“What do you think he has done now, Maria?” he would ask and there was no doubt at all of who he was speaking about.
And Gretna, after curtseying deeply, would withdraw, leaving them together and knowing that by the time the Prince had been with Maria for half an hour or so the anger would have gone from his blue eyes and his irresistible smile would be curving his lips again.
She always seemed to have the power to soothe him, to erase his anger and to make him realise that things were not as black as they seemed.
When the Prince dined with them alone, Gretna would retire as soon as dinner was over to give them a chance to talk together intimately. She was always careful that she did not intrude in any way on what was their so obvious happiness at being alone together.
Sometimes Maria
