The Goddess (13 page)

Getting into the swing, he called another couple over and more chairs were arranged.
By the end of that hour, quite a gathering had assembled, all talking and sharing
and laughing, including Darius.

As their guests began to leave, Helene caught Alexio’s eye. Wiping down a table, he
paused before his familiar smile spread.

When she and Darius were alone again, walking hand in hand back up that hill, she
asked, “So, about dinner tonight?”

He sent a vaguely suspicious look. “What about it?”

“Maybe you could let Tahlia know to invite Otis.”

A pulse beat in his jaw as, gaze fixed upon the path ahead, he thought it over.

“No,” he said finally.

Helene’s heart sank. But he wasn’t finished.

“Not tonight, but…soon.” His stern gaze hooked onto hers. “And I’d appreciate you
not letting Tahlia know I’m considering it. Can you do that?”

Helene threw her arms around him. Right now, she felt she could do anything for him.

…

They didn’t dine with Tahlia that evening or for the rest of the week. Instead, she
and Darius enjoyed late evening meals in her quarters on the balcony, talking and
looking over twinkling city lights and a far-reaching sea before retiring to her bed.
She wondered why he hadn’t invited her back to his quarters. He hadn’t mentioned the
figurine since their last conversation, either. Perhaps the goddess still resided
free and easy in his room while he considered making her release from captivity somehow
more permanent.

During the day, she spent time with Tahlia, talking and searching for more pages of
the story, or with Darius, strolling through the palace grounds or meeting new friends
at the taverna, including Alexio’s gorgeous new grandbaby.

At night, after making love, she had no trouble falling asleep in his arms. However,
she usually woke in the early hours and her brain would start ticking over. She loved
being here with Darius—being a couple. She would lie awake, staring at the ceiling,
with his hard, strong body pressed up against hers, wishing this would never end.
She couldn’t imagine ever going to bed without reveling in the feel of his mouth covering
hers. She couldn’t imagine not having his big, beautiful hands trailing over her curves.
And yet, in a few days this would all be over.

But then her thoughts would spiral off into fantasy land. He would ask her to stay
longer. Whenever she thought about learning the result of their first night together,
she tried to push it away. Because in a secret, never to be divulged place, she’d
begun to smile at the thought of having Darius’s baby growing inside of her. She had
no idea what his reaction would be—immediate or long term—but in her daydreams he
wasn’t upset. A tender look would come over his face, he would cup her belly, bring
her close, kiss her deeply, and then…

Then she would roll over and tell herself to please go to sleep.

Toward the close of her second week at the palace, Darius and his dog Ajax took Helene
on a walk way up a hill overlooking a cliff. At first the outing was vigorous, stimulating.
But as the ground grew steeper, Helene’s legs began to ache. While there was a flat
plain higher up, right now the slope was too steep for her liking. She had never been
a wimp, and yet today, whenever she had to right her footing and calculate how far
the churning sea was below them, her stomach wouldn’t stop swooping. Darius and Ajax,
on the other hand, might have had mountain goat blood flowing through their veins.

“I used to play up here all the time when I was a boy,” he said, trekking ahead of
her.

“That was a while ago,” she muttered. “Aren’t you tired?”

He looked back over his shoulder. “Are you?”

She blew damp hair from her eyes. “A little.”

He closed the distance separating them; then his hands coiled around her waist, and
he lifted her to sit on a waist-high grassed ledge.

“Do you want to go back?”

She didn’t want to spoil his fun. She ran a palm down his cheek. “Maybe soon.”

But he’d made up his mind. The exhaustion must have shown on her face.

“When you’ve got your breath, we’ll turn around,” he said.

A few feet away, Ajax gave a bark. Darius moved over to check out the warren his dog
had discovered while she crossed her ankles, relaxed, and sat back. She told herself
again that the best she could do was to absorb everything about this moment—to imprint
the memories of sunshine and joy into her brain. Everything was clean and bright…the
sky’s vast dome, the deep breathing blue of the sea.

Darius returned and settled beside her. He was happy. Earlier he’d even confided that
he was going to suggest Tahlia invite Otis to dinner. She
had
to be around for that.

