Читать книгу In the Royal's Bed - Marion Lennox - Страница 12

CHAPTER FIVE

SO THEY walked Laura through the magnificent palace grounds, across the manicured lawns and past the extravagant fountains, down through the tiered rose gardens, brushing around the edge of the woodland area, following a path that was worn from years of royal tread. The moon was full. The woodland held night birds Kelly had never heard before, their calls eerie and wondrous in the moonlight. Nightingales? Maybe. She’d never heard a nightingale. She remembered feeling romantic all those years ago, wishing she’d hear one.

Romance was for the past. She was a sensible woman who’d learned her lesson.

She walked silently on the left of Laura. Rafael walked on her right, holding his mother’s arm lightly.

He seemed protective, Kelly thought, and wondered why. Was there a reason he needed to protect her? She seemed a totally self-contained lady.

‘So who gets to support Matty at the coronation?’ Laura asked and there was a deathly silence.

‘Coronation?’ Kelly said cautiously.

‘Uh-oh,’ Rafael said.

‘You knew it was coming,’ his mother said. ‘Didn’t you?’

‘Yes, but…’

‘But you intended to be back in Manhattan. Not possible now. Not possible ever. You need to be part of it, Rafael.’

‘Dress uniform,’ he said with loathing.

‘You like your dress sword,’ Kelly said and he shook his head.

‘I look ridiculous in a dress sword.’

‘You look…’ She hesitated.

‘Magnificent is the word you’re looking for,’ Laura said fondly. ‘His papa looked wonderful in dress regalia too.’

‘And it did a lot for Papa,’ Rafael said curtly. ‘I suppose I have to be there.’

‘Of course you do,’ Laura told him. ‘Crater’s been organizing it while you’ve been away. You need to swear all sorts of things—basically whatever Matty would have to swear if he was old enough.’

‘I think Kelly should do it,’ Rafael said and Kelly winced.

‘Hey, not me. I’m not royal material.’

‘Neither of you sound committed,’ Laura said cautiously.

Kelly said solidly, ‘That’s because I’m not.’

‘You know, this country does need a royal presence,’ Laura said. They’d reached the gate into the dower house and paused. The dower house was a miniature castle—exquisite. The garden here was a mass of wild flowers and shrubbery that seemed almost a wilderness. Kelly could smell jasmine and roses and…gardenia? Honeysuckle? The scene in the moonlight was fantastic.

But Laura wasn’t focusing on gardens. She had a wider picture. ‘This country’s been let go,’ Laura said, speaking earnestly to both of them. ‘Neither Kass nor his father cared a toss about the country. Rafael, it nearly killed your father…’

‘It did kill my father,’ he said bitterly.

‘A fall from a horse killed your father.’

‘And then he wasn’t permitted near the old Prince because disability made him nervous. So he couldn’t do a thing.’

‘Rafael’s father tried to manage the economy of the place,’ Laura explained to Kelly. ‘He did what he could to make things easier for the people of Alp de Ciel. Then, when he was injured, his father, the old Prince, simply took all his royal duties from him.’

‘Which pretty much killed him,’ Rafael said. ‘So why you’d think I’d want to pick up the pieces now…’

‘Your father would want you to.’

‘My father’s dead,’ Rafael said. ‘I’m a toy-maker, Mama.’

‘And a good one,’ she said warmly and stood on tiptoe to kiss him. ‘But the two aren’t mutually exclusive. Prince of the blood and toy-maker on the side.’

‘I’m a toy-maker,’ he repeated. ‘I’ll do what I must here, and nothing more.’

‘See, that’s just the problem,’ she said. Instead of opening the garden gate, she hitched herself up to sit on the drystone wall round the garden. She swung her legs against the stone and surveyed Kelly and Rafael with care.

‘This country is a responsibility,’ she said. ‘A huge responsibility. And Matty’s too little to take it on.’

‘No one’s taken it on for the last fifty years,’ Rafael said.

‘Your father tried to. It wasn’t his job but…’

‘You’re right. It wasn’t his job. It isn’t mine.’

‘It is,’ she said forcibly. ‘You’re Prince Regent. The country needs you.’

‘Don’t you start,’ he snapped. ‘Kelly’s already blackmailed me into staying.’

‘Ah, yes,’ Laura said softly. ‘Kelly.’

‘Hey, don’t look at me,’ Kelly said, startled. ‘I’m not even royal.’

‘I’m sorry, my dear, but that’s where you’re wrong,’ Laura said sternly. ‘You were royal from the minute you married Kass. You were even more royal the moment you bore him a son. This is your country.’

‘It’s not my country.’

‘Someone has to take responsibility for it,’ she said sadly. ‘It’s impoverished. Everyone knows that. The industries need a complete overhaul—the farming techniques are antiquated. There’s money in the royal coffers to subsidise improvements, reform, but nothing’s done. So far there’s been little protest by the people. We have an extraordinarily accepting population. But now…’

‘Now what?’ Rafael said ominously and his mother kicked the stone wall some more and looked from Rafael to Kelly and back again.

