by Hunter Kelly
‘I hear you,’ Augustus replied quietly.
‘Good.’ She sent her brother a tight smile. ‘Maybe I’ll send a form letter refusal. Dear Applicant, After careful consideration I regret to inform you that your proposal has been unsuccessful. Better luck next time.’
‘That would be inviting him to try again. This is Theo, remember?’
‘You’re right.’ Moriana reconsidered her words. ‘Better luck elsewhere?’
‘Yes.’ Her brother smiled but his eyes remained clouded with concern. ‘Moriana—’
‘Don’t,’ she snapped. ‘Don’t you try and guilt me into doing this.’
‘I’m not. You’re free to choose. Free to be. Free to discover who and what makes you happy.’
‘Good. Good chat. I should bare my soul to you more often.’
Augustus shuddered.
Moriana rounded her brother’s imposing desk and kissed the top of his head, mainly because she knew such a blatant display of affection would irritate him. ‘I’m sorry,’ she whispered. ‘I like what Theo’s doing for his country. I applaud the progress and stability he’s bringing to the region and I want it to continue. There’s plenty to admire about him these days, and if I thought he actually liked me or that there was any chance he could meet my needs I’d marry him and make the most of it. I don’t need to be swept off my feet. But this time I do want attention and affection and fidelity in return for my service. Love even, heaven forbid. And that’s not Theo’s wheelhouse.’
Augustus, reigning King of Arun and brother to Moriana the Red, watched as his sister turned on her boot heel and headed for the door.
‘Moriana.’ It was easier to talk to her retreating form than say it to her face. ‘I do love you, you know. I want you to be happy.’
Her step faltered, but she didn’t look back as she closed the door behind her.
Augustus, worst brother in the world, put his hands to his face and breathed deeply before reaching for the phone on his desk.
He didn’t know, he couldn’t be sure if Theo had stayed on the line or not, but still...the option to do so had been there.
Mistake.
He picked up the phone and listened for a moment but there was only silence. ‘You still there?’ he asked finally.
‘Yes.’
Damn. ‘I wish you hadn’t heard that.’
‘She’s magnificent.’ A thousand miles away, King Theodosius of Liesendaach let out a breath and ran a hand through his short-cropped hair. He had the fair hair and blue-grey eyes of his forefathers, the build of a warrior and no woman had ever refused him. Until now. He didn’t know whether to be insulted or to applaud. ‘The stable boy? Really?’
‘I wish I hadn’t heard that.’ Augustus sounded weary. ‘What the hell are you doing, sending her a form letter marriage proposal? I thought you wanted her co-operation.’
‘I do want her co-operation. I will confess, I wasn’t expecting quite that much no in response.’
‘You thought she’d fall all over the offer.’
‘I thought she’d at least consider it.’
‘She did.’ Augustus’s tone was dry—very dry. ‘When’s the petition for your removal from the throne being tabled?’
‘Week after next, assuming my uncle gets the support he needs. He’s close.’ The petition was based on a clause in Liesendaach’s constitution that enabled a monarch who had no intention of marrying and producing an heir to be removed from the throne. The clause hadn’t been enforced in over three hundred years.
‘You need a plan B,’ said Augustus.
‘I have a plan B. It involves talking to your sister in person.’
‘You heard her. She’s not interested.’
‘Stable boy,’ Theo grated. ‘Dissolute film star. Would you rather she took up with them?’
‘Why are you any more worthy? A damn form letter, Theo.’ Augustus appeared to be working up to a snit of his own. ‘Couldn’t you have at least shown up? I thought you cared for her. I honestly thought you cared for her more than you ever let on, otherwise I would have never encouraged this.’
‘I do care for her.’ She was everything a future queen of Liesendaach should be. Poised, competent, politically aware and beautiful. Very, very beautiful. He’d dragged his heels for years when it came to providing Liesendaach with a queen.
And now Moriana, Princess of Arun, was free.
