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Iraklion and Chania and bought her jeans and shirts and shoes and a dress, had taken her to a hairdresser who had trimmed her long curly hair, and though she was no great beauty she was now attractive, and had a sensuous quality about her that both Mark and she kept as hidden from everyone as much as possible.
He
found this malleable young girl strangely exciting and was devoted to her,
she
was obsessed with pleasing him.
    Since Mark could barely keep himself with what he earned, right from the outset he had hustled for her in the village, and still did, asking everyone to hire her for odd jobs so that she could have, at the very least, survival money and a degree of independence. He was dictating the work ethic as against the beg ethic. The foreigners had been reluctant at first; they disliked the tension she created with the Cretans who were less forthcoming with odd jobs for her. And they were concerned about the company shekept. Where did she vanish to when Mark was on a trip to the far end of the island or in Athens for long periods of time, and she was meant to stay in Livakia and care for his house? But Mark won his friends over and they and the other villagers, though still unsure of their feelings for her, now accepted Melina as part of the Livakian scene.
    The changes in her were so evident, people had nearly forgotten how bad-tempered and crude she could be. They knew her now as diligent, devoted to Mark, listening to every word he said, believing it to be gospel. Her adoration of Mark, learning to read and write at his behest, working on speaking a more educated Greek, trying to speak English, all these things were impressive enough for people to forgive Melina her lapses: the occasional burst of rudeness, disrespect to her elders, embarrassing Arnold with little digs that might have come from Mark’s mouth. People now made excuses for such behaviour, believing that for a poor, unfortunate child she had already come a long way in a short time.
    She was living a more independent life but still under Mark’s roof, following him like a shadow whenever he allowed it, aping his every word, every mannerism, his arrogance. Mark’s opinions were now her opinions. When he was away she boasted to several of the delinquent boys she hung out with about her life with Mark. How he confided in her and she held this foreign genius’s life together. And strangely she did have an influence on Mark, hard to define and which confused everyone who knew him.
    D’Arcy was indifferent to Melina. She greeted her whenever their paths crossed and was always civil tothe girl but never got involved with her, hired her for the odd job or offered her help in any form. There was no particular reason for that, and it was certainly not because D’Arcy had seen the sexual side of Melina’s life and how much the girl enjoyed it. It was not in D’Arcy’s character to be judgemental, and certainly never about another person’s sex life. If anything she appreciated that the girl realised she had to be extremely discreet in her lust. And it had been lust that was going on in that cave. Melina may have taken money for her favours but she was not merely a whore, because she liked the sex and the power it gave her. The money was necessary; the sex probably gave her the only moments of happiness in a miserable life.
    D’Arcy looked at the girl walking next to her and was grateful that Melina had no idea that she had been seen. Then the humiliation would have had to be dealt with, and such a humiliation in Crete could be dangerous. D’Arcy’s silence had been instinctive and so was her behaviour towards the girl.
    They had only gone a short distance from Aliki’s house when Melina got directly to the point. ‘Can I work for you?’
    ‘But I have no work for you, Melina.’
    ‘Mr Laurence, I could work for him?’
    ‘You would have to ask him. But you already work for him when he needs the odd job done.’
    ‘Mark says I need to have a