page28 (1/2)

‘My fa way,’ he supplied ‘Back to the Byzantine Empire itself—the empire that succeeded the Roes for Western Europe Here in the east the light of civilisation continued to burn, and the Byzantine capital, Constantinople

—reatest cities on earth!’

She frowned, and he realised he needed to explain so more to her

‘It’s becausehis words carefully, ‘that your father—who, by his own ad his family into it’

He saw Rosalie’s expression change

‘He threw it at“a lordly Lakaris”’

Xandros’s mouth twisted ‘Was that before or after he threatened to throw you out, still as penniless as he’d deliberately kept you all your life, if you didn’t do what he wanted?’

He shook his head, dishter —let alone because of his financial blackmail

‘But we don’t need to consider your father at all,’ he said with a dis ‘After the despicable way he’s treated you he deserves no consideration! What we do is our business—not his’

He saw Rosalie’s expression flickerlook in her eye

‘Are you really “lordly”?’ she asked

Did her question indicate reservations? Xandros shook his head again ‘Not for centuries!’ he said lightly ‘The Byzantine Eo!’

She frowned again ‘I thought there was a king of Greece at some time Isn’t there a royal family somewhere?’

‘In exile,’ Xandros explained ‘But it was never actually Greek The family is an offshoot of the Danish royal faot its freedom from the Ottomans in the nineteenth century There are links to the last of the Byzantine i my family at all’

It see the era of the Greek monarchy his forebears had been courtiers—those tihts darkened Besides, it had been during the final post-war phase of the randfather, with close personal links to the royals, had lived so extravagantly and recklessly, creating a financial precipice that had nearly bankrupted the family