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‘You are a hell of a sightdeal until you went h complete hell in the space of a few hours!’

Pale and drawn, Ella slowly breathed in ‘Have I really?’

‘Why didn’t you phone me from the hospital? You could have let me knohat had happened, not cleared off in an air ambulance as if I didn’t exist!’ Aristandros launched at her, his strong bone-structure rigid beneath his bronzed skin ‘Ianthe was out and I couldn’t get hold of her, so I had no idea an eency had coone off somewhere with her I orried about you—’

‘Why? What could possibly have happened toto stay so calm

Aristandros glowered at her as if that was a very stupid question ‘You could have had an accident I knew so when you didn’t show up at the opera house, because you’re usually very reliable’

‘Oh…’

‘And then Yannis phoned after you had left the hospital to rave about hoonderful you had been with his daughter, and I began to understand what had happened But you never arrived at Drakon’s house because he checked’

‘Drakon’s house? Why would I have arrived there?’ Ella questioned uncertainly

‘That’s where you sent your dress’

‘Ianthe organised that’ Ella hesitated ‘I assumed it had been sent to the villa outside Athens’

‘Ianthe knew I had a bunch of guests staying there this week, so she wouldn’t have sent it there’

‘Guests?’ Ella echoed weakly

‘I understand that you may have met one of them,’ Aristandros pointed out with laden emphasis

Suddenly the atmosphere was so thick it could have been cut with a knife

Ella was very still and she stood very straight ‘Is that what you call the young wouest?’