straight ahead. Alex sighed in resignation.
“You need to know these things, glyka mou. How else to prepare for the sight of Sebastian, who stands four feet tall and weighs three hundred pounds? Or to know that Andreas is in The Guinness Book of World Records for Worst Footballer of the Year?”
She swung toward him, as he’d hoped she would. “What?”
Alex grinned. “Don’t panic. We still tease Andreas over the time he missed six consecutive tries in a game—but we leave out the fact that he was only five years old at the time. As for Sebastian …” His grin broadened. “The truth is, except for a lack of hair anyplace but his knuckles and back, he’s not bad-looking. Well, he’s not as handsome as I am, of course …”
He couldn’t be.
Alex was joking, Maria knew. Still, what he’d said about being handsome was true. He was, without question, the most beautiful man she’d ever seen… And what did that have to do with anything? He was still exactly what she’d called him. No-good, self-centered and arrogant, and if she had not called him all those names yet, she surely would before the evening ended.
She sat back, folded her hands in her lap and told herself she’d get through whatever lay ahead because she had no other choice.
The Ferrari paused before the high gates outside the palace. A smartly uniformed soldier stepped from the guardhouse, approached, looked in at Alex, shot straight as a ramrod and delivered a perfect salute.
“Your Highness.”
“Stavros. It’s good to see you pretending to be a soldier again.” Maria looked at Alex in surprise. The soldier, still saluting, went on staring directly ahead. “Especially since we both know I can out-run, out-shoot, out-anything you choose when we have the chance to give it another try.”
The soldier’s lips twitched. “Your Highness is, as usual, full of, ah, full of air. Sir.”
Alex laughed and returned the salute. “At ease, Stavros. Good to see you back. The ankle’s okay?”
The soldier grinned. “It’s fine, sir. And your shoulder?”
“Good to go. You signed up for the next Games?”
“Absolutely, sir. And you?”
“Try and keep me away,” Alex said, smiling.
Another smart salute; the gates opened and they drove slowly down a wide, tree-lined avenue toward the broad marble steps that led to the front doors of the palace.
“You and that man know each other?” Maria said.
“For years. We went to nursery school together.” He smiled. “My mother’s modernist ideas won out that time. My father thought it was a mistake to educate me among what he tried not to call the commoners.”
“But he didn’t—I mean, the way he addressed you—”
“What’s the problem, sweetheart? Disappointed to find out some people don’t think of me as you do?”
He pulled up before the steps. A valet opened his door; another did the same for Maria. Ahead, the enormous entry doors swung open. To Maria’s surprise, she saw the world-famous King Aegeus and Queen Tia in the doorway.
“They asked me to bring you in through the Grand Hall,” Alex said softly as he moved around the car to stand beside her. “And they’re greeting you themselves. We are not as formal as some royal houses but still, this is an honor.” He offered her his arm. “Take it,” he said softly, “and smile, or my parents will think you hate me. And you don’t hate me, glyka mou. We both know that.”
“Wrong,” Maria said sweetly. “But why should I take it out on them?”
She put her hand lightly on his arm, took a deep breath, and let him lead her up the steps.
“… and so,” Princess Kitty said, “Alex convinced me that it was my royal obligation to sneak into the butler’s pantry to find out what our parents had bought us for Christmas—well, it wasn’t a butler’s pantry anymore, of course, it was just this huge room we store stuff in at the beach house at Kionia—has Alex told you about Kionia? Oh, it’s this incredible stretch of land overlooking the Strait of Poseidon that separates us from Calista, and our house is big and old and beautiful, and it’s all very laid-back, you know, I can go around dressed casually—”
“Sloppily, you mean,” Aegeus said, his tone harsh. “And why are we boring our guest with talk of childish pranks done years ago?”
The family dining room became silent. Kitty’s round, pretty face turned crimson. “Of course. Ms. Santos, my apologies.”
“Oh, please, don’t apologize.” Without thinking, Maria reached for the princess’s hand. “It’s lovely to hear stories like that. My own childhood wasn’t as much fun. No brothers. No sisters.” Suddenly, she realized that every eye was on her, and that she was hanging onto Kitty’s hand as if it belonged to Sela and not a princess. Flushed, she let go. “I mean—I mean, this has been such a lovely evening… You’ve all been so—so—”
“It’s been our pleasure, Ms. Santos,” the queen said gently.
“Please, won’t you all call me Maria?”
“Maria.” Tia smiled. “I hope you intend to see some of our island in the next few weeks.”
Maria shot a glance at Alex, who was calmly drinking his coffee. “If I have the chance.”
“I’m fascinated by the thought of such a slip of a girl designing and making such a magnificent necklace. I understand Alex has outfitted a workshop for you in his home on the coast.”
“Yes.” This time, Maria didn’t dare look at Alex. “He has.”
“And is it to your liking?”
What was the sense in lying? “Very much so, Your Majesty.
In fact, it’s better equipped than my own place in New York.”
“Good. If you should need anything more—”
“Well, I do need something. A couple of things, actually …”
“Such as?”
“Some information, to start. I understand that King Christos ordered the Stefani diamond, which had been the centerpiece of the crown of Adamas, to be split in two.”
She could almost feel the sudden tension in the room.
“I fail to see why the history of Adamas should be under discussion,” the king said stiffly.
Maria cleared her throat. “I don’t mean to pry, Your Majesty. It’s only that knowing the history of the diamond will help me in creating the necklace.”
“Nonsense. Gold and diamonds well help, not timeworn stories about the Stefani diamond and the islands of Aristo and Calista.”
Silence. Then Maria felt Alex clasp
