The Priest's Well (The Greek Village Collection Book 12) Read Online Free PDF Page A

trying to alter the law that exempts the church from paying property tax, which the writer of the article declares is shameless, as the church is worth over a billion euros. In the list of properties, there is no mention made of the four hundred and fifty monasteries that were cited in a recent memorandum that was sent round within the church. Maybe that is a good thing. As his new bishop said, it is not always best for the public to know everything. But then the article does go on to say that the Church is the second largest land owner in Greece after the state and holds a significant share in the National Bank of Greece. It says something about the church looking for a billion pounds of investment to build solar farms on the land they own to capitalise on their assets. He would like to be a part of that. That kind of wheeling and dealing excites him. The article summarises that all that has been previously mentioned does not include the eighty bishoprics and their own personal assets, ‘which they enjoy with considerable independence.’
    ‘Eighty bishoprics and their own personal assets, which they enjoy with considerable independence,’ he reads again, muttering the words whilst hardly moving his lips.
    Maybe a bishopric in Greece could suit him. It sounds as if they have more freedom here than in America.
    There is a tap at the door.
    ‘Okay.’ Savvas lets her know he has heard. Then everything stops. The news clipping falls from his hands. His breathing quickens slightly. There it is! A rubber-stamped document that seems to be the official transfer of the grand house to two named people. The last name is Nefeli. How fortuitous it is that he has found it so easily. Mind you, there is very little else in the desk. His predecessor can’t have been very active with regards to raising funds for the church. But even so. He must take his time to read it, decipher the small print that is written in tedious legal terms. He must find out exactly how official it is and whether there is room for some manoeuvre. If he got the house back for the church, that would be a boost to his position in the church’s eyes and it would surely be an asset if he sets his course toward a bishopric. With a bounce in his step, he goes to enjoy his breakfast.
    Nefeli has moved the table from up against the wall to the centre of the room and there is a vase of delicate bluey-purple flowers in the centre. She has opened the shutters and a square of sunshine highlights all she has laid out for his breakfast. There is a smell of fresh bread and toast, coffee and, again, jasmine. With grace, she steps toward the door as he sits.
    ‘If I might have a word before you go.’ The way she looks from under her fringe stirs him, as if she is holding back a secret—or sharing one; he is not sure. It feels intimate even though she probably wears her hair that way to keep the world out. ‘Please, take a seat.’ He notes that the coffee in his small coffee cup glistens on top with tiny bubbles, no grounds to be seen. It pleases him. She sits perched on the chair’s edge as if ready to take flight.
    ‘How is your mother?’ It’s a safe opening that shows the right degree of concern. He waits, but she does not answer. Maybe it is more than shyness. Perhaps she is not all there. She doesn’t twitch or flex as she sits there, motionless. The curve of her neck down into her back, nipping in at her waist, is highlighted by the sun’s rays.
    ‘Good, good.’ Savvas breaks the silence. ‘Have you lived here all your life?’ She flinches at this.
    ‘I don’t live here, I live there.’ She turns her face in the direction of the grand house.
    ‘No. I mean…’
    ‘I used to live here,’ she adds. It catches Savvas off guard. He had not expected her to speak without being prompted by a specific question.
    ‘Did you like it when you lived here?’ It might be a good question or it might be entirely the wrong question. What if she hated it in the