‘Now there are three countries leading by example,’ she said. ‘Alp de Montez, Alp d’Estella and Alp d’Azuri. Three of the four principalities created all those centuries ago and almost destroyed by generation after generation of royalty who bled them dry with their own greed. Within the last few years each of these three countries have had their governments transformed. Each royal house has finally taken responsibility for their countries. They’re now run as true democracies with an overarching sovereign. Their industries are thriving. Tourists are attracted in droves and the people here are looking at their neighbours and asking why not us?’

‘They can do it,’ Rafael said nervously.

‘No, dear, they can’t,’ his mother said. ‘They being individuals within this country who want change. There’s no avenue for change. The only way change is possible is with constitutional reform, and with enormous amounts of energy, commitment and sheer hard work by the incumbent sovereign. And, in case you hadn’t noticed, that’s you two.’

‘Not me,’ Kelly said,

‘Not me, either,’ Rafael said and his mother sighed.

‘That’s what Kass said.’

‘Mama, I’m only here because Kelly forced me to be here,’ Rafael growled. ‘To take this all on…’ He sounded bleak.

But there was a trace of acceptance in his voice, Kelly thought. There was more than a trace of his father in him. Despite his distaste for royalty, he’d agreed to meet this deputation tonight. She watched his face and thought yes, he’d do it. And it wasn’t just her blackmail that was making him commit.

He was no Kass.

But was Laura asking her to share?

‘I’m only here for my son,’ she whispered.

‘Do you think you can stay separate?’ Laura asked gently.

‘I think I don’t know anything,’ she whispered.

‘You’re a historian. You do the minimum amount of research on this place and you’ll find out what I say is the truth.’

‘So what do you want me to do about it?’

‘I think you should both be royal,’ Laura said gently and then, as Kelly stared at her in dismay, she shook her head, rueful.

‘Rafael, you know it’s what your father would have wanted. He hated what his father and his brother did to this country.’

‘I hated what they did to him,’ Rafael retorted.

‘It’s not the country’s fault. Nor is what Kass did to you the country’s fault, my dear,’ she told Kelly. ‘Do the research,’ she ordered and swung herself off her wall and opened the gate. ‘Make no promises yet. But think, my dears. Think, oh, think, of what the pair of you could achieve. Rafael, you’re due to meet the country’s representatives in half an hour. Kelly, if you could find it in you to help…’

‘I can’t.’

‘Just think about it,’ she demanded flatly, and disappeared into the house before either of them could reply.

Why had she come with Rafael and his mother, Kelly thought frantically as Laura disappeared. It meant she had to walk home alone with Rafael and he was making her nervous. He was big and silent and just…there.

He was as preoccupied as she was. Laura’s words were echoing in the night air. So much to take on board…

They walked slowly through the woodland path towards the stables. The castle loomed before them, vast and majestic. The night was warm and filled with scents from the garden—a magic night.

‘Is that a nightingale?’ she asked before she could help herself and Rafael paused and listened and then shrugged.

‘Yep. They’re common.’

‘Nightingales are common?’

‘It’s this whole damned fairy tale setting,’ he said morosely. ‘It does your head in. Like wearing a dress sword. I make toys. I don’t want to live in make-believe any more than I have to.’

‘I won’t live in make-believe.’

‘The problem is,’ he said, ‘it’s not make-believe. It’s real. Your son has to take over responsibility for this country and he’s five years old.’

‘My son needs to take over responsibility for this country in twenty years.’

‘Meaning you’re landing it fair in my corner.’

‘Yes,’ she said and walked on. Rafael stopped and stared at her.

‘You could at least sound guilty,’ he called and she turned and kept walking, but backwards so she could watch him in the moonlight.

‘Why should I feel guilty?’

‘If you hadn’t had Matty I wouldn’t be in this mess.’

‘Yes, you would. Some other woman would have had the heir to the throne. Kass would still have died and you might have got someone who wasn’t nicely determined to keep herself out of your way, out of trouble, out of sight.’

‘So during the coronation…’

‘I’ll watch,’ she conceded. ‘I’ll find myself a corner up the back.’

‘You look ridiculous in baggy sweaters,’ he said and she froze.

‘I beg your pardon.’

‘You’re meant to be royal. You looked fantastic in crinoline and hoops.’

‘And you look fantastic in your dress sword,’ she said. ‘But I was playing dress-ups for a reason that no longer exists. Your reasons keep going for another twenty years.’

‘Kelly, help me here.’

‘Help you do what?’

‘We can do it together,’ he said, pleading. ‘You can take some of the pressure from me. If you’ll play the princess…’

‘No.’

‘Kelly…’

‘No!’ She turned and stalked round the corner of the stables. And stopped.

