by Kelly Hunter
Benedict had seen them and nodded in their direction. Theo’s expression hardened.
‘He won’t come to you, if that’s what you’re worried about,’ said Belle drily. ‘Even as a boy he knew better than to abandon a freshly ridden horse in my stables.’
True enough, Benedict handed the saddle off to a groom and haltered the horse himself before leading it to the wash area. But he looked back at Theo and beckoned him over with the tiniest tilt of his head.
‘Have you asked after his father yet today?’
‘The physicians keep me updated.’
‘Physicians don’t know politics,’ said Belle. ‘Perhaps you should see what he wants.’
‘Did he know I was going to be here?’
‘He’s here every morning, Theodosius, from around five a.m. onwards, and I put him to work. Just like when he was a boy.’
With a curt, ‘Excuse me,’ Theo headed towards his cousin.
‘Shall we continue our rounds?’ Belle asked Moriana and, without waiting for a reply, made her way to the next stall. This one was a filly, proud and fully grey.
‘I’ve never seen Theo so easily led,’ Moriana said finally, polite conversation be damned. ‘How did you do that?’
‘It helps that I’ve known both those boys since their teens. They were inseparable once.’
‘Do you know why that changed?’
‘I have my suspicions.’
‘A woman?’
Belle snorted. ‘They never fought over women—there were always so many to choose from—and for Benedict, men and women both. No. I fear the rift was caused by something far less mundane.’
‘Can it be mended?’
‘I try to help.’ Belle smiled. ‘Perhaps you will try too. Now, this filly has an interesting bloodline...’
* * *
Theo didn’t wait until Benedict had finished hosing down the horse before speaking. Get in, get out, keep it short. Those were his rules when dealing with Benedict. ‘You have something to say?’
Benedict nodded, not even sparing him a glance as he turned the hose off and picked up a nearby scraper. ‘You’re not going to like it.’
No surprises there.
‘My father filed the petition for your dismissal early this morning. He says he has the numbers and he doesn’t care that I’ve no intention of challenging you for the position and that there is no other option from our bloodline. He’s simply in it for the chaos now. It’s his parting gift to you.’
‘He has to know I’ll fight it.’
‘I’m sure he does.’
‘And that I’ll win.’
‘You usually do.’ Benedict began stripping water from the horse’s back. He rode them hard, as a rule, but never beyond what a horse would willingly take and the care he took of his ride afterwards would have done an Olympic athlete proud. ‘You could announce your engagement to Moriana and bury the petition within a day.’
He could. That had been his intention all along and he’d made no secret of it. And yet... Moriana First. ‘Not happening,’ he grated.
‘Why not? It’s the perfect solution. You’ve always been hard for her.’
‘Because I’ve already asked and she didn’t accept.’
Wicked amusement danced across Benedict’s face. ‘You couldn’t get the girl? Oh, that’s beautiful.’
Never give Benedict ammunition. Why could Theo never remember that? ‘If I applied pressure to Moriana now and appealed to her sense of duty and the need for ongoing regional stability, I would get the girl. But I’m not going to do it. For the first time in her life Moriana has a chance to make up her own mind about what she wants to do and who she wants to be, going forward. I’m not going to take that away from her.’
‘You’re getting soft.’
It wasn’t a compliment. ‘You want to know what Moriana was up in her rooms doing just now? She was memorising tonight’s guest list. She has dossiers of information on every guest invited. And she was miserable. Near frantic with worry that she wouldn’t perform to expectations. That’s not the life I want for her. She deserves more. She has to believe she can find happiness here, and I’ll wait on her answer for eternity if I have to. I will not put time pressure on this decision. My court, my people, they can all wait on her answer.’
‘And if her answer is no?’
Benedict sounded strangely subdued and now Theo was the one who needed to be doing something with his hands. He picked up a towel and began to rub the horse dry. ‘If it’s no, only then will I consider other options. Because she’s it for me.’ It was easier to say it to the side of a horse than it was to say it to a person. ‘She always has been.’
* * *
Voices carried here. Belle had to know it, for she’d shepherded Moriana into a stall to examine a foaling mare. They were out of sight but plenty close enough to overhear the conversation between Theo and Benedict. And now the older woman was leaning against a stable wall, scuffing patterns in the sawdust with her boot, listening, as Moriana was listening, and Theo was putting his crown on the line. Declaring his allegiance not to his country first but to Moriana’s happiness.
And then Belle’s gaze met hers. ‘I’ve only ever loved one man,’ Belle said quietly. ‘I gave up my world for him and I loved him as hard as I could—whenever he wanted, wherever he wanted—and he took, and he took, and he took. I’ve always told myself a King can never afford to put a woman first, but he can. And some do.’
And then Belle moved forward and her hand snaked out to catch a tiny hoof that had appeared beneath the mare’s tail. ‘Aha. This foal is breech. I thought as much.’ She smiled conspiratorially. ‘Do you want to see what those two boys can do when they work together?’ And in a louder voice that was bound to carry, ‘Theo! Benedict! We need a hand. Or two.’
