by Raye Morgan
“I think you look beautiful just the way you are.”
She groaned. “I wasn’t fishing for compliments. ‘Beautiful’ is not a word that is often associated with me.”
He half rose, leaning back and frowning at her. “What are you talking about?”
“Oh, please.” She turned her face away.
He’d never known a woman so clueless about her looks. It made him angry to think of what someone must have said to her when she was very young to bring on such strong resistance to reality.
His gaze slid down to take in her long, shapely legs, her rounded hips and the soft, sweet swell of her breasts. His body reacted quickly and strongly and he had to change his position so she wouldn’t notice.
“Emma, you bloom like a rose. Roses don’t need makeup either. I only mentioned it because it interests me that you are so different from the women I’m used to.”
“The women you date?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I’m not a woman you date. And I never would be.”
Groaning, he fell back onto the blanket. “Here we go again. The prince and the little pauper.”
“The prince and the scullery maid,” she corrected, glad to get off the subject of beauty. “Tell me what Tina Marie was talking about. Are you really considering not becoming king?”
“I don’t know,” he said lazily. “What do you think?”
She thought for a moment, then nodded. “I definitely think you should be king.”
“Why?” He raised an eyebrow as though he’d got her now.
But she surprised him—she actually had a reason.
“You’re a man with talent and drive. You could do big things. Cruising the Caribbean might be fun but it won’t challenge you, it won’t let you fulfill your potential. The country needs you, but you need the job as well.”
He stared at her for so long she was afraid she’d offended him, but when he finally spoke there wasn’t any evidence of it.
“What do you know about kings and what the job is like?”
“We’ve got our own royalty in Great Britain.”
“Yes, but they’re not quite as hands-on as we are here.”
“Maybe you should change that.”
He laughed at her. “You know what? You’re beginning to sound like a woman who would love to be the power behind the throne.”
“What? That’s ridiculous.”
“Is it?” He grinned at her. “At any rate, I think being king will work out well for me, if I do it. You know what they say—if you can fake sincerity, you’ve got it made in the shade.”
“Well, at least you’re probably cynical enough to be a monarch,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“At any rate, the autopsy report should be in by the time we get back to the castle. That will help me make up my mind. If the results are positive, I’m at least staying until I find out who killed my father.”
She frowned, wondering why he was so sure his father had been assassinated. “Why would anyone have wanted to kill your father?” she asked him.
“That’s always the question that lingers around royalty, isn’t it? People have strange, twisted motives when they get up in the heady realms of big power. Some people go a little crazy.”
Her frown deepened as she tried to think it through. “But killing him only meant Julius would be king more quickly, and it turned out he didn’t want the crown.”
“There you go.”
“Does anyone think you did it?”
“I hardly think so. Everyone knows I’m not too enthusiastic about the royal gig.”
“But if you don’t do it, who else could take your place?”
“Ah. That’s the rub, isn’t it? It was easy enough for Julius to bug out. He knew he had me slumbering in the wings, innocent as a babe and just as clueless.”
“So who comes after you?”
“Romas. A romantic lad he is, too. You might have noticed him ogling you at dinner the other night.”
She scrunched her nose at him, but what he’d said had surprised her. “What about your sister?”
He shook his head. “She took herself out of the running. Maybe you haven’t caught on that she’s persona non grata around the castle. Aunt Trudy is just about the only person who even admits she exists.”
To be persona non grata in a royal family sounded a grim fate. “What did she do?”
“You’ll have to meet Agatha. I think you two will get along. Then she can tell you all about it.”
It was funny, but she already liked Agatha. Just a few hours before, she’d despised her. But, as Sebastian himself had said, that was then, this was now.
“So do you suspect your cousin Romas?”
He rose to sit beside her. “Why do you ask that?”
“I don’t know. Just a feeling. What does he do here, anyway?”
“That is a good question.” He reached for a grape and popped it into his mouth. “Why does Romas hang around? If I do become king, I suppose I’ll have to make him a minister of some sort.”
“Maybe that’s what he’s waiting for.” She frowned, considering. “Sebastian,” she said, getting serious. “Is there actually going to be a coronation?”
He stared at her. “That’s the first time you’ve called me by my name,” he said softly.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I guess I should remember to use ‘Your Royal Highness…’”
He took her hand in his and pressed it against his heart. “No,” he said softly. “Sebastian will do.”
“Okay.”
Suddenly she was breathless. She’d captured his heartbeat in the palm of her hand and it sent her own heart sailing. Was he going to kiss her? She looked up into his eyes.
“Emma,” he said, his voice rich and husky, “this has been an almost perfect afternoon. Only one thing could complete the perfection.”
She tried to ask him what that might be but she couldn’t get the words out. Her heart was thumping so hard now, she was sure he must hear it. His face lowered to hers and she closed her eyes.
His lips touched hers and she sighed, melting. She’d been kissed before. Only a few times, but there had been dates in her life. She knew about kissing. Or she’d thought she did.
