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They were now enjoying their first course, a delicious meze of dolmades, pitta bread, olives, tomatoes and peppers stuffed with feta cheese. It was all delicious.

Roxy licked her lips. ‘I think I’m going to miss this the most of all. But everything about Ithos is wonderful.’

‘It is a magical place, but—’

‘Hey, no regrets, remember?’

‘I don’t believe people who say they have no regrets. I will always hold this place in my heart, and Demetrios too.’

Roxy was shaking her head. ‘This was supposed to be a life cleanse.’

‘Oh, don’t get me wrong, I know coming here and facing Demetrios was the right thing to do. I’m ready to focus on the next stage of my life.’

‘Oscars!’

‘Shh, don’t tempt fate,’ she warned, putting on a mock-stern face. ‘My only regret is that Demetrios and I left things on such a sad note.’

Roxy tilted her head, waiting to see if she’d go on. When she’d arrived back at the villa yesterday she’d been reluctant to go into details about her meeting with Demetrios, and Roxy hadn’t wanted to push her.

‘I told him that I’d keep in touch, but … There were so many things jumbled up in my head, and he was so shaken by the news that we have a daughter out there somewhere … Maybe we didn’t say what was really in our hearts. It was good to see him, though.’ Shauna’s eyes were misting with tears as she spoke.

‘Oh, honey.’ Roxy reached out and squeezed Shauna’s hand.

Almost as if her words had conjured him up, Shauna saw a red Ferrari pull up outside the taverna and Demetrios got out. He strode across the terrace, followed by Christian, and passed by without even noticing her.

‘It seems like fate,’ Roxy observed. ‘Why don’t you ask him if he wants to have a drink with us – or rather, you. I know when three is a crowd.’

Shauna laughed. ‘Don’t be silly, I’d love you to meet him at long last, so I can prove he really is as handsome as I said he was.’

Maybe it was the retsina going to her head, but Shauna had a sudden feeling that she wasn’t ready to say goodbye to him just yet.

‘Wait here,’ she told Roxy, ‘I’ll be back in a sec.’

She was wearing a sage-green, Roman-style cotton dress by Anya Hindmarch that trailed almost to the floor, and it swished against the terracotta tiles as she walked into the restaurant. She’d expected to find Demetrios sitting at a table, chatting and laughing, but she was shocked to see him shouting at one of the waitresses. Without thinking, she drew closer. The waitress was a young girl, and she seemed somehow familiar, though Shauna couldn’t think why.

The girl was standing next to Níko’s wife, who had her arm around her protectively.

‘You’re telling me you watched her walk off into the night, and you did nothing?’ Demetrios raged, but there was a note of desperation in his voice.

The girl was on the verge of tears, but Shauna could tell she was trying hard to stay composed. ‘She said she was going to get a taxi. I didn’t think she was in any danger.’

‘But you just said she was drunk.’

The girl twiddled the tea towel she was holding nervously. ‘Well, yes, but—’

‘And still you let her go alone?’ He shook his head in disbelief. ‘This is how you repay our hospitality? Maybe it is time for you to leave.’

Teresa said something in Greek, perhaps in the girl’s defence, judging by the expression on her face. Christian joined in the argument, waving his arms animatedly. The girl, who clearly didn’t understand what they were saying, stood biting her lip, tears spilling down her cheeks.

Shauna’s heart went out to the poor thing. Whatever she might have done or not done, this was bullying. Compelled to go to the girl’s defence, she took a step forward.

‘Like mother like son,’ she said fiercely, interrupting Demetrios’s tirade.

He stopped in his tracks and looked at her, confused. ‘Shauna?’ But then he recovered himself and snapped, ‘This has nothing to do with you. Keep out of it.’

‘No. I know exactly what it feels like to be treated the way you’re treating this poor girl.’ She placed herself between Demetrios and the girl, looking him in the eye as she reminded him: ‘Two decades ago I was given my marching orders by a member of the Theodosis family who showed me no compassion. I will not stand by and let you treat someone like this.’

‘You have no idea,’ he said, and there was desperation rather than anger in his eyes now. ‘My daughter is missing, and these two’ – he pointed at Christian and Grace – ‘are responsible.’