Betrothed: To the People’s Prince

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 them, too.’

‘Am I going to live here?’ Nicky gazed around in awe. ‘Cool!’

‘It is cool,’ Nikos said gravely. ‘I’m not sure if your mother thinks so.’

‘I don’t think so.’ She was fighting for control. She was taking in the crumbling façade of a once magnificent palace. The derelict gardens. Twenty people lined up to see what she would do.

‘Do I have a choice?’ she muttered.

‘No.’

‘Fine, then,’ she snapped. She was being thrown in at the deep end, like it or not. She had no choice but to swim. ‘I can be a princess if I need to.’

He smiled at that. ‘Of course you can.’

‘Okay,’ she muttered.

‘Well, then…’

‘Well, then.’ She took a deep breath. She braced her shoulders and stepped forward. She ignored the sensation of Nikos at her back, watching her. Judging her?

‘Hi,’ she said, in her best managing-the-staff voice. A voice she hadn’t quite perfected. ‘You know who I am. I probably should remember all of you but it’s been almost ten years since I’ve been on the island so you need to forgive me. You’ll also need to forgive me if I don’t get things right-the things I’m supposed to do. But three things I do know, and I might as well say them now. First, not one of you will lose your job for anything except incompetence or dishonesty. Not while I’m here. Second, your salary will stay the same until I have time to review it and even then it won’t drop. And finally…I hate your uniforms. Hate ’em. Who’s interested in giving me suggestions for change?’

She was fabulous. She was just as he’d always imagined she’d be.

She’d been here for what-twenty minutes-and the staff were already putty in her hands. Her career had her moving with some of the world’s wealthiest, most flamboyant people. She was good at her job. It showed.

He was proud of her.

How corny was that? How patronising?

He didn’t have to tell her what to do, he thought. He just had to stand back and watch. And wonder.

She’d already had volunteers to redesign the uniform. She’d already said she’d like to use first names-if that was okay? The staff were already halfway to being in love with her.

Who could blame them?

‘So remind me.’ She was at the end of the line, looking back at him. ‘The reception is at seven?’

‘Yes.’

‘Will my people have the details?’

My people. Just like that, she’d taken on the mantel of royalty. And once again she’d moved him to the sidelines.

‘Yes,’ he said shortly. ‘Your staff are putting on the reception.’

‘So I’ll see you then?’

‘Yes.’

She nodded. The eyes gazing at him were expressionless.

‘We’ll be happy to receive you, then,’ she said.

And that was that. He’d been dismissed by royalty.

His gaze met hers and held. Then, very slowly, he nodded. And smiled.

‘Until then, Your Highness,’ he said softly and gave her a gentle, mocking salute. ‘Off you go and introduce Oscar to his new home.’

It took all the courage in the world to watch him go-not to call him back-to stop herself whimpering in terror. But this role was hers. She’d returned to the island as Crown Princess. She had to take the responsibility.

Her dream as a kid-to take on this responsibility with Nikos-was just that-a dream. He’d married someone else. He’d moved on.

Somehow, she must too.

The housekeeper-Mrs Lavros-no first names here!-gave her a cursory tour of the palace, apologising over and over. ‘There’s not been money for repairs. We’re so thankful you’re finally here. We’re so sorry we couldn’t get it how we’d like it.’ But neither Athena or Nicky-or Oscar either, for that matter-minded shabby.

‘Ooh, it’s cool,’ Nicky said, and Athena gazed in awe at the vast chandelier in the bedchamber they’d just been ushered into and had to agree. This was the King’s bedchamber, with a smaller bedroom leading off to the side. ‘The smaller room’s for the King’s valet,’ Mrs Lavros told her. ‘It’s been years since the King’s been here, but we’ve kept it aired. There’s clean linen on the beds…’

Athena was no longer listening. She was staring out of the window at the beach that had been forbidden to mere mortals since Giorgos’s ancestors had plundered this place and made it theirs.

Nicky and Oscar were already out on the terrace, scrambling through the balustrades, figuring how they could clamber down to the cliff path.

She was a princess. Did princesses…clamber?

‘Has Nikos seen this?’ she breathed. The beach was wide and golden, curving from headland to headland. The sea was glistening diamonds-fabulous, romantic.

