“No. But given the scandal, you will likely have to give up your place in the line of succession. You and Sofia will be removed from the line, and your brother will become my heir. Unless Parliament changes it, you would both be exiled immediately upon my death.”
“This isn’t fair.”
“Life rarely is. You know that better than most.”
“And if Jordan says no?”
Her father sighed. “I don’t know. I will do what I can to protect you.”
“I know you will.”
He looked at his phone and read the message there. “There are two more papers with the photos. You’re trending on Twitter.”
“Andrei didn’t trend when he died,” she whispered. “Even with the gift he gave others.”
“I know.” Another message came in on his phone. “Mr. Haines has arrived. I would like to talk to him alone. Then we will find you.”
Astrid nodded as more tears slid down her cheeks. “Thank you, Papa.” She knew he hated forcing her into this as much as she hated being forced. Once outside of his office, she headed to her mother’s sitting room. That’s where she always was this time of morning.
Sympathy shown from her mother’s eyes as Astrid walked into the room. Her mother held out her arms, and Astrid crumpled into them, tears streaming down her cheeks more forcefully than before.
“I can’t do this, Mama. I’m not ready.”
“With God’s help you must be, sweet one.”
“How can God be in this?” Astrid asked, bitterness lacing her tone. “He took the man I loved more than my own life, and now I’m being forced to marry a man I barely know.”
“Everything will work out all right, love. Watch and see.”
Astrid just wished she could believe that.
“Have a seat.”
Jordan walked into the king’s office as the security closed the door behind him. The leather wingback chairs didn’t look inviting or comfortable, but you did as the king asked.
He just wished he was better dressed for it. Board shorts and an exceptionally loose tank top - the kind with arm holes big enough for a family of triceratops to wander through and “eh” written on the front - weren’t exactly “meet the king” clothes.
They weren’t even “meet the girlfriend’s normal father” clothes.
Bare feet really weren’t appropriate either.
But when two security guards who were probably named Guido dragged you out of your hotel room, there wasn’t much choice.
“I’m sure you know a very thorough background check has been done,” the king started as he took his own seat.
“I would have been surprised if there wasn’t. I didn’t know until an hour ago who Sofia...” He corrected himself. “...Princess Astrid really was, but I knew she was someone pretty important. I would have expected no less of those charged with her security.”
“I haven’t actually seen the report,” the king went on as though Jordan hadn’t said anything. “I told my men that I wanted Astrid and you to be the ones to tell me what I need to know, unless there was something in there that affected her health and safety.”
“There isn’t.”
He didn’t seem to notice. “Since you and my daughter are clearly something of an item, I want to get to know you a bit better myself.”
“What do you want to know?”
The king’s eyes took on a hard look. “What are your intentions toward my daughter?”
He would start with a tough one. Jordan could only be honest. “We haven’t discussed the future, sir.”
“That wasn’t my question.”
“I like Sofi... Princess Astrid. I like her a lot, but I’ve known since we met that she is way out of my league. I’m a moderately-extreme adventure loving Canadian. Until today, I thought she was just a wealthy heiress. On one level, I always knew she’d never end up with a guy like me, but I didn’t want to think about it, because all I wanted to do was make her smile more and laugh occasionally.”
The king stared at him for a long moment. “She has seemed happier in the few weeks than I’ve seen her in quite some time.”
“Two years?”
“Something like that.” The king stared him down. “Sofia seems to like you as well. There are pictures of you with her.”
“And I like her, but I barely know her.”
“Are you willing to be her father in every way that matters? You would never be allowed to legally adopt her.”
The king was about seventeen giant moon steps ahead of anything Jordan had even considered. “I never thought that far ahead. I never thought we’d be more than a summer fling. I’ll be returning to Canada at the end of the month.”
If he didn’t know better, Jordan would swear the king snorted. “The photo of the two of you standing on the beach with her hand on your chest. What were you discussing?”
He hadn’t seen it, but it could only be one thing. “My heart transplant.”
The king’s eyes widened. “Pardon?”
“I know her late husband was an organ donor. I can’t imagine the strength it took for her to stand there and give the doctors permission to take those parts of him and send them off to others who needed them. On behalf of those who received those gifts, I thanked her. And I thank you for supporting her in that decision. I want to live life to the fullest, for myself and for whoever it was that gave me the gift of life. In less than a month, I was on a private plane provided by a benefactor here in San Majoria and headed home.”
The king’s face blanched. “When was your transplant?”
Jordan told him the date. “My sister is the one who called me about the pictures. She’s a royal watcher from way back. Nothing creepy. Just keeps up with the news about lots of the families all around the world. She started following your family while I was waiting for a heart. This morning, Betsy told me my transplant was the day before Prince Andrei passed.”
“But you had a private jet home?”
“Yes. And basically unlimited access to the small cottage on the beach where I’ve been staying. I was told the same benefactor left instructions that I was welcome any time, as long as I wanted to stay. I’ve never been until now.”
