Convenient Bride for the King Page 11

  ‘No,’ he said gently. ‘Moriana First, remember? You’re turning over a new leaf. What do you want to do?’

  ‘I want to stay and be of use,’ she said, and meant it. She wanted to be with him, stand by him.

  ‘And would you like the lessons and the romance and my awkward moments of oversharing to continue?’ he asked, and there was no more denying that he was turning her into a believer of all things Theo.

  ‘Yes.’ She nodded, and reached for more bread so she wouldn’t reach for him. ‘Yes, I would.’

  * * *

  Benedict and his father arrived the following morning. They were put in the west wing, out of the way, no visitors allowed, and Moriana stayed out of their way. Benedict did not dine with them—she didn’t see him for two days—but on the morning of the third day he ventured into the garden and when he saw her he headed her way.

  He looked haggard and sleep-deprived, but the reason for it was obvious. His father was dying. Theo was ignoring him. This family was a fractured one, and she didn’t know what to make of it.

  ‘You were right about the artwork here,’ she said when he reached her. ‘It really is extraordinary.’

  ‘I know. My ancestors have done us proud. This place. These gardens.’ He smiled faintly and looked around. ‘There’s nothing quite like them.’

  ‘How’s your father?’

  ‘Asleep. That’s the easy word for what he’s doing. Better than unconscious or comatose. The journey here knocked him around, but he knew he was home. He recognised it.’

  ‘Does your father ask for anyone?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Has Theo seen him yet?’

  ‘No.’ Benedict smiled grimly. ‘I doubt that’s going to happen.’

  ‘Have you caught up with Theo yet?’

  ‘Briefly.’ Benedict shoved his hands in his pockets as they started walking and she fell into step beside him. ‘Not that there was a lot of catching up involved. We haven’t been close for years.’

  ‘I heard that.’

  ‘Theo wasn’t always like he is now,’ said Benedict. ‘He was more open as a child. More inclined to let people in. Then his family died, and that dimmed him a lot but he was still accessible. Still him. It was a couple of months after his twenty-third birthday that everything changed between him and me—between him and everyone—and it was like a wall went up overnight and it was twenty feet high and made of obsidian and there was no way to scale it.’

  Moriana said nothing.

  ‘God knows I’m not without flaws,’ Benedict muttered. ‘But they’d never bothered him before. These days I like to think I’ve got a better handle on those flaws.’

  ‘Do you care for him?’ she asked quietly.

  ‘I used to. He was like a brother to me. Now he’s a stranger and I’m here under sufferance. Once my father is dead and buried I’ll choose a new life and walk away from this one. It’s time.’

  She’d voiced a similar sentiment only days ago. The circumstances were different but the dream to simply walk away from a life of royal duty was a vivid one at times. Hard to say how it would work in reality. No one she knew had ever been bold enough or weary enough to try.

  ‘You’re his closest blood relative. Second in line to the throne. He could use your support.’

  Benedict snorted softly. ‘Theo doesn’t want my support. I’ve already offered it too many times to count. By the way, this State Dinner tomorrow night that I can no longer avoid—I’m bringing a date. One of the Cordova twins.’

  She narrowed her gaze and shot him a sideways glance. ‘Why would you do that? To make Theo uncomfortable or to make me uncomfortable?’

  ‘Two birds, one stone,’ he said, and then shrugged as if in half-hearted apology. ‘Would you believe it wasn’t my idea? I owe the Cordovas a favour. They called it in.’ Benedict held her gaze. ‘Don’t be jealous, Moriana. Theo’s Theo. He has history with half a dozen women who’ll be there tomorrow night, none of whom he ever wanted for his Queen. That list only ever had your name on it. You win. You both win.’

  ‘He...had a list?’

  ‘He had a wish. Why is this news to you? My cousin has never been able to take his eyes off you, even as a kid. He’s yours. He always has been.’

  ‘But...’

  ‘Let me guess. His marriage proposal was framed as pure politics.’

  ‘His marriage proposal was a form letter with my name filled in at the top and his signature at the bottom.’

  Benedict laughed long and hard.