CHAPTER NINE
MORIANA DRESSED FOR the evening with uncommon care. Some of Liesendaach’s Crown Jewels had been delivered to her room in her absence, and Aury and Letitia fussed and compared and had a glorious time and Moriana let them. The list of names she hadn’t finished memorising sat to one side of her dressing table. A little wooden box sat on the other side, and she knew exactly what was in it, even if Aury didn’t. She’d put it there herself as a reminder of a decision that needed to be made. A decision Theo had not asked her to revisit but he needed her to revisit it nonetheless.
She thought he might have said something about the petition on their way back from the stables, but he hadn’t. He’d talked of the new foal instead—a little colt that he and Benedict had delivered with ease.
When they reached the palace entrance he’d excused himself from her company. He had a little business to attend to before the dinner, he’d said. And kept her clueless as to the nature of it.
The amber gown with the beaded bodice won them all over once she had it on, and the diamonds and pearls of the South Sea Collection complemented it beautifully. First the earrings and then the necklace. There was a bracelet too, but she waved it away. ‘I think the white gloves instead,’ she said. The ones that went up and over her elbows. She could take them off at some point. And then...
She reached for the little wooden box and snapped it open, her decision made.
And then Theo would have his answer.
She slid it onto her wedding ring finger and Aury gasped. ‘Is that...?’
‘Yes.’
‘Congratulations, Your Highness,’ said Letitia.
‘When did this happen?’ asked Aury.
‘He asked me before we came here. I’ve been trying to decide what to do ever since. And now I have.’
‘But...are you sure?’ Aury’s eyes were dark with concern. ‘I mean, I know the two of you get on better than you used to, but if you’re going to obsess over all of his past conquests, I mean, that’s not a habit you want to get into if you want t
o stay healthy.’
‘I know,’ she murmured. ‘I’m over it.’ She’s it for me. She always has been. She has to believe she can find happiness here.
The sex, the fun, all the attention Theo had paid to her needs these past few days had come together in one blinding moment of clarity. He cared for her. He was willing to put her needs before the needs of the Crown and his own best interests.
Theo might not call that love, but it was close enough.
She wanted this.
She wanted him.
Duty and passion—and a little bit of trust and that thing they weren’t calling love—had made the decision easy. She wanted to stand beside this man, proudly and for ever.
And love him.
‘Wish me luck,’ she said as she pulled the glove on over the ring and began to work her fingers into it. ‘He doesn’t know my answer yet.’
Aury snorted. ‘You’re going to slay him.’
‘One can only hope.’ She worked the other glove on, took a deep breath and reached for the royal blue sash that proclaimed her a Princess of Arun. Aury helped her slip it on and fastened it with a clasp that proclaimed the highest honours a King could bestow. When she straightened again her posture was perfect.
‘You will not fail me,’ she told the regal woman staring back at her from the mirror. ‘You are a Princess of Arun and a future Queen of Liesendaach. You’ve got this.’
Aury nodded, her expression grave. The lady-in-waiting had heard it all before, the pep talks that masked Moriana’s screaming insecurity every time she had to perform in public.
‘Milady, Your Highness—’ Letitia looked to the floor, her fingers twisting together with either hesitation or anxiety ‘—on behalf of myself and...and others—all the people you’ve taken the time to get to know this week, so many of whose names you already know—we are so very proud to serve you. We are grateful for your care.’ She raised her eyes. ‘We will not fail you either.’
* * *
She never forgot a name. Theo watched in outright awe as Moriana worked the room. He’d seen her in action before but that was on her turf, with dignitaries she’d grown up with. That she could so easily converse here was a testament to ruthless discipline and hours of preparation.
She favoured no one, except perhaps Benedict, who she’d shared a few words with towards the beginning of the evening.
Theo’s uncle was unwell, unable to make the dinner and receiving no visitors. Theo had already uttered that line more times than he cared to remember. He wondered cynically if he hadn’t been playing into his uncle’s hands by not allowing him visitors. Would so many from his court support the petition to dethrone Theo if they knew Constantine of Liesendaach was dying?
They must know, some of them. And they were behind the petition regardless.
Theo had been in a foul mood ever since his conversation with Benedict and not even saving the little colt had shifted it. Did his court really want him gone or were they simply trying to mobilise him towards marriage? He knew what they wanted.
He’d never thought dragging his feet on the issue could cost him the Crown.
He’d put a security detail on Benedict the minute he’d returned to the palace. He wanted to know who Benedict spoke to, who he phoned, what was said.
Benedict hadn’t gone to see his father before dinner. He’d called the Cordova house and spoken to the brother, a curt conversation that hadn’t gone well, according to the security team. He’d dressed for dinner. Taken two whiskies and paced his sitting room until it was time to attend.
Theo wished he knew how to trust his cousin the way he’d trusted him as a child.
Had Benedict been complicit in his father’s plans?
If only he knew.
Theo watched his cousin move assuredly between one group of people and the next, and wondered exactly when the thought had taken hold that Benedict had to have known about his father’s plans.
Shortly after Theo had obtained proof of his uncle’s actions, he figured grimly. He’d re-examined every move the people around him had ever made, and Benedict hadn’t made the cut.
