Page 39 of Untouched Queen by Royal Command

CHAPTER SEVEN

THEINAUGURALCOURTESAN costumes tour, starting at a seedy but legal downtown brothel and finishing at the National Art gallery of Arun, received some of the best press Augustus had ever seen. It brought together six health and education outreach programmes already in place and cemented Arun’s reputation as a progressive nation with the welfare and education of all its people at heart. Far from damaging his personal reputation, he was being hailed as a saviour. A man that any woman, courtesan or not, would be proud to have in their corner. He’d even accompanied Sera on one of the tours, to watch her in action and lend his support, and there’d been not one single, solitary crack about him partaking of her sexual services.

It was a God-given miracle.

Suffice to say, the fund-raising dinner he was currently attending suffered a little in comparison, even if Sera had organised it. The dinner helped raise funds for cancer research and had been on his social calendar for the past seven years running. He was seated next to Katerina DeLitt at his request and the lady was well aware of it. To her credit, she was socially adept and inclusive of the others around them. She had a charming smile and the kind of effortless poise he was used to. She had yet to hold his attention for long but maybe that was his fault for having Sera oversee the event.

Sera, with her tailored black suit and sky-high stilettos. Sera, with her hair coiled tightly into a bun at the nape of her neck and a face practically devoid of make-up. She didn’t need make-up. She was quite beautiful enough.

He’d corner her afterwards for a crowd report and she’d tell him whom was currently at war with whom and other minor matters of interest. Her powers of observation kept his sharp too. Being able to one-up her in the observation stakes was wholly satisfying. Not to mention hard to do.

‘She’s very beautiful,’ said Katerina DeLitt from somewhere beside him.

‘Excuse me?’

Could be his attention had been somewhere it shouldn’t be, but he trusted Katerina DeLitt’s manners to prevail and doubted she would repeat such a confronting statement.

‘Lady Sera Boreas. She’s very beautiful.’

‘Ah.’ Guess he was wrong. He eyed the woman seated to his left with renewed interest. She smiled wryly, diamond earrings dangling as she tilted her head the better to observe him.

‘And talented too, assuming even half the things I hear about her are true,’ she said next.

He knew full well he should steer the conversation elsewhere. Hard to court one woman when seemingly fixated on another. He could talk about the weather. The charity. Or horses—he had a fleeting memory of Katerina talking animatedly about horses.

Or he could succumb to curiosity. ‘What kind of things do you hear?’

Katerina shrugged. ‘She has great skill with knives, she can dance like a dream. She has a mind trained towards observation and is bound to you in ways no one can quite explain. You were forced by ancient laws to open your home to her. You can’t get rid of her until you find a future wife and take steps to secure the throne. Even then, you might not let her go.’

‘Sounds about right.’ Katerina’s information was good. ‘Although I will let her go.’

‘They say she has your ear, among other things. That she is your muse.’

Augustus frowned.

‘Your Majesty, if I may be bold—and that does seem to be the best way to deal with you—what is it you want from me, when your attention is so obviously elsewhere?’

He appreciated her bluntness and returned it in full. ‘I need a wife who will give me children and occupy the role of Queen Consort with all due diligence. Your name came up and I enjoy your company. I’m getting to know you.’

‘I see. And what of love?’ Katerina asked drily.

‘Love can grow.’

‘Your Ma—’

‘Call me Augustus,’ he interrupted.

‘Augustus.’ She said it nicely but not the way Sera did. ‘Your Majesty, I know it’s not fashionable, but let us be even more frank. As honoured as I am to have your attention, I’m in no hurry to put my heart on the line for you, knowing what else is available to you at any given time.’

‘Meaning?’

She inclined her head towards Sera.

‘That is not an option,’ he grated. ‘Sera will leave once the terms of the accord have been satisfied. She may well leave before that if I can find a workaround.’

‘But will your chosen Queen Consort ever be able to take her place? I have my doubts. Ask yourself this, my King in need of a Queen. When you walked in here this evening, who was the first person you looked for? Who did you keep looking for until she appeared?’ Katerina smiled again, and it was a gentle smile, without malice. ‘Be honest. Because it surely wasn’t me.’

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