Chapter Thirty three

She really couldn't, because he'd

been honest with her from the start. If there was any

blame to be apportioned, she should heap it all on

herself because she had been the one who had been

unable to settle for what he was offering. She was

the one who'd wanted more than he was capable of

giving. He'd ruled out love from the start but she had

demanded it a bit like someone walking into a fish

restaurant and demanding to know if there was

steak on the menu.

And it wasn't as if she were without choices, She

might have yet another failed love affair behind her,

but things had changed. She was getting stronger by

the day. Sometimes she even managed a whole fifteen

minutes before Mas's shuttered features would swim

into her mind and she'd be reminded of everything

she'd lost. No, not lost, she

she reminded herself fiercely.

She hadn't lost something. walked away from

something which would ultimately damage her and

bring her a pain one-sided love. 

Married to a man incapable of love. 

She had been strong, not weak

and one day she would be grateful for that strength.

Just not today.

Drake had agreed to expand her royal role and to

give her more responsibility. Just as he had agreed 

that if she wanted to go abroad and forge a career for

herself, she would have his blessing: Because after Massimo had gone and she'd cried the last of those bitter

tears, Toyin had realised she needed to take con-

trol of her own life and that running away to sail a

boat over the Pacific wasn't the answer this time.

She needed to stop letting herself be moved around

by these powerful men, like a token on a gaming

table. So she had gone to Drake and told him she

was planning to enrol on a cookery course, in Paris

in late spring.

And Drake had just nodded his head and agreed!

Maybe independence had always been that simple,

she mused as she climbed behind the wheel of her car,

which had been brought round to the front of the pal-

ace by one of the servants. Maybe all she'd needed

to do was to have stood up for what she wanted from

the start. Trouble was that she hadn't really known

what she wanted until she met Mas, and now she was 

going to have to learn to want other things.

 Different

things.

 Things which were nothing to do with him.

Reminding herself of his impenetrable eyes, She

headed off on the coastal road towards the easter

side of the island. The sky was a shimmering bow

of palest blue, contrasting with the much deeper blue

of the Mediterranean which glittered far

roadsides were thick with early spring flowers

distinctive and unique yellow and white bloom known

and the Antiochda Star shone out from the grassy

verges as far as the eye could see.

 Toyin glanced

to her rear mirror, the bodyguard's car further away

than usual, thinking they were giving her a lot of lee-

way today.

As the

Assimenios was the most picturesque spot on an

island not exactly short of picturesque spots-a pri-

vate beach of pure white sand, which was used only

by the royal family and their guests.

 Crystal waters

lapped against the sheltered bay and it was as stun-

ning as any Caribbean getaway. She parked her car

and began to scramble down the sandy incline, re-

minded of childhood holidays when she, Drake and

Ruth would play beneath the wide beach um-

brellas.

The beach should have been deserted but as her

canvas shoes sank into the soft sand she looked up

and saw a yacht in the water, lazily swinging to her

anchor in the gentle breeze. Her expert eye ran ap-

provingly over the boat's beautiful curved lines and

even from here she could see the glint of sunlight

on varnished wooden decks. Her eyes narrowed, be-

cause on the beach a short distance away from the

boat stood a man. And not just any man.

She knew straight away it was Massimo.

 She didn't

need to see the broad shoulders or powerful phy-

sique or the black hair glinting in the sunlight: it was

much more visceral than that. Every pore of her body

screamed out to her in shocked and delighted recog-

nition, but she fought back the latter feeling, resist-

the desire to kick off her shoes and go running towards him with her arms spread wide.

Because they were over and she didn't know why he was here.