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Kyrene smiled. “Once or twice. Andhouseis a small word for that estate. The grounds are the star. Endless rows of olive trees of course, but Mr. Papadakis’s wife loved plants. She did a lot of work to cultivate the gardens there in her short life, and Mr. P has kept them up after her death.”
“Did you meet her?”
She nodded. “Nia was a lovely woman. Ready smile and laugh, doted on Nefeli. Thrilled to be carrying Adonis.” A shadow passed over Kyrene’s features. “A real blow when she passed away.”
Rose didn’t know the details of Mrs. P’s death. Kyrene might know what happened.
“How did she die?”
“I believe there was severe bleeding and an infection. I’m not sure of the details. Adonis was three days old when she died. You’d have to ask Mr. P or Stavros. They could tell you more.”
Rose nodded. She certainly wouldn’t ask Mr. P. Too painful and too personal. She knew Stavros would answer her questions, but what more did she really need to know? How devastated Mr. P and his wife must’ve been to deliver a healthy child and then say goodbye to one another.
She blinked back tears.
Kyrene laid a hand on her arm as they stood in front of a model sailing ship that had captured Adonis’s attention. “Are you okay?”
Rose nodded. “I was thinking of how difficult that experience was for Mr. and Mrs. P. One of my great regrets is not being able to say goodbye to my husband. But then, how much more difficult is it to watch your spouse die?”
“I can’t speak to either, as I’ve never been married.” Kyrene scooted around to study the ship from another angle. “Mr. P became a recluse after that. Hired a company to create an online avatar and remove all pictures of himself and his family from the Internet.”
They moved forward to the next room, which contained a throne draped in red velvet.
Kyrene said, “I think that may’ve been a mistake as it resulted in him becoming a man of mystery, and the public loves to unravel a mystery.”
A puzzle piece clicked into place. “That’s why there wasn’t a photo of him for this assignment,” Rose said. “I only received photos of the children.”
“Bingo.”
“Why would he vanish like that?”
“Gold diggers.” Kyrene frowned. “They barely waited six months after Nia died before they started trying to land him.”
Rose’s stomach rolled in disgust. “Vipers.” She knew the kind. She’d met a few of them at social functions Robert’s family attended. She much preferred salt-of-the-earth people like Kyrene and Maddie.
As they made their way toward the exit, Kyrene shared a few more historical facts about the palace.
“Hospitaller founded the palace,” said Kyrene.
“How can a hospital build a palace?” Nefeli asked.
Kyrene smiled. “Hospitaller is a religious military group, not a building. They started in Jerusalem and still exist today. They are knights.”
Adonis’s eyes widened. “Knights,” he echoed.
Kyrene nodded.
“I bet they get a few raised eyebrows when they fill out official government documents,” Rose said.
“I imagine so,” Kyrene agreed.
“Have you ever met one?” Adonis asked Kyrene as they strolled out to face the blue water of the harbor.
“Not yet,” she said. “The knights aren’t here anymore. It took two hundred years and an army of one hundred thousand men led by Süleyman to defeat the seven thousand knights who lived here.”
“Silly man?” Nefeli scrunched her eyebrows.
Rose giggled.