YANNIS (Cretan Saga Book 1) (33 page)

Her father gazed at her in disbelief. ‘You have to get married? Now?’

‘Yes, Pappa.’ She lowered her eyes.

‘You slut! You harlot! Was there ever such an unfortunate man as me! Out! Get out! You’re no daughter of mine. Get your belongings and go.’ He ignored the strangled pleading that was coming from his half-paralysed wife, rose from his chair and walked through to the yard.

Maria held her mother in her arms. ‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry,’ she sobbed. ‘I didn’t mean to. It just happened and then…’ a fit of sobbing tore at her, stopping the words.

Her mother struggled to speak, wanting to comfort her daughter.

‘I have to go, Mamma.’ Maria pulled herself away. ‘Pappa means it. I’ll get my clothes and go with Babbis. He’ll look after me. I’ll come to see you when Pappa’s in the fields.’ Choking back her sobs she ran up the stairs and hurriedly gathered her few possessions, stuffing them into a sack and returning to kiss her mother. ‘I’ll come every day. I promise, Mamma.’

‘I’ll look after her well,’ vowed Babbis. ‘She’ll want for nothing, nor will,’ he hesitated, embarrassed, ‘the baby when it comes.’

Without a backward glance Maria hurried out, pulling Babbis with her. The moment she had been dreading was over. When she had first discovered she was pregnant she had cried and suggested that she went to the Widow Segouri, but Babbis would not hear of it. ‘We’ll ask your Pappa if we can get married.’

Maria had agreed, but she had known what her father’s reaction would be. It had been two weeks before it had been possible to speak to him without her brothers or sister being present, now the ordeal was over. Babbis took the sack from her and together they walked up over the hill, away from the small farmhouse she had called home for the last sixteen years, towards a new house and a new life. The nearer they got the slower her steps became. Babbis squeezed her hand gently.

‘There’s nothing to be frightened of. I’ve talked to my mother.’

Maria shot a glance at him. ‘I doubt that she was very pleased.’

Babbis shrugged. ‘She has enough sense to know that she’s gaining a daughter.’

‘Oh, Babbis.’ Maria began to cry, the tears trickling down her face and making her sniff.

Babbis stopped and swung her round to face him. ‘We’ll have none of that. What’s done is done. I love you and I don’t want to start our life together with you snivelling and wishing you were back home with your parents.’

‘I won’t, Babbis. I’m just frightened of meeting your mother.’

‘You don’t have to be,’ his voice had become gentle again. ‘Remember when you were little and used to come to our house? She always had a biscuit for you.’

Maria nodded. ‘But I’m not a little girl coming visiting any more. I’m walking into her house for ever.’

‘I hope so.’ Babbis’s voice was gruff with emotion and he held Maria tightly to him. ‘I love you very much, Maria. Do you love me?’

‘You know I do.’

‘Then there’s nothing to worry over. Come on,’ he released his grip on her and picked up the sack again. ‘Mother’s been waiting to welcome you for more than a week now.’

With a wan smile Maria allowed herself to be led along the dusty road to the farmhouse. Arriving at the door Babbis gave her hand a final squeeze.

‘We’re here,’ he called out cheerfully as he pushed his way through to the room that served as both kitchen and living room for them. Rising from her seat at the table Babbis’s mother came forward, a smile of welcome on her face, and Maria felt her fears dissipating.

‘Maria! I’ve missed your visits, but we can make up for lost time now. How’s your poor mother? Is there any sign of improvement? Sit down, now, dear, you must be tired after your walk over the hills.’

‘No, I’m fine,’ Maria assured her, sinking gratefully into the chair that was pushed towards her. ‘Mother’s much the same. She has some days when she’s better than others.’

‘Babbis, you take Maria’s belongings upstairs for her,’ commanded his mother. ‘Then you’d better get along outside to see that everything’s ready for the night.’

Babbis winked at Maria. ‘I’ll be back soon.’

Once her son had left the house Mrs Andronicatis leaned forward to Maria. ‘How far are you?’

‘Almost three months, I think.’

‘Have you seen the Widow?’

Maria shook her head. ‘There’s plenty of time before that.’

Mrs Andronicatis pursed her lips. ‘Best go along and let her have a look at you soon. Prepare her as well as yourself. How are you keeping?’

