by Maya Blake
‘What type of games?’ she asked.
‘You’ll see,’ he said cryptically.
‘Remi, my dear, it’s simply wonderful to see you.’
Arms outstretched, Margot hugged him, her smile widening as Remi kissed her on both cheeks.
‘Maman wouldn’t have forgiven me if I hadn’t made time to see you before the coronation,’ he drawled.
Margot laughed, but when her gaze swung to Maddie a second later her expression cooled. ‘Ah, here’s the blushing bride. Forgive me for leaving straight after your wedding ceremony. I had a prior engagement I simply couldn’t break.’ Her gaze dropped to Maddie’s flat stomach. ‘Even though it was all so...rushed I wish I’d been able to enjoy all of it. Anyway, welcome to the family. May I call you Madeleine?’
Remi was the only one who used her full name, and she was suddenly loath to grant that privilege to anyone else. She smiled stiffly. ‘Maddie is fine.’
‘I hope you’re adjusting to your new role? It must be daunting.’
‘I’m doing fine, but thank you for your concern,’ Maddie replied, her insides tightening at the underlying dig. Margot wasn’t talking about being a member of royalty. She meant Maddie’s place in Remi’s life.
Satisfied that her gibe had been delivered, Margot turned back to Remi. ‘Come through—everyone’s having drinks in the Blue Room.’
She claimed her godson’s arm, and for a moment Maddie thought Remi would leave her behind. But his hand gripped hers, sending a bolt of electricity up her arm when their palms slid together.
She was so caught up in not reacting outwardly to that sizzling touch she barely had the wherewithal to gape at the roll call of celebrities and royals gracing Margot’s stately home. But when Margot led them purposefully towards a trio of women who bore a striking resemblance to the beautiful Countess, Maddie felt her skin tighten.
‘Remi, you remember Charlotte? She’s returned from Sydney to accept a position with the UN. I managed to convince her that two years was long enough for her to be away. Who knows? She might take up a post here in Montegova.’
A telling look passed between mother and daughter.
‘Welcome home,’ Remi responded easily, but his smile held a cool edge. ‘I’m sure my ministers can facilitate the appropriate meetings if required.’
Charlotte’s face fell a fraction, but she hid it behind her glass of champagne as Remi turned his attention to the other two women, who were introduced as Sage and Violet, identical twins.
‘Violet recently returned from New York too. She finished her internship with your brother. I’ve been trying to reach Zak for the letter of recommendation he promised, but he’s been unavailable,’ Margot complained.
Remi tensed, but before he could reply Violet inhaled sharply.
‘You’ve been trying to reach Zak? I told you not to. I said I’d take care of it, Mother,’ she admonished, her voice thin and shaky as her already pale cheeks blanched further.
A memory teased through Maddie’s thoughts, reminding her that Violet was the woman she’d spotted on her way up the aisle. The woman Zak had tensed upon seeing.
Margot brushed her daughter away. ‘His letter is important. You were under his guidance for six months and you’ve been home for two. It’s time you took the next step in your career.’
Violet went paler. With an abruptly murmured excuse she rushed away.
Margot turned her blinding smile on Remi. ‘Ah, here’s the butler, come to announce dinner. Shall we go through?’
She looped both arms around Remi’s elbow and pointedly led him away, leaving Maddie to follow. Margot Barringhall couldn’t have made it clearer that she considered Maddie an outsider if she’d tried. Or the fact that she believed one of her daughters should have become the next Princess of Montegova.
Watching Charlotte Barringhall smile up at Remi as he pulled out her chair, Maddie felt the numbness surrounding her crack, to let in a sharp arrow that left her breathless with pain.
Her composure wasn’t helped when over the next three hours nausea began to roll through her belly as rich course after decadent, rich course was ushered to the table. Suffering at the sight of the rich food, alongside Margot’s less than subtle attempts to ostracise her, while indulgently nudging Charlotte and Remi into conversation, drained every last ounce of Maddie’s poise.
