by Annie West
Clear blue eyes met his and he felt that now-familiar frisson of anticipation.
‘I’ve come to tell you I’ll do it. I’ll marry you.’
Raul breathed deep as the knot of tension that had screwed his belly tight for so long loosened.
He’d manipulated her into coming here. He’d overseen a new look for her, introduced her to his people in such a way she’d be cornered by their expectations, and still he hadn’t been sure he could go through with it. Force her into marriage.
Despite his determination and his desperation, doubts had preyed on him.
‘What made you change your mind?’
She shrugged. ‘Does it matter?’
Raul opened his mouth. Part of him believed it did. The part that wanted to know Luisa better, her thoughts and feelings. The part of him, he supposed, that had made him emotionally susceptible all those years ago. The part he’d thought he’d erased from his being.
He shook his head. What mattered was her agreement.
‘I thought not.’ Her eyes blazed with what might have been anger. Then, in a moment, the look was gone.
He took her hand in his. She didn’t resist.
‘I promise you, Luisa, I will do everything in my power to ensure you never regret this.’ His skin grew tight over tense muscles as he thought of the enormity of her decision. Of all it meant for him and his people.
He lifted her hand to his lips.
‘You will have my gratitude and my loyalty.’ Her flesh was cool, her expression shuttered and yet he felt the trembling pulse at her wrist. He inhaled her delicate scent. Something far stronger than gratitude stirred in his belly.
‘You owe me more.’
Startled, he raised his head. She slipped her hand free and clasped it in her other palm as if it pained her.
‘What do you want?’
She’d almost convinced him she didn’t care for wealth and glamour. Now suspicion rose. He should have known better. Hadn’t Ana taught him anything? What was her price?
‘I want …’ She paused and gestured abruptly with one hand. ‘I don’t want to be treated as some brainless doll. As far as possible, I want to make my own decisions. Don’t expect to dictate to me.’
Raul took in the defiant glimmer in her eyes, the determined jut of her chin and felt the tension leach away.
No unreasonable demands? No tantrums or tears?
Pride stirred, and respect for this remarkable woman.
Perhaps after all Luisa was as unique as she seemed.
His lips curved in a smile of genuine pleasure. ‘I wouldn’t expect anything less.’
Raul saw Luisa led past the royal councillors, across the vast reception room. The soon-to-be-Princess of Ardissia was quietly elegant in shades of caramel and cream. Her back was straight and her chin up as if unfazed by the presence of so many august people. Yet she was pale and there was a brittle quality to her composure that made his brow knot.
Guilt pinched. A few days ago she’d been leading a completely different life. Had he been right to move so fast to cement this arrangement?
Raul stiffened, refusing to follow that line of thought. This was for the best. For the good of the nation. The alternative would plunge the country into chaos.
The sooner this was done the better.
He strode across the room, silently berating himself for getting sidetracked by urgent negotiations. He’d meant to support her as she entered the room.
He’d nearly reached her at the ornate desk when she saw him and started. Disappointment flared. This wasn’t the first time she’d reacted as if his touch contaminated.
It took a moment to realise that in flinging out an arm involuntarily Luisa had knocked over the baccarat crystal inkwell. Black liquid sprayed across the hand woven heirloom carpet and his suit.
The room inhaled a collective gasp. In a moment Luisa had ripped blotting paper from the embossed blotter on the desk and dropped to her knees, soaking up the stain.
Servants rushed to assist but she didn’t notice. ‘We need something to soak this up.’
Raul dragged a pristine handkerchief from his pocket and hunkered beside her. ‘Will this help?’
‘Not much.’ Her words were crisp. ‘But it’s better than nothing.’ The snowy cloth joined the dark pulpy mass on the carpet.
‘Excuse me, ma’am. Ma’am?’ One of the senior staff appeared with materials to clear the worst of the mess.
‘Luisa.’ Raul took her elbow, gripping tight enough to make her look up. ‘The staff will deal with this.’
