Betrothed: To the People’s Prince Page 10

‘I will,’ she said and tugged Nicky to his feet. ‘And then I’m packing. We’re leaving for Manhattan tomorrow.’

  He ate a cursory lunch with his mother, and checked on Christa, who was happily drawing pictures of herself and her new brother. He told his mother what he needed her to do, he rang Alexandros, and he set a small army in motion. Then he walked slowly across the headland to the palace.

  She had to see sense.

  She wasn’t in her bedroom. He knocked and when there was no answer he went in. No Thena. He walked across to the adjoining bedroom and twisted the handle.

  Dressed simply in jeans and a crisp white blouse, her bare feet tucked up under her, she sat in a big squashy armchair, watching over her sleeping son and her sleeping dog.

  She put her finger to her lips, then rose and came out to him, closing the door behind her.

  ‘He was more scared than he’ll admit,’ she said. ‘He heard us talking of Demos. There’s a picture of him in the downstairs entrance. Nikos asked if that was the man who was trying to kill us.’ She shivered. ‘He had a cry, but he’s had a bit of lunch and we’ve talked it out.’ She managed a smile. ‘He’s even talking about what we could do to stop him. And we took down Demos’s picture and put it in the trash. So he’s okay. But the jet lag’s catching up with him as well. I’m glad he’s sleeping.’

  ‘You should be sleeping as well,’ he said, more roughly than he intended, taking in the shadows under her eyes.

  ‘I can sleep tonight. I won’t sleep while Nicky needs me.’

  ‘He’s asleep now.’ He hesitated. ‘Thena, we need to talk.’

  ‘I’m not talking. I’m leaving.’

  She was leaning on the closed door. Her hair hadn’t been brushed since the swim. She’d obviously showered, tugged on her clothes and that had been enough. There were damp tendrils wisping down her forehead. She obviously didn’t care. She was concentrating solely on her son.

  Did she have any idea how beautiful she was? Last night in her stunning ball-gown, he’d thought she looked magnificent. But magnificent was too small a word, he thought. He didn’t have words to describe how she made him feel.

  She was leaning against the door as if she was protecting the child within. If anything happened to Nicky…

  It didn’t bear thinking about. He’d thought if anything happened to Christa he’d be gutted. Now he had more to care about. Christa. Thena. And now his son.

  There was no way he could let her go back to Manhattan. He wanted her to stay. He wanted to get to know Nicky properly, as a father should.

  And…he wanted this woman. Despite their differences, he wanted her.

  But there wasn’t time to voice his emotions. Wanting Thena had to wait. They had to avert this threat first.

  ‘I want you to go to the Eagle’s Nest,’ he told her. ‘I want us all to go there. You, Nicky, me and Christa.’

  She stared at him in incomprehension. ‘The Eagle’s Nest…’

  ‘Someone in this castle told Demos you were down at the cove,’ he said. ‘There are people here I’d trust with my life, but the staff is too big for me to know everyone. Thena, I need time to sort things out, and I won’t have you at risk while I do.’

  ‘I won’t be at risk. I’ll have left.’

  ‘You can’t leave.’

  ‘I can.’

  ‘Then you’ll be watching over your shoulder for the rest of your life.’ He met her gaze with strength and unwavering conviction. ‘Thena, if anything happens to you and your son, Demos inherits. He and his friends. If you leave then I can’t protect you. And, Thena, I will protect you.’

  ‘You’re saying this because you want Nicky,’ she stammered.

  ‘I’m saying it because you’re in danger.’ Somehow he maintained that flat convincing tone. ‘But I won’t lie to you,’ he said softly. ‘I do want Nicky. He needs a father.’

  ‘He’s managed just fine without one until now.’ But her voice faltered.

  How much had she wanted her own father? he wondered. Athena’s father had been a weak-willed man who Giorgos had bullied and finally bribed to leave the island almost as soon as Thena was born. As far as he knew, Thena had never seen him.

  What would it be like, to be raised not knowing your father? He couldn’t imagine. His own father had died when he was twelve but he was still a huge part of who he was. And he had grandparents, cousins, uncles and aunts…a huge extended family to constantly remind him he was loved.

  Thena had been brought up by a single mother. Maybe she didn’t see the advantages of family.

