Crowned: The Palace Nanny

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

THEY coped without him.

It was a strange thing, caring for a child who’d been dependent for years but who was finally finding her wings. Zoe couldn’t wait to get out of bed in the morning, to meet her new friend, to play with Buster, to be allowed to start school. Medical constraints, always suffered stoically, were now a nuisance to be ignored. She bounced around the palace with growing confidence and pleasure, and by Christmas there wasn’t a member of the palace staff who wouldn’t have given their right arm for her.

Zoe was gloriously in love with this new life.

So was Elsa. Sort of.

She and Helena were working through the issues with the turtles with cautious exhilaration. There was so much to be done. The turtles’ habitat had been destroyed once, and only part of it had regrown. Turtles were crossing roads to dig their nests. There were threats everywhere, and this for a world endangered species. Making them safe was imperative. Extrapolating the research was breathtakingly exciting. She could make a difference.

There were so many things she could do.

But she wanted to be with Stefanos. Every morning she woke rethinking his proposal. Was she crazy? She’d turned down a man she could love with all her heart.

She knew it was more than that, but that was the problem. Her head knew things her heart didn’t necessarily agree with.

‘Will Stefanos be home for Christmas?’ Zoe asked for about the thousandth time since he’d left and, for the thousandth time, she replied.

‘He said he would be. He’s phoning us as often as he can, sweetheart, and he doesn’t seem to be changing his mind. And then he’s going to stay with you while I have my hip fixed.’

‘I don’t want you to go away.’

She didn’t want to go away either, but it was organised. The day after New Year she’d fly to Athens and spend a month in hospital.

She should be grateful. She was grateful. Zoe was happy and blooming. There were no money problems. She had work that truly interested her, and her hip was about to be treated.

So why was a part of her so miserable?

Happy Christmas, she told herself fiercely on Christmas Eve, as she helped Zoe hang her stocking in front of the vast fireplace in the great hall. Last year she’d used a sock in front of the fire-stove. This year the housekeeper had hand-stitched Zoe a gold and crimson stocking, with the most beautiful appliquéd Father Christmas and elves and reindeer.

It looked beautiful on the great mantel. But, despite the massive Christmas tree the staff had set up-or maybe because of it-it looked really alone.

‘You should have a stocking too,’ Zoe said as she’d said every Christmas since they’d been together.

‘Stockings are for kids.’

‘You never get presents.’

‘Stefanos should be home. That’ll be a present for both of us.’

‘He should be here now,’ Zoe said severely. It was almost bedtime on Christmas Eve. She’d counted on her big cousin coming today. ‘He said he’d come.’

‘Maybe he’ll come in the night like Santa Claus,’ Elsa said. ‘Maybe we won’t see him come if we stay up.’

‘You think we should go to bed?’

‘Why not?’ She was weary of waiting, herself. She was riding an emotional roller coaster and didn’t know how to get off. If Stefanos didn’t come…He’d promised Zoe.

He’d promised her.

‘Okay,’ Zoe said, infinitely trusting. She tucked her hand into Elsa’s and tugged her towards the stairs. ‘Let’s go to bed and make it come quicker.’

He had so much to do he felt like Santa Claus, zooming across the world at midnight. Actually he was only flying from Athens to Khryseis on the seaplane, but he did feel a bit like Santa. He had so many gifts in his pack. He sat next to the pilot, gazed out at the blue-black sky and the stars hanging low and lovely in the heavens, and he felt that a little bit of magic was around.

He needed magic. In his pocket was a ring almost worthy of the woman he loved-the ancient ring of Khryseis, plaited gold with three magnificent diamonds embedded in its depths.

She wouldn’t take it unless she accepted the rest of his sleigh load, he thought ruefully. A woman of principle was the woman he’d chosen to give his heart.

Would she take it? He’d done so much. If there was anything else he could do…Anything at all…

He had a mad compulsion to tell the pilot to turn the plane around. So much was at stake. The woman he’d chosen as his life’s partner had knocked him back because of her principles. If he didn’t get it right this time…

What else could he do?