Matty was walking towards them. He was in his pyjamas and bedroom slippers. He had his thumb in his mouth. He was walking determinedly towards the stables and he looked not even his full five years old.

‘Matty,’ she said and he looked up and saw them and froze.

‘It’s okay,’ she said quickly. Rafael came round the corner of the stables and paused beside her. ‘It’s okay, Matty. It’s only Rafael and me.’

‘I want to see Blaze,’ Matty whispered. He’d relaxed a little when he’d seen Rafael but he still sounded guilty.

‘Blaze?’

‘My papa’s horse,’ he said in a thread of a whisper. Then his voice firmed. ‘Blaze is my horse now. I thought about him while I was in Australia. I thought and thought. Papa’s dead. I don’t think anyone’s told Blaze.’

‘I’m sure someone’s already told him,’ Kelly said. ‘And we can tell him again in the morning. Sweetheart, you should be in bed.’

‘I was in bed for hours and hours,’ Matty said. ‘I woke up and it feels like morning. So I had to tell Blaze.’

‘Matty, Blaze already knows that your papa is dead,’ Rafael said. They were standing side by side, looking down at the little prince. Matty was looking young, vulnerable but also determined. His small chin jutted forward in a gesture Kelly was starting to recognize.

‘I should have told him myself,’ Matty said fretfully. ‘He’s my horse.’

‘I guess we need to come with you then, to make sure he’s okay,’ Rafael said. ‘If it’s okay with your mama.’

Horses. She didn’t want to go anywhere near horses. Especially not Kass’s horse. Blaze was the magnificent animal that had propelled her into trouble in the first place. She cast a despairing glance at Rafael but, to her astonishment, he took her hand and squeezed, almost as if he understood.

‘A quick visit and then bed,’ he said. ‘Better than wasting time arguing. Matty, do you know where Blaze is stabled?’

‘Of course I do,’ Matty said scornfully.

‘Then lead on,’ Rafael said gently and the little boy looked uncertainly up at the adults before him, then shrugged and led the way into the stables.

They were just as Kelly remembered.

Six years ago Kass had brought her in here at dawn, introduced her to each of the royal horses and then said, ‘Choose your mount.’

For Kelly, who loved horses almost more than life itself, it had been the sexiest thing Kass could possibly have done. She’d walked between each stall while Kass had stood indulgently back, like a genie who’d just oozed from his bottle and snapped his fingers.

Then he’d called the stable-hands to saddle the mare of her choice; he’d mounted the huge black stallion with the blaze of white on its forehead and they’d ridden out into the dawn together.

It had been heady stuff for a kid who’d spent her life lusting after a horse of her own. Heady enough stuff to remove any sense of self-preservation, to make her walk straight into a web that she could never walk out of.

Now she walked into the stables feeling just the same—as if a door would slam behind her and she’d be stuck. But Matty was walking steadily forward to the first stall.

Kelly peered nervously over the door. A mare stood placidly at the rear of the stall, head down in the manger.

‘It’s not Blaze.’

‘He’s here somewhere. I have to find him.’

‘He’s at the end,’ Rafael said and motioned along the doorways. His height gave him the advantage. Kelly turned and saw what Rafael was seeing, the great stallion standing at ease, staring out at them with seeming unconcern.

She flinched and Rafael stepped forward and took her arm.

‘It’s okay.’

‘I know it’s okay,’ she muttered. ‘I…I know horses.’

‘Do you know Blaze?’ Matty asked.

‘I’ve met him,’ she muttered. ‘Matty, he’s too big for you to go near.’

‘He’s my horse,’ Matty said, sounding rebellious. ‘My papa said the Prince has to have the best, and Blaze is the best. I knew when he died I’d have to take care of him. Like the country. Crater says I have to take care of the country.’

It was such an astounding statement coming out of the mouth of a five-year-old that neither Rafael nor Kelly could think of a response.

‘But Crater says you’ll help,’ Matty said, almost indulgently, and walked forward to Blaze’s stall. He stood looking uncertainly up at the big horse, as if unsure how to approach him. ‘He’s very big.’

‘I think your father would want you to ride a much smaller horse for a while,’ Kelly said but Matty shook his head.

‘Someone has to ride Blaze.’

‘Maybe Rafael…’

‘I don’t ride,’ Rafael said.

‘Me either,’ Kelly retorted.

‘Crater said my mother rides like the wind,’ Matty said, turning to stare at her as if he’d been given deeply erroneous information—information that was very, very important.

‘People change,’ Kelly said. ‘I…I don’t ride any more.’

‘Why not?’

‘I just don’t,’ she said helplessly. ‘I study instead.’

‘Who will help me look after the horses?’

‘I…we’ll employ people,’ Kelly said. ‘Maybe…I mean we probably already do. Don’t we, Rafael?’

‘I guess.’ Rafael peered hopefully into the stalls. ‘They’ve all got hay and fresh water. They’re obviously being taken care of.’