  Moriana glared, until a reluctant tug lifted her lips. ‘I hate humour. I’m a serious soul and why can’t people just tell me things?’ she muttered, and set Benedict off all over again.

  ‘Seriously, go easy on my date,’ Benedict said when finally he caught his breath. ‘You’re hard to compete with.’

  ‘You mean I’m the perfect Ice Princess? Because, you’ve probably been too preoccupied to read the papers but that particular image is swiftly becoming tarnished. This morning I’m apparently intent on blackmailing Theo into marrying me by being pregnant with his triplets.’

  Benedict’s gaze skidded to her flat stomach. ‘Congratulations?’

  ‘Oh, shut it. It’s pure fabrication.’

  ‘You don’t say.’ And then he was grinning again. ‘Tomorrow you should tell them they’re mine.’

  ‘Tomorrow I’ll probably be brawling in public with a Cordova twin. I don’t share well.’ She chewed on her lip. ‘You might want to forewarn her that I’m not feeling merciful.’

  ‘If I do that her twin will want to come along as back-up. Not to mention their brother.’

  ‘I’ll see to it that two more places are set for you and your friends. I may as well deal with them all at once.’

  ‘You’re fearless.’

  ‘So I’m told.’

  ‘Also slightly scary.’

  ‘Spread that thought,’ she said encouragingly.

  They walked some more in companionable silence, and then Benedict spoke again. ‘Moriana, a favour, if you please. If you do mean to invite all the Cordovas to dinner, seat Enrique next to me—as my partner. Because he is. In every sense.’

  Oh. ‘Oh, I see.’ No wonder Benedict didn’t want the throne. The fight required to accommodate his partner of choice would be enormous. ‘Does Theo know?’

  ‘He knows I enjoy both men and women, yes. I doubt he knows that I’ve finally made my choice. It’s been made for years. Hidden for years.’

  Oh, again. ‘Does your father know?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘And yet you still want the Cordova brother at your side tomorrow night rather than wait until your father’s dead? Why?’

  ‘Because I’m burning bridges. I’ve no wish to be King and this is the strongest message I can send to those who might be inclined to rally around me after my father’s death. Because Enrique thinks I’m ashamed of him and I’m sick of being that man. I don’t care any more what anyone thinks. I love Enrique. I can’t imagine my life without him in it. End of story.’

  ‘Well, in that case, an invitation for Enrique and his sisters can be with them this afternoon,’ she murmured. ‘I’m game if you’re sure.’

  ‘I’m sure.’

  ‘You realise you should be having this conversation with Theo rather than me?’ she asked him.

  ‘I can’t talk to a wall.’ He turned on a smile that nearly blew Moriana away with its wattage. ‘I’ve decided I like you, Princess. You’re easy to talk to, you’re smart and I suspect you’re very kind. You’re also very beautiful. Theo chose well for Liesendaach.’ He stopped in front of her, heels together, and reached for her hand before bowing low and brushing her knuckles with his lips. ‘A favour for me; now it’s my turn to do a favour for you. Never forget—no matter who comes at you from Theo’s past and tries to make you doubt him—never forget that he chose you. He even seems willing to change his ways for you.’

  ‘You don’t know that,’ she said raggedly, no matter h
ow much she suddenly longed to believe it. ‘You don’t know him any more.’

  ‘I have my sources. Besides, I still have eyes. He still watches you as if there’s no one but you in the room. He’s watching you now.’

  She looked around the garden and back towards the palace, where the guards stood stationed. Theo stood with them, hands in the pockets of his trousers. ‘How long has he been there?’

  ‘A few minutes, maybe a few more,’ Benedict answered obligingly. ‘I don’t think he likes you walking with me. Hence the kiss.’

  ‘What are you, five years old? How is annoying him going to help your cause?’

  ‘It won’t. But it does amuse me. Shall I walk you back to him?’

  ‘Only if you’re going to play nice.’

  ‘Ah, well.’ Benedict’s amusement hadn’t dimmed. ‘I was heading to the stables anyway. Your Highness.’ He bowed again. ‘The pleasure was all mine.’

  ‘You’re a rogue.’

  ‘Runs in the blood.’

  ‘You realise I’ll more than likely relay our conversation to Theo, word for word.’