The lights of Khryseis came into view and the plane started its descent. He could see the palace from here, lit up like a fairy palace. That’d be the staff celebrating Christmas, he thought. The whole staff-the whole island-was overjoyed to have their royal family in residence.

Or their royal princess and her nanny, he corrected himself. For a family required more.

Would she accept him now? She must. For years he’d scorned the idea of a family. Now it seemed he couldn’t live without it.

He’d met one feisty, beautiful nanny and his world had changed.

‘Coming in to land now, sir,’ the pilot said, looking ahead at the palace lights. ‘Seems someone’s keeping the home fires burning.’

‘I hope so,’ he murmured.

‘I think every person on the island hopes so,’ the pilot said enigmatically. ‘Welcome home, Your Highness.’

‘Santa’s been and Stefanos is home.’

Elsa woke to find Zoe bouncing up and down on her bed, the long-suffering Buster being bounced with her. ‘Come and see, come and see, come and see. Santa’s been, Santa’s been, Santa’s been.’

Despite the tumult of emotions she’d gone to bed with and woken with-Stefanos is home-she had to smile. Zoe had been just as excited last year when all she’d been able to give her were a couple of handmade toys she’d bought at a local market. This year should be fun.

Stefanos is home.

‘It’s humungous,’ Zoe was saying. ‘You should see. How can Santa have brought it down the chimney?’

Humungous? Nothing she’d stuffed in Zoe’s stocking could be described as humungous. And…

Stefanos is home.

‘Stefanos…’ she said cautiously.

‘He got home really late. Christina told me he snuck in after all the staff went to bed-almost morning. Elsa, you have to get up and see what Santa’s brought me.’

So Stefanos would be asleep. That gave her breathing space. She’d have time to enjoy Zoe’s stocking with her before she needed to face him.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to see him, she thought, feeling really confused. Not exactly. There was a big part of her that ached for him.

There was another part of her that was just plain custard.

But he was asleep. Hooray. She threw back the covers, pulled on a robe and padded downstairs.

She’d never get used to the opulence of this place. The staircase was wide enough to fit ten people abreast.

‘The king who built this place must have been as fat as a whale,’ she told Zoe. ‘Or he had ten kids to take by the hand every Christmas morning.’ Zoe giggled and they were both still chuckling as Zoe hauled open the double doors to the great hall.

She stopped dead.

How long since she’d believed in Santa Claus?

When they’d gone to bed the Christmas tree was a decorator item, set up by the staff as a tasteful ode to Christmas. Now…whoever had come during the night had turned the tree into an over the top muddle.

The exquisite decorations and silver lights were still under there somewhere, but they were now almost hidden. Hung over the top of them were rows and rows of coloured popcorn, threaded together and hung in vast ribbons of garish colour. There were paper lanterns-every colour of the rainbow. Pictures of cats had been placed in tiny silver frames and hung as ornaments. There was a collection of motley socks hanging everywhere, all bulging.

‘The socks have got apples in them,’ Zoe said, awed, tugging her towards the tree. ‘That one’s a football sock and that one has a hole in the toe. And look at my present.’

She was seeing it. Stunned.

It was a trampoline, an eminently bouncy mat, built with a net canopy around it so a child could bounce without fear of falling.

For a child who needed to be encouraged to stretch scar tissue…for a child who loved bouncing…it was the best thing.

‘And you have a stocking too,’ Zoe said, deeply satisfied. ‘Look.’

She looked. On the mantelpiece hung three stockings. Zoe’s was bulging with nonsense gifts, a tin whistle, a boomerang-a boomerang?-a clockwork mouse…

More pictures of cats.

And there was a stocking labelled Elsa. A small parcel bulged in the toe, a document rolled and tied with a huge red bow was sticking out the end, and there were more pictures of cats.

The stocking labelled Stefanos was empty.

‘We should have something for Stefanos,’ Zoe said anxiously. ‘Santa didn’t come to him.’

‘We have a couple of gifts in our room,’ Elsa said uncertainly. ‘We could sneak up and put them in his stocking before he wakes.’

‘It’s too late for sneaking,’ said a low gravelly voice and she yelped.

