Bought: One Island, One Bride. Susan Stephens

in?’

      Kiria Theodopulos nodded.

      ‘I’ll be sure to give some consideration to what you’ve said,’ Kosta said.

      And that’s likely! Ellie thought grimly. How could she expect a man like Alexander Kosta to understand that the very thing that made Lefkis unique was about to be diluted by him, until the culture of the island, as well as the delicate balance of life in the sea, no longer existed? ‘You can’t go ahead without consultation—’

      ‘I can do what I like, since I own the island,’ he pointed out. ‘I have made the necessary investigations, and I have concluded that the deep-water harbour can’t be wasted. The revenue from visiting yachts alone—’

      ‘Profit. It all boils down to money with you—’

      ‘If only I had the luxury of being an idealist—’

      ‘But you do,’ Ellie protested. ‘Can’t you see? You could have it all—’

      ‘I think you’ll find that my way, the calm and reasoned way, will work better,’ Alexander insisted, not missing the opportunity to point out that she was losing control. ‘The influx of visitors means every one of those deep-water berths will be required. You should be pleased, Ellie. The shallow harbour I have reserved for you and for the other fishing boats will be ideal for your purpose.’

      ‘Say you!’

      ‘I have decided this,’ Alexander confirmed steadily, holding Ellie’s impassioned gaze.

      ‘Don’t you care that the fishing fleet has considered this harbour to be its home for centuries?’

      ‘That’s not strictly true…’

      There was triumph, and humour too, on Alexander’s face, and even Kiria Theodopulos flinched a little at that last point. Ellie wasn’t totally sure of her facts; she had only lived on Lefkis for the past eight years, and now, maddeningly, her eyes had filled with tears. The truth was she loved her simple life on the island and she couldn’t bear to see anything change. It hadn’t taken much for a few hotheads amongst the locals to provoke her into action. ‘You can’t sweep generations of tradition away and expect Lefkis to retain its charm,’ she pointed out more calmly, thankful for an agreeing tilt of Kiria Theodopulos’s head.

      ‘When I require your advice, Ellie, I’ll be sure to ask for it—’

      ‘Why bother when you’d only ignore it?’

      ‘Anticipating my actions again, Ellie?’

      ‘Someone should stand up to you—’

      ‘And that person’s you?’

      ‘Why not me?’ Ellie said, firming her jaw as Alexander rose out of his chair.

      ‘Ellie Mendoras? A one-woman army?’

      ‘If I must be.’ It was a pity her voice quavered at that point, and an even bigger pity she had to crane her neck in order to hold his gaze.

      He moved so fast she gasped out loud as he came towards her.

      ‘Tea?’ he said, reaching past her to ring a bell.

      He asked Kiria Theodopulos the same question and, having received a positive response, flashed Ellie a triumphant glance. Oh, yes, everything appeared to be going Alexander Kosta’s way.

      Was she strong enough to stand up to him? Ellie wondered as Alexander took up position in front of one of the picture windows. Only time would tell. So far he seemed totally unconcerned by everything that had happened.

      He might have been fresh from the shower. Effortlessly elegant and perfectly groomed, he had made her feel doubly drab. A fact that shouldn’t concern her at all, but for some reason did.

      ‘May I make one small suggestion?’ he said, indicating that he would whatever she thought.

      As they all sat down at the tea table Ellie could only incline her head in agreement and force a smile. But her eyes told Alexander a rather different story.

      ‘Don’t make threats to me you can’t honour, Ellie.’

      He spoke so pleasantly even Kiria Theodopulos smiled.

      It was a relief when the steward put the tray of tea in front of them and stopped her relatiating. The man’s whispering presence gave Ellie the chance to look around. She had expected everything on board Alexander’s yacht was of the best, and it was, but everything was restrained to the point of being boring. It was as if in spite of his massive wealth Alexander had no real interest in material objects.

      You would look in vain for some sign of frivolity or excess here, Ellie concluded. Everything, including the master of the Olympus, took itself very seriously indeed. The pictures might have been gathered by an expert in classical art, and the colour scheme was muted. There was no relief, from the thick taupe carpet underfoot, to the few ornaments scattered about. They were all in shades of bronze, ivory or pewter-grey. The emphasis on leather and polished wood also added to the sombre atmosphere.

      Nothing twinkled.

      But that was her style too! In some strange way, Ellie realised, the interior of Alexander’s fabulous yacht mirrored her austere lifestyle on board the simple fishing boat. This was more opulent, obviously, but the environment in which Alexander both lived and worked was contained and controlled to within an inch of its life, just like her own spartan accommodation. It was as if neither of them wanted to draw attention, though for vastly different reasons, of course…

      It was quite a shock to recognise these similarities between them. She didn’t enjoy the comparison. Wiping her hands self-consciously on her working clothes, Ellie was forced to admit they were hardly frivolous. The truth was she didn’t possess a single item of clothing, or anything else for that matter, that wasn’t functional.

      ‘Can I get you anything else?’ Alexander glanced at his wrist-watch as she drained her cup.

      The meeting was over, so she had to press for a result. ‘I’m just looking for an assurance that you will take the views of the islanders into consideration before you make any changes that might affect them.’

      ‘What makes you think that I won’t do that?’

      When she didn’t flash back an answer he relaxed. He was over his initial irritation and could see her uses. In fact, Ellie Mendoras had come along at the perfect time. She was the ideal person to win over any remaining dissenters on the island. ‘You have five minutes to tell me where your main concerns lie,’ he said.

      Patience didn’t come easily to him, but in this instance it would be worth it. Plus, she was easy on the eye and he was determined to find out everything he could about her. His usual sources had drawn a blank. The locals either knew nothing, or would tell him nothing; the time had come to make his own enquiries.

      Everyone had their price, even Ellie Mendoras, Alexander reflected as she talked. She would sail her ramshackle boat to the harbour he had chosen for her, and she would keep her nose out of his business; he was determined on that. So how had this feisty local girl got under his skin? He flashed a glance at Kiria Theodopulos, who had returned to her comfortable seat overlooking the ocean. She was a safeguard, without being an intrusion. Her presence was as much a precaution for him as it was for Ellie. He’d seen too many men in his position trapped by young women who engineered a meeting only to sell their fabricated kiss-and-tell stories some time later. He’d suffered the only deception he intended to at the hands of a woman, and had no intention of repeating that mistake.

      Alexander’s gaze returned to Ellie, who was still talking earnestly. He was barely listening to her. Instead he was inwardly celebrating that he had pulled the rug from her feet with such remarkable ease. How had she thought she could confront him, and even shame him in front of a crowd of people, all of whom owed their livelihoods to him? Such naïvety was rare. He put it down to the fact that she had hidden herself away from the world since her father had drowned. Why else had his enquiries about her been met with