Nearby, boys played, yelling out and laughing as they kicked a ball. Hearing them,
Darius pushed to his feet, shading his eyes while his smile flashed white in the sunshine.

“When I was a kid, I loved soccer.” His focus shifted from the level area of land
where the boys played back to the slope. “But they’ll lose that ball if they’re not
careful.”

Helene craned to peer over the long drop. Suddenly light-headed, she slid off the
ledge onto her feet. She might not feel all that steady, but she wanted to get back
on flat ground.

“I’m ready to go back,” she said.

“You’re scared of heights?”

“I didn’t think I was.”

His palm touched her cheek and he frowned. “You’re pasty. Do you need a doctor?”

“You worry too much.”

Which was a joke, because she was the one who was truly worried. Her period was due
today. She was a regular, give or take a day. And she hadn’t felt any of the telltale
signs like tender breasts or feeling bloated or being slightly more impatient than
usual. No one had mentioned her leaving, because Darius was waiting for her to let
him know they were in the clear.

Only she wasn’t at all certain that they were.

They headed back down that path. Rather than tack himself to his master’s side, Ajax
stayed close to Helene, as if he knew she felt fragile. They’d only taken a few steps
when the boys let out an extra loud cry. On reflex, she and Darius pivoted. The boys
were distant streaks of color, but something else was coming nearer, growing larger—a
ball hurtling straight toward Helene at warp speed.

Her arms flew across to wrap around and shield her belly at the same time she hunched
over and waited for the
smack!
But a blond blur—Ajax—leaped up and struck the ball, deflecting it while another
force wrenched her out of the way. Bones turned to water, Helene sagged against Darius
as the ball continued past, bouncing three more times before flying off the edge.

Once she’d caught her breath, she looked up into Darius’s eyes. He studied her face
as if he suddenly had trouble recognizing her.

In a threadbare voice, she explained. “For a minute I thought I was going to get belted.”

His guarded look held. “But you weren’t concerned about your head or your chest. You
covered your belly like your life depended on it.” His voice lowered. “Or someone
else’s life.”

She blinked several times, tried to figure out how to respond.

He pressed two fingertips to the side of her throat. “Your pulse is racing. You’re
as white as a sheet.” His face hardened. “Is there something I need to know?”

She couldn’t answer him because once she did her doubt might become a certainty. Something
would need to be done. And as much as she’d rather simply wait a few more days and
hope she was mistaken, it seemed time had run out.

His palms curved over her shoulders before he held her firm. “You think you’re pregnant,
don’t you?”

A giddy, yet withering, feeling funneled through her. Her reply was a croak. “I’m…not
sure.”

He didn’t speak for the longest time. Simply stared straight through her while he
digested the news, the possibilities, the consequences.

When tears sprang to her eyes, she tried to turn away. But his strong arms were already
winding around her. She dissolved into his warmth and strength. After a moment, she
found his gaze and took a breath. “I’m sorry.”

“There’s no need for you to be sorry. But we need to get this sorted.”

…

Back in her private quarters, Helene felt Darius’s presence alongside of her. He was
stiff, while she felt limp and spacey as if all her glue had come unstuck.

Although she’d thought about the possibility too many times to count, now she couldn’t
get her mind around the fact. She was the girl who was never going to put herself
in this position. She’d been determined to live her life to the fullest before settling
down. But medical tests didn’t lie. She was with child.

The doctor collected his bag. “I’ll be back next week to put you in touch with experts
on diet and supplements,” he said. “We’ll discuss then what to expect in the coming
months. Where do you hope to deliver?”

Sitting beside her on that enormous sofa, Darius found his feet. “It’s too early for
those decisions.” He escorted the doctor to the door. “I appreciate your time, doctor,
and your discretion.”

When Darius crossed back, his expression drawn and serious, Helene’s mind went blank.
She couldn’t think of a thing to say. She was stuck in a surreal “going to wake any
minute” feeling.

“Well, now we know,” he said, taking a seat in a nearby tub chair this time.

“What happens now?”

“You will have this child and he’ll have a wonderful life.”

