The Future King's Love-Child (The Royal House 0f Karedes Book 6)
Page 17
‘I would love to see Sam, but first I would like to talk to you.’
Cassie shifted her weight from foot to foot, her teeth having another go at her bottom lip. ‘Look, if it’s about the journalist I spoke to on the ferry across—’
‘It’s not about a journalist, and if you spoke to one then it can’t have been any worse than what I said to the paparazzi and your send-off crowd down at the wharf,’ he said with a wry twinkling smile. ‘I am almost looking forward to seeing tomorrow’s papers.’
She frowned at him. ‘You spoke to the press?’
He gave her a tender look. ‘Did you think I would not defend you, agape mou?’
Cassie didn’t know what to think. She was struggling to contain her emotions, her heart was beating so hard and so fast her head felt as if it were spinning.
Sebastian came up to her and took her hands in his. ‘Caz, I should have said this the day you told me about Sam—in fact I should have told you when you told me about your father and his treatment of you.’
She looked into his eyes. ‘T-told me what?’
‘You can’t guess?’
She shook her head.
He brought her hands up to his mouth, pressing a soft kiss to each of her knuckles as he held her gaze. ‘I love you,’ he said. ‘I have loved you for so long it felt like a limb was being torn off when you and Sam left. I was called back to the palace over some minor issue that was trumped up as being urgent because I suspect everyone knew I was going to stop you from leaving if I spent another minute with you.’
‘We have no future, Seb,’ she said. ‘You know that. The throne is—’
‘Empty until Alex makes up his mind whether he will take it or not,’ he said. ‘I do not want to rule unless you are by my side. You complete me, Caz, in a way no one else has or could ever do. This is not just about Sam—I need you to know that. If the people will not accept you as my wife then I will gladly relinquish the throne and all it entails.’
Cassie couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She wanted to slap at her head, to make sure she hadn’t imagined it. ‘Your…wife?’ she finally managed to croak. ‘You want me to marry you?’
He smiled at her with love shining in his eyes. ‘As soon as it can be arranged,’ he said. ‘We have been robbed of so much time. I want to make you my wife and start working on a brother or sister for Sam. We can be a family at last. It doesn’t matter to me if it is on Aristo or somewhere else. But I suspect, after what I said to the press this morning, you will become the princess of the people in no time at all.’
Cassie couldn’t hold back the tears; they dripped from her eyes as she hugged him close. ‘I just want to be your princess,’ she said.
He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly against him. ‘You have always been my princess, Caz, the princess of my heart.’
There was the patter of little footsteps on the terrace, and a little voice squealed, ‘Daddy! You’ve come to visit!’
Sebastian smiled as he scooped his little son up into his arms. ‘Not just to visit, Sam,’ he said, hugging him tightly. ‘I am here to stay.’
We chatted to Melanie Milburne about the world of THE ROYAL HOUSE OF KAREDES. Here are her insights!
Would you prefer to live on Aristo or Calista?
I would definitely like to live on Aristo! All those beaches and majestic buildings such as the Karedes Palace and secluded hideaways.
What did you enjoy about writing about the Royal House of Karedes?
I really enjoyed getting to know the characters and seeing them develop as they realized their destiny, in particular Sebastian, who had so much pressure on his shoulders. Cassie was one of my favorite heroines as she was so courageous and her love for Sebastian had withstood almost impossible odds.
How did you find writing as part of a continuity?
It is always an amazing privilege to be part of a continuity knowing you are amongst brilliant authors and that you have been specially chosen to join them. It’s quite daunting in fact!
When you are writing, what is your typical day?
I am quite a disciplined person (some would say obsessive!) so I like to get all my other tasks out of the way before I write. I swim first thing and then catch up on e-mails and do any shopping that needs to be done, plus take my dogs for a walk. I usually write all afternoon with lots of breaks for cups of tea and cookies.
Where do you get the inspiration for your characters?
I am a voracious reader and a people-watcher so I guess I would have to say a combination of life and reading, both fiction and nonfiction. Often it is just a phrase I have read that triggers a “what if” question in my head and then away I go.
What did you like most about your hero and heroine in this continuity?
I loved Cassie’s spirit, which in spite of all she had suffered had not been broken. I loved Sebastian’s self-sacrifice in that he was prepared to give up his right to the throne for the woman he loved.
What would be the best—and worst—things about being part of a royal dynasty?
I have a friend whose sister is a princess so I know how hard it is to have any real privacy. It would be so difficult to have hundreds of cameras thrust in your face all the time and not have any normalcy in your life. No ducking out for a coffee and shopping, for instance. But then a handsome prince more than makes up for it, right?
Are diamonds really a girl’s best friend?
No, I think a loving partner who stands by you no matter what is a girl’s best friend. Diamonds are definitely a bonus though!
ISBN: 978-1-4268-4444-7
THE FUTURE KING’S LOVE-CHILD
First North American Publication 2009.
Copyright © 2009 by Harlequin Books S.A.
Special thanks and acknowledgment are given to Melanie Milburne for her contribution to The Royal House of Karedes series
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