The voice had come from behind the vast Christmas tree. Zoe darted behind in a flash.

‘Stefanos,’ she shouted. ‘He’s here. Elsa, he’s here, sleeping behind the tree.’

‘I always sleep behind the tree,’ a sleepy voice murmured, full of laughter. ‘For years and years. But I’ve never yet caught Santa Claus. Has he come?’

‘He’s come, he’s come.’ Zoe was squealing with excitement. ‘And he’s brought crazy socks. Elsa, he’s here. Stefanos is here. Come and see.’

There wasn’t a choice. She should have at least brushed her hair, she thought desperately, as she tried to organise her smile to be cool and welcoming. She walked cautiously around the tree, and there he was. He’d hauled a mattress downstairs, and a mound of bedding. He was lying back, smiling up at them, his blankets pulled only to his waist. Bare-chested.

Breathtakingly gorgeous.

Buster was on his stomach already, kneading his blankets with her soft paws and purring so hard you’d swear she’d recognised him. Zoe was snuggling down beside him, a little girl with everything she wanted in life.

‘You’ve messed with our Christmas decorations,’ she muttered before she could stop herself, and his grin widened.

‘I threaded popcorn all the way from New York to Athens, and I made half my fellow passengers help me. The rest were on lantern duty. And then it still looked a bit empty so Santa had to resort to socks. And a happy Christmas to you too, Mrs Murdoch. Dr Langham. My love.’

There was a bit too much in that statement for Elsa to think about. She opened her mouth to reply and gave up and closed it again.

‘No Happy Christmas?’ he said, smiling at her evident confusion.

‘Happy Christmas,’ she managed, sounding winded. ‘Why…why aren’t you in your own bed?’

‘I might have missed present opening. Have you opened your stocking yet?’ He rolled out of bed. He’d gone to bed wearing boxer shorts. Only boxer shorts. What more could a girl want for Christmas? she thought as she watched him stretch and yawn; as she thought all sorts of things that surely a nicely brought up girl-a mature widow!-had no business thinking.

Had she opened her stocking? ‘N…no,’ she managed, annoyed that her voice squeaked. ‘It’s bad form to open gifts until the family’s together.’

‘Is the family together now?’ he asked gently and he looked at Zoe cradling Buster and then he looked to her with such an expression that her heart did a double backflip. Landed on its back. Refused to start operating again in any mode she considered normal.

‘I…I guess,’ she muttered.

‘No guessing,’ he said, suddenly stern. ‘You need to be sure. Zoe, I’m assuming you’ve guessed this very fine trampoline came squeezing down the chimney in the wee small hours especially for you. Would you like to try it out for size?’

‘Ooh, yes,’ Zoe said and flew with Buster to the trampoline, only to be hauled back by her big cousin.

‘Buster,’ Stefanos said firmly, removing the long-suffering kitten from her arms, ‘stays on the ground.’

Only he didn’t. Stefanos handed Buster to Elsa and then, when her hands were safely occupied and she couldn’t fend him off, he kissed her. Just the once, but the look in his eyes said there were more where that came from. Just the once, but it was enough to light her world.

‘It appears I’m needing to send out a royal decree for mistletoe,’ he growled, his lovely crooked smile warming parts of her she hadn’t known were cold. ‘Honestly. Can’t you people be depended on to organise anything?’

She managed a chuckle but it was a pretty wavery chuckle. She was too…thrown.

‘Happy Christmas,’ he said again, and then obviously decided mistletoe was not absolutely essential and he kissed her again, deeply this time, long and hard and so wonderfully that finally Zoe ceased bouncing, put her hands on her hips and issued a royal decree of her own.

‘Yuck,’ she said. ‘And you’re squashing Buster. Stop kissing and open presents.’

‘Yes, ma’am,’ Stefanos said and swept Elsa-and the slightly squished Buster-into his arms and deposited them both on the settee by the tree. Then he lifted the rolled document out of the top of her stocking and handed it to her, with such gravitas it was as if he was handing over royal title to his land and his kingdom for ever.