‘But I need to know for sure,’ Matty said definitely. ‘I’ll find out tomorrow. And Ellen says there’s a dep…a deputation coming from the village. I need to see them.’

‘They’re coming tonight and they’re coming to see your Uncle Rafael,’ Kelly told him.

‘I’m the Prince,’ Matty said. ‘Uncle Rafael doesn’t want to be the Prince.’

‘Uncle Rafael is the Prince until you’re older,’ Kelly said.

‘He doesn’t even want to ride horses.’

‘He doesn’t have a choice,’ Kelly snapped. It was too much. Her tiny prince was looking cold and shaky. She picked him up before he could make a protest and held him close. ‘Meanwhile, you need to go back to bed. Stop worrying about tomorrow.’

‘I have to worry about it,’ Matty said. ‘I’m…’

‘You’re a little boy who needs to be a little boy,’ she said solidly. ‘And little boys need to do what their mothers tell them. Which is go to bed and not worry. Your Uncle Rafael will take care of everything.’

‘Sure,’ Rafael said morosely.

‘See,’ Matty said. ‘He doesn’t want to.’

‘I do want to,’ Rafael said. ‘I meant to say sure. As in happy sure. It’s just because I have jet lag that it came out grumpy.’

‘You’re sure?’

‘I’m sure,’ he said and beamed. Kelly almost laughed. It was some crazy beam. It was a Cheshire cat beam, ridiculous in its insincerity.

But it seemed to do the trick. Matty relaxed into her arms and snuggled against her.

‘I just thought…I worried about Blaze. And the villagers… They used to come to see Papa when he was alive. Papa called them fools but Ellen said if Papa was a proper prince he’d listen to what they need and do something about it. I want to be a proper prince.’

‘You will be,’ Kelly said unsteadily. ‘Later. Not now. Not until you’re almost as high as Blaze.’

‘Uncle Rafael will take care of everything?’

‘Uncle Rafael will take care of everything,’ she said. ‘Now, I’m taking you back to bed.’

She tucked him into bed, and stayed with him until he was asleep. She decided she ought to go to bed herself, but when she looked out of the nursery window she saw Rafael.

He was sitting on one of the garden seats, staring out towards the Alps beyond. He was dressed in his royal regalia again. She wasn’t sure about the sword, but she could see braid on his shoulders.

A prince waiting to meet the townspeople.

What had he said?

‘We can do it together. You can take some of the pressure from me. If you’ll play the princess…’

She wasn’t about to play the princess. Once she had. Never again.

She should close the curtains.

She couldn’t.

Rafael had been asked to take on what she couldn’t. She couldn’t let him off the hook, but that didn’t stop her feeling guilty.

Matty was solidly asleep again. Marguerite was right next door. And Rafael looked…alone.

She glanced down at her clothing—jeans and baggy sweater.

It was hardly princess wear.

That was okay.

Not okay if she wanted to help.

Could she help?

Maybe she could, she thought. Just a little. After all, Rafael was in a relationship with his Anna. He was no threat to her. To hide up here like a hermit… Maybe it was even silly.

But what to wear…

She bit her lip.

‘Go on, Kelly,’ she told herself, whispering into the night. ‘You’ve been playing dress-ups for five years now. Maybe you can play dress-ups a little bit longer.’

Her rooms were just as she’d left them. Kelly turned the handle of the vast oak doors leading into the suite she’d stayed in five years ago and the sight of the dressing gown on the side table made her frown again. Why hadn’t it been thrown out?

But then… This suite was one of many and it was as far from Kass’s apartments as it was possible to be. If Kass had brought guests—women—here he’d want them a lot closer. For the staff to destroy her possessions would have taken a direct order and Kass must simply never have given the order.

The crib that had stood beside the bed for those few short weeks had gone. Otherwise it was exactly as she’d left it. Cleaned and cared for and ready for her to come home.

She wasn’t home. She had no place here.

Not true. She was Matty’s mother. And maybe it wouldn’t hurt to help.

She was being silly. Dumb. But just on the off chance…

She walked across to the vast bank of wardrobes and slid back the doors. And found what she’d half expected.

Here was her wardrobe. A wardrobe fit for a princess.

The first few weeks with Kass had been dreamlike. A royal fantasy. She’d been whisked to Paris, she’d been showered with every luxury, she’d been wooed with every one of Kass’s several charms.

He’d taken her shopping. Not the shopping normal people did, but shopping where he’d take her into the most expensive boutiques he could find, introduced her grandly as Kellyn, Princess of Alp de Ciel, settled himself into a settee, called for a drink and watched as she tried on one outfit after another.

For Kelly, who’d thought the epitome of fashion was her little red dress, it had been an eye-opener. For a while she’d thought it was fantastic.

And these were the legacy, left behind as Kass had forced her to leave. One designer gown after another. Dresses that had been so expensive their price tags had made her eyes water.

Ridiculous dresses.