  ‘I never would have guessed.’

  Benedict smiled as he walked away and she knew that look, even if she’d never seen it on this particular face before.

  Do try and keep up, Moriana. You’re my conduit to my cousin.

  That was the point.

  * * *

  ‘What did he want?’ asked Theo when she joined him. His eyes were flinty and his jaw was hard, and if he thought she was going to be their messenger girl he could think again.

  ‘He wanted to talk to you. Apparently I’m the next best thing. The Cordovas are coming to the State Dinner tomorrow night. All of them, and it’s going to be interesting.’ She snaked her hand around his neck, with every intention of drawing his lips down towards hers. ‘Are you angry with him for waylaying me?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Are you angry with me for letting myself be waylaid?’

  His lips stopped mere centimetres from her own. ‘Yes.’

  ‘Scared I’ll like him?’

  Theo’s lips tightened. ‘He can be charming.’

  ‘I like you more.’ She closed the distance between their lips, not caring who saw them. She closed her eyes and stroked the seam of his lips until he opened for her. He was as ravenously hungry for her as she was for him and the thought soothed her soul even as it inflamed her senses. His arm was a steel band around her waist, the hardness between his legs all the encouragement she needed to continue.

  And then one of the nearby guards cleared his throat. ‘Photographers,’ he said, and Theo’s palm cupped her face protectively as he eased them out of the inferno of their kiss.

  ‘Sorry,’ she whispered, her confidence evaporating as he escorted her inside.

  ‘Don’t be. Think of the headlines. There’ll be a love triangle. That or Benedict and I will be sharing you. Either way, you can expect a stern talking-to from your brother. So can I, for that matter.’

  Moriana sighed. ‘Welcome to my world.’

  ‘I like your world, Princess. And I sure as hell like having you in mine. Don’t overthink it.’

  And he kissed her again to make sure she wouldn’t.

  * * *

  The papers the following morning did not disappoint. Claimed, one headline ran, with a trio of pictures directly below it. Theo and Moriana just before that kiss, lips close and tension in every line of their bodies. Then the kiss itself, and it made her hot just to look at because it was a kiss better kept for the bedroom. Her family would despair of her. The third picture had Theo in full protective mode, his hand on her face and her head turned towards his shoulder as he glared at whoever had taken the picture. Mine, mine and mine that glare said.

  That one she liked.

  ‘Oh, message received,’ Aury said when she saw the headline and the pictures. ‘That man is going to peel the skin off the flesh of anyone who tries to hurt you. It’s even better than the picture of him butt naked. Your future king just bared his soul for you, and he did it for all to see.’

  ‘What do you see?’ Moriana snatched the paper back from the other woman. ‘What soul?’

  ‘It’s there in every line of his body. His focus, the want in that kiss, the protection. Oh, this one’s going on the fridge.’

  ‘What fridge?’ Moriana still couldn’t see past her own surrender. ‘What soul?’

  ‘That man is totally committed. I knew it!’ Aury was beaming. ‘This isn’t just the royal wedding of a generation...this is a love match.’

  ‘Wait! What wedding? No! I’m not in love. I barely know the man. This is a...a sex match, if we ever get around to having sex. And it’s convenient.’

  ‘To have a husband who is head over heels in love with you, yes, it’s very convenient.’ Aury was practically dancing around the room. ‘Henry, did you see this?’

  ‘Yes, ma’am.’

  ‘Henry, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Aury?’

  Henry smiled with his eyes but his face remained impassive. ‘Ma’am, I’m on duty. There are protocols.’

  ‘But we can still solicit your opinion on the headlines, yes? It’s a matter of state and safety and stuff.’ Aury waved her hand in the air, possibly to encapsulate all the stuff she wasn’t saying.

  ‘The King knows what he’s doing, ma’am.’

  ‘See?’ Aury whirled back around to face Moriana. ‘Henry thinks Theo’s in love.’

  ‘That wasn’t what he said.’ Moriana did a little hand waving of her own. ‘I need new guards. And I definitely need a new lady-in-waiting.’

  ‘You’re right. I’m not waiting any more,’ Aury declared. ‘You’re done. Gone. Claimed by a man who will move heaven and earth for you. It’s my turn now.’ She glanced at Henry from beneath her lashes.

