The Greek Billionaire's Innocent Rrincess(21)

raking his hand through his hair. ‘It’s you I’m concerned about. Kitty…’ He broke off and closed

his eyes briefly at the sight of her tear-streaked face. ‘You are a royal princess of the House of

Karedes. You are fourth in line to the throne, and you cannot be a single mother.’



Kitty bit her lip. It was no wonder Sebastian looked devastated. On the night of the ball Vasilis

Sarondakos had taunted her that the royal family could not afford to be tainted by another

scandal. No member of the ruling family of Aristo had ever given birth to an illegitimate child,

and the implications could rock the House of Karedes to its foundations.



But her choices were limited; in fact they were non-existent. She was pregnant, and not having her baby was absolutely not a consideration. Involving Nikos was another matter. He was

Sebastian’s closest friend, she thought despairingly, her heart cracking at her brother’s shattered

expression. How much worse would Sebastian feel if she revealed that she had been seduced by

a man he trusted implicitly?



And she had lied to Nikos. She had allowed him to believe she was a waitress called Rina. How

would he react if she revealed that, not only was she a royal princess, but that during their brief, sexual pairing she had conceived his child?



If you’re harbouring any romantic illusionsabout me, then I suggest you forget them fast, he’d warned her immediately after he’d made love to her. I value my freedom above everything .



This was her problem and she would have to deal with it alone. She would have to retire from

public duties and live quietly somewhere away from the palace. Financially she had the security

of an annuity from her father, and when her child was older her qualifications would hopefully

enable her to resume her career as a researcher at the museum. She took a deep breath and felt a

sense of calm replace her earlier panic. Everything would be okay; she would cope. But she had

no intention of ever revealing the identity of her baby’s father—even to her family.



‘Sebastian, I’m sorry but I can’t tell you.’ Kitty jumped to her feet and the colour drained from

her face as a wave of dizziness swept over her. ‘You’ll have to excuse me. I’m not feeling very

well,’ she muttered as she hurried towards the door.



‘What about Mama?’ Sebastian’s voice stopped her. ‘She’ll have to be told about this—and

coming so soon after Papa’s death it will break her heart. Theos , Kitty, what a mess,’ he muttered grimly.



His stark words filled Kitty with guilt and shame. ‘I will speak to Mama and the rest of the

family. Just give me a few days to…to come to terms with things myself. Please, Seb.’



Sebastian hesitated, his gaze locked with her tear-filled eyes, and then he nodded abruptly. ‘But

if I ever find out who the father is, I swear I’ll tear him limb from limb,’ he vowed savagely.

‘You deserve better than this, Kitty.’





A week later Kitty stood on the palace balcony, waving to the crowds who had gathered for the

Day of Independence celebration that marked the day the Adamas Islands had gained

independence from British rule. Queen Tia, still consumed with grief for her husband, had a

chest infection and had been advised by her doctors not to attend. Prince Alex and his wife Maria

were in America, and Prince Andreas was with his new wife Holly in her native Australia. Liss

had other royal duties elsewhere to deal with and so Kitty had assured Sebastian that she would

act as his consort— aware that once she was a single mother she would no longer appear at state

occasions.



Saturday was a beautiful June day typical of early summer in Aristo. Warm sunshine bathed the

crowds who had followed the carnival procession through the streets, and as they flocked into the

palace courtyard Kitty smiled and tried to ignore the discomfort of her heavy silk state gown and

the ornate diamond tiara on her brow that had given her a headache.



‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a huge crowd of well-wishers. Hundreds of people have come

to show their support for you, Sebastian,’ she commented as she stepped off the balcony, into the

drawing room, peeling off her white gloves as she walked and handing them to a footman. Her

brother was chatting with a guest but at the sound of her voice he swung round—and as Kitty

caught sight of his companion her heart stopped beating. If was as if someone had pressed the

mute button. The voices of the people around her faded, and she was conscious of the fractured

sound of her breathing and a peculiar rushing sound in her ears.