She was here for a purpose. She had to do it fast or she’d lose courage.

She tugged a dress from the racks—an elegant black cocktail frock, tiny capped sleeves, a sweetheart neckline, a hemline that was too long for Kass’s taste but which the boutique owner had gasped over.

‘Oh, Your Highness, it makes you look just like Audrey Hepburn.’

Hardly, Kelly thought, but she grinned and held it up in front of her. She was the same size as six years ago. It wouldn’t hurt to dress up just a little.

Her shoes were still here. All her shoes. What about her jewellery?

Was she being really, really dumb? she demanded of herself as she pulled out the top drawer of her bureau.

Maybe she was, but Rafael was waiting.

The men were angry and impatient and barely civil. Rafael didn’t blame them. Their needs were urgent and they’d been ignored for too long.

‘We need to sit down and look at the whole situation,’ he said, but that was just what they didn’t want to hear.

‘You’re just like your cousin,’ one of the men snapped. ‘He didn’t care and neither do you. Do you realise the threat to the village…?’

‘He doesn’t realise it yet, but he will,’ a soft voice said from the doorway. ‘We both will.’

Rafael turned—and gasped.

He’d brought the men into the first of the salons just by the grand entrance. The room was vast and ornate, with magnificent settees gathered around a fireplace that was truly awesome. But outside in the entrance there were marble columns, a chandelier with so many crystals it must take an army to clean it, a truly magnificent entry.

Kelly was framed against it. A slip of a girl in a dress that was the epitome of elegance. It hugged her figure, showing off every lovely curve. Her hair was swept up into a knot that might be casual—wisps of curls were escaping—but it accentuated the simplicity of her dress. Her legs looked long and elegant, her black sandals made her feet look sooo sexy…

The whole outfit made her look sooo sexy. The eight men in the deputation were rising to their feet as one and Rafael did too.

‘I’m so sorry I’m late,’ Kelly was murmuring as she crossed to Rafael’s side. ‘My son is a little unsettled after the flight and I needed to make sure he was asleep before I left.’

‘Princess…Kellyn?’ someone breathed and Rafael caught his breath and made the introductions.

Her outfit was brilliant, he thought as he watched the men’s reactions. She’d been described to the country as a slut. This outfit made her look anything but.

She rested her hand lightly on his arm. It wasn’t a proprietorial gesture. It was a gesture of solidarity.

‘You do need to give us a little time,’ she said softly, glancing up at Rafael and smiling, as if this was something they’d discussed in depth. ‘My husband has just died, and Prince Rafael has only just been able to bring me back here. Yes, there’s been major damage done to the country by royal neglect. But injustice has been done to Rafael and to me, as well as to you, his people. Prince Kass forbade me access to my son. He refused to allow Prince Rafael or his father before him to assist you. These great injustices can now be reversed. I understand your anger. Rafael and I share that anger and we intend to do everything we can to redress the situation.’

It was brilliant, Rafael thought, stunned. In one fell swoop she’d deflected the anger, by linking herself to him, by acting as if they were a team. Yes, these people were furious that their country had been neglected, but this slip of a girl had been kicked out of the country and denied her child.

‘We thought you…we thought…’

‘There have been many lies spread about the Princess Kellyn,’ Rafael said strongly. ‘Those lies need to be redressed. As many things in this country need to be redressed. You people are from the village. What I want from you is a list of your immediate concerns and your suggestions as to what can be done to address them. Can you get that to me as soon as you can? I need to go further—get things moving throughout the whole country—but of course you people are our neighbours and maybe your concerns have to take priority.’

‘When will you be leaving again?’ one of the men asked, but the belligerence had gone out of his voice. He was clearly unsure.

‘I won’t be,’ Rafael said, and his voice was clear and calm and sure. He put a hand over Kelly’s. If she was to help…

If she was to stand by his side…anything was possible, he thought. The bleakness that had been with him since he’d heard of Kass’s death lifted for the first time. These people needed his help. He could do this.

‘There will be occasional trips abroad,’ he said, and it was a struggle now not to let this strange sense of exultation enter his voice. ‘Made out of necessity. I know there was anger that I left last week, so soon, but my priority was to restore Princess Kellyn to her rightful place. Now that’s been done, both of us will be based here. Ready to listen to what you need of us.’

‘My role is mother to Prince Mathieu,’ Kelly said, suddenly sounding nervous. ‘You understand that my brief marriage to Kass hasn’t fitted me for any other role. But I’ll be supporting Prince Rafael in the background.’

There was a murmur of approval. And sympathy. And… excitement?

‘We understand it will take time for you both to find your feet here,’ one of the men—the leader—said at last. He moved forward to shake Rafael’s hand. ‘We’ve heard enough tonight to content us. We’ll make this list and we’ll get it to you as soon as possible. And we look forward to working with you.’ He glanced across at Kelly. ‘With both of you.’