But this was different from what she’d had before. This time she didn’t have to wonder what to do, wonder what he wanted from her. This time, as his tongue flickered against her lips, she opened to him naturally and gasped softly as he filled her mouth with a sweet heat that traveled right down into her bloodstream and filled her body with a delicious excitement.
She could feel his interest grow. She could sense his desire stirring and knew he wanted to deepen the kiss and pull her close. But he didn’t do that. He was holding back, and when he began to draw back she saw that his hands were balled into fists, as though he was forcing himself not to touch her.
She smiled at him, but deep inside she was thinking, I could fall in love with a man like this.
As they drove up to the back entrance to the castle Emma felt the magic of the day begin to evaporate around her.
“I’ll drop you here and take the car around to the garage,” he said.
She nodded. “I suppose it would be best if we weren’t seen together,” she said, frowning a little at the thought.
“Nonsense,” he said, getting out of the car and coming around to open the door for her.
She watched him and couldn’t resist a secret smile. The prince was acting the gentleman, when she was sure he was used to letting servants handle the small niceties. If he kept acting like this, she was going to have to admit how much she was starting to like him.
Rising from the seat, she thanked him, glanced at the castle doorway and said, “Nonsense or not, I’ll go on in before someone sees us.”
“Wait.” He caught her hand and pulled her back, dropping a soft kiss on her lips. “To seal the day,” he murmured, still lingering close. “Now make your run for cover.”
Too late. Romas appeare
d, sauntering arrogantly toward them. Emma tried to pull away from Sebastian, but he was having none of it and kept her close, watching his cousin’s approach with no expression on his face.
“Have a nice day?” Romas asked, looking from Sebastian to Emma and back again.
“We’ve had an extremely nice day,” Sebastian told him. “How about you?”
Romas shrugged. “I’d say my day was more interesting than ‘nice’. The final autopsy results arrived.” He smiled thinly at the prince. “A clean report on all counts,” he said, unable to keep a bit of triumph from his tone.
Emma could sense that Sebastian tensed, but he maintained a casual tone.
“Well, that’s a relief, isn’t it?” he said.
“For some of us,” Romas said. “For others, I imagine it’s something of a disappointment.” Turning, he slipped into a small red sports car, gunned the engine and roared off toward the road.
“And good evening to you, too,” Emma said tartly, watching him go. Turning to look at Sebastian, she was surprised at how brooding he looked. “Aren’t you glad to find out no one was trying to poison your father?” she asked.
He glanced her way with a faint smile. “I would be glad if I was sure I believed it,” he said. “I’ve got to get Will’s thoughts on it before I can put it to rest.”
“All right. I’m going in.”
“All right. I’ll see you later.”
This time he didn’t try to kiss her. There was a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach as she made her way in and then began the usual search for the right corridor. She’d had a wonderful day, but it was over. She had to be sensible about this. A relationship with Sebastian wasn’t on the cards. Besides, she had a career to pursue.
That was it. She’d had her day and it was over. And that tiny crack of a heartache she could feel forming in her chest? Best to ignore it.
CHAPTER EIGHT
SEBASTIAN was waiting for Emma in the morning as she started down toward the kitchen.
“Good morning, Miss Valentine,” he said, giving her a wink. “Would you please join me for a moment? I have something I need to discuss with you.”
“My, how formal,” she whispered as she let him escort her into a small side room and close the door.
He grinned. “I was planning to say, ‘Psst, in here’, but I thought better of it.”
“So wise for a royal,” she teased, happiness fluttering in her like a butterfly. She’d been so afraid he would act as though he didn’t even know her the next time they met.
“I just wanted to let you know I’m going to be gone for a few days. Will and I are going to Zurich to talk to a specialist.”
“A specialist?”
He nodded. “An authority on poisons. Will isn’t satisfied with the final autopsy report and neither am I. So we’re taking it to Zurich to see what an expert thinks.”
“Can you just remove it like that? Will they let you?”
“Of course not.” He gave her a lopsided grin. “No one wants us to take it and they are doing everything they can to stop us. But Will is busy pilfering the thing as we speak. As soon as he has it, we’ll be off.”
“Oh.”
His eyes were sparkling and she could tell that, as seriously as he took this situation, it was also an adventure to him and he delighted in adventures. The signal from Will came in and he strode off.
She watched him go with her heart in her throat. He’d made no move to kiss her before he’d left. Not that she’d expected him to. But it did underline the fact that yesterday had been special, a day set off by itself, and not a start to anything larger.
But she’d known that. So why did she feel disappointed?
She spent the morning setting up and managing a wide inventory of all the kitchenware available, including pots and pans and small appliances. Chef Henri thought it a silly exercise, but he didn’t do much beyond a sneer or two and readily let her take three of the kitchen staff to help her. Her mind kept straying every time she looked at the clock and thought, Yesterday at this time we were running through the alleyways… or, This was exactly the time when Tina Marie opened her door and cried out when she saw Sebastian.
She shook herself. She had to stop thinking like that.
“No more royalty for you!” she muttered to herself sternly as she marched off to her room for her lunch break. She was planning to delve into one of the large histories of Meridia that were sitting by her bedside.
