Page 14 of The Silent Sister

Once Eléni was settled in bed, Cassia returned to the sitting room downstairs. She remembered the envelope in her pocket. Having been so wrapped up in the conversation with Eugenia and the prospect of losing her income, she’d momentarily forgotten about it.

She looked again at the handwriting. She still didn’t recognise it. As she unfolded the letter inside, her heart skipped a beat when she saw the words HMS Daring on the top right-hand side. Tom hadn’t forgotten them after all! Her hands shook as she read.

Agapití Cassia and Eléni,

I hope life, it is good for you at the house of Eugenia and you enjoy the goats and the chickens, Eléni. The sea, it is cold now, and you do not swim but you paddle, I think. If no, you look at the beautiful sea and cove. It helps you forget the awful sights we left at Argostoli.

I write to tell you we move from the ship here in Malta. After some weeks, they send us to other ships.

Tom had written the next part of the letter in English:

I would like to visit you both again before my posting.

I will arrive on the island at the beginning of December and we could spend Christmas together if you’d like that.

I’ll find somewhere to stay and call to see you each day.

There isn’t time for you to send a reply so I just hope you will both like to see me.

I think about you both every day. I can’t wait to see you. How are your drawings coming on Eléni, my little artist? Perhaps by now you have started to talk to your mamá.

Your friend,

Tom xx

Cassia sat back in the chair, placing the letter on her lap.

Her stomach somersaulted. Tom Beynon was coming back to the island, and she couldn’t wait.

Nowadays, she thought of Michaíl as a friend she could confide in, but, when she remembered the days after the earthquake in Argostoli, their new friendship was nothing compared to the closeness she’d come to appreciate with Tom.

Without making her feel inadequate, Tom always appeared to know the right thing to do when decisions needed to be made, helping her rather than taking over.

She thought of his soft lilting voice and the halting way he attempted to speak in Greek to her, and encouraged and praised her as she did the same when she spoke English.

It was as if they’d known each other for years.

Was that all it was? She quickly dismissed the idea that the two of them could be anything other than friends.

She couldn’t wait to see Eléni’s face when she told her in the morning.

Later, up in the bedroom she shared with Eléni, Cassia looked out over the harbour.

She wondered if Tom’s ferry would be docking in the larger bay of Argostoli, where tons of earthquake rubble had been bulldozed into the harbour.

Could ships and ferries even get into the once-busy port any more?

Perhaps he’d get a smaller boat and arrive in Fiscardo itself.

She imagined taking Eléni down to the quayside and watching the fair-haired sailor’s face break into one of his heart-warming grins when he spotted his little girl.

She failed to get much sleep that night, thinking of all the things she wanted to tell Tom.

She hoped he’d be proud of her for standing up to Georgios, for building up her business at the market and trying to make a happy, settled home for Eléni.

She was sure he’d like Michaíl. She tossed and turned, worrying about her sister and her niece now that they were on their own again. Damn Georgios Papadatos!

* * *

Daylight filtered into the bedroom, causing Eléni to stir before she turned over and fell back to sleep.

Cassia lay watching her, marvelling at how she had blossomed since arriving in Fiscardo.

Gone was the grey, tired pallor from the lack of sleep and frequent nightmares.

Although it was getting harder to get a full range of foods, Cassia made sure Eléni still ate well even if it meant going without herself.

Their stay with Eugenia had ensured they’d had an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables to eat.

Eléni’s glossy black hair, spreading out like a shiny fan on the white pillow, had grown enough so each morning, Cassia enjoyed plaiting it into two pigtails.

It made her look older than three. Perhaps you are older.

All we want now is for you to talk to us.

Eléni stretched and opened her eyes.

‘ Kaliméra. I have a surprise for you.’ Cassia held up the letter and unfolded it.

The little girl sat up, eager to hear what was in it.

‘It’s from Tom. Remember him?’

Eléni squealed and clapped her hands. A wide smile spread across her face. Cassia read the letter to her and when it came to the part where Tom said he was going to arrive in Fiscardo to see them, she jumped out of her bed and hugged Cassia.

Cassia’s eyes blurred with tears. ‘Isn’t it good news? You’ll have to do lots of drawings to give him when he arrives.’

Eléni immediately reached for her paper and pencils and began drawing straight away.

It then dawned on Cassia that Eléni might not have any recollection of what Christmas was if she had been only two the year before.

A lump formed in her throat. She imagined Eléni’s parents and grandparents celebrating with their beautiful toddler, unwrapping little gifts and imagining the Christmases to come.

Now it was up to her to make the first Christmas they’d spend together a memorable one for her.

And Tom would be there too. The thought of sharing time with him made her heart beat a little faster.

She remembered her sister’s words when they’d first arrived from Argostoli.

Tom’s obviously fallen head over heels in love with you.

Could she be doing the same thing? She pushed the thought to the back of her mind.

‘Elenáki mou, do you know what happens at Christmas?’

Cassia explained that on 25 December everyone would celebrate the birth of Jesus. ‘We will go to the church on the hill with Michaíl, and we may see Eugenia and Maia there. I hope Tom will come with us, too.’