She opened her mouth as if to protest, then looked over his shoulder, eyes widening. As if she’d only just remembered every member of the High Court, the royal advisors and sundry VIPs here to witness the formalities.
Heat flooded her face and she looked away. Gently he drew her to her feet.
She felt surprisingly fragile beneath his touch. Not like the woman who’d seduced him witless with just a kiss, or the proud woman who’d agreed to marry him.
‘I’m sorry.’ She watched the staff deal with a stain that was probably immovable, worrying at her lower lip.
‘It’s all right,’ he murmured, leading her away to the other side of the desk.
‘But the carpet! It’s old and valuable, surely?’ Her hands clenched tight.
‘No such thing. It’s amazing how well they make reproductions these days.’
He heard his butler’s breath hiss at the blithe lie. In Raul’s father’s day, damaging an heirloom like this would have resulted in severe punishment. But, seeing Luisa’s distress, feeling her arm tremble beneath his hold, Raul didn’t give a damn about anything but allaying her guilt.
‘Come,’ he said. ‘Here’s a seat for you.’
She sank into the chair and Raul swept the blotter aside, motioning for the accession document to be brought forward. Reaching in his jacket, he withdrew his own pen.
Maritz needed to move with the times. There was absolutely no need to continue the tradition of signing and witnessing important documents with old-fashioned ink pens.
Lukas presented the document which, when signed, would confirm Luisa as Princess of Ardissia, inheritor of her grandfather’s wealth. And Raul’s wife-to-be.
It was spread wide on the desk and the witnesses stepped forward. Raul handed her the pen.
And waited.
For Luisa didn’t sign. Instead, she read the English translation, slowly and methodically. Her finger marked a difficult clause and she lifted her head, turning to Lukas who hovered helpfully on her other side.
‘Would you mind explaining this reference?’ she murmured softly.
‘Of course, ma’am.’ After a quick look at Raul, Lukas bent over the parchment, explaining the clause. Then after a few moments, another.
The audience grew restless. Raul noticed one or two raised brows among some of the more old-fashioned advisers. He could imagine what they whispered. That the woman should gratefully accept what was offered, without question.
Luisa was aware of the buzz of comment. Her cheeks grew brighter and he saw her neck stiffen. Yet still she read each line.
It should have annoyed him, this delay to his plans. Even now, on the edge of achieving what was so necessary, ripples of anxiety spread through his belly. He couldn’t be completely happy till this was settled.
Yet his impatience was tempered by admiration. Luisa was naturally cautious.
Like him. He’d never sign anything without careful consideration either.
Raul recalled the advice he’d recently received. That on investigation Luisa’s farming co-op was found to be surprisingly well run. That the financial difficulties were due to the economic downturn, a massive drought and a series of unfortunate health problems, including the death of her father last year.
According to the accountants, the business was poised to become very successful, once money was freed up for new equipment. Luisa had done an excellent job.
Once more curiosity ros
e. She wasn’t like other women. He’d been so intent on achieving his ends he’d initially thought of her as a convenient bride, not a real woman. Now he pondered exactly what sort of woman he would wed.
He looked at her bent head, how she bit her lush bottom lip in concentration. Fire arced through his gut.
She fascinated him, he admitted now. Her obstinacy, pragmatism and quiet pride. Her unassuming ways and her disquieting sensuality. How long since a woman had intrigued him so? Since a kiss had made him lose his head?
Finally, with a swift movement, Luisa picked up his pen and signed. Only Raul, close beside her, saw the way her hand shook. It pained him to see what this cost her.
Yet relief swamped him. It was almost done. Soon the crown would be his. His destiny was within his grasp. His country would be safe.
He picked up the pen, still warm from her fingers, and with a flourish added his signature as first witness. ‘Thank you, Luisa,’ he murmured.
At his words she tilted her head and their gazes meshed. Heat ricocheted through his belly and groin, the reverberations spreading even as she looked away, letting her lashes veil her eyes.
Now she was bound to him, this intriguing woman so lacking in sophistication yet with an innate grace and integrity he couldn’t ignore.