She looked up at him, wondering, but he was looking grave and expectant, waiting for her to discover for herself what it was. Slowly she unfastened the ribbon holding the roll of documents together. Buster pounced on the ribbon; she set both ribbon and Buster on the floor and then looked up at Stefanos again, half afraid to go further.

‘Well, go on, then,’ he said, in the same tone of impatience Zoe had just used. ‘Read it.’

She read.

…Transfer of title of Diamond Mine Number Two on the Isle of Argyros, the income from which to be used in perpetuity for the health of all the citizens of the Diamond Isles…

She stared up at him, confused. He smiled back at her, and he didn’t look confused in the least.

‘I’m changing my direction,’ he said softly. ‘So I’m hoping…if I head in the same direction as you, can we walk together?’

‘I…I don’t know what you mean.’

He sat down beside her, took the documents back and set them aside. His face was suddenly grave. ‘Elsa, on the plane on the way to New York I met a man who knew you. He told me about your research, and you know what else he said about you? He said…She sees the big picture. And he spoke in awe. He meant you don’t just look at the turtles on the beach that need saving. You broaden your work; you look at their survival internationally. And I finally figured it out. It was like I’d needed a swipe to the side of the head to wake me up, and I finally got it. That’s what I’ve been guilty of. Seeing only what’s before my eyes. Not thinking big. Seeing only my work in Manhattan and how much it means.’

‘But your work is important,’ she said, confused, struggling to understand.

‘It is,’ he agreed, still grave, laughter put aside as he tried to make her see. ‘Elsa, without conceit, I can say my work changes lives. So when I knew I had to work here I was gutted. I knew I had no choice-the islanders are my people. And then there was a new imperative. You’re my people. You’re my family, Elsa. You and Zoe. I want you so much-and it was such a shock to realise I ached for a family. I ached for you. I was so committed to what I was feeling for you, and to the needs of the islanders as well, that I’d stopped thinking big. It took one stray remark about how wonderful you were to make me rethink.’

‘I don’t think I’m following your logic,’ she managed cautiously, trying to focus on his words rather than the joy and love she was seeing in his eyes. The joy and love that was building inside her. She didn’t know yet what he was talking about but the smile behind his eyes said it was good.

‘We’re too small.’ He had her hands now, holding her tight. ‘But now I’m thinking big. Elsa, this document is a plan.’

‘Something about a diamond mine?’ she ventured. Good one, Elsa. Intelligence wasn’t on the agenda this morning-nor was speed reading. All she was seeing was Stefanos.

‘Absolutely it’s about a diamond mine, my love,’ he said and tugged her into his arms and kissed her again. Long and lingering and lovely. But then he set her back from him. There were still things that needed to be said.

There were things she didn’t understand, and he had to make her see.

‘There are six diamond mines on Argyros,’ he said softly while she listened in wonder. ‘Argyros is therefore the wealthiest of the Diamond Isles but it has no hospital. Nikos has been talking to me about setting up decent medical facilities there. It’s the same on Sappheiros-Alexandros is already making plans for a hospital. And then, on the plane, I made myself see the big picture. Separately we’re small islands. We each need good medical facilities but we don’t each have the population to set up a major base. But together…’

‘Together?’

‘It’s too big,’ he said ruefully. ‘To land this on you on Christmas morning. But I can’t wait any longer. Elsa, I love you, I want you more than life itself, but I’ve already asked you to marry me. What I need now is for you to know I’ve changed. Everything’s changed. Except my love for you. So…can I tell you what we’ve decided? The rulers of the other two islands and me?’

How was a girl to react to that? Her heart was starting to sing. Bubbles of happiness were floating to the surface and filling the room with joy. ‘I’m…I’m listening,’ she whispered, and suddenly so was Zoe, sitting cross-legged on her trampoline, watching with big, serious eyes. She really was much older than her eight years, Elsa thought, and then she thought that, whatever was coming-and already joy was starting to overwhelm her-it was appropriate that Zoe was here. To bear witness, she thought, and then she thought that was a dumb thing to think but she thought it anyway.