Helene’s nervy stomach settled a little. She even found a weak smile. “You make it
sound so easy.”

“He’ll grow up safe and well taken care of. When he’s older he’ll attend boarding
school as I did. He’ll have the best education—”

“Slow down. You’re going too fast.”

“You don’t want all that for this child?”

“Of course I want a safe home and opportunities. A good school. But it’s not as simple
as that. We live thousands of miles apart.”

“Of course, you’ll stay too.” He angled toward her, elbows on thighs, hands clasped
between his knees. “We’ll get married.”

She fell back against the cushions. “We only found out ten minutes ago. You don’t
want to go through the options?”

“I can’t see any alternative.”

She wanted to be happy. An amazing man had just asked her to be his wife. He wanted
to give their child everything he could, including a father. Only Darius wasn’t kicking
his heels. He seemed rather resigned.

“The announcement will be handled delicately,” he said. “I’ll speak to Yanni about
whether the coronation or wedding should come first. I’m thinking the wedding.”

Yanni Kostas’s face flashed into her mind’s eye. They’d met again a few times, exchanging
pleasantries over these past days. He was unfailing polite. But she’d never forgotten
his response to that misunderstanding during their carriage ride that first day. He’d
chuckled with relief when she’d denied there was any chance of her and Darius’s relationship
growing into long term. Mr. Kostas couldn’t know his worst nightmare was about to
come true.

And Darius was forgetting one thing.

“I haven’t said yes, yet.”

His gaze snapped up from the rug. “Surely you want to give this child two parents.”

“Darius, you sound as if you’re cornered.”

“That doesn’t mean I don’t care for you.”

That made her stomach slide to the floor. Worse, he didn’t move closer to comfort
her. She didn’t expect him to pledge his undying love. His father had married a woman
because he thought it was wise choice. Darius had proposed because he felt he had
no
choice. He might already be devoted to the child she carried. But while they’d had
an amazing three weeks, they didn’t know all that much about each other.

The friend who had apparently proposed too soon had broken his engagement. But if
Darius and she married quickly with a baby on the way there would be no turning back.
She had no idea about how to live and behave as a royal. If she disappointed him,
if he began to treat her as a dead weight rather than a woman he desired and respected,
how long before chips turned into cracks? How long before he began to resent their
marriage? Rue the day they’d met?

He tried to placate her. “You’ll enjoy every luxury. Clothes, jewelry, travel—”

“I don’t care about any of that.” She got to her feet. “I love that you want to…acknowledge
me. That you want to recognize our child. But I need to work out some things.”

“What things?”

“Like when we’re going to visit my home?”

“You can visit whenever you want.” His brow creased. “Although perhaps you should
wait until after the birth.”

“I’m not sure what rights I’ll have as your wife. Will I have dual citizenship? Will
our child? What if we disagree on schools?” Her chest tightened. “In fact, I don’t
like the idea of sending a child away for other people to bring up.”

“We wouldn’t have to worry about that for years yet.”

“What about having more children?”

“I had always thought about four.”

“I was thinking two. And you must have dinners and ceremonies I’d have to attend.
I’d probably have to attend some of them on my own, wouldn’t I?”

“If you like.”

Helene tried to imagine herself speaking at events, being so nervous that she would
stutter and flush. She liked adventure, but she was not a public speaker.

“Aren’t you worried I’ll disappoint you?”

A soft smile eased up the corners of his mouth. “No. I’m not.”

A rush of emotion clogged her throat. Suddenly she wanted to cry. From happiness.
From fear.

A light rap on the door drew both their attentions. A moment later, Tahlia poked her
nose in through the crack.

“I saw the doctor leaving.” She edged forward. “Are you all right, Helene?”

Darius spoke for them both.

“Helene had a scare this afternoon.” He explained about the soccer ball incident and
exaggerated her spell. Half of Helene wanted to know why he didn’t want to confide
in his sister. He wanted the wedding to happen fast; Tahlia would have to be told
soon. But then an obvious explanation dawned. Perhaps he worried about Tahlia’s reaction:
If Darius could leap forward with a relationship, why couldn’t she?