Alexandra shook her head, but Thalia merely sighed and reached for a piece of the bread, holding it for her with a look on her face that said she wasn’t taking no for an answer, as she might have when Alexandra was a small child. She opened her mouth and obliged, not wanting to be difficult, forcing the bread around inside her mouth as she attempted to chew it. But her eyes found their way to the empty seat to her left, where her mother had always sat, as they did every morning. Breakfasts with her mama had been lively, the pair of them always talking and laughing, and then laughing even more when her father would rise and glare at them as if to say,you two can’t even stay quiet long enough for me to drink my morning coffeeas he threw his paper onto the table.
She tried to swallow the mouthful, and as if sensing her discomfort Thalia passed her the glass of milk and pressed a kiss to her head. She only left when Alexandra took a sip, removing her hand from her shoulder and reminding her that she was alone all over again.
Look at me, Papa. Please. Talk to me. Anything but this endless silence. Why can’t you see me? Why don’t you miss Mama as I do? Why have we not spoken of her since she left us?
As if hearing her pleading thoughts, her father lowered his newspaper, folding it down and placing it on the table. She watched as he drained the last of his coffee, his teaspoon of morning fruit sweets already consumed, before he fixed his gaze on her. He stared a long time, as if he were deep in thought, before letting out a long sigh.
‘Alexandra, I think it would be best if you went to live with your aunt in London.’
Alexandra’s face grew heated, her jaw dropping open in disbelief as she blinked back at her father. He wanted her to go and live in another country? He wanted her to leave Greece?
‘Papa, you cannot mean that!’
He sighed, as if his twelve-year-old daughter was arguing with him over curfew or what she was allowed to wear on an outing with friends, not a decision that would send her to another country. ToLondon!
‘I have decided. It’s what’s best for you, Alexandra, and I won’t hear any more about it.’
She fisted her hands beneath the table, her body trembling with anger. How could he be so cruel? So cold? How could he not sense how much she needed him?
‘But Mama is here. I wouldn’t be able to visit her.’ She wanted her voice to be loud and strong, but instead it stalled in her throat and came out thick with emotion, barely a whisper. She wanted to sound like a young lady, so that he’d listen to her, but instead she sounded like a child. ‘Papa, please. Please don’t do this to me. Please reconsider.’
He stood and looked down at her, and she saw something in his eyes that she wished she could unsee. Did she remind him too much of his late wife? Did he not want her now that her mother was gone? Was she merely a hindrance now that he was the only parent? Because he looked away, as if he couldn’t bear the sight of her, the moment their eyes met.
‘Alexandra, your mother is gone. Her grave is nothing more than a place in the ground.’
‘But Papa, my place is here, in Greece. Myhomeis here.’My heart is here.
The cold stare he gave her told her that he didn’t care for her pleading. Once his mind was made up, he never changed it. Her mama had always said that he was as stubborn as an ox, and for the first time Alexandra was seeing just how cruel and unmoving he could be.
Tears began to stream down her cheeks, and she bit down hard on her lip to stop from saying anything she might later regret.I hate you. I wish it was you who’d died, not her. That was what she wanted to scream at him, but even in her pain, she knew better. She wouldn’t let herself say what she truly thought, no matter how badly the words strove to erupt from inside of her.
‘I’ve said all I have to say on the matter. Now go and get dressed. The royal family is coming to visit today to pay their respects, and I want you downstairs and ready to greet them when they arrive.’
Her father left and Alexandra crumpled forwards, her breath coming in fast pants as she fought against the thought of leaving her mother, of all the things she would never see or do in her beloved Athens again. Of everything she would be forced to abandon. Because she knew that once her father sent her to London, she would most likely never come home. She would never walk the halls of her beautiful home, never look out of the windows to the endless grounds that she’d grown up admiring, or walk to the place where her mother had been buried. She would never visit the palace and see the princesses or go for lunch with the Queen, as she’d often done with her mother. He was telling her that he didn’t want her to return, that he was passing her like an unwanted belonging to her mother’s sister.
She lifted her head and reached for her glass of milk, hurling it across the room as she screamed. But it was worthless; she could cry all she liked, but her father would never change his mind, and now all she’d done was create a mess for poor Thalia to clean.
* * *
Alexandra watched as her father paced back and forth, waiting for King Theodore and his family to arrive. She’d been sitting waiting patiently for at least two hours now, toying with the fabric of her skirt and trying desperately to think of a way to convince her father to let her stay. But she knew in her heart that she could plead her case all she wanted; once he made up his mind, there was never any going back.Unless of course I plead my case to the royal family. Papa would never forgive me, but he’d also never disobey them if they determined that I should stay.
Finally there was a knock at the door, and Alexandra startled, her back rigid as she sat stiffly in the chair. Her father had stopped pacing. It wasn’t the King but a messenger who entered the room, dressed formally and with a look of distress on his face. She’d grown up knowing the royal family intimately—her mother had been one of the Queen’s closest friends when they were children and their friendship had continued into adulthood. Her father had become one of the King’s advisers—so she knew that if they were still coming, they wouldn’t have sent someone else in their place.
‘Sir, I bring news from King Theodore.’
Alexandra leaned forwards, ears pricked as she waited to hear. She half expected to be told to leave the room for whatever announcement was about to be shared, but instead the messenger cleared his throat and continued on. Her father seemed too preoccupied to even remember she was there.
‘What news?’ her father demanded. ‘Where are they?’
‘The King and his family have gone, sir. The family has left on the royal plane.’
‘They’ve fled the country?’ he gasped. ‘You’re telling me the King has left Greece, without my being informed beforehand?’
‘Yes, sir. However he has sent word that his extended family and closest advisers may wish to leave Greece as well, as they don’t know how tumultuous the situation could become. He has arranged a private plane to transport you, should you wish to go.’ The man paused. ‘He asked me to convey how fond he and the Queen are of you both. They want to ensure that you’re kept safe throughout whatever unfolds in their absence.’
The King had left Greece? Had he abdicated? Why else would the royal family leave in such a way? Could she and her father really be in danger from the people? Questions bubbled in her throat but she sat quietly, knowing that if she dared to make so much as a noise she’d be banished from the room. It was her mother who’d kept her informed of important news, so she knew nothing of the politics of what was being discussed.
Her father began to pace again, his face pale, devoid of the usual deep tan that coloured his cheeks. It made her heart race. Something terrible must have happened. Her breath caught, as it had the day the police had brought news of her mother. She wished she knew more.