‘Earth to Elsa,’ Stefanos said, laughing softly and tightening his grip on her hands and she thought, okay, thoughts could come at some other time. Now was the time for listening.

‘It’s a medical scheme,’ he told her, and in his eyes was jubilation, excitement, a man about to embark on a Boy’s Own adventure. ‘A medical centre second to none will be built, here on Khryseis, with satellite hospitals on the other two islands. Fast and easy transfer facilities. Every specialist we need. Together we’ll care for the people of the Diamond Isles as they deserve to be cared for. It’s what I dreamed of as a kid, as did Alexandros on Sappheiros, and Nikos on Argyros. Three Crowns, Elsa. Three Crowns finally come together to provide care for all.’

‘One…one big medical centre?’ She was struggling to take it in.

‘State-of-the-art. And, with the islands being as lovely as they are, and the salaries we’re prepared to pay, we don’t expect any trouble staffing them as they should be staffed. We don’t see islanders needing to go to Athens for treatment any more. We see mainlanders coming to us.’ His hands moved to her shoulders, holding her, desperate for her to share his joy.

‘Alex and Nikos flew to New York to work this through with me. For such a project, for something so wonderful for all of us, the diamonds on Argyros will be needed, but none of us can see a better use for them. We envisage offering our medical facilities worldwide. And more. There’ll be resorts on each island that are half hotel, half hospital. Come here and be pampered and made well, and support our economy while you do.’

He was so exultant now his excitement was practically blazing. ‘We’ve done the preliminary figures and the guys in suits agree with us,’ he told her. ‘It will work. And here’s the tail, Elsa. Here’s my huge joy. With the money raised we believe we can still bring people here from Third World countries. I’ll be able to operate as I’ve been doing and I’ll be able to teach. So…so what do you think?’

He paused then. He was still holding her by the shoulders, his eyes not leaving hers. But now…his excitement faded a little, giving way to anxiety.

He was asking what she thought? He was anxious about what she’d think?

‘You’d be here,’ she whispered. ‘You’d be doing the work you love.’

‘I’d be doing all the work I love,’ he said, excitement giving way to gravity. ‘I’ll be ruling this island in Zoe’s stead, caring for it as it must be cared for. I’ll be doing the medicine I love-I’ll be making a difference. And I’ll be sharing my life with you.’

‘With me.’

‘And with Zoe,’ he said, his eyes lighting with laughter again. This much joy couldn’t be contained for more than a moment. ‘And our cats.’

‘Cats,’ she said cautiously, for she was starting to see a theme here. There were pictures of cats all over the Christmas tree. ‘Cats, plural?’

‘I made a few calls to Australia,’ he said. ‘I figured…well, I hoped you might be staying here long term, and the guy feeding your cats now has twenty-three on his list.’

‘Twenty-three…’ she gasped.

‘It seems he’s Waratah Cove’s answer to the Pied Piper of Hamelin. He’s taken them on as his mission in life.’

‘Don’t tell me you’re bringing them here,’ she managed.

Zoe said, ‘Ooh!’

‘That’s not an ooh,’ Elsa said, torn between laughter and horror. ‘It’s an Are You Out Of Your Mind?’

‘I hoped you might say that,’ Stefanos said, smiling into her eyes with such a look that she might, just might, be forced to forgive him twenty-three cats-or anything at all. ‘So what I’ve done is give the guy a job in perpetuity, caring for them all. With one exception.’

‘One…’

‘A skinny little black one,’ he said apologetically. ‘I met him that first day when you guys were on the beach and I had to find you. It seems he’s been pining for you-he’s hardly eaten since you left and, to tell you the truth, I sort of fell for him. So he’s on his way here as we speak. My love.’

My love. There was enough in those two words to be perfectly adequate, thank you very much-she hardly wanted more.

Only Zoe was made of sterner stuff. She darted across to the mantelpiece and was flying back, tipping the contents of Elsa’s stocking at her feet.

‘You have another present and I have six. Maybe I ought to open some of mine first.’

‘If you don’t mind, Zoe,’ Stefanos said and lifted the tiny crimson box from where it had fallen. ‘So far Elsa’s just had paper. You have a trampoline and this is important.’

