Page 87 of The Princess Trap
“You’re doing very well,” she smiled. And she meant it. “But, seriously, Ruben. I like you.”Understatement. “A lot. And even though I understand, I really don’t know if this is a good idea. I don’t think I can keep my feelings separate from whatever this is.”
He slid a hand under her chin, tilting her head back until she couldn’t avoid his eyes. “I don’t think you should keep them separate,” he said. “I’m not. I can’t.”
She bit down on the inside of her cheek, pushing away the hope that was desperate to run rampant. “What does that mean?”
“It means I have feelings for you. It means that after tomorrow, if Harald doesn’t somehow take my title, I’ll give it up. And no-one will care about who I sleep with or who I’m engaged to, but… I’ll still want to be with you.” He found her left hand, raised it to his lips. And then he kissed the ring he’d given her with such reverence that she knew it wasn’t the trinket she’d assumed.
“What is this?” she asked, nodding towards the arrangement of sapphire and diamond.
“It was my mother’s,” he said softly. “My father gave it to her, and she left it to me.”
She forced herself to ask. “Why did you give me this?”
And he said, completely calm: “Because I love you.”
Cherry bit down on the inside of her cheek so hard, she was surprised it didn’t bleed. “You can’t—”
“Stop,” he said. “Don’t. I love you. Okay? You can do whatever you want with that information, but you can’t change it.”
She smiled, even as she felt tears trailing down her cheeks. “Okay.”
He tutted, sweeping his thumb across her cheekbone. “Even I know you’re supposed to use waterproof mascara. What kind of makeup artist did Magda bring you, anyway?”
“Oh, God. I look a mess.” She swiped uselessly at her cheeks. “I don’t know much about balls, but I have to warn you, this one will probably be a disaster.”
“Oh, I know,” he said cheerfully. And then he pressed his lips to her ear and whispered, “If Lydia agrees, we’ll leave that night. Everything is in place.”
She nodded. She’d seen the fire in his eyes when he realised that Lydia was facing what he’d once been through. She didn’t doubt that he would pull this off.
As long as Lydia felt safe enough to agree. Would she? Suddenly, Cherry’s chest was a storm of anxiety. “I should go,” she said. “I have a lot to do.”
He released her waist and stepped back, out of her space. She felt oddly bereft. Still, she forced herself to leave, because there was a ball tomorrow night, and that should be her greatest concern. It had toappearto be her greatest concern, at least.
But as she stepped out of the room, Cherry gave in to the urge to look back. He was watching her, something soft and warm in his gaze, and that gave her the courage to speak. “I have feelings for you, too.” She sounded stilted, robotic, but she wasn’t used to this. Not at all. She was used to being adored and feeling no inclination whatsoever to return that sentiment. She wasn’t used tocaring, to craving a man’s affection.
To grappling with huge, impossible concepts like love.
From the smile on his face, though, you’d think she’d confessed her undying devotion. “Good,” he said, and for the first time since they’d met, his barely-there accent thickened. “Good. You will keep it?” He nodded down at her hand. At the ring. She heard the rest of his sentence, the words he’d left unsaid.After? When all this is over and the pretence falls apart?
She tried to hide her smile, but it fought free. Just a little. She murmured, “I’ll look after it for you.”
His face lit up like the sunrise.
Ruben sat beside his youngest niece’s bed, studying her sweet little face in the glow of her nightlight. Hilde was nine, but still afraid of the dark. He didn’t blame her. He’d been afraid of the dark as a child.
He hoped that was the only similarity between them.
The bedroom door creaked as it was pushed open by gentle hands. He looked up to find Lydia in the doorway, her face resigned.
“You’re here,” she said.
He smiled. “Don’t say you’re surprised to see me.”
“How could I be? You’ve been chasing me all week.”
Ruben stood, holding up his hands. “You know I want to help, Lydia. You used to help me. Remember?”
She swallowed. “Of course I remember.”