They walked out into the grand entrance, to the huge sweep of carved steps, to see the deputation off. The men climbed into their several cars and departed. Rafael and Kelly stood side by side until they were out of sight.

‘Thank you,’ Rafael said softly as the sound of the cars faded. ‘You saved my hide. They were all ready for a spot of anarchy.’ He moved away a little so he could see her. ‘Wow,’ he said softly. ‘Wow and wow and wow. You took their breath away. You took my breath away.’ He frowned. ‘But I thought you didn’t bring a dress.’

‘It’s part of my past,’ she said. ‘It seems I still have a wardrobe of dresses here. Mostly chosen by Kass.’

‘Kass never chose that.’

‘No.’ She ran her hands self-consciously along her sides and the luxurious silk felt smooth and lovely under her hands. ‘I chose this.’

‘You like clothes,’ he said on a note of discovery.

‘For my pains. I try not to.’

‘Don’t try,’ he said urgently. ‘You’re beautiful. The people will love you.’

‘You’re saying I should wear the clothes Kass chose for me?’

‘Of course I’m not. You could come to Manhattan with me,’ he said. ‘When we get this place sorted. Money’s not an issue—the royal coffers have an amount set aside that is purely for personal maintenance of the immediate royal family. That’s us. It’s enough to make you think that maybe buying a lottery ticket might be a waste of time. You and Matty could take a few days and come play on Fifth Avenue.’ He grinned and looked her up and down, his smile enough to make her blush—really blush. ‘Matty and I would love to watch you enjoy yourself setting yourself up for your new life here.’

‘What about Anna?’ she asked curiously, trying to get her colour under control. ‘Isn’t she due here?’

‘She should be here tomorrow,’ Rafael said. ‘I’ve organized the stuff from my development workshop to be freighted over and she’s supervising. But don’t worry about Anna. Any shopping we’re organising, she’ll have her hand up before me.’

‘Oh.’ She wasn’t quite sure what was happening here. The appreciation in his eyes was warm and intimate. Yet he spoke about Anna with matter-of-fact directness.

‘Why aren’t you in your attic?’ he asked, cutting across her train of thought.

‘I saw you out here.’ She hesitated. ‘I felt…I don’t know. Maybe if I can help I will. Just occasionally,’ she added hastily as she saw the leap of hope in his eyes. ‘Not on a regular basis.’ She bit her lip. ‘I…maybe I’ve been a bit mean. I am grateful to you. For Matty,’ she said softly. ‘I do need to thank everyone here. You’ve all done a lovely job of bringing him up. He’s a darling.’

‘And so responsible,’ Rafael said.

‘He doesn’t need to be responsible.’

‘As long as I’m responsible. Or you’re responsible. And look at us. We even look like royals.’

‘I’m play-acting,’ she said, ‘to help out. I’m going back to my attic tomorrow.’

‘That’s a damned waste.’

‘It shouldn’t be.’

‘You don’t need me.’

‘No?’

For a long moment he stared at her as if she’d just asked a question that was really dumb. She gazed back at him, bewildered. But then…

But then things started clicking into place.

It had been five years since any man had looked at her like Rafael was looking at her, but she knew the signs. He was staring at her as if he were hungry. As if she were…

Desirable?

‘No,’ she said and held up her hands as if in defence.

‘It’s all very well to say no,’ Rafael snapped, stepping towards her so fast he was suddenly way too close. ‘It’s the last thing I want. Or it should be the last thing I want.’

‘What?’ she said, confused.

‘You,’ he said and the world stood still again.

‘I…don’t,’ she said at last, somehow taking a step back, and he shook his head as if trying to clear a fog.

‘Yeah. Maybe I’m being dumb. Go to bed, Kelly.’

‘You’re sending me to bed?’

‘I’m sending you away,’ he said, exasperated. ‘I need you to go away.’

‘Like Kass.’

‘No!’ And, before she knew what he was about, he’d seized her hands and tugged her close. ‘That’s just it. Don’t you see—I’m not the least like Kass. Kass represented everything about this place that I hate. Royalty. The perfection of it… Do you know my father was thrown from his horse and maimed? He was crippled but as well as that he had a massive scar running down the side of his face. He lost the sight of one eye. Until then, he’d worked like a navvy in this place—that the Principality hasn’t bankrupted itself until now is solely down to my father’s economic acumen and the fact that the old prince never bothered to interfere. But as soon as my father was injured he wasn’t permitted any part of the running of the place. He was simply struck off. It just killed him—his injuries, but more—the fact that he was useless. My mother and I could do nothing. And here I am, being useful again. Useful. And here you are and you’re Kass’s bride…’

‘Hey…’

‘And the last thing I want is to feel sorry for you,’ he said. ‘And I don’t and that’s just the trouble. Sympathy is something I could deal with. But you’re standing here looking so damned sexy it’s melting the soles of my boots, and the way I feel…I just…’

‘You just?’ She was trying to pull away but he was having none of it.