For his part, Remi was the epitome of diplomacy, seemingly content to let his godmother have her way. But every now and then a jagged expression flitted across his face, driving that arrow deeper into Maddie’s heart.
Over and over, she swore she wouldn’t glance his way but, like a glutton for punishment, she repeatedly flicked her gaze to where he sat with Charlotte, their heads together, talking in low tones.
She couldn’t deny they made a striking couple. Nor could she deny the acidic jealousy and wrenching anguish flaying her. Her gaze shifted, and she caught Sage staring at her. At the thinly veiled pity in the other woman’s eyes Maddie tightened her fingers around her water glass.
Mercifully, dinner ended shortly after that. Sensing Remi coming her way, she sucked in a fortifying breath—only for her stomach to deliver an almighty heave.
‘I need the ladies’ room. Excuse me.’ She hurried away, aware that his assessing gaze was firmly latched onto her.
Hunched over the water closet, Maddie knew it wasn’t just the state of her marriage that was disturbing her stomach. Willing her body and soul to stop shaking, she staggered to the sink, rinsed her mouth and attempted to breathe around the anguish in her heart.
When the agony failed to ease, she turned on the tap and splashed water over her hands.
If she was pregnant—and a fierce instinct she couldn’t suppress insisted she was—then this level of distress wasn’t good for her unborn child.
She’d thought she knew what she’d let herself in for with this bargain, but Remi’s coldness, Margot’s callous dismissal, and the topsy-turvy awe and panic at the thought that she might be carrying the next Montegovan heir...
This was a whole new realm of agony.
Maddie was struggling for composure when the door opened and Violet rushed in. She froze at the sight of Maddie, dropping suspiciously teary eyes.
Maddie frowned in concern. ‘Are you okay?’
Violet made a flouncy gesture eerily reminiscent of her mother, then paused, her gaze reconnecting with Maddie’s.
‘I know this is...’ She stopped, cleared her throat. ‘Has Remi said anything about Zak’s whereabouts?’ she blurted.
Maddie stopped herself from saying that she and Remi weren’t on extended speaking terms. ‘No. I’m sorry.’
‘Oh, it’s fine. Thanks.’ Violet flashed a fake smile and left the bathroom.
About to follow her, Maddie reversed her direction abruptly as her belly dipped alarmingly. With a wretched sob she emptied the remaining contents of her stomach and was about to leave the stall when a pair of voices froze her exit.
‘I don’t know exactly where he dug her up, but perhaps you should warn him, Margot, before he brings the throne into disgrace. The story of her father is most unseemly. Who knows what he’s passed down to her?’
Margot laughed. ‘Remi doesn’t need any warning. My godson’s always been wise beyond his years. He’ll wake up to his unfortunate error soon enough. Luckily divorce, even amongst royals, is commonplace these days.’
Maddie bit her fist to suppress her painful gasp.
‘Are you sure?’
‘Absolutely positive. He’s doing this to secure his throne. If he’s not single again by this time next year I’ll buy you lunch at Claridge’s. If he is, you can buy me dinner to celebrate my Charlotte’s rightful place as the next queen.’
Both women laughed, and then just like that they went on to talk about something else, their decimation of Maddie’s soul already a thing of
the past.
Five excruciating minutes passed before she was once again alone, her heart in tatters.
She staggered out of the bathroom, her every sense screaming at the thought of returning to the dinner party. She wasn’t ready for another episode of the Charlotte and Remi show. Wasn’t ready to look into Remi’s eyes and wonder if Margot was right. And, worse, wonder if he’d hate her even more for the secret growing into steady reality in her heart.
Spotting a large archway, she headed towards it. It opened up onto a terrace edged with a thick stone balustrade, beyond which lay an endless sweep of immaculate lawn.
Resting her elbows on the stone, Maddie took a deep breath—which immediately evaporated when the space between her shoulders began to tingle.
