Larry wondered what it must feel like to be able to afford to buy a villa just to get in
the hay with someone once in a while. “Great,” he said. “I can’t wait to see it.”
She studied him a moment. “Will you have any trouble getting away from
Catherine?”
Larry looked at Noelle in surprise. It was the first time she had ever mentioned his
wife. He had certainly made no secret of his marriage, but it was a strange feeling to hear
Noelle use Catherine’s name. Obviously she had done some checking, and knowing her as
well as he was beginning to, it was probably very thorough. She was waiting for an
answer. “No,” Larry replied. “I come and go as I please.”
Noelle nodded, satisfied. “Good. Constantin is going on a business cruise to
Dubrovnik. I’ve told him I can’t go with him. We’ll have ten lovely days together. You’d
better go now.”
Larry turned and walked back to the cockpit.
“How did it go?” Metaxas asked. “Loosen her up any?”
“Not much,” Larry replied, carefully. “It’s going to take time.”
Larry owned a car, a Citroen convertible, but at Noelle’s insistence, he went to a
small rent-a-car agency in Athens and hired an automobile. Noelle had driven up to Rafina
alone and Larry was to join her there. The drive was a pleasant one on a winding ribbon of
dusty road high above the sea. Two and a half hours out of Athens Larry came to a tiny,
charming village nestled along the coastline. Noelle had given him careful directions so
that he would not have to stop and inquire at the village. As he reached the outskirts of the
village, he turned to the left and drove down a small dirt road that led to the sea. There
were several villas, each one secluded behind high stone walls. At the end of the road built
on an outcropping of rock on a promontory that jutted out over the water was a large,
luxurious-looking villa.
Larry drove up to the gate and rang the bell. A moment later the electric gate swung
open. He drove inside and the gate closed behind him. He found himself in a large
courtyard with a fountain in the center. The sides of the courtyard were filled with a
profusion of flowers. The house itself was a typical Mediterranean villa, as impregnable as
a fortress. The front door opened and Noelle appeared, wearing a white cotton dress. They
stood there smiling at each other, and then she was in his arms.
“Come and see your new house,” she said eagerly, and she took him inside.
The interior of the house was cavernous, large spacious rooms with high domed
ceilings. There was an enormous living room downstairs, a library, a formal dining room
and an old-fashioned kitchen with a circular cooking range in the center. The bedrooms
were upstairs.
“What about the servants?” Larry asked.
“You’re looking at them.”
Larry regarded her in surprise. “You’re going to do the cooking and cleaning?”