Her anger at her current situation had nothing on Theo’s when he thought of how much time they’d wasted. ‘Your sister put herself on hold for a man who didn’t want her, and you—first as her brother, and then as her King—did nothing to either expedite or dissolve that commitment. All those years she spent sidelined and waiting. All her hard-won self-confidence dashed by polite indifference. Do you care for her? Has Casimir ever given a damn? Because from where I sit, neither of you could have cared for her any less. I may not love her the way she wants to be loved. Frankly, I don’t love anyone like that and never have. But at least I notice her existence.’
Silence from the King of Arun.
‘You miscalculated with the form letter,’ Augustus said finally.
‘So it would seem,’ Theo gritted out.
‘I advise you to let her cool down before you initiate any further contact.’
‘No. Why do you never let your sister run hot?’ Even as a child he’d hated seeing Moriana’s fiery spirit squashed beneath the weight of royal expectations. And, later, it was one of the reasons he fought with her so much. Not the only one—sexual frustration had also played its part. But when he and Moriana clashed, her fire stayed lit. He liked that.
‘I need to see her.’ Theo ran a hand through his already untidy hair. ‘I’m not asking you to speak with her on my behalf. I’ve already heard you do exactly that and, by the way, thanks for nothing. What kind of diplomat are you? Yes, I’m being pressured to marry and produce heirs. That’s not an argument I would have led with.’
‘I didn’t lead with it. I mentioned it in passing. I also sang your praises and pushed harder than I should have on your behalf. You’re welcome.’
‘I can give her what she wants. Affection, attention, even fidelity.’
Not love, but you couldn’t have everything.
‘That’s your assessment. It’s not hers.’
‘I need to speak with her.’
‘No,’ said Augustus. ‘You need to grovel.’
CHAPTER TWO
PUBLIC FLAYING OR NOT, Moriana’s charity commitments continued throughout the day and into the evening. She’d put together a charity antique art auction for the children’s hospital months ago and the event was due to start at six p.m. in one of the palace function rooms that had been set up for the occasion. The auctioneers had been in residence all day, setting up the display items. Palace staff were on duty to take care of the catering, security was in place and there was no more work to be done beyond turning up, giving a speech and subtly persuading some of the region’s wealthiest inhabitants to part with some of their excess money. Moriana was good at hosting such events. Her mother had taught her well.
Not that Moriana had ever managed to live up to those exacting standards when her mother was alive. It had taken years of dogged, determined practice to even reach her current level of competence.
The principality of Arun wasn’t the wealthiest principality in the region. That honour went to Byzenmaach, ruled by Casimir, her former intended. It also wasn’t the prettiest. Theo’s Liesendaach was far prettier, embellished by centuries of rulers who’d built civic buildings and public spaces beyond compare. No, Arun’s claim to fame lay in its healthcare and education systems, and this was due in no small measure to her ceaseless work in those areas, and her mother’s and grandmother’s attention before that. Rigidly repressed the women of the royal house of Arun might be but they knew how to champion the needs of their people.
Tonight would be an ordeal. The press had not been kind to her today and she’d tried to put that behind her and carr
y on as usual. The main problem being that no one else was carrying on as usual. Even Aury, her unflappable lady-in-waiting, had been casting anxious glances in Moriana’s direction all day.
Moriana’s favourite treat, lemon tart with a burnt sugar top, had been waiting for her at morning tea, courtesy of the palace kitchens. A vase full of fat pink peonies had been sitting on her sideboard by lunchtime. She’d caught one of her publicity aides mid-rant on the phone—he’d been threatening to revoke someone’s palace press pass if they ran a certain headline, and he’d flushed when he’d seen her but he’d kept right on making threats until he’d got his way.
There’d been a certain lack of newspapers in the palace this morning, which meant that Moriana had had to go online to read them.
She should have stayed away.
There was this game she and her lady-in-waiting often made out of the news of the day. While Aury styled Moriana’s hair for whatever function was on that evening, they’d shoot headlines back and forth. On a normal day it encouraged analysis and discussion.
On a normal day the headlines wouldn’t be proclaiming Moriana the most undesirable princess on the planet.
‘Too Cold to Wed,’ Moriana said as Aury reached for the pins that would secure Moriana’s braid into an elegant roll at the base of her head.