Awareness raced down her spine, relentlessly engulfing her whole body. The intensity of it shocked her into immobility, which was perhaps a blessing—because she didn’t want to face her husband. The man who would soon gain another label—the father of her child.
Nor did she wish to face the undeniable fact that, despite the turbulence of their coming together, her feelings had only deepened unrelentingly, without regard to her anguish. Even more desperately, she didn’t want him to take one look at her and know everything.
‘Are you avoiding me, Maddie, or did you simply take a wrong turn when returning to me?’ he rasped tautly.
She stayed facing forward, her frantic gaze fixed on the horizon as he prowled closer.
‘I needed a breather from all that cloying fawning and shameless matchmaking. You should’ve warned me properly that I was going to spend the evening being insulted,’ she said, her hands tightening around her clutch bag.
‘You insisted you were ready to play at the deep end. I simply gave you the chance.’
His voice was close enough for her to feel his breath on her nape. To draw that fleeting contact into her being.
‘Well, thanks for the lesson. I’ll be suitably armed next time.’
‘Turn around, Maddie. Have the courtesy to look at me when you address me,’ he commanded tersely.
Praying that her last ounce of composure held, she swung around, felt a strand of hair escape its knot and slide against her cheek as she forced herself to meet his incisive gaze.
‘Where exactly is Charlotte on your list? She is on the list, isn’t she? She must be near the top if Margot refuses to acknowledge the wedding ring on my finger. Or do they all know this marriage is a sham?’
His face hardened. ‘Keep your voice down.’
Her heart twisted. ‘That’s all you have to say?’
‘No. I have a lot more to say. But this isn’t the time or place.’
He closed the gap between them and lifted his hand as if to touch the lock of escaped hair. But at the last moment his fist tightened and dropped.
Gut-wrenching anguish gripped her. ‘Will it ever be?’ she asked tremulously.
He took another step closer. Her breath strangled in her throat as his hands caged her against the balustrade.
His chest brushed hers. Maddie’s nipples tightened. For an unshakeable moment they simply stared at each other, wrapped in a fraught little cocoon.
The tinkle of laughter and conversation from the party faded away. Her vision was filled with only Remi. When his head started to descend she stopped breathing, shameless anticipation holding her in place.
For the briefest moment another emotion shifted the savage hunger on his face. Powerful and visceral enough to make her flinch.
It was the same expression she’d witnessed yesterday, when he’d helped her from the helicopter, and again after her exchange with the Queen. It continued to blaze down at her as he slid one hand around her waist, tugged her into the hard column of his body.
With a will of their own her hands rose to his chest, splayed over hard muscle. Untamed hunger charged through his eyes, and with a groan he swooped and captured her mouth with his.
Deep, thorough and devastating, he explored her mouth with suppressed ferocity. In a rush of surrender she shamelessly parted her lips beneath his, let his tongue sweep over her lower lip in a blatant tasting that drew a moan from deep inside her.
Her belly grew hot and heavy with desire, and she gripped his nape and held on tight.
With a rough sound he slid his tongue into her mouth, his breathing harsh as he adjusted his stance until there was no mistaking his level of arousal.
Maddie’s whole body rippled with desire-soaked tremors. As if her reaction triggered his, his kiss deepened, his hand trailing up to boldly cup her heavy breast. With a helpless moan she pushed against him, nipped his bottom lip with her teeth. He exhaled harshly, muttering a charged curse against her lips.
She was so caught up in the kiss, in him, that it took a moment to notice that he’d stiffened.
He jerked away from her. ‘Dio mio!’ he bit out, his hands falling from her waist.
She dropped her hands, shifted sideways away from him as she gulped in several breaths. The sound of the guests’ laughter reminded her where she was.
Remi took another step back, the cloak of diplomacy settling on his face once more. But beneath that look she saw lingering anguished regret. As if he was berating himself for the very thing he’d instigated.
A breeze swept up from the garden, chilling her body. She rubbed at her arms but the cold just intensified.
