell. It wasn’t just for services.’
They passed the washing troughs, and the patch of concrete where Kyriakos had sat for so many years, coming to the tower where Flora had lived originally, now overshadowed by gaunt, expressionless apartments that stared at them blindly. He led them round the rocky outcrop and they gazed at the remains of the Venetian fort spread out below their feet, now exclusively the home of sea birds, and down the gently sloping path where the sheer cliff fell down into the sea below. As they reached the other tiny church Yannis stopped and crossed himself.
‘Phaedra is in the tower over there,’ he said quietly and began to mount the steps opposite the church.
‘Would you rather we waited for you?’
‘No. You can come and pay your respects.’ He looked across the graves to where the tower was half hidden by a low wall and long grass. ‘We were too weak to dig a grave for her.’
They bowed their heads, the peace around them only disturbed by the bees searching for nectar amongst the profusion of yellow flowers.
‘They say the lily is the flower of death, but here we only grow hamoleuka.’
‘Was everyone buried here?’ asked Elena, looking at the small number of graves and remembering how many occupants her uncle had described on the island compared with the few who had finally left.
‘The others are in the tower, with Phaedra and Anna.’ He pointed. ‘You can see their bones at the bottom.’
Elena shuddered. ‘I’ll not bother. Can we go up in the fort?’
‘You two can if you want a stiff climb. There’s not a lot there, but you get a fine view across the bay. I’ll wait for you here.’
Yannis settled himself comfortably on the ground, his back to the wall of the carpenter’s house. He smiled. It was good to be back home. The flowers looked brighter here, the sun seemed warmer and the air was definitely cleaner.
‘We won’t be long, uncle.’
‘Take your time. There’s no rush. There never was over here. I was just impatient always. I wanted to get everything done at once. What a trial I must have been to live with!’
The bees buzzed more loudly. Yannis opened his eyes to see how far they had climbed. They must be behind the first of the walls that still remained for he could see no sign of them. He looked across the graveyard. There was Phaedra coming towards him, with Anna skipping along by her side.
As the pain in his chest squeezed him breathless, his fingers closed around the silver chain holding the charm his mother had given him so many years ago, breaking the slender links. Yannis rose easily and walked towards them.
Anna
In this, the second book in a continuing saga, Anna is left to care for her invalid mother and her sister’s children when the Germans invade Crete. A battalion of Italian soldiers is billeted in the village to prevent a seat of resistance being formed on Spinalonga, the leper village opposite the village.
There are resistance workers in the area.
How will she protect strong-willed Marisa from the Italian soldiers, and impulsive Yannis from joining the resistance?
Unwillingly she becomes involved in the resistance and has to draw on all her resources and ingenuity to fool the Italians, finally risking her life to save the man she loves.
Giovanni
Yannis has become a successful businessman with a number of hotels. He has taken his resourceful
nephew, Giovanni, into partnership. Giovanni is full of ideas to improve the business. He has only one failing – he is susceptible to a pretty face.
His younger brother, Joseph, is resentful of Giovanni’s success and determined to avenge himself. With the help of a beautiful woman, he schemes and plans to bring about his brother’s disgrace. His final act of revenge has dire results for all involved.
Marianne, Annita’s granddaughter, visits Athens with her friend and meets relatives who were previously unknown to her. Elizabeth finds the city romantic in many ways. Later they both visit Crete, which has unexpected consequences for Marianne.
Yannis’s loyalty to his extended family saves all of them from shame and humiliation.
Joseph
Joseph has moved to Rhodes. He lives and works in a warehouse that is a centre for drug distribution and is responsible for taking the money to Turkey each week. He becomes over ambitious and has plans to become a wealthy man.
Sorrell is searching for Joseph to wreak her revenge. She accepts the offer of help from a millionaire hotelier and enjoys a life of idleness and luxury before she finds herself in the clutches of a ruthless criminal. She is both used and abused. Fearing for her life she finally has to ask Joseph for help and protection.
Events take an unexpected turn and a number of people find they are under the scrutiny of the police. Both Joseph and Sorrell are able to evade the law, but they are unable to evade their ultimate fate at the hands of their associates.
Christabelle
Christabelle is beautiful and highly successful in her chosen career as a model. She has also inherited her talent for acting from her unknown father. Everyone is charmed by her; but there is an evil side to her nature. Anyone who upsets Christabelle regrets it. She takes her revenge to extremes, becoming more confident in her actions each time. She is convinced she is invincible.
As she travels across Europe a trail of fatal accidents follow her. It finally takes subterfuge and John’s talent for photography for justice to be done.
Saffron
After Saffron’s family separate and divorce, her father brings her to England, where she adapts well and is happy. She achieves her childhood ambition to become a doctor. She falls deeply in love, only to be badly hurt when her hopes for a long-term relationship are cruelly shattered. When she does marry, she finds she has made the biggest mistake of her life.
Over the years she has wished to be reunited with her American family and when she finally contacts them it is with an unexpected and delightful result.
Nicola
Saffron eventually manages to visit Crete and spends time getting to know her family. Through them she meets their friends, Vasilis, Cathy and their son, Vasi.
Nicola is in New Orleans with her family, where she moves on to University after finishing High School. At the weekends she works in a diner to make her pocket money for when she visits Elounda during her summer vacation.
