‘I’ll do my best to keep an eye on the girls,’ Oxana says. ‘Is there anything in particular that worries you? Anything I should watch out for?’
It’s now twenty minutes since theMedusa’s departure from Piraeus. An almost soundless vibration signals that the yacht is under way. Tahir Yilmaz and Oxana are sitting at a table in the private lounge attached to the master suite. The bodyguard, wearing a short-sleeved shirt beneath which Oxana can see the outline of a shoulder holster, is ensconced in a hanging wicker chair at the other end of the lounge, thumbing through a car magazine. Oxana catches his eye and he holds her gaze for a moment, his expression neutral.
‘I’ve brought you here,’ Yilmaz says to her, ‘because it’s one of the few places on theMedusawhere we won’t be overheard or overlooked.’
The walls are made of smart-glass, which Yilmaz has switched from clear to frosted, and low-volume pink noisemasks their conversation from recording devices. These counter-measures confirm to Oxana that Yilmaz is an ordered, cautious man who is unlikely to make unforced mistakes. She’s already noted his hyper-vigilance. Even in the presence of the bodyguard, part of him is still searching his surroundings for threat. Oxana’s father was like that after returning from combat assignments. Always wary, always watching, always taut-wired. It exhausted him, and Oxana guesses that it must exhaust Yilmaz.
‘Men,’ Yilmaz says. ‘Men are my worry.’
‘I understand,’ Oxana says quietly.
‘I don’t want to be overprotective. I don’t want to stifle my daughter. But I am a man, and I know men. The best of them are animals. If you deal with them on that basis, everything is straightforward.’
Oxana nods. It’s clear that no words are expected from her.
‘Defne is a good girl. A loyal and dutiful daughter. But she is also a modern young woman, ready to test the boundaries imposed on her. I understand this, and I sympathise. But there are limits, and that is where you come in. If it was left to me, I would not choose Buse Çetinkaya as her companion. I’ve met her parents. Buse has been given too much freedom, too much money, and too little responsibility. She is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a virgin. Whereas my daughter…’
‘Is?’ asks Oxana delicately.
‘I sincerely believe so, and virginity is highly valued in our society. A man’s honour is measured by his ability to guard the purity of what is his. And this brings me to the reason you are here. I need you to be a friend to Defne. A sensible, responsible friend. I want you to accompany her and Buse when we go ashore. They will want to go shopping, to go to bars, to go to nightclubs. And I will tell them that all of this is fine, but that you need to accompany them.’
Oxana narrows her eyes. ‘With respect, don’t you think that the girls will resent my presence?’
His voice sharpens. ‘Do you have a better suggestion?’
‘I could ask them to take me with them.’
‘And if they say no? You are a nanny, Miss Vorontsova, and unless I am mistaken, unused to the privileges and the lifestyle that these girls take for granted.’
‘Of course, Mr Yilmaz. You’re right. I’m happy to proceed in whichever way you think best.’
He nods. ‘Good. I want you to report back to me, at least once a day. We will meet here, and you will tell me what is going on. Understood?’
‘Yes, Mr Yilmaz.’
‘Excellent.’ He glances at his watch. ‘And now, I believe, we’re expected for lunch.’
The first meal aboard is being served on the bridge deck, in the smaller of the two dining areas. Inci, Defne and Buse have changed into swimsuits, cotton cover-ups and gauzy pareos. All three are wearing giant sunglasses. As Oxana arrives with Yilmaz and Atlas, still wearing her uniform, the two teenagers stare.
Buse giggles. ‘Sorry, but that hat. Youhaveto explain the hat.’
Oxana smiles equably. ‘It’s part of my uniform.’
‘You look hot,’ Defne says.
‘Like, in the temperature sense,’ Buse adds. ‘Not?—’
Defne frowns at Buse, then turns to Oxana. ‘Wouldn’t you be more comfortable in something else?’ she asks her.
‘That’s not really my decision to make.’
‘Well, I’ll make it then.’ Defne addresses her father. ‘Baba, please ask Oxana to go and change into a swimsuit.’
Yilmaz smiles helplessly. ‘Miss Vorontsova, it seems that I have my orders.’
‘Why don’t I change after lunch?’ Oxana says. ‘I don’t want to hold everyone up.’
‘Don’t worry,’ Buse murmurs. ‘You won’t do that.’