‘I’m not sure,’ the housekeeper told her. ‘But if you please, ma’am, what will you wear tonight?’

Tonight. A royal reception. How many people? She stopped thinking about clambering.

‘Something…simple?’ she ventured.

The housekeeper’s face fell. ‘Everyone wants to meet you,’ she said. ‘We so want our own princess. Prince Alexandros and Princess Lily will be here from Sappheiros, of course, and they’re wonderful, but they’re not our ruling family. Prince Alexandros will wear his medals,’ she said wistfully. ‘Don’t you have a formal gown?’

It was said without much hope.

And Athena looked at her two suitcases and knew her lack of hope was justified.

She’d packed for four weeks and she’d travelled light. She’d brought one formal little black dress.

Nikos should have warned her. Nikos should have warned her about the reception, she thought again, feeling anger build.

But…

But.

Prince Alexandros and Princess Lily would be here.

And…this was really huge…Nikos would be here as well.

Nikos, who’d fathered a child to another woman before she’d left the island. Nikos, who’d married Marika. Nikos, who she’d thought she loved with all her heart. Who’d finally, dreadfully, taught her not to trust…anyone.

He’d thrown her in the deep end here-but she would not sink.

He hadn’t warned her. He’d expect her to be…ordinary.

She glanced at her watch. It was still only midday. She had seven hours. Could she?

Nikos would be here.

She would be a princess.

Nothing to it, she thought, mentally spitting on her hands and getting down and dusty. She wasn’t fashion editor of one of the world’s biggest glossies for nothing.

‘Mrs Lavros, if my cellphone doesn’t work here then I need a landline,’ she said. ‘And the Internet. I need help to become a princess and I need it fast.’

She didn’t come down until seven-thirty. She almost didn’t come down then.

She was listening to Nicky read. She and Nicky had changed reader/listener roles about two years back when he’d decreed her choice of stories was boring. Since then this had become her special time of day-to quieten nerves, to remind herself what was important, to focus solely on the two of them.

And this night she needed her quiet time more than she’d ever needed it in her life. This night she was terrified. For the moment she went downstairs she turned into a princess.

Nicky was reading from a manual for a Model T Ford. Gripping stuff. Much more gripping than what was happening downstairs.

But she couldn’t stay up here for ever. Finally the housekeeper appeared. ‘Ma’am, it’s Nikos,’ she said apologetically. ‘He says if you’re not downstairs in two minutes he’ll come up and carry you down. And I think he means it.’

‘You’d better go, Mama,’ Nicky said. ‘Nikos is really strong.’ He smiled shyly at the housekeeper. ‘Nikos is my Papa.’

‘He’s your…’ The housekeeper’s chin sagged. ‘Well…’

‘Mama just told me today,’ Nicky said, proud of the effect he’d created. ‘Christa is my sister.’

‘Well,’ the housekeeper said again. ‘I can’t say I didn’t wonder when I saw you, but…Well.’ She surveyed Athena with growing concern. ‘Oh, my dear, Demos will hate it. You’ll need to be so careful. But you need to get tonight over with first. You look lovely. You do us proud. But…if you don’t want the father of your child to carry you forcibly down the staircase, then you’d best come now.’

Nikos was close to being out of his mind. What was Athena playing at, keeping them waiting? And she should have a gown. He hadn’t thought of it until everyone had arrived, but every woman here was in an evening gown. His friend, Prince Alexandros, and his wife, Princess Lily, looked positively regal.

But it was Athena who should be a princess tonight, he thought. Dammit, he should have warned her. She’d be a real Cinderella among this splendour. And if she thought he’d orchestrated it so that she looked shabby…Anger wouldn’t begin to describe it.

But there was no time left for misgivings. The housekeeper was on the stairs, looking towards him, asking a question with her gaze.

He strode through the crowd and took two steps up, so the crowd could see him. Somewhere above was Athena. He hoped like hell her dress wasn’t too dowdy.

There was no time to do anything about it now. She was up on the landing, waiting for his signal to come down.

Waiting for the official introduction.

‘Ladies and gentlemen,’ he said in a voice that carried to every part of the vast hall. ‘I give you Her Royal Highness the Princess Athena, Crown Princess Of Argyros.’