The Innocent's Surrender Read Online Free PDF Page B

was short and to the point, Natasha thought wryly, and quite unlike the other e-mails she?d been receiving from Stavros and Andonis, which were barrages of recrimination, accusation and self-justification. It took every scrap of patience she possessed to read them, let alone reply to them.
    Everyone else?s fault, as usual, she thought wearily as she pressed the delete button on the most recent outpouring.
    It was not lost on her either that her anxious queries about their mother were being totally ignored.
    But when I?m there, she thought, I?ll be able to see for myself how she is.
    ?I?m sorry to leave you in the lurch like this when we?re so busy,? she apologised to Molly as she filled her overnight bag. ?But it won?t happen again. Any future visits will be solely to see Thia Theodosia, and I?ll be able to schedule those during my normal holidays. That?s why I?ve booked evening flights, so I?ll only be away for a day.?
    ?It?s all right, so stop fussing,? Molly ordained severely. ?We can cope without you for twenty-four hours, no worries, so go and do what you have to.? She paused. ?I just hope it won?t be too awful.?
    Natasha shook her head. ?Bound to be,? she said wearily. ?I?I just can?t believe it?s all collapsed so quickly. And what?s going to happen to the workforce? It?s a generational thing. Whole families are involved.? Her voice was suddenly husky. ?Thio Basilis was always so proud of that.?
    ?Surely the new owners will keep them on,? Molly suggested. ?After all, the ships need to go on sailing.?
    ?But not necessarily with Papadimos crews.? Natasha zipped up her case. ?Oh, God, why couldn?t those idiots make peace not war for once with Alex bloody Mandrakis? If they?d accepted his original offer, at least they?d have been left with something. But, no. They had to try and get the better of him.?
    ?There was a picture of him in the paper the other day,? Molly said idly. ?Attending some film premiere with his latest squeeze. Admittedly gorgeous, but not someone I?d choose to mess with.?
    ?You have wisdom beyond your years,? Natasha said bitterly. ?But?he?s done his worst, and all we can do now is try and pick up whatever pieces remain.? She reached for the dark grey jacket that matched her skirt, and slipped it on over her crisp white shirt. Business clothes, she thought, for a business meeting, and sighed imperceptibly.
    She added, ?I almost feel sorry for Maria and Christina. They never bargained for this at those lavish weddings a few years ago.? A note of mischief entered her voice. ?But I bet they?re not treating their husbands with quite such doting devotion these days. In fact, with any luck, they?re giving them hell.?
    And on that upbeat note, she grabbed her bag, and left for the airport.
     
    Neil had offered to see her off, but she?d refused on the grounds that parking would be a nightmare and that, anyway, it was no big deal.
    ?I?ll be back before you know it,? she?d promised.
    ?And I?ll be counting the hours,? he?d returned, and taken her in his arms, his parting kiss displaying an unaccustomed hunger.
    Something, she realised, that she?d found disturbing, and not altogether for the right reasons.
    In effect, she thought as she sipped at the orange juice she?d ordered from the drinks trolley, it had been a candid reminder that, on her return, he was confidently expecting that they would be moving their relationship on a stage and becoming lovers. That she?d pretty much promised him that would happen.
    ?Oh, God,? she groaned under her breath. Don?t chicken out. Not again. Not this time.
    You really like Neil. You may even be starting to fall in love with him. But how will you ever know?be sure?until you commit yourself, even in this most basic way?
    The problem was she hadn?t been joking when she?d told Molly about the strictness of her upbringing. And it was difficult to shake off that kind of conditioning, even if you believed you might have met the right man.
    For Thia Theodosia, Mr Right came with a