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At that moment, Christian joined them at the table. He was wearing a pair of white linen trousers and a navy-blue shirt. A few of the shirt buttons were undone and Grace tried hard not to stare at his toned chest.

‘Hi, Grace,’ he said. ‘You look … very nice. I’m glad you came.’

‘So am I. This is the best food I’ve ever eaten.’

‘Now, Grace,’ Demetrios said, ‘you must tell us about yourself. It must be three months that you have been here, and yet still you are woman of mystery with your reserved English ways.’

‘Do you have a boyfriend?’ Christian asked her.

Grace almost choked on a bite of stew. ‘That’s very direct!’

Christian coughed awkwardly, ‘I’m just wondering what sort of fellow would let his pretty girlfriend go off to spend the summer without him.’

Grace felt herself getting sucked in by his blue eyes again and tried to concentrate on the plate in front of her.

‘No boyfriend. I’m due to start university in September, but I’m taking a working holiday first so I can earn some money to help finance my studies, and then spend a few months travelling.’

‘Why did you come to Ithos?’ Demetrios enquired, looking at her quizzically. ‘Ithos is not on most young people’s list of must-see destinations. We are a little “square” here. I feel it is no accident that you were brought here though. You already feel like one of the family.’

Grace noticed that, although Elana made no comment, her eyes narrowed as Demetrios said this. Grace had seen Demetrios’s mother a handful of times in the town, occasionally wandering through the market examining the fresh fruit. Despite her age, she cut an imposing figure.

‘I’ve always wanted to come to Greece, but Ithos I only learned about recently.’

‘We are a little off the beaten track.’ Christian said. ‘How did you hear about it?’

‘Well, I—’

Before she could speak, Elana cut in: ‘Demetrios, where is your daughter, she must join us now Christian is here.’ She turned to the young man. ‘I hear you have promised her a dance?’ Her eyes twinkled mischievously.

‘Elana, you know I cannot dance.’

‘That is not true, I taught you myself. Ariana, come over here!’ Elana waved to her granddaughter, who was laughing and joking with a group of friends. At that moment, the band struck up the famous traditional dance, the Sirtaki, famous all over Greece.

Grace thought Ariana looked beautiful, dressed in a white floor-length off-the-shoulder silk dress that emphasized her ample breasts and her curvaceous hips. The eyes of every young man in the square turned to watch as she glided over to their table, making a beeline for Christian, and Grace noticed girlfriends and wives nudge their men in jealous annoyance. Ariana certainly turned heads.

‘Come, Christian!’ Ariana grabbed his hands, pulling him onto the floor, and Grace could see he was powerless to resist. Ariana swirled around him, her dress lifting up to reveal perfectly tanned legs and a glimpse of her thighs.

‘They make a handsome couple, do they not?’ Elana said, watching smugly as her granddaughter and Christian dominated the dancefloor, drawing claps and encouragement from the birthday crowd.

‘They do,’ Grace agreed, once again feeling like an outsider.

‘Some things are meant to be.’ Elana nodded her head in satisfaction.

Demetrios said nothing, looking on impassively, and Grace found it hard to work out what he might be thinking.

‘Elana, you are turning into a wallflower.’ Níko descended on their table and pulled Elana to her feet. ‘We can’t have that. We all know you are the best dancer in Ithos.’ The older woman laughed, clearly enjoying the attention, and they both joined the throng of dancers now joined together arm in arm, circling around the room in the traditional Greek style.

Níko’s mother had been quiet until now, just watching and enjoying the festivities, but she reached out to Grace and touched her hand, making a motion Grace didn’t understand. She shook her head, not comprehending what the woman meant.

Demetrios helped her out. ‘Katerina is asking you to show her your palm; she wants to tell your fortune.’

‘Oh.’ Grace wasn’t sure she wanted her palm read but she didn’t want to be rude, so held it out tentatively.

‘The story goes that Katerina is of Romany blood. Níko says that she has the gift of second sight.’

Grace couldn’t tell from Demetrios’s tone whether he thought there was any truth in it or not. But the woman examined her hand, muttering in Greek as she did so.

Then Katerina looked intently at Grace, making her squirm a little under the scrutiny. When she spoke, again it was in Greek but Demetrios was able to translate.