  ‘Henry,’ said Moriana. ‘Run.’

  ‘Sorry, Your Highness, but I can’t.’ Henry looked anything but sorry. ‘I’m on duty.’

  * * *

  ‘Do you want her back?’ Theo asked Augustus, neighbouring King and brother of one Moriana of Arun. ‘Because she’s been here four days and I’ve lost control of my palace staff, my press coverage and the plot,’ said Theo into the phone. He was staring down at the paper and wondering if Moriana was going to speak to him any time soon. Claimed! was the headline, and then there were pictures. And the pictures were revealing. Theo wanted to find a hole in the ground and bury himself in it.

  Some things were meant to be common knowledge. His dangerous growing infatuation with Moriana was not one of them.

  ‘She’s a Combat General in a sundress,’ he moaned.

  ‘And you’ve claimed her,’ Augustus said smugly. ‘Enjoy.’

  ‘You’re looking at exactly the same paper as I am, aren’t you?’

  ‘When can I post the banns?’ How could Augustus sound even more smug?

  ‘I’m working on it. She’s invited the Cordova twins and their brother to dinner, at Benedict’s request. I’m taking it as a declaration of war on my past.’

  ‘Reasonable call.’

  ‘I don’t often ask for advice,’ Theo began.

  ‘You’ve never asked for advice,’ Augustus said drily.

  ‘What should I do?’

  ‘Why, Theo, you sit back and enjoy the tempest that is Moriana proving a point. You have to remember, you wanted to let her run hot!’

  ‘You’re saying this is my fault?’

  ‘I’m saying you wanted it; you’ve got it.’

  ‘She sent my dying uncle a book of prayer and a book about war.’

  ‘Very subtle. You’ve already neutralised him. She’s simply making sure he sees no avenue of counter attack through her. I imagine that’s what inviting the Cordovas will be about too. Moriana’s not one for extended torture. She’ll give them a hearing, try to get them to reveal their hand, and if she doesn’t like what’s in it she’ll cut them off at the wrist. Your role in this endeavour is to watch and learn what it�
�s like to have my sister in your corner when enemies are present. Should you be foolish enough to reminisce with either of the delectable Cordova twins, you will lose your balls.’

  Theo snorted.

  ‘This is Moriana unleashed, remember? What could possibly go wrong?’ said Augustus, with the blithe disregard of a man who knew he’d be elsewhere that evening. ‘By the way, I’ll be sending Moriana’s dowry to you by the usual method. Meaning three hundred matched black cavalry horses and their riders will escort the dowry from my palace to yours—in full ceremonial garb.’

  ‘I—what dowry?’

  ‘Didn’t she mention it? It’s quite considerable. Paintings, linens, jewels, a regiment or two. It’ll take the cavalry just under a month to get to you and I suspect Moriana will want to ride with them part of the way. They should aim to reach your palace one week before the wedding, unless the Liesendaach cavalry decides to meet them at your border. You’ve met us at the border before, by the way, some three hundred years ago when Princess Gerta of Arun married Liesendaach’s good King Regulus. If that happens it may take them all a little longer to reach you on account of all the jousting and swordfights that will likely take place along the way. I’ve been reading up on royal wedding protocol.’

  ‘You’re telling me you want six hundred steeds and riders prancing through my countryside for two weeks. Guarding linen?’

  ‘And you thought Arunians were stern and resoundingly frugal.’ Augustus was enjoying this. Theo was mildly horrified to find his reckoning of Augustus’s character all wrong. ‘Theo, I’ve already had six meetings with my highest advisors on how to honour Moriana properly should she ever decide to marry you. We will be parting with one of our most revered national treasures. If I had elephants I’d be sending them.’

  ‘Elephants?’

  ‘And now you’re repeating my words. My work here is done. Good luck at dinner. Remember, do not take your eyes from the prize. Not that you ever do.’

  ‘You’re enjoying this too much.’

  ‘I am. And there’s more, and it needs to be said. If ever you want my advice regarding your beloved future wife, just call. I have the experience to help you through. Soon-to-be brother, I am here for you.’

  Theo hung up on him.