‘I feel a bit sick in the mornings.’

‘That’s natural. It will pass. Now, we have to come to some arrangements.’

‘Yes?’ Maria looked up timidly.

‘Whilst you’re able I’ll expect you to help me with the vegetables and fruit. You’ll also do your share of the cooking and cleaning. You’ll do the washing for yourself and Babbis, and your own mending,’ she added. ‘I also expect you to nurse me if I’m ill and look after me when I’m too old to work.’

Maria nodded. ‘Yes, ma’am.’

‘You can stop calling me ma’am straight away. My name is Kassianai; I suggest you shorten it to Kassy as most people have done all my life. There’s just one very important thing for you to remember,’ Kassy leaned even closer to Maria. ‘I’ll not interfere between you and my son, but it’ll be no good you running to me for sympathy the first time you have a cross word. You’re each other’s responsibility now.’

Maria nodded again. ‘Thank you,’ she began, ‘I appreciate your kindness.’

‘You’re not a bad girl,’ Kassy smiled. ‘You were just a bit unfortunate. There are others who do much worse in their lives and get away with it.’

‘I promised my mother I’d visit her every day. I don’t see how I can if I have to help you all the time. I can’t go in the evening as my Pappa will be there then.’ Maria’s eyes filled with tears at the memory of the recent painful scene she had endured.

‘You can go off and see your mother each day. You’re young and strong and at the moment you should be able to work fairly fast, besides there’ll be two of us doing the job I managed to do alone for a number of years. Don’t stay over there for too long, though. Your place is here now.’

‘Thank you,’ Maria said again. ‘I expect Pappa will come round in time.’

‘I’m sure he will.’ Kassy smiled grimly. She knew a few things about Yannis Christoforakis that he would rather keep secret from the villagers. It would not be very difficult to ensure a change of heart towards his erring daughter.

Louisa carried her baby along the road towards the town, finally stopping at the house of the woman who had agreed to look after the child during part of the day. Louisa laid the baby on a bed the woman had prepared for her and gazed at the sleeping form. She bore no resemblance to anyone except her mother, for which Louisa was greatly relieved. She had been lucky so far. Yiorgo had accepted his daughter’s premature birth and considered the child to be his own. Her only blemish was the red birthmark, which ran from just above her left ear to the top of her shoulder blade.

Before she had become too large and unattractive she had used her time well during the day, raising her price a little and being available for as long as she dared before Yiorgo returned. Only half the money earned each day went into the till, and by this foresight she had managed to make the taverna look prosperous up until the time of her confinement. For two months now the takings had been low and she must appear to build the business up again.

Louisa smiled to herself as she continued towards the harbour, hoping a ship would have docked with at least one sailor hungry for a woman. Yes, she had been very clever and managed the situation extremely well to her own advantage. She felt confident she could deal with any other difficulties that arose. Yiorgo was so besotted with her, and she would make quite sure he stayed that way.

The time had come, Kassianai decided, to face Yannis and make him come to his senses regarding his daughter. Each day the girl hurried over the hills to visit her mother, scrambling over the low walls and running over scrub land that could trip her at any moment. As she had become larger and heavier both her husband and mother-in-law had prevailed upon her to use the track, which was less hazardous, and she had finally agreed. Even that was becoming tiring now, and Kassy would feel happier if her son could accompany his wife.

She chose her time carefully. What she had to say was for his ears alone. She watched as Maria set out along the dirt track that led down to the village, having admonished her to be very careful not to slip on the damp ground. Waiting until her daughter-in-law was out of sight, she wrapped her shawl over her head and shoulders. Not only was it chilly out now, but also there was a good chance that Yannis would not recognise her until she was face to face with him.

Yannis was working on one of the higher slopes, clearing away the tangled growth. Kassianai was standing next to him before he realised there was anyone else in the field.

‘Yannis Christoforakis, I want a word with you.’

He jumped visibly and spun round on his heel. When he realised who was accosting him he spoke angrily. ‘I’ve nothing to say to you. Get off my land.’

‘I’ll not go until I’ve had my say. You’re a wicked man, a hard man; you don’t deserve that sweet girl that you’ve disowned for the past few months.’

Yannis snorted and turned to go back to his work.

‘You’ve no right to treat her the way you have.’

