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‘And Kathleen Turner, Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Mann,’ chipped in his girlfriend, Rebecca.

‘That was some party,’ said Jeremy. ‘We almost ran out of champagne.’

With widening eyes, Shauna listened to the tales of famous names, people she couldn’t imagine ever meeting.

The afternoon found her creeping up to the top deck with a couple of She magazines left behind in one of the guest cabins and a borrowed striped towel that co-ordinated with the sunshine yellow of the cushions on the sun loungers. She also had a tumbler full of ice, a couple of candy-striped straws and a can of Coca-Cola, which seemed the height of luxury.

Even though she’d taken the precaution of checking with Jeremy that it was OK to come up here and made sure that she had the boat to herself, with the exception of the skeleton crew of two who were doing maintenance work on the engines, she moved quickly and stealthily, unable to shake the feeling she really shouldn’t be doing this. But once she’d stripped off her jersey dress, covered herself in sun cream and laid down on the wooden sun lounger in her bikini, she began to relax. Even so, she was too excited to pay much attention to the glossy pages of her magazine. Instead, she used it as cover while taking surreptitious glances at her surroundings.

Across the marina, she could see the stark white stone of the royal palace on top of the hill, and to her right the pinks, oranges and creams of the buildings that perched on the steep slopes of the town. Below her the water lapped at the hull with a somnolent rhythm that made her want to close her eyes. Two yachts down, on a boat nowhere near as big as the St Helena – she grinned to herself with a flicker of pride – a group of twenty-somethings were flitting about with glasses of wine, talking in loud voices that carried across the water, making sure the tourists could see and hear them. The girls were all in jewel-bright bikinis topped with sheer kaftans, displaying their bodies like a group of brilliantly coloured hummingbirds.

A smile lit her face as she thought how wonderful it all was. Moments later, her daydreams turned into dreams as she drifted off to sleep.

When she eventually floated to the surface again, luxuriating in the warmth of the sun and gentle breeze, she had no idea how long she’d been asleep. Reluctant to break the spell, with a murmured sigh she stretched her body, enjoying the sensation, smiling to herself – and then a shadow fell across her.

Her eyes shot open. Demetrios was looking down at her, a soft teasing smile playing around his mouth. ‘Hello, Sleeping Beauty.’

Suddenly feeling very vulnerable and naked, she swung her legs over the side of her chair and grabbed a towel to shield her body.

‘Oh, don’t do that. I was admiring the view.’

‘How long have you been here?’ she demanded, feeling at a disadvantage given that she was faced with a man wearing a tie, shirt and trousers with a suit jacket hooked on one finger tossed casually over his shoulder. She wrapped her towel around her like a dress and attempted to snatch up the magazines, which slipped and slithered about on the table, making them impossible to hang on to.

‘Not long. My meeting finished early so I thought I’d come back. And now I’m glad I did.’

Shauna glared at him, annoyed that her heart, currently pounding at a thousand beats per second, chose to betray her. ‘I need to go.’ She took a step forward, expecting him to move aside, but he remained where he was, so she found herself almost nose to chest with him.

‘Please carry on,’ he purred in his deep voice, a boyish mischief twinkling in his eyes. ‘You looked like you were enjoying sunning yourself, and I won’t tell if you don’t.’

‘I didn’t realize you were coming back … I have work to do.’

Demetrios grinned. ‘Now I know you’re telling lies, Beauty. You have the afternoon off, along with the rest of the crew, as a reward for working so hard and looking after my guests so well. If you’re not careful, your nose will grow – and that would be a shame because it’s quite a pretty nose.’ He crossed his arms and held his position, making it difficult for her to get past him.

‘And now I know you’re talking rubbish, because noses aren’t pretty,’ she observed acerbically, taking a step back. ‘Now, if you’ll excuse me, I really must—’

‘It’s only one o’clock. Do you really want to spend this beautiful day making beds and cleaning bathrooms?’ He tapped his foot, a bit impatiently, she thought. ‘Besides, if you really want to work, you can help me.’

‘With what?’

‘Follow me and I’ll show you.’

Shauna followed him below deck to a small office, where Demetrios took a seat behind a mahogany desk and indicated that she should sit next to him.

‘Have you heard of the Greek island of Ithos?’ he asked her as he opened a large ledger which appeared to be full of figures.

Shauna shook her head. ‘Can’t say I have. I’ve only really heard of Corfu.’

‘It’s nothing like Corfu.’ He sounded horrified, but his eyes gleamed with amusement. ‘Your education is sadly lacking.’

‘I haven’t travelled much, and Greece is a long way from Enniscrea. Anyway, you must think I have something to offer in terms of education, otherwise you wouldn’t have asked for my help.’

Demetrios nodded in apology. ‘You are right and I forget my manners. This is your afternoon off, and I appreciate your time.’

Shauna was surprised to see he was sincere.

‘We must focus, Shauna O’Brien. Here, let me show you something. These are my father’s ledgers. You know we sell boats and ship goods all over the world?’

‘Yes,’ she answered, ‘Chantelle told me.’