The king sighed and leaned forward, his forearms resting on his desk. “The publicly stated date of death for my son-in-law is inaccurate. He died twenty-four hours earlier. Astrid couldn’t bear to think that those who received the organs might try to capitalize on the fact they came from her husband. I know the laws surrounding organ donation, and I did not violate them. I did ask for updates, without identifying information, on the recipients. All were locals. Except one. The young man who received Andrei’s heart was a Canadian here on vacation.”
Jordan felt the blood leave his face. “No.”
“I’m afraid so. I told them I would take care of all medical expenses for all of the transplant recipients, including any others around that time, though they were told it was a memorial grant in Andrei’s name...”
“For all transplant recipients that month.” He remembered the details all too well.
“And I wanted the foreign recipient to fly home as quickly and easily as possible.”
“My family and I appreciated that.” It had made traveling much simpler. “I sent a thank you letter.”
“I received it, but anonymously. I never knew your name.”
Jordan ran a hand over his face. “So now what? I care for your daughter, sir, more than I could have imagined given the relatively small amount of time we’ve spent together. But she told me she could never be with the man who had Prince Andrei’s heart.”
“It’s too late for that. Much of our country is extremely conservative, especially when it comes to the royal family. My mother has already started planning the wedding.”
Jordan felt his eyes go wide in shock. “She what?”
“The wedding. There are pictures of the two of you, quite literally, rolling in the surf, making out.”
He started to
protest, but the king held up a hand.
“I know nothing more happened than a few nearly out-of-control kisses. I also know my daughter will never be queen if you don’t marry her and soon. When I pass, she and Sofia will be exiled.”
Rapid eye blinking was the only response Jordan was capable of giving for the first minute. Marriage? The thought had occurred to him, in more than just passing, but not like this. Not this soon. Not this seriously.
And the consequences?
No pressure.
“She likes me, sir. I know that. And there’s undeniable chemistry between us that has nothing to do with the DNA of my second heart.” Jordan stood and walked to the window overlooking the bay. “But if she finds out that I have Prince Andrei’s heart, we’ll never be able to get past it. Not until she and I both know that she loves me, Jordan. Because right now, she likes me, but she’s still in love with Prince Andrei.”
“Can you live with that?”
Jordan sighed. “The real question is can I live with knowing what walking away would cost her?”
7
Astrid perched on the edge of her seat in the White Drawing Room, hating her chocolate colored suit. Better than beige, though barely, it wasn’t exactly how she’d envisioned meeting Jordan for the first time for real.
If she was honest with herself, she’d have preferred their relationship be limited to the beach for the foreseeable future, and then he’d return to Canada.
She and Sofia would never see him again.
At least her daughter’s heart hadn’t become as intertwined as Astrid’s had. Sofia liked him, had taken to him like she never had anyone else, but they’d spent a couple of hours together, no more.
With her legs tucked to the side and her back straight like a proper princess, Astrid waited.
A moment later, the door opened.
Though generally her family followed protocol when outsiders were present, this day Astrid, her mother, and her grandmother didn’t stand when the king entered. Perhaps because Jordan would soon be family.
If he didn’t take the first plane to anywhere.
Astrid’s eyes widened when Jordan walked in. His tank top, board shorts, and bare feet would not endear him to either queen.
But the first thing he did was bow to her grandmother, then her mother, and then her. “Good morning, Your Majesties, Your Royal Highness. I apologize for my attire. I was given about three seconds’ notice that I would be leaving my hotel. However, it is a pleasure to meet all of you.”
Her mother tried to hide a smile, and Astrid’s grandmother, the Queen Mother, actually smirked.
“Have a seat, young man.” Grandmother waved a hand at the chairs across from them.
Jordan took a seat, but his eyes remained focused on Astrid. In them, she could see questions, but also concern. Depending on how much her father had told him, his concern was well-founded.
He spoke first, something odd given who else was in this gathering. “I understand a wedding is being planned for three weeks from now?”
Astrid stood. “Before this discussion goes any further, I would have a word with you in private, Mr. Haines.”
He looked at her father who nodded. A minute later, she and Jordan were alone in the wide hallway that ran the length of this section of the palace.
“You don’t have to do this,” she told him. “I don’t expect you to.”
“And what will it mean for you if we don’t get married?” he asked gently.
She stared out the window and over the bay. “I will never be queen.” He didn’t need to know about the exile. “There are worse things in life than not inheriting the throne.”
He stood behind her, his hands resting on her shoulders. With a gentle tug, she found herself leaning back against his strong chest. “Losing the love of your life?”
“Giving birth to his child without him six and a half months later.”
“Watching them wheel him away to take parts of him and give them to others?”
Astrid nodded. “Our relationship was far from perfect, but that was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I knew it was right, but it was so hard. I didn’t have much time between finding out he wouldn’t make it and watching him roll away.”
“You are an exceptionally strong woman, Princess Astrid. That has nothing to do with the dynasty you were born into.”
