Page 18 of Claiming His Virgin Princess

Imagine the furore if, instead of sharing a short affair with Ilsa, a man like him wanted something more permanent. All hell would break out, including in her oh-so-royal family. Just as well he wasn’t in the market for long-term.

‘I read that you’d invested in making road surfaces and other things from old tyres. So you run a waste management business?’

Far from being deterred, Ilsa looked interested. It wasn’t what he’d expected.

‘Partly, but it’s extended far beyond that. It began with collection and disposal but our main focus is reuse and recycling. We’ve invested in a range of innovations that have done well and there are opportunities everywhere.’

Many projects were on an industrial scale, using the expertise of scientists and engineers, while others were grass roots schemes, some in developing countries. The latter mightn’t make big profits but it was amazing how innovations in one area leapfrogged from an initiative somewhere else.

‘And this is what makes yourough around the edges?’

Noah paused as the waiter served their meals but he didn’t make a move to eat. ‘Dealing with waste isn’t what most people aspire to.’

It certainly wasn’t a family business Poppy had wanted to marry into. To her he’d been good enough for sex. He’d been an up-and-coming entrepreneur, different to the men her family approved, who had old money and old school ties helping them up the greasy pole. But when Noah naively believed himself in love and asked her to marry him she’d been aghast. As if a whiff of the garbage heap would mar the nuptials. Not that it had stopped her trying to get money from him to support her start-up business.

Then there was the damage she’d done to his sister.

Ally had been in her teens and slavishly devoted to Poppy, who’d enjoyed her adulation. Ally was the one person in his family Poppy had time for, even inviting her to some events with her fashionable friends.

It was only later, as Ally battled depression and bulimia, that he’d learned how negatively Poppy and her friends had impacted his sister. They were so obsessed with appearances. All those comments about her needing to lose weight and the importance of looking model-thin at all costs had taken their toll. Poppy had dumped his sister cruelly too when she’d rejected Noah, leaving Ally battling the belief she wasn’t good enough to be her friend.

Ilsa’s sharp retort cut across his thoughts. ‘You don’t need me to tell you to ignore people who put you down because your family earned honest wages doing hard work.’ She paused, her eyes flashing bright blue. ‘Or did you expectmeto think less of you for that?’

It was the first time Noah had seen her angry and he was torn between wanting to placate her and admiring how alluring she looked, her cheeks tinted with warmth and eyes sparkling. His skin tightened in response, as if showered by incendiary sparks.

‘Not necessarily.’

He reached out and covered her hand where it rested on the table. A second later she withdrew it, cradling her fingers in her lap. It was a first and he didn’t like it.

Her face told him nothing. It was composed and unreadable, except for those brilliant eyes.

‘I didn’t know,’ he finally admitted. ‘It matters to some people.’

Not anyone whose opinion was important to him.

Ilsa’s opinion mattered, though. It surprised him how much.

‘Your work is important. Managing our resources better is vital. As for looking down on you because of the family business...’

‘What?’ he asked finally when she let the words hang.

‘Aren’t you guilty of the same? Did you think I’d wrinkle my nose because of whatmyfamily does? Because I was born royal?’

Noah stared. That was precisely what he’d done, even if with some reason, given his history with Poppy. ‘You’re right. I did.’

He should have known better.

Still she sat unbending, chin up and shoulders back. Even in a simple summer dress of misty blue and no jewellery other than discreet gold earrings, she looked regal. He wanted her so badly. He couldn’t bear the idea of her pulling away from him now.

‘Being royal isn’t about wearing ermine and going to balls. My great-grandfather’s proudest achievement was having a modern network of sewers built under the capital. And if you talk to my father he’d tell you that managing waste collection in a severe alpine winter is an ongoing challenge. Two of his major priorities are making our nation self-sustainable and reducing its waste footprint.’

‘Touché.’ Noah laughed, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender. ‘I stand corrected.’

‘I’mnotmy status, Noah. I might have an aristocratic title but that’s not all I am.’

His laughter died. He’d struck a nerve. For the first time since they’d met she looked haughty. Not because he’d forgotten she was a princess, but because he’d remembered!

Noah leaned closer. Was that hurt in her eyes?

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