Betrothed: To the People’s Prince

was.

‘I wanted to tell you,’ she whispered. ‘I didn’t know how.’

‘Like…the phone?’ He couldn’t keep anger from his voice and he got anger in return.

‘You think? So I should have phoned you-and your wife-and thought about the consequences later?’

A host of angry rejoinders crowded his head. None of them could be said in front of the children.

Maybe none could be said at all.

‘The reception,’ she said again flatly, moving on.

‘Seven tonight.’ That, at least, was easy. ‘The Crown Prince and Princess of Sappheiros will be welcoming home the Crown Princess of Argyros. Officially handing over control.’

‘And then what?’ He saw panic flare. ‘Nikos, I can’t do this alone. I can’t do this at all. Run this country? I have no experience. I have nothing to qualify me for such a role. I’ve taken four weeks’ leave. That’s it.’

‘If that’s it, then you’re handing the Crown to Demos.’

‘This isn’t fair.’

‘Life’s not,’ he said shortly. He had evidence of this right in front of him. He’d had a son for nine years and he hadn’t known.

She stared at him, speechless. He stared out of the window. Tried not to think that yes, it was unfair. As kids they’d planned to do this side by side. They still could if she…if he…

It had to be thought of. The lawyers had demanded he think of it.

How could he think about it?

‘You will be there tonight,’ she said urgently, and a blunt voice inside him said no, let her sink. Not telling him he had a son…

But then he looked at her, he caught the terror, and he caught something else.

The Athena he’d once loved. She was still in there.

And this island…It was his home and he loved it. He had to support her, come what may.

And he had to convince her to stay.

Enough. One step at a time.

‘I’ll be there,’ he told her.

‘With me,’ she said urgently. ‘I won’t remember names. People will know me and I won’t remember them. I’ll say the wrong thing. Nikos, you have to help me.’

‘I’ll help you.’

He hadn’t said it right. He sounded petty, angry, resentful. And she got it. Terror turned to anger again, just like that.

‘Don’t you dare.’

‘Dare what?’

‘Dump this on me. You talked me into this. You made me come home. I’m your responsibility, Nikos. I came home because of you.’

‘You came home because of the island.’

‘I came home because we talked ourselves into loving this island together. If you’re even thinking you need me to stay, then you need to support me every step of the way.’

‘I’ll support you tonight,’ he said.

Beyond tonight was a place he was too fearful to think about.

CHAPTER FOUR

THE castle was a time warp.

The limousine pulled up in the castle forecourt. Athena climbed out.

Argyros, circa eighteen hundred. It was almost enough to jerk her out of the emotional mess she’d just landed herself in.

It was almost enough to make her stop thinking about Nikos.

The palace was built of the stone used throughout these islands, whitewashed once but mostly faded to its original soft grey. It was two storeys high in the centre, with long single storey wings at either end. The garden was overgrown to the point of riot. Vast wisteria vines gnarled their way over the buildings like great knots on ancient gift wrapping. There were olive trees, bougainvillea, wild daisies and clumps of blue and yellow irises-a riot of colour. The palace looked half buried by garden-a fantastic wilderness.

And behind the castle was the backdrop of the sea. As a child she’d heard the palace had the best swimming beach on the island, but who knew?

She’d never been in these grounds. The castle had been protected by vast stone walls for as long as she could remember. Guard dogs were said to roam at night.

Giorgos had hardly ever come here but he’d deemed it his. What was his he held, fiercely.

‘So who does this belong to now?’ she whispered to Nikos as she stood in the forecourt, feeling stunned, feeling the warmth of the Mediterranean sun on her face, hearing the wash of the sea under the cliffs.

‘The Crown,’ Nikos said briefly. ‘That would be you. Unless you abdicate. Then it goes to Demos. He’s been staying here since Giorgos died-since he phoned you and you told him he could have it. I told him you were coming back and he had to vacate.’

She gulped. ‘I hadn’t thought…’ she whispered. ‘Demos must hate me.’

‘He hates me, too,’ Nikos said, but he touched her arm lightly, in a gesture of reassurance which was supposed to be steadying-and strangely was. ‘But we needn’t feel guilty. Somehow he wheedled his way into the King’s favour. Giorgos left him a personal fortune. Sadly for Demos, a fortune will never be enough.’

There was so much here to take in…She was fighting to understand it.

Meanwhile staff were waiting, lined up as if in some period play. The women were wearing uniforms that were grim-as-death black. The men wore black too, alleviated only by high starched collars in pristine white. In this Mediterranean paradise they looked…ridiculous.

‘You need to meet your staff,’ Nikos said, and she thought about backing into the limo and slamming the door. This was scarier than scary.

‘You’re kidding me, right? I can’t employ these people.’

‘Maybe you can’t,’ he said neutrally. ‘Giorgos kept the castle fully staffed. Demos intended to sack them and modernise the place, but now it’s your call.’

‘They can’t like working here.’ She looked again at the uniforms, at the stoical faces, at their ramrod straight posture. ‘Looking like this…’

‘Looks don’t matter,’ he said briefly. ‘Apart from a struggling fishing industry, there’s very little employment.’

Her head was starting to spin. Nikos knew this place. She didn’t. It should be Nikos in charge. But he was giving her information only, and waiting for her to act as she willed.

Waiting for her to fail? Certainly he was judging her.

Anger stirred. She could do this. She would. She was not going to fail in front of Nikos.

The staff were in two formal lines. Not a muscle was moving. They looked almost like waxworks. ‘Can I afford to pay them?’ she demanded.

‘The royal coffers are at your disposal,’ Nikos said neutrally. ‘They’re overflowing.’

‘How can they be overflowing? I though we were broke.’

‘Giorgos taxed everything. Once a year he cleaned out the Argyros accounts and moved the money to Sappheiros. It’s been nine months since they’ve been cleared, and Alexandros is shifting what funds he knows are ours back. You’ll need to start road repairs, harbour deepening, the infrastructure. You can provide employment and make this a better place to live in the process.’

‘But I’m a fashion editor,’ she said and to her horror, she heard herself beginning to wail. ‘I can’t do this!’

‘Your staff are waiting,’ Nikos said. He was holding Christa’s hand. Standing apart. ‘Set Oscar down-hold him by the leash,’ he told Nicky. ‘Your mother needs to meet the staff, and if you intend to live here then you need to meet