  Maybe he had to teach her.

  ‘So…why are you saying the Eagle’s Nest?’ She’d obviously been doing her own thinking. Asking about the Eagle’s Nest was a concession that it could happen.

  The Eagle’s Nest was an exquisite castle, built for the sole use of the King. It sat perched high on cliffs overlooking the ocean. One road ran in along winding cliffs that soared as granite buttresses, and the cliffs themselves seemed to become its walls.

  ‘It’s safe,’ he said.

  ‘Have you been in it?’ she asked incredulously. As kids the place had fascinated them.

  ‘I have,’ he told her. ‘It’s fabulous. We should have seen it for the first time together, Thene. We tried hard enough as kids.’

  They had. The Eagle’s Nest explained two matching broken bones. One sheer rock face rising from the sea. Two kids daring each other…

  ‘We can drive in now like normal people,’ he said.

  ‘Right. No one drives into the Nest like normal people.’

  ‘I guess they don’t.’ He smiled. ‘Thena, come on. Come to the Eagle’s Nest with me.’

  She was refusing to meet his gaze. She was staring along the hall, as if looking for an escape route. ‘What…what possible purpose can we achieve by locking ourselves in the Eagle’s Nest?’

  ‘It’ll give us time,’ he said, softly now. ‘That’s what we need. Alexandros is flying to Athens tonight to try and find Demos. Unfortunately, we believe it’s not just Demos behind this. The money at stake…He’s weak-willed, there’ll be real power trying to get him set up as puppet ruler.’

  ‘I hate this,’ she whispered.

  ‘So do I.’ He tried to touch her hand but she snatched it away. ‘I’d like you to come home with me now and talk to my mother,’ he said.

  ‘Your mother?’

  He smiled wryly. ‘Thena, okay, you don’t trust me and why should you? But have you ever had reason to distrust Annia?’

  ‘No, I…’

  ‘Then come. Let her talk to you. Please.’

  ‘She’ll talk me into staying.’

  ‘You’ll be fearful, whether you go or whether you stay. But if you stay, you’ll be safe. We promise you that. Myself. Alexandros. My mother. We’ll be your family, Thene.’

  ‘I don’t have a family,’ she whispered. ‘Except Nicky. How can I trust you?’

  ‘You can.’

  She stared at him blindly. ‘No,’ she said at last. ‘Not after…’ She faltered and then seemed to make a conscious decision to go on. ‘Do you know how terrifying it was being pregnant, alone in New York? Do you know how much I depended on you to follow me? How can I trust you, Nikos?’

  He grimaced. Christa. Marika. Always the ghost of that long ago nightmare.

  But now wasn’t the time to talk of the past. He wasn’t sure if there ever would be a time, but for now he had to move on.

  ‘What happened in the past is in the past,’ he said. ‘Maybe we need to remember the time before…before Christa and Nicky were born. We talked of this when we were kids. We wanted this island to prosper. We both wanted it.’

  ‘That was kids. Dreaming.’

  ‘It might have been, but now we can make it a reality.’ He took her hands and held them, whether she willed it or not. But she made no move to withdraw.

  ‘Thena, I believe if you leave the island now, then Demos will win. He’ll threaten Nicky, you’ll cave in to his demand
s and he’ll end up as Crown Prince. I will not stand by and let that happen.’

  ‘You want to be Crown Prince yourself.’

  ‘I want to change this island,’ he admitted. ‘I won’t lie to you. I want this island to be safe and prosperous. I ache for it. But you’ve known this. You’ve known it’s who I am.’

  ‘I did think I knew you,’ she whispered. ‘But Marika…she stopped me knowing you.’

  ‘She was my wife for less than a year.’

  ‘It doesn’t matter how long she was your wife. I thought you loved me.’

  ‘I did,’ he said softly. ‘I always have.’ He met her gaze directly, refusing to let her look away. ‘I believe I still do.’

  ‘No.’ She tugged her hands back. ‘Stop it, Nikos. Don’t you dare say you love me. I have to leave.’

  ‘You can’t leave,’ he said steadily. ‘Not yet. Okay, forget the emotion. Concentrate on necessity. Thene, this island needs you.’

  Maybe he shouldn’t be throwing this at her, he thought ruefully, but if she was only part of the Athena he remembered then she’d have to share this love. This passion.

