Page 44 of Shock Heir for the Crown Prince

‘I’ll give her the tour.’ At last Cas spoke, his attention still on the file. ‘Rudolpho, do we have anyone on staff who can function as a wardrobe mistress and fashion advisor to Ana and Sophia?’

‘No.’ It was an unequivocal reply. Enough to make Cas glance up with a frown for the older man.

‘What about the Lady Serah?’

‘I can arrange to have the Lady Serah meet with Ms Douglas and Sophia, yes,’ said Rudolpho and turned towards Ana. ‘His New Majesty may not beg you to leave the lady in question in her current role, but I will. She’s my best function planner, has twenty-two years’ experience in the role, and her social acumen and statesmanship is unsurpassed.’

Casimir’s gaze clashed with Rudolpho’s. ‘Then I suspect she’ll know fashion. Will she not?’

The older man nodded curtly, his gaze dropping to the floor.

‘Perhaps she’ll be able to recommend someone more suited to a wardrobe consultancy role,’ Casimir continued. ‘Set up a meeting between her and Ana for today at eleven o clock.’

Rudolpho nodded and left without speaking. Ana watched the advisor leave and shut the door behind him before turning to Casimir. ‘What was that?’

‘A difference of opinion that has nothing to do with the Lady Serah. When it comes to Rudolpho, I’m all for encouraging outspokenness. It’s a slow process but we’re getting there.’ Casimir seemed unconcerned. ‘He’s worried about the press conference.’

‘You don’t have to babysit me if you’d rather concentrate on preparing for that. Like I said, I can read.’ She glanced around the room, which looked as if it belonged in the mid-seventeenth century, never mind the computer on the desk. ‘Or practice my needlework. Correspond with my parents with the aid of a fountain pen… Plenty to do.’

‘Come. We can start with the armoury. It’s full of seventeenth and eighteenth-century pieces.’

Of course it was. ‘I always wanted to be a knight,’ she said.

Ten minutes later she had her head in a helmet and her hand in a gauntlet, trying them on for size. ‘They’re a little heavy,’ she said. ‘But otherwise the perfect camouflage and protection required for a spot of shopping in the city, followed by coffee. Then music and dancing, a quick swordfight and then some rutting.’

‘Rutting?’ he said.

‘I’m very earthy. You are too when you’re naked. Where’s my sword? And yours. You can be my man at arms.’

‘Why would I want to be your man at arms when I can be a king?’ he countered, but he was pulling a sword from the rack as he said it and holding it out in front of him.

‘You’d do it for the freedom,’ she said. ‘Freedom from service.’

‘I’d be serving you instead.’ He was surprisingly good with that sword. ‘And there would be drudgery.’

‘Or you can be a bard. No drudgery, just music. Do you play an instrument?’

‘I’d make a terrible bard and I’d starve.’ He picked up another sword, swung it and then presented it to her. ‘I’m sticking with the king business. It’s what I know. All I need is the right queen and I’m set.’

‘The poor woman.’

‘She won’t be poor.’

‘She won’t be free.’

He frowned. ‘That again. What would convince her to give up her freedom for a king?’

‘Love.’ She kept telling him what she wanted. Over and over, spelling it out for him. ‘She might do it if she loved her king enough. And if he loved her back.’

‘Kings can’t afford love.’

‘I don’t believe that.’ Ana lowered the sword but kept the helmet in place. She needed the protection of him not being able to see her face. ‘Love is free. What you can’t afford is any more loss.’

He didn’t answer. Instead he put his sword back and helped her remove her armour too. ‘There are two more places I want to show you,’ he said, picking up a jewelled dagger, crossing the room and pushing it into a slot in the wall.

An entire section of stone wall slid aside to reveal a vault with a huge steel door. He stepped up to a control panel, let it scan his right eye and the door clicked open with a hollow whoosh and a light inside came on.

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