‘I just,’ he said and he tugged her tight against him.

And he kissed her.

The shock made her freeze.

For the first couple of seconds—those vital seconds when she should have pulled away, before his mouth even touched hers—shock didn’t let her move. His hands were holding hers with a warmth and a strength that locked her to him. She’d been tugging back—sort of—but not with real desperation. But now…

His hands tugged her tight and his mouth lowered on to hers. In shock she looked up at him, and then his lips claimed hers and it was a done deal. She was being kissed, whether she willed it or not.

Rafael…

He felt…He felt…

She stopped trying to figure what he felt. She stopped trying to figure what she felt. She just…was.

She hadn’t touched a man for six years. She’d sworn to never…

So much for swearing, for there was no way any mere resolution could get in the way of this.

Her mouth met his, merged, and her body simply went into meltdown. She had no will to do anything but simply be—to let him take her as he willed, to let his hands create their magic, to let the sensations sweeping over her take their course, transform her as they willed, lift her out of her dreary yesterdays and turn her into a woman desired.

For that was what she was. There was no mistaking the urgency of how he felt about her. His hands had her firmly round the waist, tugging her into him so her breasts were flattened against his chest. She could feel his heart beating under hers. She opened her lips and felt his tongue begin a slow, delicious plunder that would have made her moan in pleasure if in doing so she might not have risked breaking the moment.

She was risking nothing. She was doing her own holding, taking what she needed from this man, soaking in the warmth and strength and arrant male desire.

It had been too long. Far too long.

Rafael…

She was kissing him back, as fiercely as he was kissing her, taking as well as giving, quenching her own desperate needs.

Needs she’d told herself didn’t exist.

Only, of course, they did. Six long years of nothing. Isolation and loneliness and betrayal.

Rafael…

The kiss went on and on. Neither wanted it to end. Neither could conceive of it ending. The night was still and warm. There was no movement in the forecourt—the castle staff had long gone to bed. There was only this man and this woman, taking what they both desperately needed.

And when the kiss finally ended, as even the best kiss must inevitably do, Kelly took a step back and put her fingers to her lips and knew that her world had changed.

‘N…no,’ she whispered and she saw her own shock mirrored in Rafael’s eyes.

‘No,’ he agreed, sounding as if he didn’t know what the word meant.

‘I didn’t want to kiss you,’ she whispered.

‘You’re Kass’s woman,’ he said blankly and that brought reality crashing back around the pair of them.

Kass’s woman…

The feeling of unreality dissipated. Here and now crashed right back.

‘How dare you?’

‘I don’t dare,’ he said. ‘That was dumb.’

She stared at him, confounded. The kiss had been dumb. Of course it had been dumb. But to say it…

‘Don’t you touch me,’ she stammered and the confusion in his eyes faded.

‘You don’t want it?’

‘Of course not.’

‘Of course not. We’re birds of a feather, Kelly. We want nothing to do with this.’

‘But it’s not this we’re talking about,’ she managed. ‘Not royalty. Not now. No, I don’t want any more contact than I’m forced to have with royalty to be a good mother to Matty. But as far as kissing you…’

‘You looked at me,’ he said as if that explained everything and she glared.

‘So you’re saying I goaded you into it. Like wearing red patent shoes.’

‘Pardon?’ he said, startled.

‘You don’t wear red patent shoes,’ she said patiently. ‘Everyone knows they incite the senses and reflect your knickers.’

‘Really?’

‘Not that it has anything to do with the here and now,’ she said, fighting to get a grip. ‘And I should never have worn this dress. When’s Anna coming?’

‘I told you. Tomorrow.’

‘Then starting tomorrow, let’s get this on a sensible footing,’ she snapped. ‘You and me…we see each other in terms of official duties. That’s all.’

‘That’s all I want, too.’

‘Because, of course, I’m Kass’s woman.’

‘I didn’t mean to say that.’

‘You did say it,’ she snapped. ‘And it hurt. I was dumb enough to fall for a good royal come-on, and if you think I’d be dumb enough to fall twice… Kass’s woman or not…you’d be out of your mind. So you needn’t look at me as if I’m trying to jump you or, heaven forbid, put another wedding ring on my finger…’

‘I’m not.’

‘Because I’m not,’ she snapped, refusing to let him interrupt. ‘I’m going to bed.’

‘Good.’

‘And Kass’s…the royal suite is round the far side of the castle,’ she said. ‘As far from my attics as it’s possible to get. And I can lock my doors.’

‘Kelly, I’m not trying to seduce you.’

‘You kissed me and that’s enough. More than enough. I don’t even want a handshake from a prince of the blood.’

‘I’m not…’

‘A prince of the blood. Yes, you are.’

‘As you’re Kass’s bride,’ Rafael said, sounding goaded. ‘Princess Royal. You represent everything I don’t want about this place.’