  ‘Look at this palace, Thene-look at it,’ he told her. ‘It’s fabulous and if it was restored…the royal family could use part of it, but what a wonderful public place it would be. Alexandros is doing it on Sappheiros. I want to do it, too.’

  ‘You have it all planned.’

  ‘Not me,’ he said. ‘Us. We dreamed it, Thene. We walked this island as kids and we wanted it.’

  ‘We were kids.’

  ‘And it was dreams,’ he said. ‘But Giorgos’s death without an heir means those dreams can be a reality. Would you willingly stop them happening by handing over to Demos? Does your career mean so much to you that you’d walk away again? That you’d put Nicky’s life at risk in doing so?’

  ‘That’s not fair.’

  ‘It’s not,’ he said steadily. ‘Life’s not. But this is your second chance. Trust me. Move into the Eagle’s Nest until we sort Demos out. Put your career on hold. This time it’s not just yourself you’re choosing for; it’s for your son and it’s for the whole island.’

  ‘You think I chose last time?’ she whispered.

  ‘When you left…’ He frowned. ‘Of course you did.’

  ‘I had to go.’ She bit her lip and closed her eyes. She was trying desperately to make her muddled mind think.

  If he was right…if she really was in danger, and after this morning she had to believe him, then maybe she didn’t have the luxury of choice

  But to trust him… There were still so many questions she needed answered.

  ‘So…so where does the money come from?’ she asked. ‘You came to Manhattan to find me. You obviously paid for these security guards. I know your fishing pays-but does it pay that much?’

  He smiled at that. ‘It does,’ he said. ‘I’ve turned into a businessman. When you have a daughter to care for and there’s nothing else to distract you, it’s amazing how much energy you can put into a passion. I’m a rich man, Thena. But, even if I wasn’t…I’m not in this alone. Alexandros cares for these islands, and so does Stefanos. We’ll do whatever it takes to protect our own.’

  ‘Your own being Christa.’

  ‘I meant the islands,’ he said, softly now and steadily. ‘But yes, Christa, too. I know you feel betrayed by her existence and I’m sorry you feel that way. But I make no apologies for her existence. Nothing gets in the way of what I feel for my daughter. But it doesn’t make one speck of difference to what we’re planning. It’s only…You need to be secure and I need to know my son. Where I go, Christa goes. So we’ll make it a family holiday if you like. You, me, Nicky and Christa. Oh, and Oscar bringing up the rear.’

  She stared up at him. She should pull her hands away, she thought. She should…she should…

  ‘Nothing gets in the way of what I feel for my daughter.’

  That was exactly what she felt for Nicky. No apologies. Nothing. Nicky just…was.

  She gazed at Nikos and he gazed straight back, unflinching. Strong, direct, secure. Demanding she do what was best for the island. Demanding he get to know Nicky.

  Declaring his love for his daughter.

  ‘You should be Crown Prince,’ she whispered. ‘I’ve never really belonged here anyway. You’ve always been the people’s prince.’

  ‘You don’t give yourself credit,’ he said. ‘You’re the true princess.’

  ‘By an accident of birth. Your mother was a princess. If things had been different, you could have inherited the title.’

  ‘I didn’t,’ he said flatly. ‘I don’t want it. Why the hell would I?’

  Because it’d keep me safe, she thought. Because it would let me get on with my life.

  ‘It doesn’t matter,’ she said, suddenly weary. ‘Okay. I’ll stay. I’ll stay until Demos is…I don’t know…How can you defuse a threat like that? It might take years. It’ll ruin my career.’

  ‘You wanted to write a book.’

  ‘Don’t even go there,’ she whispered. ‘You’ve just told me I have to sacrifice my job because of this island. Don’t trivialise it.’

  ‘I wouldn’t, Thene.’

  ‘And don’t call me Thene.’

  ‘How can I not?’ he said. His hold on her hands tightened. ‘Athena, then,’ he said softly and smiled. ‘I know this isn’t what you want but we’ll make it work, somehow.’

