Page 54 of Mistaken as His Royal Bride

One of his chief aides approached. He said, ‘It’s going well, Your Majesty. Princess Laia is a breath of fresh air.’

Ari’s conscience pricked. More than pricked. He felt guilty. He’d been unexpectedly caught up with business meetings for the past two days, dealing with a minor financial crisis in one of Santanger’s banks.

Weakly, he’d used the distraction as an excuse to avoid thinking about what to do about Maddi, when he knew exactly what he had to do. Deal with the fact that Princess Laia was not interested in their strategic marriage and let Maddi go. And yet he was still perpetuating this pretence of an engagement that could never become anything more.

He was playing a very dangerous game.

He tracked her easily in the crowd. She was wearing a teal blue-green dress. Long sleeves, flowing skirt. Hair coiled up into an elegant chignon. She was talking to a group of nurses and she threw her head back to laugh at something one of them had said. They were all grinning. He couldn’t blame them. She was stunning.

After the walkabout she was all anyone could talk about.Princess Laia this... Princess Laia that...Exactly as he’d planned it. Except it sat in his gut now with an acrid taste. Because she wasn’t Laia. She was Maddi. And he didn’t like the fact that his people didn’t know who she was.

Which was so messed up—because if they found out who she really was it would invite exactly the kind of scandal Ari wanted to avoid at all costs. It was impossible.

But even now, when he knew all that, all he wanted was to go over, take her by the arm and find somewhere quiet where he could taste her, fill his hands with her firm flesh, make her press against him and moan into his mouth.

But then she disappeared. He couldn’t see her any more. He tensed.

His aide said, ‘The special effects team are just waiting for your nod to launch the fireworks, Your Majesty.’

Distracted, Ari said, ‘Let me find Ma—’ He stopped and cursed silently. He was losing it. ‘Let me find Princess Laia.’

He moved through the crowd, stopping and starting when people wanted a word, feeling a growing sense of frustration.

Where was she?

He couldn’t help but acknowledge the uneasy feeling that if it wasn’t for her sense of loyalty to Princess Laia, Maddi might very well just disappear at any moment.

Before he was ready to let her go.

And then he saw her. She was sitting cross-legged on the grass, uncaring of her dress, with a boy of about nine or ten opposite her, also cross-legged. They were locked in an intense discussion.

Ari went closer and saw that a woman was standing nearby. She turned and greeted him, curtseying. ‘Your Majesty, I’m so sorry. My son has latched on to Princess Laia and won’t hear of letting her go.’

Ari’s first rueful thought was,I know how you feel.

The woman went on,sotto voce, ‘He has Asperger’s, and doesn’t connect easily with people, but she came over to him and just...knew how to talk to him. He’s dragged her over here to show her something...’

Ari had always known that having children would be part of his duty as King. But he’d never really thought about what it might feel like. Watching Maddi with this young boy made something tug inside him. He had a sense for the first time that his view of fatherhood had always been too narrow. Not surprising, after the hands-off treatment from his own parents. But he’d never contemplated having something different for himself. For his own family.

The idea rooted in his head, and he realised with a lurch that it wasn’t totally ridiculous to want a different,betterexperience. To want more.

And who was the catalyst for yet another unsettling revelation?Maddi.

At that moment, as if hearing his thoughts, Maddi looked up and caught his eye.

CHAPTER TEN

WHATHADSHEdone now?Maddi wondered, the smile slipping off her face. Ari was scowling at her.

Ari had been busy for the past couple of days, and she’d welcomed a little space to try and get her head around this whole situation, which felt as if it was veering way out of control. As if she’d ever had any control over it.

She stood up, feeling defensive and also a little hurt. It seemed that, no matter what, Ari still didn’t trust her. She’d found him looking at her warily since the night they’d returned from the walkabout. As if he was trying to figure something out.

She moved to stand in front of him. He was looking at her again with a strange expression.

She said, ‘He’s a sweet boy.’

Ari’s expression cleared. ‘You’re good with kids.’

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