Page 32 of Unknown Royal Baby

His mouth curved into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. They looked sombre and she felt a chill run along her backbone, because she knew he was serious.

Yet the idea was preposterous. ‘Marry? We can’t marry. You’re a king and I’m your PA.Wasyour PA.’ His minders at that meeting in London had made it clear her services wouldn’t be required any longer. ‘Royals don’t marry women they barely know. Commoners from another country.’

His smile became a twist of the lips. ‘You’d be surprised at how often royals marry virtual strangers, for the good of their country. And there’s nothing preventing a king from marrying outside his own nation.’

‘But I’m...’ Ordinary. Unremarkable. Not glamorous or well connected. ‘Not cut out to be a queen.’

‘You love your daughter, don’t you? We’d be marrying for her. As for the rest, you can learn our customs, learn to be royal. If I hired you as my PA, you must be clever and diligent, trustworthy and dedicated.’ He leaned forward, his voice coaxing. ‘I don’t pretend it will always be easy. But I’ll be by your side,onyour side, yours and Maryam’s. You can rely on me. I’ll help you through the challenges and it will be worth it to give our daughter a stable, loving home.’

Avril opened her mouth, about to list all the logical, sensible reasons why it was a far-fetched idea.

But his words echoed in her head.

‘You can rely on me. A stable, loving home.’

The sort of home her parents hadn’t provided, because she hadn’t been their priority. Her mother had deserted her to take up with a new lover and the freedom of life on the road. Her father, who’d always travelled for work, had gone for longer and longer periods rather than less while Avril grew up. Until finally he fell in love with a Canadian woman and followed her across the Atlantic to start a new family.

And here was Isam, offering marriage, willing to withstand the inevitable backlash if he married a foreigner with nothing to recommend her as Queen, all for the sake of Maryam.

That he was a man who felt strongly, not just about duty, but about their daughter, was obvious. When he married he expected it to be permanent. It was there in his grave expression and the stillness of his tall frame.

Avril’s heart squeezed. That he would do this for their daughter.

But what about you? What about your happiness? Are you willing to throw that away?

But would it be throwing it away? Surely it would be building a future for Maryam. And who was to say Avril wouldn’t find happiness here with Isam and her daughter?

It struck her that while she’d inherited her mother’s colouring and her father’s organisational skills, she was fundamentally different to them. She might not be the world’s most adept mother. She still had a lot to learn. But when it came to priorities she put her daughter’s needs first.

Avril sighed and sank back in her seat. ‘What if you fall in love? Would you want a divorce?’

He was already shaking his head by the time she stopped speaking. ‘I’ve never been romantically inclined. I’ve known many women and never imagined myself in love. I was raised to expect an arranged marriage.’ He paused, pinioning her gaze so it felt as if he saw deep into her soul. ‘I’m proposing arealmarriage, Avril. We’d be partners and lovers. And you have my word that I’ll be faithful.’

She blinked in astonishment as unmistakable heat fizzed in her veins, coalescing low in her core. Sexual anticipation. She recognised it now and it made a liar of her attempts to tell herself this was totally about Maryam. For there was part of her that wanted Isam, just as she had from the first.

But suggesting marriage was one thing. Vowing fidelity was another. ‘You don’t even know if we’re compatible—’

‘I may not remember the details, Avril. But the fact I broke every rule so I could have you tells its own story.’ Those serious eyes glazed hot, intensifying the eager, melting sensation deep inside. As if he now remembered that night and the pinnacles of ecstasy they’d reached together. ‘We’re sexually compatible. Everything tells me I trusted you and I see no reason for that to change. I hope you trust me too. Plus we have Maryam.’ He lifted those wide shoulders in a shrug. ‘We have a better basis for marriage than many.’

He made it sound so reasonable. Instead of utterly shocking.

‘Once I give my vow, I won’t break it. I’m a man of my word.’

She believed him. The gravity of his expression and the tone of his voice, plus all she knew about him, said so.

‘I take my promises seriously too.’

If she were to agree to this, she’d commit wholeheartedly.

‘Excellent. So you—?’

‘It’s an...extraordinary idea. I’ll need time to think about it.’

His expression told her it wasn’t what he wanted to hear. Impatience danced in his glittering eyes. But instead of trying to push her into a decision, he nodded.

‘Naturally. But time’s of the essence. The palace staff are discreet but the longer you’re here, the greater the risk the news will leak. I want to control the release of information, rather than have rumours circulate. I won’t allow anyone to turn you and our daughter into fodder for gossip.’

It was a reminder that she’d stepped into a new world under the public spotlight.

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