‘Well, it’s good we have that cleared up,’ she snapped. ‘Just so we’re clear. You dragged me back here and now you tell me I’m part of your problem. Sorry, Rafael, I have problems of my own to sort.’

She should stalk away. She should just turn and leave. Instead, she stood in the moonlight and watched him try to think of something else to say—something that would make sense of this crazy situation they’d landed in.

He couldn’t. He didn’t. And finally there was no choice. She turned away. ‘Goodnight,’ she said stiffly.

‘Kelly?’

She didn’t turn round. She simply stood still and waited for him to say what he needed to say.

‘I’m sorry,’ he said at last. ‘That should never have happened. It won’t happen again. I promise.’

‘Just as well,’ she muttered.

And went to bed.

But not to sleep.

What had she been thinking of—to let him kiss her and to kiss him back?

It was because he was…gorgeous?

Rafael de Boutaine, Prince Regent of Alp de Ciel. He’d kissed her senseless.

As Kass had.

No. He was as different from Kass as it was possible to be. Kelly lay in the lovely double bed Rafael had organized to be delivered into her attic room and watched the moonbeams play on the ceiling. She shouldn’t have the new bed, she thought. She wanted to be like a forgotten relation, left to penury while on the other side of the castle, on the royal side, Rafael swanned round in luxury, enjoying his magnificent suite of rooms, being…Prince Regent.

‘I’d hate it,’ she muttered.

She didn’t hate Rafael. She’d loved it tonight, she conceded. She’d loved feeling beautiful. She’d loved standing side by side with Rafael while he’d organized affairs of state. She’d loved the way he’d gasped as she’d walked into the room. And the way the warmth had stayed in his eyes.

In fact, the way she was feeling about Rafael…had to be suppressed. The part of her that had been wounded to the core five years ago clenched into horror.

To fall in love with another prince…

What was she thinking? How could she be falling in love? Just because the man had kissed her…

‘The man’s seriously fabulous,’ she told the ceiling and closed her eyes, as if she could block out the thought of him.

His partner would be here tomorrow—a woman called Anna. They’d get on with the ruling Laura told them was needed and she’d retire to her books. For the next twenty years.

‘Which is what I want,’ she whispered into the dark, ‘isn’t it?’

‘Yes,’ her mind screamed but there was a tiny part of her that was stubbornly refusing to agree.

Why had he kissed her? Did he have no sense at all?

Yes, he’d agreed to take on the Regency, but that was as far as it went. He didn’t want to get any more fond of Matty than he already was, and he sure as hell didn’t want to get any more fond of Matty’s mother.

But he’d kissed her.

The thought shocked him. He hadn’t known what he intended to do until it happened and then…then it was too late. It was lucky that Kelly had sense for the pair of them.

It’s like quicksand, he thought savagely, the royal quagmire hauling him in.

He thought back to the days after his father’s accident. Up until then, Rafael had been cool with being royal. Kass, his older cousin, had been an arrogant, egotistical bore. Worried about the influence Kass might have, his parents had sent Rafael to boarding school. He’d thoroughly enjoyed it, but he’d loved coming back in the holidays. He’d lived on horseback, roaming this beautiful little country with an ever-growing appreciation.

But then his father had been injured, and over the course of one summer life had changed. Kass and his father had simply cut off the brother and uncle who’d once been useful to them, but whose use-by date had been the moment he’d become uncomfortable to look at.

The last time he’d come outside… It had been just before Rafael was due to go back to school. Laura had convinced her husband to get some sun, so she and Rafael had pushed him into the garden.

Kass had walked past and had stopped dead. ‘He’s not to stay here,’ he’d said harshly, speaking to Laura and not directly to his uncle. ‘It upsets the staff. It makes me feel sick. He’s not to come within sight of the castle.’

That one vicious order had been enough to make Rafael’s father return to the house. He’d died two months later, without having set foot in the garden again.

Rafael had made that vow as well. There was no way he ever intended to be of use to royalty. He wouldn’t set foot in the castle. He’d hoped his mother would move. She hadn’t and their access to each other had become confined to Laura’s visits to the States.

And now, like it or not, here he was—of use to royalty as his father had once been of use to the old Prince and to Kass. It made him feel ill.

And tonight he’d kissed Kass’s wife.

Why?

It was a web, he thought, a fine, gossamer web drawing him in tighter and tighter. Conscience and duty had him stuck here.

Like Kelly was stuck.

She wasn’t stuck, he thought savagely. She could stay up in her attic and be an academic and not do anything, not be a part of it. Or do as she’d done tonight, emerge from her attic for a moment and then retreat the moment things got intense.

So why had he kissed her?

‘Because I’m a fool,’ he told the darkness and he rolled over in the royal bed and thought he could roll over six or seven times and not reach the edge.

‘It’s ludicrous.

‘It’s life as you’ll know it for the next twenty years,’ he said grimly. ‘So get used to it. And keep your hands off that woman!’