Moriana and her brother had, and so had Casimir. Valentine and his sister—the royal children of Thallasia—had made the grade. No one older had—there’d been too much doubt.
‘What’s he done?’ asked a voice from beside him, and there stood Theo’s Head of Household Staff, a picture of elegance and efficiency in black trousers, black shirt and buttoned blazer.
‘Who?’
Sam sent him one of those looks that told him she was aware of his avoidance tactic but she didn’t call him on it outright.
‘Why are you here?’ She usually left the running of state dinners to the functions team.
‘Her Highness wanted things done a certain way tonight. I’m making sure it happens.’ Sam looked unruffled.
Theo eyed her warily. ‘Is that a problem?’ he asked.
‘No problem. Quite frankly, it’s an honour. This is me wanting to make a good impression on a woman who can teach me, and possibly everyone else around here, how best to run a royal household.’
He nodded, his attention already returning to his cousin. Moriana was with Benedict again; she’d sought him out and the conversation they were having looked to be a private one, their dark heads bent towards one another, familiar enough to be close in each other’s space. Any closer and tomorrow’s press would have them eloping.
The press was fascinated by the newly emerging Moriana—the one who’d always moved through the spotlight with seeming effortlessness. Her dress made her look every inch the Princess she was and the Liesendaach jewels had not gone unnoticed. Her long white gloves were driving him mad. All he wanted to do was take her some place private and peel them off, and why stop there?
Theo watched as Benedict smiled unhappily and Moriana touched her hand to his forearm in comfort as she started to speak again.
And then she pulled back and began to peel her gloves off. Why the hell was she doing that? So she could touch Benedict with her bare hands?
Theo’s feet were moving before his brain had even made sense of it. All he knew was that the time for watching from afar was over and that Benedict needed to step away from Moriana right about now.
They looked up as he approached, Benedict’s gaze widening and then turning assessing.
And then Theo looked down at Moriana’s bare arms and hands. Only they weren’t quite bare because she was wearing his engagement ring.
Happiness licked through him, fierce and complete. Moriana was his. To have and to hold, and he’d never wanted anything more than he wanted this. His world narrowed to a point, sharp and bright, as he lifted her hand and put the ring to his lips, and then his lips to hers. ‘Are you sure?’ he asked, rough and gruff against her lips.
‘I’m sure,’ she whispered, and put her beringed hand to his cheek. ‘I want this.’
‘For yourself.’ He had to be sure.
‘You’re very persuasive.’
‘Can someone please spare me?’ said Benedict. ‘I don’t want to be sick. The stains, they never come out of the sashes.’
Moriana blushed and dropped her hand. Theo glared at Benedict. ‘I’m sorry—are we boring you?’
‘Yes,’ said Benedict. ‘A thousand times yes.’
Never give Benedict a tree branch to club you with. Because he would.
‘Benedict, there you are!’
Theo turned to scowl at whoever dared interrupt them and there stood Angelique Cordova, wearing a red gown and a serene smile. Perfect. That was all they needed. But she was Benedict’s date, and Benedict stepped back to allow more room in the circle for her.
‘I gather you got Enrique’s message?’ Angelique said next.
‘Yes.’ Benedict smiled bleakly, but then he rallied and gave her a kiss on the cheek. ‘Th
ank you for coming.’
‘Someone had to support you, darling. We couldn’t all leave you hanging. We’re family.’
‘How so?’ asked Theo.
‘Family of the heart,’ she said next. ‘Bear with my brother, Benedict. He’s frightened for you as well as himself. He thinks now is not the time and I happen to agree with him.’ She glanced up, as if only now noticing Moriana, and dropped into an elegant curtsey.
Benedict sighed, and waved his hand in a languid parody of an introduction. ‘Your Highness, Princess Moriana of Arun, and so on and so forth, may I present my lovely companion for this evening, the utterly fearless Angelique Cordova, one of the brightest lights of my life. Or, at the very least, a matchstick in the darkness.’
‘Pig,’ she said and turned towards Moriana and curtseyed again. ‘A pleasure to meet you, Your Highness. I’ve heard so much about you.’
‘Tell her you have so much in common,’ Benedict prompted his date maliciously.
‘Be a boor then,’ Angelique replied smoothly. ‘I intend to do no such thing.’
‘I’m happy to finally meet you, Ms Cordova.’ Moriana had rallied in the face of the interruption and was every inch the regal princess. ‘I hear we have a lot in common.’
Theo blinked. Benedict crowed a laugh. Angelique looked momentarily startled but recovered quickly.
‘Only in that I gave the world countless opportunities to tease Theo for his utter inability to tell two women apart. Of course, that then backfired because men will be men, and I’m now known as a woman not memorable enough to require close attention. I truly wish we’d never pulled that foolish stunt, but the world still turns, no?’
‘Indeed it does,’ Moriana murmured.
‘May I offer my congratulations on your engagement?’ the woman said next.
‘You’re the first to congratulate us,’ said Moriana lightly. ‘Thank you.’
‘Please, let me be the second to offer my congratulations,’ said Benedict. ‘Assuming, of course, that Theo doesn’t mess it up by assuming you don’t really mean it.’