were clear evidence that he had no intention of taking his marriage vows seriously.
CHAPTER EIGHT
KITTYhad been taught from an early age that members of the royal family never displayed their
emotions in public, and the training proved invaluable for the remainder of the reception.
Somehow she managed to smile at the well-wishers who crowded onto the palace lawn where
Nikos’s helicopter was waiting, and she was confident she had fooled Sebastian and the queen
that she was happy to be leaving Aristo for her new life in Greece.
As soon as the helicopter took off she closed her eyes and feigned sleep, unable to face Nikos.
She reminded herself that in the days before their wedding he had been free to do as he chose—
even if that meant cavorting on a public beach with his half-naked lover—but she felt deeply
humiliated that he had flaunted his affair so openly.
As for Vasilis’s story about Nikos’s past—she did not know what to think. Knowing Vasilis’s
warped personality as she did, it was entirely likely that he had employed an investigator to dig
up any dirt on Nikos, and she supposed the facts would be easy to verify. She did not care if
Nikos came from a poor background, but the idea that he had acquired his wealth and success
because he had played on the emotions of a rich older woman filled her with dismay.
Her thoughts tormented her as the helicopter flew over the sea, and her heart ached as Aristo
faded to a tiny speck in the distance. Nikos had been speaking to the pilot, but now he came and
sat down next to her, and despite everything she had learned of him her senses quivered at his
nearness. She felt his gaze on her and squeezed her eyes tightly shut. Tension gripped her but
after a few moments she heard him sigh, and when she peeped at him she saw he was engrossed
in his newspaper.
Nikos lived in the heart of Athens in an imposing tower block that loomed high above the busy
city streets. It was a far cry from the peace and tranquillity of Aristo, and Kitty felt a pang of
homesickness when his chauffeur-driven limousine turned into the underground car park beneath
his apartment.
‘When I am at work my driver, Stavros, will take you to wherever you wish to go. He is a
trained bodyguard and you are not to leave the apartment without him,’ Nikos told her when they
stepped into the lift.
‘I didn’t have a bodyguard on Aristo and I won’t need one here,’ Kitty argued, startled.
‘It’s different on Aristo. All the members of the royal family are well loved by the Aristan
people, and no one would ever harm you there. But here in Athens you are already something of
a talking point,’ Nikos said tersely. ‘People, especially the press, are fascinated by the idea of
having a princess in their midst. You can’t have missed the paparazzi who tailed us from the
airport. Your photograph will be on the front pages of all tomorrow’s papers, and unfortunately
that level of interest isn’t always healthy.’
Kitty frowned. ‘What do you mean?’
‘I mean that there are some individuals who resent my wealth, and yours,’ he told her grimly. ‘I
don’t wish to scare you, Kitty, but you have to be aware of the possibility of kidnap—a
possibility that is reduced to zero if you do as you are told and always stay close to Stavros.’
He had instructed Stavros to tail her every move, but not only to ensure her safety, Nikos
brooded. Kitty had insisted she wanted the baby, but he was taking no chances—he would know
her whereabouts every minute of the day.
The expression on Nikos’s face warned Kitty to say no more on the subject of a bodyguard, but
her heart sank. She had thought she would have more freedom here in Athens, away from the
stiff protocol of palace life, but it seemed that she had swapped one prison for another, and she
was to have her own personal jailer.
The lift halted at the top floor, and Nikos took her by surprise when he swept her into his arms
and carried her into his apartment. ‘Now you are truly my bride,’ he murmured, frowning
slightly when he noted how she had stiffened at his touch.
His words settled like concrete in Kitty’s stomach as she wondered if he was intending to carry
her on into his bedroom and make her his wife in the time-honoured fashion. She could not
forget the magazine pictures of him and Shannon Marsh, and she wriggled in his arms so that he
was forced to set her on her feet. ‘I’m too heavy for you,’ she muttered. ‘I’ll break your back.’
‘I think that is unlikely, agape ,’ he drawled, his eyes narrowing when she refused to meet his gaze. It was the first time she had visited his home, and it was perhaps natural that she seemed