The little girl listened intently.

‘Weeks before, all the boats in the harbour will be decorated with twinkling lights. The best bit is that we eat special Christmas foods. And then a few days later, on St Basil’s Day, we give presents to each other.’

Cassia remembered the magic of festive times spent when she was a child, but stopped herself from saying any more.

This year would be nothing like those Christmases.

Afraid to promise too much and let Eléni’s excitement build, Cassia had no idea what to expect.

There would be lots of prayer mainly from the older people, but she’d heard so many others question how God could have allowed such a terrible disaster to happen.

Would people waste money on decorating boats when they had very little to spend on food?

She’d noticed sales for her pies were a lot fewer, and she had to eke out what ingredients she could when cooking meals, serving smaller portions for herself.

Downstairs, they found Michaíl on his knees, trying to light a fire with pinecones and an old newspaper.

On the floor beside him were thin strands of olive tree branches he must have stripped from the solitary tree in the corner of the yard.

The house was bitterly cold. Cassia shivered, rubbing her arms with her hands to try to keep warm.

She knew it would not be good for the old man’s joints.

‘Michaíl, please get up. Here, put this round you and sit down.’

Groaning, he struggled to stand. ‘These ancient bones of mine have stiffened up down there. Efcharistó .’ Cassia took a rug from the back of his chair and placed it over Michaíl’s knees.

‘We’ll have to get some logs from somewhere.

Once those cones and twigs have burned, the fire will go out. Back to nothing.’

The previous night, they had burned the last of the logs from the stack outside in the yard.

Cassia remembered the outhouse at Eugenia’s place, piled high with logs.

At the time they’d never needed a fire, but she was sure they would be burning logs now.

But surely they wouldn’t have all been used.

Could she swallow her pride and ask for help?

She’d done it once so it was worth trying again.

‘I’ve got an idea,’ she said. ‘I’m going to call on my sister and see if she has any spare. Eléni, you stay here and keep Michaíl company. Look, there’s Kynigós, too.’

The little girl sat down on the floor to play with her feline friend.

* * *

When she reached Eugenia’s house, Cassia saw the outhouse pile of wood had been started on, and a curl of smoke corkscrewed up into the clear November sky. The sweet smell of wood burning wafted in her direction. She knocked on the door, her stomach churning as she waited for her sister to open it.

‘ Kaliméra. Can I come in?’

‘Eléni not with you?’ Eugenia led the way into the kitchen where Maia played with her Greek doll.

‘No, I left her with Michaíl.’

‘Theía Cassia.’ Her niece got up and rushed to hug her. ‘I’ve called my doll Eléni now you don’t live with us.’

‘Oh, that’s lovely, agápi mou . I’ll tell her.’ Cassia turned to her sister. ’I’m sorry about how we left things. I came to tell you the letter was from Tom.’ She didn’t know why, but warmth crept along her throat. ‘He’s coming to see us and he’ll be here in time for Christmas.’

Eugenia smiled. ‘That’s good news. I know how much you’ve missed him since he went back to his ship.’

‘This will be the last time we see him. He’s being posted to another ship, goodness knows where.

’ She heard the catch in her voice. ‘Do you think people will celebrate Christmas this year? I’d like him to see how we do things here in Kefalonia, but it doesn’t seem right with all the suffering elsewhere on the island. ’

Eugenia looked at her daughter. ‘I know what you mean, but I think we should try. Even if it’s just for the little ones. We can all cut back, can’t we? Come and look at this.’

She beckoned Cassia to follow her into the living room, where she brought out a bag of fabrics. Inside were two cloth dolls with beautifully embroidered clothes.

‘They are not finished. One for Maia and one for Eléni. They cost me nothing.’

Cassia was touched by the fact that her sister included Eléni. ‘They’re beautiful. They’re going to love them. Efcharistó. ’

‘Quick! Hand it here, she’s coming in.’ Maia arrived in the room just as her mother managed to hide the bag away.

‘I’ve come to ask you a big favour. Michaíl is out of wood for the fire.

I don’t suppose you could let us have some, could you, parakaló ?

Just until we can get some money to buy from the farm on the way here.

He wants to go out into the woods behind Fiscardo and cut some down himself, but he’s too old to be doing that.

Once I can sell some of my spanakopita and people are buying some tablecloths and duchess sets again, we can buy more wood.

This is the worst winter I’ve known — the house is freezing. And I worry about him and Eléni.’

Eugenia agreed to help and offered to take Cassia back to Fiscardo before it got dark.

The two sisters sat and talked. Georgios’s name never came up in the conversation.

Instead, they talked about what preparations would be needed for Christmas.

Jointly, they decided to revert to sharing the stall and split the money made.

‘I don’t know how I would manage without my sister,’ said Cassia. ‘I’ve been feeling guilty about reacting the way I did. It’s natural you need the stall now you and Maia are back on your own.’ She leaned across and patted her sister’s arm. ‘I am genuinely sorry about Georgios leaving, you know.’

‘Even though you were proved right?’ Eugenia smiled at her.