‘Elsa has a cat,’ Zoe said.

‘Yes, but he’s not here yet. So, as yet, she’s giftless.’

‘Okay,’ Zoe said obligingly, grabbing the long-suffering Buster and squatting beside Elsa. ‘But it’s really small. Open it fast, Elsa.’

‘Open it slow, Elsa,’ Stefanos said, and watched as Elsa forgot to breathe and tried to make fumbling fingers operate the catch of the tiny box.

‘Let me,’ Stefanos said at last, and flicked the clasp. And there, resting on a bed of black velvet, was the most beautiful ring she’d ever seen. It was gnarled and twisted gold, burnished with age and history, with three magnificent diamonds set in its depths-diamonds to take a girl’s breath away.

‘It’s the ancient ring of this island, worn by the ruling Princess of Khryseis for generations,’ Stefanos said softly. ‘On her marriage. If…if you’d like to be married, that is. If you’d like to be my princess.’ He took a deep breath. ‘If you’d like to be married to me.’

‘It’s beeyootiful,’ Zoe breathed, but Elsa said nothing at all. She couldn’t.

She was so proud of him. She was so in love with him.

He was giving her another chance.

‘You can always change it if you don’t like it,’ Stefanos said, anxious again. ‘If you fancy emeralds, or something modern? When Zoe marries she’ll inherit it anyway so it’d be good to have a backup. Anything you like, my darling, just say the word. I believe the only thing non-negotiable in this whole deal is who you get to marry.’ And he dropped to one knee. ‘If it’s okay, that is. If you say yes. Elsa, will you marry me?’

She looked up from the ring. He was kneeling before her. Her prince.

‘You’re proposing in boxer shorts?’ Elsa managed.

‘I believe I was wearing a suit and tie last time I proposed. Look where that got me. Now I’m trying a different tack.’

‘Zoe, if you run and get my camera, I wouldn’t mind this moment being documented,’ Elsa murmured-weakly-and Stefanos grinned but he didn’t shift from where he was kneeling.

Zoe stared at them both as if they were crazy. ‘He’s asking you to marry him?’

‘I believe…I believe he is. I…can you get the camera?’

‘Yes,’ she yelled and whooped in excitement and headed for the stairs. ‘I want to be a bridesmaid,’ she called over her shoulder, and continued whooping all the way up the stairs.

‘So now,’ Stefanos said, starting to look long-suffering. ‘Elsa…My love…’ But then he had to pause as the butler’s long face appeared around the door.

‘Good morning, sir,’ he said. ‘Happy Christmas. Welcome home. Will you be wanting breakfast?’

‘Josef,’ Stefanos said, in a goaded voice.

‘Yes, sir?’

‘You’re a servant to the royal family, right?’

‘Yes, sir,’ Josef said, taking in the tableau in front of him and grinning.

‘Then you no doubt know about summary beheadings, boiling in oil and the rest.’

‘I have read my history.’

‘Excellent,’ Stefanos said. ‘Then I command you to close that door and lean against it and let no one else in, for fear of blood-curdling retribution, for the next ten minutes. At least.’

‘Yes, sir,’ Josef said, and chuckled and closed the doors.

‘Servants,’ Stefanos said. ‘You can’t do anything with them these days. Now, where were we?’

‘Exactly where we were two minutes ago, I believe,’ she said cautiously. ‘You want me to come down on the floor with you?’

‘I want you to hush,’ he said. ‘Elsa.’

‘Stefanos.’

‘Will you marry me?’ he said again, and again the laughter was gone. Only love remained. Only the gravity of a promise to be made for ever.

And what was a girl to say to that? Well, the obvious one for a start.

‘Yes.’

He blinked. ‘Pardon?’

‘Yes.’

‘I haven’t used all of my very cogent arguments yet.’

‘I’m marrying you anyway.’

‘And…why would that be?’

‘I believe I love you. Are you sure I can’t come down there with you?’

‘If you must,’ he said and tugged her down so they were kneeling face to face under the Christmas tree. ‘Elsa, I love you with all my heart.’