  ‘You did already,’ she said steadily. ‘More than you can imagine. But in not telling you about Nicky then I hurt you, too. So let’s stick to practicalities. Like drying my hair. And agreeing that we sleep in bedrooms separated by at least two kids. Last night you kissed me…we kissed…and it scared me witless. I lost control and I will not go there again. So I control the locks. If I wish to leave I can at any time. I agree to stay at the Nest for a week and then we’ll reconsider. That or nothing.’

  ‘Fine,’ he said, and rose. ‘I’ll go home and tell Annia.’

  Her eyes flared in sudden panic.

  ‘Nikos…’

  ‘You’re safe,’ he told her and, before she knew what he was about, he’d placed his fingers under her chin and kissed her lips. It was a feather kiss, over before it was begun. ‘Two of my cousins are at the head of the stairs and they’ll stay on guard until we move. I promise you’re safe.’

  ‘For how long?’

  ‘If I have my way you’ll be safe for ever,’ he said, and he said it as a vow. ‘What’s mine I keep.’

  Mine? Was he talking about Nicky? But, before she could respond, he’d kissed her again, harder this time, a kiss to seal a vow.

  ‘I’ll be back in a couple of hours to collect you,’ he said. ‘Me and Christa. But now I need to organise a supply of dog food and a surfboard. How safe does that sound?’

  He smiled, then he turned and strode down the hallway, with Athena staring blindly after him.

  He’d agreed she could be in control.

  She wasn’t even close to being in control.

  She went back into the bedroom, and she started to shake.

  She’d just agreed to move into the royal retreat with Nikos.

  Nikos, the sexiest man in the known universe. The people’s prince. A fisherman, a businessman. A man who ordered security, who’d saved her life this morning, a man who knew how to protect his own.

  She took a couple of deep breaths and tried to steady herself.

  Was she overreacting? Maybe she should stop being a drama queen, she told herself. She’d be moving under the umbrella of his protection, for as long as it took to defuse the threat. That was all. Then she’d go back to Manhattan and start her life again.

  She looked over to the bed. Her small version of Nikos was still fast asleep.

  She wasn’t overreacting. The threat this morning had been real and dreadful.

  Nikos had saved their son as well.

  She closed her eyes-and then suddenly she opened the door again. She flew down the corridor. Down the great mar
ble staircase. Past the two burly fishermen on the stairs. Nikos was already at the grand entrance, striding down to the forecourt.

  ‘Nikos?’

  He paused and turned. ‘Thene?’

  She stopped. He was maybe twelve stairs down from her. She wasn’t going any closer.

  But she’d run after him for a reason and that reason still held.

  ‘I didn’t say thank you,’ she said. ‘You saved our lives.’

  ‘You saved your own lives by diving.’

  ‘If you and your men hadn’t been there…we couldn’t have stayed under for ever.’

  ‘Don’t think about it,’ he said gently. ‘Put it behind you.’

  ‘I will,’ she said. ‘But that doesn’t mean…it doesn’t mean I don’t feel…’

  ‘I don’t think we’re supposed to feel,’ he said dryly. He raised his hand in a mock salute and turned again, striding down the remaining steps two at a time.

  And then he stopped. He swung round to face her.

  ‘Hey,’ he said suddenly. ‘Come with me and see my mother. We need to tell her what we’re planning, and you haven’t seen her since we got back.’

  ‘I don’t think…’

  ‘Don’t think,’ he said. ‘She’s not so scary.’

  ‘I know. I…’

  ‘Nicky’s asleep. He’s likely to stay that way. My cousins are here watching over him. If you like, you can ask Mrs Lavros to sit with him and phone you the moment he wakes up.’ He held out his hand and smiled. ‘So Nicky’s safe. I promise. And you know my mother would love to see you.’

  She looked at his outstretched hand. The urge to take it was almost irresistible.

  The urge to trust him was irresistible.

  ‘Why wasn’t your mother here last night?’ she asked.

  ‘She stayed home and cared for Christa. And she was putting baklava into the oven when I left her this morning.’

  Baklava. Nikos’s mother’s baklava.

  ‘I shouldn’t,’ she whispered.

  ‘Got you.’ He was grinning. ‘No one can resist my mother’s baklava.’

  ‘For an hour, no more.’

  ‘Excellent,’ he said and his hand stayed outstretched.

  She walked slowly down the steps towards him. She spent most of the time on the way down staring at that hand.