Honey was furious. Had he assumed that when she learned of his wealth, she would become a conniving witch and change her plans? Did he believe she was that shallow?
Or maybe, she thought, he simply hadn’t wanted her to know because she might have asked him to loan her money to pay off her father’s debts so she wouldn’t have to marry Apollo.
God, she didn’t know what his reasons were, but she was angry just the same.
She went to the basin and splashed water on her face, trying to rid her skin of the grit that had invaded her pores during the ride to Ia, and the return.
She patted her face dry, and then went to the porthole and gazed at the inlet, the blue-black water tranquil compared to her tumultuous feelings.
The door opened behind her, and she glanced to see Effie standing there. “You know, what upsets me most is his secretive nature. It’s as if he couldn’t tell me of his wealth in case I decided to change my plans to include him instead of Apollo.”
Effie said nothing, but came to her side.
“Does he believe me so shallow? So small-minded?” she asked her maid. He didn’t love her, she knew that. But she had never let on that she’d fallen in love with him, either.
“The fact that Nick Stamos has money doesn’t change your plans?” Effie took out the pins in Honey’s hair and began to brush it.
“Of course not, and I must make that perfectly clear to him.”
She tried to ignore the tiny voice that berated her for her tunnel vision, for her dogged determination, for her unwillingness to look after her own personal interests in favor of her father’s. For a life ever after that didn’t include a husband that she loved and adored.
“And who knows,” Effie added. “Perhaps you will fall in love with your new husband.”
Although Effie didn’t sound confident, it did lift Honey’s spirits a bit. “Yes, maybe I will. Perhaps he will sweep me off my feet, woo me, and treat me like a princess.”
Although she said the words out loud, somewhere deep inside her she doubted that would happen.
Nick watched her pick at her dinner. He realized that a life without Honey would not only be foolish, stupid and insane, it would also be empty. Meaningless.
She moved her fish around on her plate, appearing listless, uninterested.
“Marry me, Honey.” The words were out before he’d had time to snatch them back. Oddly, he wasn’t sorry.
She dropped her fork; it clattered to the plate, the sound rang loud in the quiet room. “What?”
“You heard me,” he said quietly.
She quickly glanced away, then, after a long interminable moment murmured, “I can’t.”
“Why not?” Again, he spoke softly. “You don’t love Apollo, hell, you don’t even know him. You care for me; at least I think you do. What would stop you? I’m in a position to honor your father’s debts. I may not be as wealthy as Christophides, but I have more than enough to do that for you.”
She didn’t answer him, and in the dimming light, it wasn’t possible to see her expression. Shadows crept across the room, shrouding her in darkness.
Suddenly, she chuckled; it was a brittle sound. “Oh, Nick, Nick. That’s very sweet.”
Her tone angered him. He studied her, trying to see her eyes, trying to determine what she was really thinking. “Sweet? You think that’s sweet?”
All of a sudden he could see her face. Upon it was an indulgent smile. “Nick, I can’t take your money. You’ve given me what I want.”
He clenched his jaw, his gaze narrowing. “And what’s that?”
“A sexual adventure.” Her eyes shone in the dimly lit room and he felt sick to his stomach.
“Really,” he stated, matter-of-factly, beginning to feel like the biggest fool ever born.
She inhaled, continuing to smile up at him. “I went out looking for an adventure, a fling, a once-in-a-lifetime escapade, and I found you. You were perfect.”
A knot formed in his stomach, intensifying his feeling of stupidity. “Yes, I suppose I was.”
She stood up and moved toward the washstand, her back to him. “Oh, you were, Nick. Don’t spoil what we had by pretending to think it was something else. I know you better than that.”
She turned to him, her gaze intent. “You don’t really want to marry me, Nick. You want to rescue me. But I don’t need rescuing. I know what I’m doing and I’m doing what I want.”
She quickly returned to the washstand. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to get ready for bed.”
Dismissal. He’d been dismissed like a damned servant.
Without bidding her goodnight, he went out and slammed the door behind him.
Honey waited until she no longer heard his footsteps, and then she inhaled sharply, gathering in a throat clogged with tears, and sagged against the dry sink.
God, she’d barely been able to get the words out. Words she didn’t mean; words that had hurt him. Oh, if only she could change her life from this moment on, if only she could!
But it was ludicrous to believe it even remotely possible. She loved Nick; she wanted to be with him. But it would appear that she was marrying him for his money, and in truth, wouldn’t she be, even though she loved him more deeply than she would ever love another man?
She could never convince him otherwise and if she couldn’t convince him, she couldn’t live with him.
She’d had to sever their ties, make him believe that what she felt for him was only a lustful desire.
She glanced at the door, recalling his cold, abrupt departure. Yes, she had pulled it off.
Her stomach hurt and she felt the beginning of a headache throbbing behind her left eye.
Later, unable to sleep because of Effie’s snoring, she went topside and found Cosmos tuning his bouzouki. There were things she needed to know and she couldn’t talk to Nick; he’d probably dismiss her as she’d dismissed him. She sat down beside Cosmos.
“Tell me about Crete.”
He gave her a cool glance. “Why not ask Nick?”
“I’m afraid he’s upset with me,” she answered with a rueful smile. “Please, just tell me a little bit about Crete.”
“You stubborn woman.”
“I know.” She continued to smile at him.
After a long pause, Cosmos said, “Crete home of King Minos.”
“Yes, I know the history of the Minoans. I mean, what is it like now?”
A bitter expression crossed his face. “Crete more Turkish than Greek. Cretans still fighting for their independence.”
Honey knew that, too. “I guess what I’m wondering is, are the people pretty much the same?”
“A Greek is a Greek,” he stated emphatically.
She should have realized that; Greeks were fiercely loyal to their own kind. “And Crete? Is it pretty?”
His eyes misted. “Nowhere else is there such great quantity of flowers as on Crete.”
“It sounds lovely.” That made her happy; she couldn’t quite imagine a world without flowers.
“Crete most southern island, farther south than some places in Africa.”
“I suppose that means the climate is quite hot.”
He stared at her. “What you really want to know?”
She glanced away, embarrassed that he’d seen through her. “Cosmos, do you know Apollo Christophides?”
He shook his head, almost too quickly, Honey thought.
“But surely you’ve heard of him,” she prodded gently.
“I’ve heard.”
“And what have you heard?”
Cosmos concentrated on one of his bouzouki strings. “I hear he tied to mama by apron strings.”
“Cosmos.”
The sound of Nick’s voice sent a jolt through her. She turned to find him standing a few feet away.
Cosmos stared at his nephew. “She asked; I tell.” With that, he tucked his bouzouki under his arm and walked away, leaving them alone.
“You know something about Apollo you haven’t told me, don’t you?”
Nick didn’t meet her gaze. “What does it matter? I could tell you he’s a mentally retarded dwarf with one eye in the middle of his forehead and you’d marry him anyway.”
She forced a smile. “I doubt he’s that bad. Anyway, looks aren’t the most important thing to me. I’m much more interested in whether or not he can make me laugh. Love makes even the plainest person seem handsome if he has a sense of humor.”
“And you intend to fall in love with him?” His voice was tight.
“I hope to,” she answered, knowing in her heart that she wouldn’t.
“Well, good luck to you. If you pass his mother’s inspection, your life may be tolerable.”
She narrowed her gaze. “It isn’t like you to be unkind, Nick.”
“I’m only being truthful.” He turned on his heels and left her alone to wonder what he meant.