Helios Crowns His Mistress(19)

And now, with the lunch over, the clock was ticking furiously fast towards the time when he would make his engagement official to the world.

First, though, it was time for his grandfather to have a very exclusive viewing of his exhibition. It would include just the King and his three grandsons. Above everything else occurring that day, taking his grandfather to the exhibition created in his honour was the part Helios had most been looking forward to. The biography was the culmination of Theseus’s hard work—a tangible acknowledgement of his love and pride—and this exhibition was the pinnacle of his own.

With his brothers by his side, Helios and a couple of courtiers now led his grandfather out into the palace grounds and along the footpath that led to the museum.

The joy and pride he’d anticipated feeling in this moment had been squashed by a very real sense of dread. And when they arrived at the museum doors he understood where the dread had come from.

Amy, Pedro and four other staff members closely involved in the exhibition were there to greet them at the museum’s entrance. All were wearing their official uniforms and not a single hair was out of place. This was their big moment as much as his.

Talos wheeled their grandfather up to the line of waiting staff so they could be spoken to in turn. When they reached Amy the thuds in Helios’s heart became a painful racket.

This was the first time she would meet his family. It would also be the last.

Bracing himself, he said, ‘This is the exhibition curator, Amy Green. She’s on secondment from England to organise it all.’

Not looking at Helios, Amy curtsied. ‘It is an honour to meet you, Your Majesty.’

‘The honour is mine,’ his grandfather replied with that wheeze in his voice Helios didn’t think he would ever get used to. ‘I’ve been looking forward to seeing this exhibition. Are you my tour guide?’

Her eyes darted to Pedro, who, as Head of Museum, was supposed to take the role of the King’s guide.

Sensing her dilemma, Helios stepped in. ‘Despinis Green would be delighted to be your guide. Let’s get you inside and we can make a start.’

Inside the main exhibition room the four King Astraeus statues were lined up on their plinths. The sculptor of the fourth, which was covered and ready for unveiling, awaited his introduction to the King. When that was done, and the official photographers were in position, in a hushed silence the cover was removed and the King was able to see his own youthful image portrayed in marble for the first time.

For the longest, stillest moment the King simply stared at it, drinking in the vibrant, enigmatic quality of his statue. There was a collective exhalation of breath when he finally spoke of his delight and reached out a wizened hand to touch his own marble foot.

It was a moment Amy knew would be shown in all the world’s press.

From there, the group progressed through to the rest of the exhibition.

The thought of being the King’s personal tour guide should have had Amy in fits of terror, but it was a welcome relief. She had to concentrate so hard to keep up with etiquette and protocol that she could almost act as if Helios meant nothing to her other than as her boss.

But only almost.

After the King had examined and admired all of the military exhibits, they moved through to the room dedicated to his marriage to Queen Rhea, who had died five years previously. It was heartbreaking and yet uplifting to see the King’s reaction first-hand.

Their wedding outfits had been carefully placed on mannequins and secured inside a glass cabinet. Queen Rhea’s wedding dress was one of the most beautiful creations Amy had ever been privileged to handle, covered as it was with over ten thousand tiny diamonds and crystals.

King Astraeus gazed at it with moist eyes before saying to her, ‘My Queen looked beautiful that day.’

Amy murmured her agreement. On the opposite wall hung the official wedding portrait. Queen Rhea had been a beauty by anyone’s standards, but on that particular day there had been a glow about her that shone through the portrait and every photo that had been taken.

What would it be like to have a marriage such as theirs? Her own parents’ marriage had seemed mostly happy, but once Amy had learned of her true parentage her memories had become slanted.

Her father’s infidelity, although mostly never spoken of, remained a scar. Danny knew their father had cheated on his mother whilst she’d carried him. Neil knew their father had cheated on his mother back when he’d still been talking in broken sentences. They might love Amy as a true sister, and have nothing to do with anyone who saw things differently, but their relationship with their father bordered on uncomfortable. They didn’t trust him and neither did Amy. She loved him very much, but the nagging doubts remained. When they’d still been living at home, and he’d been kept late at work, although they’d never said anything they’d all wondered if his excuses were true. And as for her mum...

