One Greek Summer Wedding

Chapter 47

‘I don’t see him,’ Margot said through pursed lips. ‘I’ve gently rotated around this boat for the past thirty minutes and I do not see him.’

What Cara could see was Margot’s panic. She was carrying it over her shoulders like it was a cashmere wrap. In comparison, Cara felt cool. Not exactly calm perhaps, but a little more like the way she used to feel before a performance. There were butterflies but they were contained, not out of control, and her mind was reasonably clear, focussed.

She put a hand on Margot’s arm. ‘It’s fine. Everything is fine. He’s the guest of honour, right? We don’t know if he’s even arrived yet.’

‘No, I suppose not,’ Margot said with a heavy sigh. ‘And, you know, there are any number of people here with cash and connections. I’ve not seen so much Vivienne Westwood since her 2019 show, God rest her soul.’

‘It’s quite the party,’ Cara remarked. ‘I feel a bit underdressed.’ She was wearing the olive-green shimmery silk dress that they had picked up from the boutique. It fitted her so well and she loved it but all around were hardcore designer labels, pearls and diamonds, Louboutins, and Louis Vuitton.

‘We are wearing up and coming designers, new on the scene,’ Margot reminded her. ‘Everyone wants to be someone who makes a discovery. We drop the name of the creator, and you watch these people make notes on their Samsungs.’ Then she pulled a face. ‘Ugh, look at that man, he has no idea how to eat an oyster. He probably doesn’t even know what it is. And who is he talking to?’

Cara followed Margot’s line of sight to where Horatio and Akis were standing at one end of the ship near the beautiful glossy bright red grand piano talking to a group of ladies clad in silver and gold.

‘I don’t even know what he’s doing here,’ Margot continued. ‘I’m not sure I fully understand why the dancer got on a plane either but the thought that Sofia is probably fuming about it makes me not care. But the Horror has no reason to be here.’

‘The Horror?’

‘Isn’t that his name?’ Margot asked, eyes still firmly over the other side of the boat as waiters passed through the partygoers holding silver platters containing champagne flutes. ‘Horatio. It’s so pretentious. So not Greek. I think he’s made it up. And look at him, trying to charm all those women with his crooked smile and all his… hair.’

Cara looked harder at her aunt then, seeing an unfamiliar set to her jaw, a faraway look in her eyes. Never had anything seemed clearer. The white dress and the emotions in the changing room of the boutique – were they not because of the-maharajah-that-got-away but more to do with the guy that Margot couldn’t stop insulting?

‘Oh my God,’ Cara said, the penny dropping. ‘You like Horatio!’

‘What are you talking about, Cara?’ Margot hissed. ‘Have you had some of that champagne because you know how that can make you. Do you remember the time on the Thames when we were talking to those frogmen?’

‘You’re changing the subject, Margot,’ Cara said. ‘You only do that when your opponent has sussed you out. And I am not an opponent by the way, I am your niece but?—’

‘Oh my God! There he is! There he is!’ Margot stepped to the side, ducking behind a fast-melting ice sculpture in the shape of who knew what and pulling Cara with her. ‘Coming onto the deck now.’

Cara looked towards the door and saw half a dozen people in black suits walking into the space. And, in the midst of them, was a man dressed completely in white. It was like if John Travolta’s suit from Saturday Night Fever had a baby with a stoat.

‘Why are we hiding?’ Cara asked.

‘Because we need to be seen when we want to be seen. And not a second before.’

Applause broke out as though something fantastic had happened, except it hadn’t. All that had happened was the team of security had parted from a tighter formation than the Red Arrows and presumably, Raj, was standing in some kind of glitterball spotlight.

‘He’s aged beautifully, hasn’t he?’ Margot commented.

‘Well,’ Cara said. ‘I haven’t ever seen him before, but his beard looks well-nourished.’

‘That’s not all about him that’s well-nourished, I can tell you,’ Margot replied.

‘Eww, too much information.’

‘OK,’ Margot said. ‘We will let him get settled. Presumably in that VIP area over there and when the time is right, we strike.’

‘These things are disgusting,’ Horatio said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and disposing of the shell in a bowl of cashew nuts.

‘Then why did you eat five of them?’ Akis asked.

‘Because I am hungry and they were there.’ He shook his head. ‘But I do not like the diet of rich people.’

‘I guess this is the guest of honour,’ Akis remarked as he watched a man in white moving across the carpet and doing some hand-shaking.

‘He does not look like very much,’ Horatio said. ‘He is mainly beard.’

Akis checked his watch and then his gaze went to Cara. She was going to be performing in an hour and he knew that would be roving around in her mind. He rubbed the space where his little finger should be, manipulating the skin, making sure it wasn’t going to be tight for stretching over the keys. He watched his friend, in his element, enjoying everything this party had to offer despite his protests about the food. Horatio loved nothing more than new experiences, would carry on taking life by the horns; that’s what someone without responsibilities could do. Perhaps it was time to share his career plan with his friend…

‘Horatio… I have decided that… I will become a priest,’ Akis said.

Horatio almost choked on the mouthful of champagne he’d inhaled. ‘Fuck! Are you joking with me?’

Akis shook his head. ‘No.’

‘But, Aki, come on! That would be like a fucking tragedy for mankind. You know that, right?’

‘I know that I love my family and they are worried about the curse.’

‘Your mother is worried! Because she’s a control freak, Aki! You know that.’

‘Yes, I know that.’

‘So, have you spoken to your father about it?’

Akis shook his head. ‘Not yet.’

‘Why not?’ Horatio asked, taking another champagne flute from a passing waiter. ‘Is he not a Diakos? His older brother became a priest. He lived a long life, right?’

‘He died. Before his first service. And he had no children so I am the eldest Diakos from the second-eldest son.’

‘OK, so he died even though he became a priest. That sounds like shit luck. So, what about the generation before? Your grandfather?’

‘Spiros Diakos. Died on the day he was to become a priest. He was thirty-one. The doctor’s findings said gallbladder complications but there are rumours his body was full of rare worms.’

‘I think I’m gonna be sick,’ Horatio said, picking up a wine cooler from the table.

‘Then my grandmother got cancer and all seven of her cats died. Going back in history there is less to categorically say that if a Diakos did not become a priest then bad things would happen but how can I be sure?’

‘The two you just told me about had every intention of joining the church and they still fucking died! And, Aki, what about Cara? I see how you two are together.’

Akis sighed, his eyes going back to the woman he thought was so incredible. She looked even more beautiful tonight, the olive-green dress smoothing over every curve, her hair a tumble of auburn waves…

‘I guess we just enjoy the time we have left,’ he answered with a sigh.

‘You’ve made it sound like this is a death sentence. Listen to how tragic that is.’

‘I cannot please everyone. That is the conclusion I have come to.’

‘You are right,’ Horatio agreed. ‘But you are choosing the wrong person to please, Aki.’

‘You are only concerned about the show,’ Akis said.

‘What? Are you kidding me? You think you tell me you are going to become a priest and my first thought is the show?’ He was yelling now. ‘If that is what kind of friend you think I am then… fuck you!’

With that said, Horatio stormed across the room.