Theirs would be a convenient marriage. A marriage of state for the well-being of the nation.
Yet, to his astonishment, Raul registered a purely personal satisfaction at the prospect.
CHAPTER SIX
‘I COULDN’T have done a better job of botching that if I’d tried.’ Luisa grimaced as she followed Lukas through a maze of corridors to her suite.
She’d do better in future.
Her skin crawled at the memory of censorious eyes on her: an upstart foreigner, not only gauche but clumsy.
‘Nothing of the sort, ma’am. You carried it off with great composure.’
Luisa smiled gratefully. Lukas really was a nice man. Surprisingly nice for someone in the Prince’s employ.
‘Thanks, Lukas, but there’s no need to pretend. I saw the way they looked, and their impatience that I wanted to read what I signed.’
‘It’s true some of the advisers are rather old school.’ Lukas cleared his throat and gestured for her to precede him down another wide corridor. ‘I’m sure His Highness wouldn’t mind me saying that’s been one of his challenges in running the country as a modern state—bringing them along in the process of reform.’
Luisa’s eyes widened. It hadn’t occurred to her Raul would have difficulties. With his take charge attitude and formidable determination she couldn’t imagine it.
‘You talk as if he’s been in charge of the country a long time. I thought the King only died recently.’
A hint of a flush coloured Lukas’ cheeks. ‘That’s correct, ma’am.’ He paused and then, with the air of making a sudden decision, added, ‘But His Highness was in many ways responsible for running the country long before that. The previous king … left a lot in the Prince’s hands.’
Luisa’s mind snagged on Lukas’ words, trying to read the subtext. There was one. Something he skated around rather than spelling out. It was on the tip of her tongue to press for an explanation, till she read his discomfort.
‘And is it still difficult?’
Lukas shrugged. ‘The Prince has made his mark and even the more old-fashioned courtiers see the benefits. But there are some who resent change. Some who’d rather vie for personal power than cooperate in a national effort to modernise.’
Her steps slowed. Lukas’ assessment echoed Raul’s words. She’d half dismissed that as a smokescreen, veiling the fact he simply coveted the crown. Though lately she’d wondered. Seeing him with others, she’d caught glimpses of a reasonable man, even a caring one.
Was there more truth in Raul’s words than she’d thought? He claimed he acted for the country as well as himself. Was it possible? It was tempting to hope so.
Yet nothing excused Raul’s behaviour towards her.
‘As for today, ma’am,’ Lukas said, ‘I know the Prince was very pleased with your first official appearance.’
She just bet he was! She’d signed his precious documents. Yet she hadn’t missed the way he’d hovered, eager for her to sign and be done with it. If she was truthful, it wasn’t just the habit of reading legal papers carefully that had made her delay. A tiny part of her had wanted him on tenterhooks, wondering if she’d go through with it.
As if she’d had a choice! Besides, she’d given her word.
Her heart plunged at the implications of what she’d just done. No turning back now.
‘Lukas, I’ve changed my mind. Can you show me the way to the gardens? I need some fresh air.’
Forty minutes later Luisa felt less claustrophobic. Wandering through the courtyards she’d found a gardener. They’d discussed the grounds with enthusiasm and sign language since her Maritzian was sparse and Gregor, the gardener, spoke a particularly thick dialect.
They’d toured the terraces and rose garden, where Luisa recognised the names of gorgeous old roses her mother had mentioned. They’d visited an orchard in the moat, a walled garden with fountains and arbours and the kitchen garden where Luisa struggled to identify the rarer herbs.
For the first time in days she felt as if she’d stepped out of her nightmare and into the real world, with the scent of rich soil and growing things around her.
She breathed deep as she climbed the spiral staircase in the battlements. Gregor had said, if she understood right, that she’d see the parterre garden from here. She’d read about such gardens, with their intricate patterns laid out in plants and gravel paths, but the view from the ground didn’t give the full effect.