‘No,’ said Aury, pointing a stern hairbrush in the direction of Moriana’s reflection. ‘I’m not doing this today and neither are you. I stopped reading them so I wouldn’t choke on my breakfast, and you should have stopped reading them too.’
‘Jilted Ice Princess Contemplates Nunnery,’ Moriana continued.
‘I’m not coming with you to the nunnery. They don’t care what hair looks like there, the heathens,’ said Aury, pushing a hairpin into place. ‘Okay, no, I will give you a headline. Byzenmaach Mourns as the Curse Strikes Again.’
‘Curse?’ Moriana had missed that one. ‘What curse?’
‘Apparently you refused to marry King Casimir in an attempt to avoid the same fate as his mother. Namely, being physically, mentally and verbally abused by your husband for years before taking a lover, giving birth to your lover’s child, seeing both killed by your husband and then committing suicide.’
‘Ouch.’ Moriana caught her lady-in-waiting’s gaze in the mirror. ‘What paper was that?’
‘A regional one from Byzenmaach’s northern border. The Mountain Chronicle.’
‘Vultures.’ Never mind that she’d accidentally overheard her parents discussing a remarkably similar scenario involving Casimir’s parents. She’d never repeated the conversation to anyone but Augustus and she never would. ‘Casimir doesn’t deserve that one.’
‘Byzenmaach Monarch Faces Backlash over Secret Lover and Child,’ said Aury next.
‘That one I like. Serves him right. Do we have the run sheet for the auction tonight?’
‘It’s right here. And the guest list.’
Moriana scanned through the paperwork Aury handed her. ‘Augustus is attending now and bringing a guest? He didn’t say anything about it to me this morning.’
Not that she’d given him a chance to say anything much. Still.
‘Word came through from his office this afternoon. Also, Lord and Lady Curtis send their apologies. Their granddaughter had a baby this afternoon.’
‘Have we sent our congratulations?’
‘We have.’
‘Tell the auctioneer to put my reserve on the baby bear spoon set. They can have it as a gift.’ Arun might not be the wealthiest or the prettiest kingdom in the region but its people did not go unattended.
‘I put the silver gown out for tonight, along with your grandmother’s diamonds. I also took the liberty of laying out the blood-red gown you love but never wear and the pearl choker and earrings from the royal collection. The silver gown is a perfectly appropriate choice, don’t get me wrong, but I for one am hoping the Ice Princess might feel like making a statement tonight.’
‘And you think a red gown and a to-hell-with-you-all attitude will do this?’
‘It beats looking whipped.’
‘The red gown it is,’ Moriana murmured. The Ice Princess was overdue for a thaw. ‘Now all I need is a wholly inappropriate date to go with it.’ She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. ‘Actually, no. I’m not so merciless as to drag anyone else into this mess. I’ll go alone.’
‘You’ll not be alone for long,’ Aury predicted. ‘Opportunists will flock to you.’
‘It’s already started.’
‘Anyone you like?’
‘No.’ Moriana ignored the sudden image of a harshly hewn face and glittering grey eyes. ‘Well, Theo. Who I’ve never actually tried to like. It never seemed worth the effort.’
Aury stopped fussing with Moriana’s hair in favour of looking stunned. ‘Theodosius of Liesendaach is courting you now?’
‘I wouldn’t call it courting.’ Moriana thought back to the form letter and scowled. ‘Trust me, neither would anyone else.’
‘Yes, but really?’
‘Aury, your tongue is hanging out.’
‘Uh huh. Have you seen that man naked?’
‘Oh, yes. God bless the paparazzi. Everyone has seen that man naked.’
‘And what a treat it was.’
Okay, so he was well endowed. And reputedly very skilled in the bedroom. Women did not complain of him. Old lovers stayed disconcertingly friendly with him.
‘You’d take me to Liesendaach with you, right?’ asked Aury as she started in on Moriana’s hair again, securing the roll with pearl-tipped pins and leaving front sections of hair loose to be styled into soft curls. ‘I can start packing any time. Say the word. I am there for you. Of course, I am also here for you.’ Aury sighed heavily.