“I wish we could just be Sofia and Jordan.”
“I know.”
“I still don’t expect you to marry me.”
“Will you look at me?”
Reluctantly, Astrid moved away then turned and looked up into his eyes. “Yes?”
“I know you still love Andrei.”
Astrid closed her eyes as he reached up to brush the hair back from her face. “I likely always will.”
“I would expect nothing less, but do you think there’s a chance you could love me? Maybe not as much, not the same way, but could you love me the way a wife should love her husband? Or will Andrei always come between us?”
She bowed her head and struggled to get her emotions under control. Her fingers curled into fists until her nails dug into the palms. “I don’t know,” she whispered. “I wish I could say I would love you the way you should be loved, because you are a man worthy of it, Jordan, but I don’t know.”
Taking a deep breath, Astrid reached for Jordan and slid her arms around him. She could feel the heat of his skin through his thin tank top as he held her close. “I want to. I never thought I’d remarry until I knew I was capable of loving a man that way again, and that I would already know this when he asked for my hand.”
He tightened his hold on her, but didn’t say anything.
“I would marry you if you are willing, and I will do my best to learn to love you. Maybe not the same as Andrei, but just as deeply. I pray he would not always come between us.”
But there was something else.
“Can you live with knowing your children won’t carry your name? Because there will have to be more children. In fact, it will be expected that there will be a child within the first year to eighteen months. Andrei and I defied that expectation, but I could not do it again. If we were to ever break up, you would not be allowed to have custody of your children. They would never be allowed unsupervised visits to Canada.”
“When I say my vows, Astrid, they’ll be forever. Until death do us part. I know yours will be, too, no matter the circumstances.”
With a finger under her chin, he tilted her head back until she looked directly at him again. For a second, Astrid thought he was going to kiss her, but he didn’t. “If another heir must be produced in eighteen months, then we have nine months to get comfortable enough around each other to engage in those kinds of activities.”
Not strictly accurate, but Astrid appreciated his willingness to forgo his marital rights for an undefined period of time.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“Then I think it’s time we went and told all their majesties that the wedding’s on.”
“Hello?” Jordan glanced at the clock in his hotel suite, a very different one than his first few weeks in San Majoria.
“Mr. Haines?”
“Yes.”
“This is Jade, Princess Astrid’s assistant.”
Was this how she broke up with him? Via her assistant over the phone? “What can I do for you?”
“Princess Astrid woke up with a headache. She was to have taken Princess Sofia to an event at the turtle sanctuary. Princess Astrid asked if you would be willing to take her instead.”
Jordan sat up in his bed and ran a hand through his hair. “Um, sure. I can do that.” Of course he could. How hard could it be? Never mind that, with less than a week before the wedding, he still hadn’t spent much time with the little girl, and never alone. “What time do you need me where?” His lessons on how to behave when around the San Majorian upper crust would have to wait. Apparently, being polite and following the Golden Rule didn’t always
cut it.
A minute later, he’d hung up. When he went out to the living area of the suite the king had insisted on, Jordan found his new assistant waiting for him along with another man.
“Good morning, sir.” The guy didn’t bow, though Jordan suspected that would change after the wedding.
“Morning, Thomas. I’m sure you’ve heard about the change of plans.” Jordan poured himself a cup of coffee.
“Yes, sir. You also have a new member of your staff. This is Adam, your valet.”
Jordan took a sip of his coffee. “What exactly does a valet do?”
“I’m in charge of your wardrobe, among other things, sir.”
“Does that mean you’ll tell me what to wear when I go to fancy shindigs?”
“I’m not certain what a shindig is, sir, but I would imagine so.” Adam seemed to have the same personality Thomas did - not much of one. Humorless was the best word he could think of to describe them. Maybe they’d either loosen up, or he’d eventually be able to hire someone else.
“What does one wear when escorting a young princess to a turtle sanctuary?” he asked Adam.
“Today, casual slacks and a collared shirt, along with loafers.”
“It’s a little warm for slacks, isn’t it?” That hadn’t stopped Thomas from making him wear them the last few days, but he hadn’t been outside either.
Jordan missed the outside... He hadn’t been in the water since the day before the pictures came out.
“Members of the San Majorian royal family do not wear shorts unless they are involved in a sporting event of some kind.”
All right then. Of course.
“I don’t suppose there will be swimming at this turtle farm.” Because then board shorts would be appropriate, right?
He could see the frustration pass over both of their faces.
“Sanctuary. Not farm. I will check,” Thomas told him. “Meantime, you will discuss wardrobe with Adam.”
Jordan hadn’t gone many places so far. He’d been in this new suite and visited the palace almost daily, often eating dinner with the royal family then spending time with Princess Astrid. He hadn’t needed much of a wardrobe, though the two pairs of slacks he’d been wearing on alternating days were getting kind of worn. They weren’t exactly new to start with.
Crowns & Courtships Compilation Volume 1 Page 6
