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‘Don’t be silly, this is not about games, this is about the future. Surely you want the same as we do?’

‘Do I?’ Demetrios put his glass of champagne down on the table. ‘You know, Mother, a few years ago you might have fooled me with all this talk, but now I can see a different life.’

‘Don’t be ridiculous, this is the only life we have known, it is in our blood.’

Demetrios’s voice was louder now, the passion in his face evident as his eyes flashed and his voice filled with pent-up emotions. ‘Constantis is a conniving bastard, but what the hell does it matter if he takes the company – you’ll still be rich, you can buy another company, try something different.’

‘Now you’re being irrational,’ his father had interjected, lighting another cigar.

‘Are you seriously asking me to marry someone I don’t love, to give up my dreams, just for the good of the business?’

‘What dreams are these?’ Elana had sneered dismissively. ‘What can a young man know about love.’

‘Oh, I know plenty. I know that love isn’t selfish or greedy, it doesn’t care about money or status. I know this because there is a woman who loves me for myself, who doesn’t care about any of those things.’

Elana let a cruel laugh escape her. ‘Ah, the little chambermaid you’ve been screwing?’

‘Mother … you go too far.’

But Elana didn’t stop. ‘Oh yes, I have heard all about her. But you are a fool if you think that she isn’t a gold-digger just like the rest of them.’

‘You’re wrong.’

‘I am never wrong. You are an immature, lovesick puppy to think that your money is of no interest to her. This grand love affair of yours will last a few more weeks and then the moment she leaves the island, she’ll be selling your story to the tabloids. You’ll look even more like an idiot than you do now.’

Demetrios took a step towards her, and another, until their noses were almost touching. ‘And how do you think you look now, Mother?’ His eyes were cold. ‘You think you are still beautiful. Maybe on the outside, but inside you are ugly and twisted.’

Elana’s heart lurched; she had never before seen her son look at her with such hate in his eyes. Perhaps she had gone too far, but it was that stupid money-grabber who had turned his head.

‘Demi!’ his father had chided, ‘don’t talk to your mother like that. Whoever this girl is, she has gone to your head.’

Elana had composed herself. ‘Relax. Aristotle, tempers are hot, no?’ She patted her son’s arm. ‘We must step back a little and calm down.’ She smiled serenely, determined to exert control over the situation. Things were worse than she had thought if this was how he was feeling.

‘Demetrios, sit and talk with your father for a while, perhaps he can help you to come to the right decision. I will leave the two of you to discuss it in private.’

Elana had jumped into her Jaguar and driven down to the harbour, seeking Jeremy out.

‘What the hell has been going on?’

Jeremy told her everything, about the young woman her son had been so taken with. The pair of them had been spending nearly every waking hour together since the St Helena had docked in Ithos.

‘You stupid man! Why didn’t you tell me about this before? She could ruin everything. We have to get rid of her. I want you to sack her.’

Jeremy had been shocked but when she’d reminded him that she was his employer not Demetrios, he soon did her bidding.

Elana couldn’t resist a look at the girl who had caused her son to take leave of her senses. She was not what she had expected, and Elana couldn’t help admiring the girl’s dignity as she refused to take her money. The girl with the green eyes and the flame-red hair …

Elana gasped: the woman in the olive grove – that was her! She was older, certainly, but she could see now that she had not changed so much, still beautiful, with that inner poise.

‘The woman … she was here …’

‘So you have seen her, too. Well, Mother, she came here to tell me that we had a child, and she gave her up for adoption. A baby girl, a Theododis baby girl.’ He emphasized their family name.

Elana’s legs almost gave way. She sank down in her wicker chair, putting her face in her hands.

‘Oh, Demetrios, how could I have known?’

‘Your dirty secret is now discovered, Mother.’ His voice was icy. ‘You sent her away, and with her the child I never knew, the daughter I will never have a chance to know. Have you any idea how that makes me feel?’