‘You should have pursued a career in drama,’ Moriana said. ‘Arun’s not so bad. A little austere at times. A little grey around the edges. And at the centre. But there’s beauty here too, if you know where to look.’
‘I know where to look.’ Aury sighed afresh. ‘And clearly so does Theodosius of Liesendaach. Be careful with that one.’
‘I can handle Theo.’
Aury looked uncommonly troubled, her dark eyes wary and her lips tilted towards a frown. ‘He strikes me as a man who gets what he wants. What if he decides he wants you?’
‘He doesn’t. Theo’s been reliably antagonistic towards me since childhood. And when he’s not prodding me with a pointy stick he’s totally indifferent to my presence. He’s just...going through the motions. Being a casual opportunist. If I turn him down he’ll go away.’
Aury sighed again and Moriana could feel a lecture coming on. Aury had several years on Moriana, not enough to make her a mother figure, but more than enough to fulfil the role of older, wiser sister. It was a role she took seriously.
‘My lady, as one woman to another... Okay, as one slightly more experienced woman to another...please don’t be taken in by Theodosius of Liesendaach’s apparent indifference to events and people that surround him. That man is like a hawk in a granary. He’s watching, he’s listening and he knows what he wants from any given situation. More to the point, he knows what everyone else wants from any given situation.’
‘He doesn’t know what I want.’
‘Want to bet?’ Aury sounded uncommonly serious. ‘Yes, he’s charming, he’s playful, he’s extremely good at acting as if he couldn’t care less. But what else do we know of him? Think about it. We know that for the first fifteen years of his life he never expected to be King. We know that for ten years after the death of his parents and brother he watched and waited his turn while his uncle bled Liesendaach dry as Regent. The young Crown Prince is indifferent to our plight, the people said. He’s bad blood, too busy pleasing himself to care about the rape of our country, they said. We can’t look to him to save us. He will not bring an end to this. That’s what his uncle thought. It’s what everyone thought. It’s what he wanted them to think.’
Aury reached for another pin. ‘Do
you remember the day Theodosius of Liesendaach turned twenty-five and took the throne? I do. Because from that day forward he systematically destroyed his uncle and squashed every last parasite. He targeted their every weakness, he knew exactly where to strike, and he has fought relentlessly to bring his country back to prosperity. That’s not indifference. That’s patience, planning, ruthless execution and fortitude. He was never indifferent to his country’s plight. I don’t trust that man’s indifference one little bit.’
‘Point taken.’
‘I hope so.’ Aury finished with Moriana’s hair and pulled the make-up trolley closer. She rifled through the lipstick drawer and held up a blood-red semi-gloss for inspection. ‘What else are we thinking?’
‘I’m thinking smoky eyes and lipstick one shade lighter. It’s a charity auction, not a nightclub.’
‘Boring,’ said Aury.
‘Baby steps.’ Moriana had already chosen a dress she wasn’t entirely comfortable with.
Aury found a lighter shade of lipstick and held it up for inspection. ‘What about this one?’
‘Yes.’ Aury rarely steered her wrong. ‘And Aury?’
‘Yes, milady?’
‘I’ll be careful.’
* * *
Augustus was a deceitful, manipulative son of Satan, Moriana decided when he stepped into the auction room later that evening with his guest in tow. It wasn’t a woman. Oh, no. Her brother hadn’t done anything so lacklustre as bringing a suitable date with him to the event. Instead, he’d brought a neighbouring monarch along for the ride. Theo, to be more precise. He of the hawkish grace, immaculate dinner suit and form letter marriage proposal.
Theo and Augustus had been thick as thieves as children. They’d grown apart in their teens when Theo had flung himself headlong into reckless debauchery after the death of his family. Augustus had only followed him so far before their father, the then monarch of Arun, had reined him in. Theo had experienced no such constraints. Lately though...now that Theo bore the full brunt of the Liesendaach Crown... Moriana didn’t quite know what kind of relationship Theo and her brother had. They’d been working together on a regional water plan. They trusted each other’s judgement in such matters. They still didn’t socialise together.
