Marion Lennox - Betrothed - To the People’s Prince

Coronations and royal weddings should take place in a formal setting-most properly in the Great Hall of the Royal Palace. That was a problem, for the Great Hall only held five hundred, and all the island wanted to see.

So they held the ceremony on the wide sweep of lawn between the palace and what had once been the most private of beaches. No invitation was necessary. Whosoever loved this island and wished it well was welcome, to see the beginning of its future.

And its future was assured. In the best of monarchies, the royal family was an embodiment of the hopes and dreams of the people and, in Nikos and Athena, the islanders of Argyros had found that dream.

Nikos, in royal uniform-jet-black jacket and trousers, shining boots, tassels, braid, dress sword-was eye-candy enough to have at least half their audience sighing with pure enchantment. And Athena, in her clouds of swirling silk and lace, was a bride to turn the most hardened islander misty-eyed. She made her vows clearly and solemnly and she looked so happy there was hardly a dry eye on the island.

Even Father Antonio…The old priest married them with love and with pride, and there was definitely a tear or two rolling down his wrinkled cheek. As he blessed the bride and groom, his old voice became redolent with joy.

His blessing was supposed to be just for the bride and groom-the Prince and Princess-but he didn’t stop there. He blessed the ancient ring on Athena’s finger, the ring of Argyros, ancient silver, gnarled and twisted and lovely, with three magnificent diamonds embedded in its depths. He blessed the islanders looking on. He blessed Alexandros and Lily from the Isle of Sappheiros. And he blessed Stefanos, even now trying to sort the future of the third and last island.

And of course he blessed the children. Nicky was pageboy, torn a little between embarrassment and pride. Pride was definitely winning. Christa was flower girl, with so many pink and white flounces she’d announced that any minute now she might float. Indulging her fancy, the dressmaker had attached a tiny pair of gossamer wings to her back. Christa’s happiness was complete. She had a mama and a papa, a brother and a dog. And wings. She was tossing her rose petals with delight, and she was making Nicky toss them with her.

Two royal children…and even now the island grandmothers were dusting off their knitting needles in hope.

But knitting was for the future. Everything was for the future. For now the royal couple knelt to receive the ancient crowns that had lain in storage for over two hundred years. They rose to thunderous applause.

To a happy beginning.

Crown Princess Athena and Crown Prince Nikos stood hand in hand on the raised dais and looked out on the island of their birth, and if there were tears shed in the crowd then the islanders’ tears found reflection in the face of the new Crown Princess of Argyros.

The Crown was secure. The Argyros diamonds were confirmed as belonging to the people, and legal proceedings were already underway to ensure no royal held such terrifying powers again.

Demos was stripped of his title and waiting for the courts to administer justice. Exile, Athena thought, for there was room in her heart to almost feel sorry for the man.

So what was next?

It had been leaked by the media that Prince Nikos had decreed a month’s honeymoon was the minimum required to cement their union. The islanders, deliriously happy at their good fortune, could only smile their agreement.

Nikos had offered his wife any place in the world for their time out. A deserted island in the Maldives, a tropical bure, nights alone by candlelight…

She’d chosen…the Eagle’s Nest. They’d leave for there tonight. With Nicky and with Christa and with Oscar.

‘For I have a daughter now,’ she’d whispered proudly to Nikos.

He’d held her close, he’d kissed her eyelids and he’d felt so much in love that surely his heart must burst.

They’d face the future together, he thought, and if the worst happened…They were a family. They’d face their future with love and with courage.

And with a dog called Oscar. And with a grandmother called Annia. And uncles and aunts and cousins. And thousands of islanders who loved this place as they did.

Their island home.

‘It’s perfect,’ he whispered to Athena as they stood side by side and waved to the assembled population of Argyros. ‘I can’t imagine anything more perfect than this.’

‘I can’t imagine anyone more perfect than you,’ she whispered back.

‘Then you need to look in the mirror,’ he retorted, and then this very serious ceremonial occasion was marred.

This ceremony had been timed to the last nanosecond. There was no room for improvisation. Right now the Crown Prince was supposed to take the Crown Princess’s hand and solemnly lead her to the pair of gold and crimson thrones at the middle of the crimson-carpeted dais.

He didn’t.

Instead, for three whole minutes-for one whole trumpet chorale that was supposed to see them taking the throne together-the Crown Prince of Argyros took the Crown Princess of Argyros into his arms and he kissed her.

As he intended to kiss her for the rest of her life.

Marion Lennoxis a country girl, born on an Australian dairy farm. She moved on-mostly because the cows just weren’t interested in her stories! Married to a “very special doctor,” Marion writes for the Harlequin ®Romance line. (She used a different name for a while-readers looking for her past Harlequin Romance novels should search for author Trisha David, as well.) She’s now had more than seventy-five romance novels accepted for publication.

In her non-writing life Marion cares for kids, cats, dogs, chickens and goldfish. She travels, and she fights her rampant garden (she’s losing) and her house dust (she’s lost). Having spun in circles for the first part of her life, she’s now stepped back from her “other” career, which was teaching statistics at her local university. Finally she’s reprioritized her life, figured out what’s important and discovered the joys of deep baths, romance and chocolate. Preferably all at the same time!