‘No right! No right! After the way she repaid me for all the years I’d looked after her and loved her.’

‘Some love it is when at the first fault you get thrown out of your home, denied access to your ailing mother.’

‘She did wrong. She knew that. I’d brought her up to know right from wrong.’

‘I’m sure you had. Who would know right from wrong better than you, Yannis?’

Yannis sucked in his breath. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Do I have to tell you? Have you forgotten Olga?’

Yannis’s face paled under his tan. ‘What are you talking about?’

‘Olga, old Nikos’s daughter, no better than a cheap town girl. Every man hereabout knew Olga.’

Yannis shrugged.

‘Who gave her the money to go to the town, eh? Who wanted her out of the way so he could court a respectable girl?’

‘It was a long time ago. How should I know?’

‘You should know better than anyone else. How much did you give her to go away and get rid of your brat in secret?’

A dull red suffused Yannis’s neck and cheeks. ‘What makes you think it was mine? It could have been any one of a dozen’s.’

Kassy nodded. ‘It could, but it was you she went to for the money when the Widow said she was too far gone for any of her remedies, and it was you that gave her the money that killed her.’

‘I didn’t kill her,’ protested Yannis vehemently.

‘You killed her as sure as if you stuck a knife in her.’ Kassy shook her finger at the man in front of her. ‘She wanted money to go to the town and make her way there. We all know what way that would have been, but you persuaded her that if she went to the town she would find a doctor who could solve her little problem. She’d be able to come back to the village with her head held high and nothing trailing at her skirts to hamper her.’

Yannis’s mouth opened and shut.

‘Had you left well alone and let her go her time she’d be with us now, a comfort to her father in his old age, despite her waywardness. But no, you wanted her out of the way so you could court your Maria who thought the sun shone out of you.’

‘You don’t know what you’re talking about.’

‘Oh, yes, I do. I was with her. It was quite by chance. I’d gone to Aghios Nikolaos to buy the material to make my wedding dress and there she was. Too close to death for anyone to save, squatting in the gutter of a back street, her life blood all but gone. They tried, at the hospital, but it was too late. I stayed with her and she told me. She told me all about you and her.’ Kassianai paused for breath and also to see what affect her words were having on the farmer.

‘You’re an evil old woman,’ he spat at her.

‘Evil! Me! I could have put paid to your hopes with Maria years ago. I kept my silence. What was the point of blackening your name? The poor girl was dead and gone and I had nothing to gain by pointing the finger at you. But I have now. You make your daughter welcome in your house, and her husband and child with her, or I’ll tell the village what I know about you. They might shrug and say it was a long time ago and best forgotten, but I doubt old Nikos would be so forgiving. He’d have his shotgun out for you. You think on that one, Yannis Christoforakis, and be thankful that your girl is a good girl and my son saw fit to do the right thing by her, not like some.’

Kassy turned and began to walk back the way she had come. She was trembling with the violent emotion she had felt during the unpleasant scene, but she also felt triumphant. She would give him a few days to mull over what she had said and if he had not seen his daughter by the end of a week she would try again.

The days passed monotonously. At fairly regular intervals the door was unlocked. Each morning the cleaners would arrive with mops and buckets of water. Within a few minutes they had mopped the floor carelessly from end to end, completely ignoring the occupants of the beds. An hour or so later stale bread, hard cheese and jugs of water were brought in and called breakfast.

At mid-day tomatoes, olives and cucumber accompanied the bread, cheese and water and some evenings a small amount of meat and rice came on a separate dish. Yannis noticed that for each person who was completely bed-ridden there was an ambulant leper looking after his welfare, feeding him if necessary.

Long hours were passed talking to Manolis and Spiro, the two men he felt closest to in the ward. He tried to talk to the orderlies when they entered, but was waved away with a menacing truncheon. Each day when his name was called he hoped he would be free to leave, but it was only to hand him the two capsules that constituted his medication.

The first time Yannis saw a leper die he was moved to both tears and fury. Dimitris had been a living torso in the bed next to him. The smell that arose from his gangrenous body kept most people away from him and he would shout abuse and curses at them. The night he died he was calm, asking for various people to go up to his bed and say farewell to him. Some did as he requested, others were unable and called out to him, yet others that he asked for had died earlier.