Holidaying in Crete for the first time without her boyfriend David, Sam is rescued from drowning by Alexis, a Greek treasure seeker. When she is turned out of her holiday house he takes her to his villa, where she meets his mother and has adventures on his yacht. But all is not as it seems. There are mysteries to solve, relationships to figure out, and lurking danger on the island.
As I stepped out of the plane, the heady sweetness of wild thyme filled the air. The dark mountains of Crete loomed beyond the airport lights.
David and I had always come to Crete for our annual holiday, taking the night flight. It was like coming home, but this year it was different. I was on my own and David was gone, lost at sea while piloting his yacht in a transatlantic race. He had loved the sea. Boatbuilding and sailing had been his life. This time the sea had claimed him for its own. I could still feel the pain of when they broke the news to me. He was such a lovely man. We had been sweethearts since childhood and had always talked about getting married when we grew up, but now we never would.
Grief affects people in different ways, but for me it was as though the bottom had dropped out of my life. When it came time for our annual holiday, I didn't know what to do. I loved Crete, but if I went on my own, how would I feel? Can you ever go back to a place where you have spent happy times with the one you love and then revisit it alone?
I discussed it with my flatmate, Alison, a very level-headed person, who said I should rest and take relaxation after the shock I had experienced. Going to Crete was just the thing I needed. So I made myself take this journey. I really wasn't sure, but I loved Crete so much. My hairdressing salon in London's West End would run without me, thanks to a devoted staff consisting of two lovely girls, Ashley and Kimberley.
Once out of the plane, I walked with the other passengers to the waiting bus, which always seemed unnecessary, the terminal was only a short distance away.
Through passport control and then on to the baggage reclaim with people jostling for position.
As always, the wait for luggage seemed to take forever. Eventually my two cases arrived. I lugged them on to my trolley and pushed it through the nothing to declare gate, to where Yannis, our usual taxi driver was waiting for me. I was pleased to see him. Every year he threatened to give his taxi to his son and retire but he never did.
"Kalispera, welcome, Samantha Carson."
I shook his hand. He looked at me with sorrow on his face. He knew. Someone had told him of my loss.
I sat in his Mercedes while he piled my cases into the boot and we began our journey to Stearos Villas, where I would spend the next four weeks.
I always marvelled at the speed with which Yannis took the sharp bends on such narrow roads. We swept onwards towards the House by the Sea. At least that was what we had called it. It was in a complex of houses called Stearos Villas on the outskirts of Stavros.
We had been coming for three years, and it had been our special place for rest and relaxation.
The lights of villas flashed by. I had the car window open. The air was so sweet and pure after the stuffiness of the plane.
The car bumped down the sandy track towards the shore. We arrived at the complex of small houses. The one we loved was the largest of all of them. It was advertised as suitable for six people but as we loved space, we thought it was just right for us. It had occurred to me that it might be a bit large for me on my own, but we are all creatures of habit, so I had booked it as usual.
Yannis pulled up outside the house. The key was already in the door.
He unloaded the cases for me. As I paid him, I could see a ferryboat, its lights shining brightly, making its way slowly across the sea. He drove off and I hesitated before going into the house, looking across at the mountain in the distance lit by the light of a full moon.
I suppose I was slightly nervous to go in on my own. The placid water lapping the shore in the distance sounded like a funeral dirge.
Making up my mind, I entered the house. As I did so a small green lizard scuttled across the wall.
"Hello," I said. "Are you the one we see every year?" It disappeared down a crack in the low wall surrounding the house.
The heat in the room was almost too much to bear. I sat for a moment. It did seem strange without David, but I must keep my mind on practical things.
On arrival, we always made a cup of tea. Would there be milk in the fridge?
There was. Stearos, the elderly man who owned the complex, always made sure that there were the basic necessities,—milk, bread and cheese for people on arrival. He didn't supply teabags, but I suppose tea is an English habit.
Finding the teabags involved opening my suitcase. I fumbled with the strap on the case, realising how tired I felt after the journey. Eventually it came undone, and I was able to open the case when, of course, half the contents fell out. I gathered them up and stuffed them back. Mercifully the teabags were easy to find. I took one and found the kettle and the teapot.
Making the tea kept me occupied. As I drank the comforting liquid it felt good, and I realised I must have been dehydrated.
I washed my cup and saucer, but as I did so, my mind went back to David and the times we had spent here together. Was I wise to come? Time would tell. Tonight was not the time to worry.