‘That’s exceedingly fortunate because I love you too.’

‘Really?’

‘Absolutely. Of course I love you more in tassels and with your dress sword and boots, but I’m so far gone I’ll even love you in boxer shorts. Are you going to kiss me yet?’

‘You don’t want to know how much I love you?’

‘You can start telling me,’ she said, and smiled as an imperious little voice sounded from the other side of the door.

‘They want me in there. I’ve got the camera. They really, truly want me.’

‘Well, I guess you can’t tell me how much you love me anyway,’ she said, smiling and smiling, and maybe even crying a little as well as he tugged her into his arms and held her close. ‘Because I don’t think we’ll know how much we love each other until the end of eternity.’

‘Starting now,’ Stefanos said. He sighed and called out, ‘Okay, let her in, Josef. Let ’em all in. Bring on the world. The Prince and his affianced wife are ready to receive visitors.’

But not quite. As Josef swung the doors wide they were too busy to receive anyone. For Mrs Elsa Murdoch alias Dr Elsa Langham had changed direction yet again.

The future Princess Elsa of Khryseis was kissing her beloved prince as she intended kissing him for the rest of her life.

‘Oh, yuck,’ Zoe said in deep disapproval as she was finally admitted. She waited and waited and finally looked around for something to distract her. ‘And why is Stefanos’s stocking empty?’ she demanded of Josef. ‘Did Santa forget him?’

‘I believe His Highness has his Christmas gift,’ the butler told her, and smiled at the pair of them. ‘I believe His Royal Highness has his family.’

The christening of Christos Mathew Romanos Antoniadis was an occasion of great joy for the island of Khryseis. The celebration was huge, made more so because it coincided with the opening of the Diamond Isles Medical Base, to be celebrated the next day.

The world had come to see, to celebrate this wondrous occasion and to welcome these three islands into the twenty-first century.

For the difference in these islands in the eighteen months since the old King had died and the new generation of royalty had taken power was nigh on unbelievable. Already the islanders were prospering, the glittering Diamond Isles finally succeeding in becoming the magical place to live that they’d always promised.

This medical centre was the icing on the cake-a symbol of all they hoped to achieve. The staff it was attracting had caused its reputation to go before it, and already there were mainlanders waiting to use it. Already the islanders knew that the network of medical centres could cope with their every need. What was more, the medical centre was only the start of the new order. On every island there was employment, optimism and joy.

And now, on this day, that joy was exemplified by the royal family of Khryseis, and this, the christening of their new little son.

Father Antonio performed the ceremony, and the shaky old priest who’d loved the islanders for all his life blessed this baby with all the love in his heart.

Afterwards Elsa stood on the magnificent lawns of the palace grounds, with her husband by her side, with her baby in her arms and she thought the joy she was feeling right now could never be surpassed.

Only of course it could.

Joy is to come…

Stefanos was standing with his arm round her waist, greeting dignitary after dignitary, accepting their congratulations, smiling with a pride as deep as it was joyful.

There it was again. That word…Joy.

Zoe wasn’t with them. She and Pip had slipped away, up to the palace balcony to play with Buster and Spike. Elsa glanced up and saw them, two little girls with two cats, a Zoe who was so confident with her new family that clinging was a thing of the past.

Joy.

‘Happy, my love?’ Stefanos asked as the line of dignitaries finally came to an end.

‘How can you doubt it?’

‘So…’ he smiled into her eyes ‘…where do we go from here?’

She smiled back at her beloved husband, and she smiled again at her sleeping son. ‘Where, indeed?’

‘Another baby?’

‘Absolutely,’ she whispered, gazing down at the perfection of her little son.

‘More turtles?’

‘Oh, yes.’

Another cat or two?’

‘Two’s enough. I’m thinking of a puppy.’

‘Is there room for a puppy with two cats?’ Stefanos asked, startled, and she grinned.

‘I think there’s room for anything in our family,’ she said. ‘This is the Diamond Isles. Place of miracles. Place of wonder. Home of our hearts, and room for all.’