‘If we’re done with the lesson, can we leave now?’ she asked through stiff lips.
‘Of course.’ His tone was devoid of inflexion, his demeanour staid as he led her back inside.
* * *
Neither of them spoke for the duration of the journey back to the palace and the long minutes it took them to walk back to their adjoining suites. Expecting him to escort her to her bedroom door, Maddie felt her skin grow tight with apprehension when he veered into his living room and strode to the arched windows overlooking the landscaped gardens.
A stone jumped into her throat at the flash of bleakness on his face. His gaze stayed in the middle distance for the longest time before a hard edge replaced the bleakness. When he turned to her, she held her breath, a part of her almost afraid of what he would say.
‘What happened on the balcony shouldn’t have happened.’
Despite the staccato precision of his revelation his anguish was unmistakable. Her insides shrivelled as she watched him wrestle that telling emotion.
There was only one reason behind this disclosure. Guilt.
The sharpest knife pierced her at the thought that he would never stop loving his dead fiancée. Hard on its heels, though, came anger.
‘It was just a kiss, Remi. You won’t burn in hell for it.’
His jaw clenched. ‘Nevertheless, I gave you my word—’
‘I didn’t ask for your word, so don’t you dare beg my forgiveness because you think you’re dishonouring your fiancée’s memory. Or is it something else? Do you hate the fact that you liked it? That your own wife turns you on?’
Icy fury blasted through his eyes. ‘Madeleine—’
She affected a shaky shrug, despite the deep tremors coursing through her body. ‘You’re an intelligent man, Remi. If this meant nothing to you, you wouldn’t be so affected by it. And you wouldn’t deign to speak to me, never mind attempt to dissect it.’
Grey eyes pinned her as he exhaled harshly. ‘You think you have a handle on what makes me tick?’
She laughed. ‘No, I don’t. I’m just going on the evidence before me. We made love. You loved it. Then immediately retreated. Tonight we kissed. You were transported. Now you hate me—and hate yourself for responding to a commoner like me.’
He didn’t move a muscle but he seemed to grow before her, every inch of his majestic being bristling with affront. ‘To hate you I would have to be invested in you, even a small fraction. I’m not. And in future I’ll th
ank you not to attempt to psychoanalyse me.’
The tears she’d striven to hold back all night threatened to break through as the gnawing, traumatising truth took root inside her.
She couldn’t save a marriage that had been doomed from inception. She was better off cutting her losses.
‘You won’t need to worry about that. Not any more,’ she said, a heavy wave of desolation sweeping over her.
She wanted to succumb, wanted to surrender to its oblivion. But she forced herself to stay on her feet as he pinned her with his gaze.
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘It means I won’t be attending the charity polo match tomorrow. In fact you won’t have to suffer my presence for much longer.’
He stiffened, but she caught the tremor that shook through his body. ‘What exactly are you trying to tell me, Madeleine?’
She swallowed, knowing she couldn’t bury her head in the sand any longer. She was pregnant with Remi’s baby. The heir to the Montegovan throne. Finally accepting it filled her with both trepidation and acute joy. She needed time alone to process the news.
‘I’m trying to tell you that I think your worst fears have come true,’ she announced.
Remi froze, a wave of colour leaving his face as his eyes grew a turbulent black. His fists tightened at his sides and a harsh breath was ripped from his throat before his gaze lanced over her, pausing for one ragged second on her belly before lifting to clash with hers.
‘Yes,’ she confirmed the question in his eyes. ‘I haven’t taken the test yet, but...well, call it female intuition. I’m carrying your child, Remi. Tomorrow we’ll know for certain, but at least you’ll have tonight to start planning how you can truly separate me from your life.’
Her voice broke shamefully, raggedly, on the last words. Unable to withstand the agony any longer, she hurried into her own suite.
She heard him follow, heard him pause on the threshold of their adjoining rooms. He’d never crossed it—not once since they’d said their vows. She whirled to face him as he stepped through and stopped in front of her.