Following a tragedy of his own making, Todd sees Nicola as the salvation from his guilty conscience. He longs for Nicola to notice him and reject John. His desire for Nicola to become dependent upon him becomes an obsession; finally making him follow her to Elounda where events take a drastic and dangerous turn.
John
JOHN brings the endings of NICOLA and ALECOS together.
Saffron is disappointed when Vasi is unable to visit her in England as planned. She agrees to work in a hospital abroad for six months as a replacement for a colleague. She makes a fleeting visit to Crete to inform her family and returns with another difficult decision to make.
Filippos Melanakis has fled to Athens, but is unable to control his abnormal behaviour.
John was injured during the fire at the self catering chalets and suffers another slight blow to his head that affects his vision adversely. Saffron insists that he consults a neurologist and accompanies him to London where they are both involved in an accident that causes further problems for him.
Abraham Gallagher is given access to his son’s diary and becomes desperate to suppress the information it contains and free his son from jail.
Giovanni’s ambitious rebuilding plans for the self catering business, along with medical treatment for John, has stretched his family’s finances to the limit until Marianne has an idea that solves their immediate financial problems.
Tassos
John had been reading the notebooks left by his Old Uncle Yannis. In them he discovers that one man planned his escape from Spinalonga carefully. Convinced that he was not suffering from leprosy Tassos sailed across to the mainland in his bath tub.
Old Uncle Yannis never mentions him again and John is determined to find out the fate of the man. Despite having to help with the organisation of a large family party for his grandmother and twin daughters he refuses to give up his search for Tassos.
It is by pure chance that he finally discovers where the old man is living and hears the story of his life before, during and after the war.
Ronnie
Ronnie decides to return to Elounda and work as an artist, selling her water colours in Saffron’s shop.
Intrigued by the techniques of painting on enamel Ronnie visits England during the winter to learn the art. She becomes friendly with her tutor’s son, Geoff, and he arranges to visit her in Elounda the following year.
Returning to New Orleans for the winter she examines the photographs her uncle has unearthed dating back to when he was a boy in Crete. A surprising family secret is uncovered and Ronnie enlists John’s help to uncover the truth.
Geoff’s visit to Elounda does not go according to plan when he decides he prefers to spend his time with, Caro, a friend Ronnie made whilst travelling back on the ’plane. His long term plans are dashed when Ronnie breaks some unwelcome news to him.
John’s research uncovers some unpleasant family history for Ronnie, but provides an additional incentive for her to remain in Crete for the foreseeable future.
Maria
Ronnie has asked John and Nicola to translate and make a typewritten copy of the diaries left behind by Maria when she and her family left Crete for America.
Events that Maria considered important are recorded by her as a way to improve her reading and writing skills. Maria describes the mundane life of her and her sister growing up in the village as innocent young girls, learning how to cook, sew and weave ready for when she marries.
Despite her innocence, Maria becomes determined to marry the man of her choice and uses all her guile to ensure she has her own way, despite a result she had not anticipated.
When tragedy strikes her sister the situation is covered up by lies to preserve the good name of the family. It is only later, when rumours circulate about Maria’s adopted daughter and the news from Europe is disconcerting that arrangements are made to go to America.
That is when the family’s finances are laid bare and a very unpleasant secret is revealed.
Sofia
Nicola and John are investigating further into Ronnie’s family. They visit Kassianae, an old lady living in Kastelli. Both her mother and grandmother worked for the family who lived in the big house in the village.
Kassianae draws on her memories of the events and gossip related to her over the years and describes the life of Sofia and that of some of the other villagers.
Sofia is forced into an arranged marriage to the tax collector due to his ingenious scheme for making money whilst collecting the tax due to the government.
The tragic death of both of her parents, the illness and subsequent separation from her younger daughter are born with fortitude. Finally the disclosure of the secret that her husband has hidden from the village and his family for years is revealed.
Manolis
Manolis is content with his life as a fisherman. His trips to Spinalonga, delivering supplies to the occupants, give him the opportunity to fall in love and make some extra money. When the Germans invade Crete, Manolis is asked to tak
e a message to a neighbouring village. A seemingly simple task. It results in him sailing half way around Crete in the company of an Englishman until they reach Preveli. Manolis finds himself inexorably caught up with the resistance. Cut off from news of their families the men finally return to their homes at the end of the war, one to happiness, and the other to heartbreak.
Cathy
Cathy considers herself to be a very ordinary person and no one is more surprised than her when she is asked to model for a photographer and is immediately successful. She begins to achieve fame and fortune until disaster strikes her.
Confined to a wheelchair, she visits Crete and a local man falls in love with her. Whilst escorting her and her friend to visit a War Memorial he realises that he could actually be her brother. He sets out on a search for the identity of his parents, finally contacting Cathy's father for help.
Vasi
Vasi’s dream is to be an airline pilot. When this is impossible his father makes him the manager of a large hotel in Heraklion that was previously owned by Yannis Andronicatis.
Later Vasi buys his own hotel in Hersonissos, but the manager, Stelios, has his own scheme for making money.
When he was at school Vasi made an implacable enemy in Alecos; even as an adult Alecos takes every opportunity to humiliate and embarrass Vasi.
Vasi contemplates purchasing another hotel in Elounda and Alecos seizes the opportunity to thwart his ambitions. Alecos takes a financial risk that rebounds and leaves him in dire trouble, whilst Vasi finds himself in trouble with the police.