To anyone looking in, their marriage would seem complete. They laughed together and enjoyed each other’s company. But then Amy thought of the times she’d caught her mum going through her father’s phone when she’d thought no one was looking and knew the pain she’d gone through had never fully mended. Once trust had been broken it was incredibly hard to repair.

King Astraeus and Queen Rhea’s marriage had bloomed into that rarest of things: enduring, faithful love. The kind of love Amy longed to have. The kind of love she could never have when the man she loved was going to marry someone else...

The truth hit her like a bolt of lightning.

She did love him.

And as the revelation hit her so did another truth of equal magnitude.

She was going to lose him.

But he’d never been hers to lose, so she already had.

There was nothing for her to hold on to for support. All she could do was keep a grip on herself and wait for the wave of anguish to pass.

The only man she could ever be happy with, the only man she could ever find enduring love with, the only man she had trusted with the truth of her conception... He was marrying someone else. The happy ending she’d always hoped she would one day have would never be hers.

When she dared to look at Helios she found his gaze on her, a question resonating from his liquid eyes. He was as sensitive to her changes of mood as she was to his.

She forced a smile and straightened her posture, doing her best to resume her professional demeanour. Whatever personal torment she might have churning inside her, she still had a job to do.

This was King Astraeus’s big day, one he’d spent eighty-seven years of duty and sacrifice working towards. This was his moment. It was also Helios’s and his brothers’ moment too. The three Princes loved their grandfather, and this day was as much for them to show their appreciation of him as to allow their great nation to celebrate. She wouldn’t do anything to detract from the culmination of all their hard work.

Amy kept her head up throughout the rest of the tour, but as soon as it was over she fled, using the pretext of needing to change her outfit for the Gala. Thankfully all the other staff wanted to change too, so saw nothing strange in her behaviour.

Finally alone in her apartment, she sank onto the edge of her bed and cradled her head in her hands. The tears that had threatened to pour throughout the exhibition tour had now become blocked. The emotions raging inside her had compacted so tightly and painfully that the release she needed wouldn’t come.

The truth of her feelings and the hopelessness of her love had hit her so hard she had shut down inside.





CHAPTER TEN

FIVE THOUSAND PEOPLE were settled in the amphitheatre, watching the Gala, enjoying the multitude of performances taking turns on the stage, the glorious sunshine, the food and the drink.

Amy, sitting with the rest of the museum staff, tried to enjoy what was a truly spectacular occasion. A world-famous operatic duo from the US had just completed a medley of songs from The Phantom of the Opera, and now a Russian ballet troupe had taken to the stage, holding everyone spellbound.

When they were done, the compère came bounding back on. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, in a small addition to our official programme, I am proud to welcome to the stage His Royal Highness, Prince Helios.’

Huge cheers broke out around the amphitheatre as the crowd rose to their feet to applaud the popular Prince.

Amy’s stone-filled feet moved of their own accord and she stood too. The coldness rippling through her was such that it felt as if someone had injected ice into her veins. All the hairs on her arms had sprung upright. Nausea didn’t churn—no, it turned and twisted, as if her stomach had been locked in a superfast waltzer. And yet the tightness in her chest remained, coiling even tighter if that were possible.

Helios started his address by thanking everyone for attending, then launched into a witty monologue about his grandfather, which led him neatly into entreating the audience and the hundreds of millions of worldwide viewers to visit the exhibition of the King’s life now being held in the palace museum.

And then he cleared his throat.

Amy’s own throat closed.

‘I would also like to take this opportunity to confirm the speculation about my private life that has been documented in the world’s press for these past few weeks. I am honoured to announce that Princess Catalina Fernandez of Monte Cleure has consented to be my wife.’