Page 19 of Pregnant With His Majesty's Heir

She shook her head. ‘I want my luggage. Then I’ll go.’

From the corner of her eye she caught Lucien’s frustrated movement, raking his fingers through that impeccably cut dark hair.

‘Please, Aurélie. Hear me out for five minutes. Then I promise I won’t stand in your way.’

Belatedly she realised where she was. At the heart of the palace in the King’s study. Who else would have an office three times the size of her flat?

She stiffened, ready to refuse. But what would that gain? Besides, Lucien wasn’t ordering. He was asking.

Aurélie crossed the beautiful antique carpet and took the corner of a sofa by the fire. It felt like sinking into an embrace and she wondered how she’d find the energy to pull her weary bones away from such comfort and the fire’s welcome heat.

It was only after she settled that she saw the plate of cracker biscuits on a side table with a glass of water.

‘Firstly, I apologise.’ He didn’t sit but stood facing her, frowning. ‘I insulted you and that wasn’t called for. My choice of words was unfortunate.’

‘You didn’t realise what you were saying?’ Aurélie didn’t hide her sneer.

‘I mean I thought it likely you’d need help. I didn’t mean to sound accusing.’

He put his hand on the carved mantelpiece which, she realised, was a work of art, decorated with mountain deer and ibexes. A second later he dropped his arm and shoved his hands in his pockets, clearly ill at ease.

‘But you’re right.’ His eyes met hers. ‘If we were still just Aurélie and Lucien my reaction would be different.’ His chest rose on a slow breath. ‘But I’m not simply Lucien. I’m a monarch with a country depending on me. A fiancée due to marry me in a month.’

‘And people want things from you.’ Aurélie’s voice sounded flat, matching her disappointment.

It was fine to feel insulted that he questioned her motives. Yet she could see his side of things. Not enough to ignore the insult, but enough to try to view this without emotion.

‘It’s fairer to say I have obligations to others. And I’m still learning to accommodate those.’ His mouth tightened and Aurélie remembered how distressed he’d been that night in Annecy, filled with grief.

It was only later, when she’d identified him through press reports, that she’d learned how much Lucien had lost. First his uncle, King of Vallort, who’d raised him like a son after Lucien’s parents died during his infancy. Then, a mere day later, in a terrible twist of fate, Lucien’s cousin, the heir to the throne, had died when a rockfall hit his car on a private road outside the city.

In two days Lucien had lost his closest family.

He’d had to give up his architectural business and come home to Vallort. Taking the throne he’d never expected to inherit must feel like stepping into dead men’s shoes. Men who, presumably, had been dear to him.

Looking at his clouded eyes and taut features, Aurélie knew she should cut him some slack. A man in his position would have to check the child was his. Naturally he’d wonder how much she wanted from him.

Yet distress lingered. Aurélie folded her arms across her chest, trying to hold it in.

‘I’m not here to cause a scandal. I don’t want to blackmail you or sell my story to the press.’

Lucien nodded. ‘But you need my help.’

Did she? Aurélie knew that, come what may, she’d manage. She had too much fighting spirit not to do her best for this baby. Yet doing it on her own would be tough.

‘How doyoufeel about the baby, Lucien?’

‘Me?’ His eyebrows rose as if the question took him by surprise. Had he been too caught up thinking about consequences to consider his feelings? Maybe he didn’t have any. Maybe he only saw this unborn child as a problem to be dealt with.

A chill frosted Aurélie’s bones, despite the nearby fire. She hunched against the deep cushions.

‘You’re going to be a father. You must feel something.’ This time saying those words had the strangest effect, making it suddenly real. As if the evidence of her own body and the doctor’s confirmation weren’t enough. An image wavered in Aurélie’s mind, of Lucien holding a baby close, his shoulders curved protectively around it. But she couldn’t make out his expression. Was he looking tenderly at his child or wishing himself far away?

‘I feel...’ He paused and reached for the mantelpiece. Firelight cast his features into gold and shadows, highlighting grooves beside his mouth and the strong angle of his jaw. His shoulders rose in a fluid shrug. ‘Stunned. Excited.’ He paused. ‘Nervous.’

He fixed her with a stare as bright as the flames and Aurélie felt relief and warmth pour through her. He wasn’t unaffected. The weight pressing down on her lifted a little.

‘In awe that you’re carrying a new life inside you.’ His gaze dropped to her midriff and again she felt it like a caress on bare skin. The sensation didn’t seem maternal but sexual, snatching her breath. Desire for Lucien wasnotwhat she needed.

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