She could have seen it from the castle. But she didn’t want to meet any of the disapproving VIPs who’d witnessed her accession to the title of Princess of Ardissia.
Princess! Her stomach curdled, thinking about it. Or was that because of the tower? She didn’t have a head for heights and the open window beside her gave a dizzying view to the city below.
Luisa pressed a damp palm to the wall and kept moving. Soon she emerged at a low opening looking towards the castle. Someone had been working here and she side-stepped a pile of tools. The opening was so low she felt safer on her knees, her hands on the stonework.
The garden was spectacular, though overgrown. She made out the remnants of the Maritzian dragon, the one flying on the flag from the topmost turret, laid out in the hedges below. Shrubs with gold foliage denoted its eyes and a straggling group of red-leaved plants might have been its fiery breath. Its tail was missing and a path cut through one claw, yet it was still magnificent.
Enchanted, Luisa leaned a little further out.
She’d inherited her mother’s love of gardens, though she’d had little time to indulge the interest.
Movement caught her eye. She looked up to see a familiar figure striding through the garden. Raul. Instantly, absurdly, her pulse fluttered.
He saw her and shouted something as he raced forward.
Instinctively Luisa recoiled, feeling as if she’d been caught trespassing. She pushed back and again that dizzy sensation hit. Only this time it wasn’t just in her head.
To her horror, the wall beneath her hands shifted. Instead of rising up, her movement pushed her further out, the stone sliding forward with a terrible grinding noise.
She scrabbled back but her centre of gravity was too far forward. With a loud groan, the old sill tumbled out of her grasp to fall, with dreadful resounding thuds, to the ground below.
Luisa lurched forward, spreadeagled over jagged rock, her arms dangling into space and her eyes focused disbelievingly on the sheer drop below. Masonry bruised her ribs but she couldn’t get breath to try inching back. Fear of another fall, this time with her in it, froze her.
She couldn’t see Raul now and the staccato beat of blood in her ears drowned every sound. Her throat closed so she couldn’t even yell for help. Swir
ling nausea made her head swim.
Her breath came in jerky gasps as she tried to crawl backwards, only to slide further forward as another block tumbled with a reverberating crash.
Any minute now, that could be her.
‘It’s all right.’ The deep, soothing voice barely penetrated her consciousness. ‘I’ve got you.’ On the words strong arms slid beneath her waist.
‘No!’ she gasped, terror freezing her muscles. ‘Keep back. It’s too dangerous.’ Surely Raul’s weight with hers on the unstable wall would send them both plummeting.
‘Don’t move. Just relax and let me do this.’
‘Relax?’ He must be kidding. Luisa squeezed her eyes shut as swirling dots appeared in her vision.
Her body was rigid as he hauled her back, his arms locked around her. She waited, breathless, for the ominous groan of rock on rock. Instead she heard Raul’s indrawn breath as he took her weight against him, dragging her slowly but inexorably to safety.
There was heat behind her. Searing heat that branded her back as he held her to him. His breath feathered her nape and his hands gripped so hard she wondered if she’d have bruises. But they’d be nothing to the bruises on her ribs from the stones. Or to her injuries if she’d fallen.
A shudder racked her and she squeezed her eyes even tighter, trying to block the pictures her mind conjured.
‘Shh. It’s all right. You’re safe. I promise.’ Yet the tremors wouldn’t subside. Her teeth began to chatter.
Desperately she sought for composure. ‘I n-never did l-like heights.’
‘Open your eyes.’ He held her away and the shaking worsened. Her eyes snapped open in protest but he was already lowering her to sit on the floor.
Luisa slumped like a rag doll, her bones water. Even now the view down to the distant flagstones was emblazoned on her brain.
‘Here, lean forward.’ She did as she was told and heat enveloped her as Raul draped his jacket around her quaking shoulders. A subtle spicy scent surrounded her. The scent of Raul’s aftershave. Or perhaps the scent of him. Luisa breathed deep, letting the fragrance fill her lungs.
She lifted her head. He stood before her, hands on hips, brow pleated and mouth a stark line.
