MAID FOR A PRINCE: (Book 1) (Point St. Claire, where true love finds a way) by Robyn Grady

her feet. With those protected pages resting in the front compartment, more than ever she didn’t want to misplace it.
    “I’m good,” she said. “Thanks.” 
    He gave that non-committal smile again. “A carriage is waiting.”
    Following the man down the gangplank, Helene evaluated her guide. Obviously he was an intelligent person of high standing. And while Yanni Kostas was reserved, he wasn’t exactly cold. Darius trusted him and, right now, she felt as if she needed a friend.
    While chestnut horses hitched to a closed carriage were brought over, she noticed some locals eyeing them. Then Mr. Kostas opened the carriage door, and they settled inside with her knapsack beside her and that case and its precious cargo beside him. As they pulled out of the city and the horses started their climb up the hill, she broke the silence.
    “When I left the States,” she said, “I never dreamed my vacation would end like this.”
    He nodded cordially. “Most unexpected.”
    “My friends won’t believe it.”
    Brown eyes behind their round glasses smiled. “You’ll need to send photos.”
    As the carriage bumped along, quiet descended again. Helene gazed out the window, taking in the retreating view of the city before she asked the question burning on her lips. 
    “So you know about the arrangement between Darius and me?”
    His head cocked. “Arrangement?”
    “I wasn’t sure about protocol in a situation like this—an outsider rocking up and moving in. But Darius seemed to think…”
    Her words faded as her throat closed up. Mr. Kostas’s tanned forehead had drawn into a concertina of deep wrinkles and, behind those lenses, his brown eyes flashed and then narrowed.
    “What do you mean…arrangement?”
    He didn’t know? “Darius invited me to stay at the palace for a couple of weeks.”
    Kostas’s tense expression melted. He even chuckled, a quiet low sound as he peered out the window again. “In that case,” he said, “protocol is covered.”
    She wasn’t so sure. “For a minute, I thought you were going to throw a bag over my head and toss me in the bay.”
    “I misunderstood. I thought you were suggesting something else entirely.”
    “Suggesting what?”
    “A much longer stay.”
    “How long?”
    “It’s of no consequence.”
    She persisted. “Then there’s no harm in saying.”
    Giving in, he tipped forward as if he feared being overheard. “I thought you’d implied something more permanent.”
    She only stared. Meaning what? Like marriage?
    She coughed out a laugh. “It’s nothing like that.”
    “Of course not. I know the prince better than that.” He looked out the window again. “ Much better.”
    As the carriage passed through grand garnished gates, Helene’s palm covered her belly. She’d been nervous about coming back to officially stay with Darius. Now she wondered if she simply ought to make an excuse and get out before things got any more complicated. 
     
    What had possessed him?
    Darius had gone over that question in his mind the entire carriage ride from the dock. As the horses pulled up in the palace forecourt now, he admonished himself again.
    He was expected to greet the crowd and travel up Sangros Hill alone. But until the last moment he’d wanted to escort Helene at least as far as the end of the gangplank. He had warred with himself over the issue the entire boat trip back, but in the end, he had to concede that such an unprecedented, unexpected move would stir a public pot or two.
    At the last minute, he’d chosen the path of least resistance, although he cringed at the idea of seeing Helene’s face when she finally showed up here with Yanni. She’d been nervous during the trip back. Had been uncertain when he’d left her standing on the deck. Now she’d be confused. And hurt.
    He’d bent the rules by having her stay with him in the villa. He’d yielded and released the figurine from the protection of a safe. With the possibility—no matter how