Just before she turned the last corner, she thought she heard a child’s voice, and that seemed strange. She’d noticed there didn’t seem to be any children in the castle. Curious, she followed the sound around a corner and there, coming toward her on fat little unsteady bowed legs, was a toddler. He had a cute little face under a mop of red curls and it was set in determination. And not a keeper in sight.
“Hey there,” she said, suddenly thinking of the nearby open stairway. She’d had enough experience with the children of friends to know a child this age needed constant supervision. “Where are you off to so quickly?”
He stopped dead, put his thumb in his mouth and stared at her, his blue eyes huge.
“Merik! Where are you? Merik!”
Sebastian’s sister Agatha came barrelling into the corridor, looking anxious. “There you are,” she cried, snatching the boy up into her arms. She rained kisses on his face, then beamed at Emma over his head. “Hi,” she said, sticking out her hand. “I’m Agatha. And you must be Emma Valentine.”
“I am.”
A voice from around the corner brought an alert look into Agatha’s face.
“Come on in here where we can talk without anyone seeing him,” she said quickly, pushing open a door into a bedroom whose floor was covered with children’s toys.
Emma followed her into the room, but she asked, “Why shouldn’t anyone see him?”
Agatha set her child down and pushed back her thick hair. “He’s not supposed to exist. We’ve been officially unofficiated, as it were. As far as this castle goes, we are non-persons, he and I.”
“But…you’re in the royal family.”
“Come sit down,” Agatha said, sitting beside her on an overstuffed couch. “And I’ll try to explain.” She settled back. “It’s a funny thing, growing up royal. Julius was the good son and now look at him. Sebastian was the rebel, and now he’s going to be king. And I…” She sighed. “I ran off to see the world and played that famous game of Stupid Princess and came back with a baby and no husband.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. And the father of the baby didn’t want to get married?”
“Oh, sure.” Agatha laughed. “He’d have loved to marry me. How could he turn down all this?” She swept the length of the room with her hand. “But he was no prize and I was a ridiculous little idiot. My father disowned me, the country despises me and the current protectorate warned me not to darken the castle door again.”
“But you’re here.”
“Yes.” Her smile made her look positively angelic. “All because of Sebastian. He made them let me come back. And if he becomes king, I’ll be back for good.”
Emma smiled at her in sympathy. The father of her child was probably the man who had tried to kidnap her and been stopped by Sebastian. The pieces were all falling into place.
“Agatha, I’m so sorry you had to go through that. I know what it’s like to have a father disapprove.”
“You can say that, and in theory you’re right. But whenever I look at that darling child, I’m sorry for all the agony I’ve put everyone through, but, as for me, I just can’t regret a thing.”
Emma watched as the princess looked lovingly at her son and she felt a pang. She’d never thought about having children herself. Her whole life had been organized around her career. Children hadn’t seemed relevant. So what explained this sudden little sense of emotion she was feeling? Did falling for a man mean you suddenly wanted children, too? Was it that firmly implanted in her genetic makeup?
Not that
she’d actually fallen for a man, she assured herself quickly.
“I can see that you’re a wonderful mother,” she told Agatha.
“I try to be. My party days are definitely over, with no regrets.”
“Now you just have to find a daddy for your baby. Or is that out of the question?”
To Emma’s surprise, Agatha hesitated and flushed a bit.
“Actually, I have someone in mind for that,” she said with the ghost of a smile. “Now it’s just a matter of convincing him that it can work.”
“Ah. Good luck.”
Agatha looked at her questioningly. “So what do you think?” she asked her, leaning forward. “Is Sebastian going to do it?”
“Take the crown?” Emma was getting used to the question now. It no longer surprised her. “I think he should. What do you think?”
Agatha hesitated. “Well, he wasn’t born to be king, you know. He was born and bred to be the happy-go-lucky second son—playing the horses and laying the wives. Oh, I don’t mean it literally,” she added quickly when she saw Emma’s face. She put a comforting hand on her arm. “But that’s the image the people have of him. That’s the role he’s been trained for.”
Emma was conflicted but she felt she had to speak her piece. “I know I’m so new to this, I don’t really have a right to an opinion, but I have one anyway. I think you’re selling your brother short. I think he has not only the talent to be a good king, but the responsibility to do it.”
A smile broke on Agatha’s face and she threw her arms around Emma. “Oh, I knew I was going to like you,” she cried. “That’s exactly how I feel. This country is just dozing, waiting for the right leadership to bring it to life. Welcome to the conspiracy to convince him to do it.”
The two of them spent another half-hour getting to know each other and making plans to talk to Sebastian. Emma was feeling very empowered by this new friendship. She knew she would never have a romantic relationship with Sebastian, but she could help him do the right thing.
“Oh, there’s something I have to warn you about,” Agatha said as Emma was getting up to leave. “I may not be a welcome face around here, but I still do have my sources. And the buzz is, there are a couple of people in prominent positions who are lobbying to get rid of you.”
